Jeff Walz Interview...UConn wins title -- Wedesday CARDINAL COUPLE

UCONN WINS WBB TITLE

In case you missed the game and were looking for some kind of miracle upset by Syracuse write up...sorry, Charlie. UConn took their fourth straight title 82-51 Tuesday night in the Bankers Fieldhouse in Indy over the Orange. That was even with a 16-0 run by Syracuse in the third quarter.

Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson, Morgan Tuck. All good as advertised. Fortunately, for the rest of the women's college basketball world, all graduating. 


INTERVIEW WITH COACH WALZ

Paulie had the chance to talk with Coach Walz Tuesday morning and here's the interview highlights. The full interview can be heard this Saturday on our CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

TUESDAY NIGHT'S CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

" I'll be at home watching the game on TV. I went up on Sunday to the Final Four and spoke at the clinic they offered to all the coaches. I really enjoyed that. My two oldest were in town on their spring break so I decided to spend more time with them." 

ON CORTNEE WALTON

"I'm very happy for Cortnee and her award. It just goes to show you -- like I tell all of our kids -- what you put into it is what you get out of it. Cortnee's invested, and not only on the basketball side of it, invested in herself. Invested in our community, our city. The kids of Louisville. And she didn't do it just to get on The Good Hands team. She did it because that's what she's all about. And...it's going to pay off for her in the end. It's quite an honor for her and our program and most importantly...she's having the time of her life right now at the Final Four.

It's about how hard you work on the court and off the court.

MORE ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

"I'm friends with both coaches but I'd love to see the ACC and Syracuse and "Q" win. I'm good friends with "Q". We've always talked and compared our NCAA Tournament match-ups. Getting in the right bracket, what match-up you're going to get. He was really excited when his draw came out and I was excited for him. Seeing the teams he might possibly have to play and what those teams do from the outside and it worked out perfectly. His kids have played very well. 

The problem is...it's UConn. Breanna Stewart, throughout my 20 years is the best I've seen play. It's amazing what she can do offensively, defensively. Even in the semis the other night, she didn't have a great first half but she demands so much attention...it allows other players to get shots. It allows other players to get going and all of a sudden you have to worry about them and then you forget about Stewart and suddenly she has 20. It's a big task for Syracuse, no doubt about it. I think UConn is going to win but I'd love to see Syracuse pull it out if possible." 

THE SEASON THAT JUST ENDED

"Some great memories, no doubt about it. We start off the season 1-4 and we talked about it. I think our kids were living off what past teams had done. Not realizing the work that goes into it and that work that you have to put it. But, we regrouped from that. The kids got their focus back and we improved as a basketball team. We win 22 of 24 games. We get into the ACC Tournament and you lose by five to Syracuse in a game you're up by four in. A game we sat down and watched...because you've got to value the basketball.

We come home and play DePaul and lose by one. The telling stat of our season was that we had seven games that were decided by five points or less. We go 1-6 in those games. The NC State game was the only win. That's something I've talked to our kids about. You have to be focused for 40 minutes. You have to be disciplined and not cheat the process. When it gets down to that last two minutes, that's when your bad habits come out. 

I was proud of our effort this season and how we competed. With all the youth we had there were a lot of learning experiences for us and it's something we're going to grow from. Now we're at a crucial time of this year because we have until April 15th to do workouts. Two hours a week and that's it. In the month of May we can't do anything. In June and July we get two hours a week for eight weeks. Player development in the summer is really on the players. We can give them a nugget, what they need to do...but two hours a week isn't going to make them any better. Are they willing to go out on their own? 

That's the things I love listening to on post-game radio and TV interviews. The kids who say they love the game. Kids that live in the gym together. Stewart talking about Morgan Tuck and Tuck talking about her...saying she's the one who challenged me to get in the gym every day...and when she's there...I gotta go. When you're best players are in the gym, the rest follow. 

Those are the things we're trying to get our players to embrace and understand. We need that from our top echelon...to challenge the others to get in. 

MYISHA HINES-ALLEN: THE DEVELOPMENT, PROGRESS AND WORK TO BE DONE.


"She had a great season...No question about it. She needs to work on her conditioning, she has to work on her outside shot from the three-point line...which is getting better but needs to improve. Working the defensive end of the floor. Special players separate themselves not only from the offensive end but from the defensive end. I think she was right there in almost being a Kodak All-American but some of the things I've heard is she needs to be more consistent on both ends of the floor. That's a challenge I've put in front of her. She wants to be great, now it's a matter of working harder to become one of those top ten. It's a learning process, a maturing process. I hope that she'll really grab and run with it." 

DAKOTA WEATHERFORD

"Dakota's a great kid. She really works hard. She's exactly what you want out of one of your players...she comes in to practice and busts butt. She takes care of business off the floor. She's always there for community service. She wants to give back. I was excited for the opportunity to give her a scholarship for this year. We'll wait to see how things turn out for that next year and it's one of the things I've talked to her and her family about. They've been great and very understanding about it even if she returns as a walk-on. As of now, she'll be a walk-on but we'll look and see if things can change on that. 

TAJA COLE

"We had had some talks during the year. Sometimes it's a challenge when a freshman comes in. They sometimes put expectations a little too high and when they don't meet them, there's disappointment. It was a situation where we played on Sunday afternoon against DePaul. By 7 p.m. she's sending me a text wondering if she can meet on Monday with her. She came in on Monday and said she wanted to transfer. We wish her the the best and hope she can find a place to develop into the type of player she wants to be." 

NEXT YEAR: THE RETURNEES AND THE FRESHMEN


"I think it's going to be a good thing for us because we need some competition at a few of the spots. I'm going to start to work, I think, on the philosophy UConn and Geno has with his players. If you don't work every day, you're not going to play. There's situations where I'm watching their games and they're up by 50 and there are kids not playing. And I've asked him about that and the answer is if you're not going to work hard every day in practice, you're not going to get rewarded by playing in the game....no matter what the score is. And, we're going to go with that philosophy. We have some very talented players but we have some players who need to turn that corner in dedication. I say it all the time. The great players...Angel, Shoni, Candyce, Dez. Look at Becky Burke. She wasn't a great overall player but she was really good at what she could do. She shot the ball. Toughness. What you do when the coach is not watching separates you.

Right now, we're trying to get that across to a couple of them. What you do in the hour and a half of practice isn't enough. You've got to be in this gym on your own working on your weaknesses. There's no reason to have a player that shoots 45% from the foul line. If I'm in that situation, I'm going to shoot 100 free throws a day. I want to step up to that line and have everybody say instead of our fans moaning...'aw, she got fouled'...to...the other team saying 'damn, she got fouled'...knowing that they're going in."

"It's a challenge we're trying to put in front of some of these kids who have never had that challenge back in their high school and AAU days."  

SYD BRACKEMYRE

"She's not going to continue to play. She'll still be a part of the program and help us from a coaching/instruction standpoint and still be with the players but her knees are not going to allow her to continue on. We really feel bad for her from that standpoint but we're really encouraged and impressed with her maturity level. She probably could have fought through it for two or three years and then needed a knee replacement....her knees have gotten to that point where it'd be rough playing at this level. She wants to be able to have a family someday and play ball with her kids and in the backyard and there really aren't that many 19-20 year olds that are thinking that far ahead. I give her a lot of credit for that. I feel bad that she's not going to be able to get out there and show people what she can do basketball wise but I know she'll continue to give a lot to our program just from within and being able to help the current players and those in the future. Sure, we probably could have used her against DePaul but if I play her and then something happens...I've got that to live with. She's got that to live with.  She knows the game, she's passionate about it. She could be a coach I'm going up against down the road." 

paulie
xxxxx

Taja Cole transferring from Louisville WBB -- Thursday CARDINAL COUPLE

TAJA COLE LEAVING LOUISVILLE

Fallout happens. Taja Cole is leaving the University of Louisville WBB squad. The 5'7" All-American guard has announced she is leaving UofL via Twitter: 

Cole saw just six minutes in the NCAA Tournament loss to DePaul Sunday. She was on the court for 20 minutes in the opening round win against UCA. 

During the season Cole shared the point guard slot with Arica Carter and at times Dakota Weatherford, who was called on for her defensive skills. Asia Durr also negotiated the position. 

On the season Cole saw six starts and averaged 2.9 ppg in roughly 15 minutes per game, which was seventh-highest on the team. She was seen as a backup to Carter in most scouting reports, a fairly decent defender but never really got un-tracked as a shooter for the Cards. 

And, that's the way it is in the world of college basketball.

Players look for playing time. With Carter, Durr and Weatherford returning...Sydney Zambrotta coming in as a freshman...plus Jazmine Jones capable of playing either guard slot...the 2016-17 competition for point guard playing could be quite the battle and time for Cole most likely wasn't going to increase unless the off-season work ethic and skills wowed those watching. 

It's not the first player to ever transfer out of the Louisville women's basketball program...although it is the first All-American to opt-out...and won't be the last one to change jerseys. Playing time. Everyone wants it but you have to earn it. 

Here at CARDINAL COUPLE, we wish @teamcole5 the best and hope she has a great career wherever she ends up. 

paulie
xxxxx

Louisville women's basketball grounds Skyhawks 88-66 -- Tuesday CARDINAL COUPLE

18-2 run in third quarter sends Cards flying past UTM.

The University of Louisville women's basketball team used a 18-2 third quarter run over six minutes to turn a one-point lead into a 19-point advantage Monday night in the KFC YUM! Center before a "red-out" crowd of 8690 in their final non-conference test before ACC play by defeating UT-Martin 88-66.  

The Cards held a 41-33 lead over UTM at the end of the first half but the SkyHawks ran off seven straight points to begin the final half to cut the Cardinal lead to 41-40 after Katie Schubert connected with a jumper in the paint with 7:51 remaining.

The Cards caught on fire after two missed shots, though, and goals from Mariya Moore, Briahanna Jackson and then threes from Moore, Asia Durr and Taja Cole put the Cards ahead 55-42 with 3:05 to play. Cole hit two more shots in the next 75 seconds and UofL had expanded the margin to 59-42 with 1:50 left in the third quarter.  

Mariya Moore commented on the run: 

"It was just a different mind-set. We knew we shouldn't have had a break-down in the beginning [of the half]...so just buckling down, remembering how the first half went and how we got that lead..playing defense, getting stops and capitalizing on our opportunities around the basket." 

Cortnee Walton spoke of the offensive spurt:

"When they first started coming back, Coach Walz had warned us to not let them get on a run...so we came back and we were scoring at will, scoring whenever we wanted to. We were getting stops, too, and when we get stops it makes it easier to get good shots and score." 

The Cards jumped out to an 11-0 lead in this one and led 16-4 after a Durr layup with 4:11 left in the first. Myisha Hines-Allen had 11 of Louisville's 20 first period points and the Cards led by eight. They were able to maintain that eight point lead going into the half...watching it shrink to two with 3:21 remaining before Walton and Carter scored four each in a 8-2 run to end the half. 

Six Cards hit double figures for the contest. Hines-Allen (13), Walton (12), Jackson (12), Durr (12) Moore (11) and Cole (11). Nine of the ten Cards that played scored. Erin DeGrate sat out the contest with a bruised knee. All players saw at least six minutes and no one played more than 33 in Louisville's seventh win in their last eight games.

THREE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT THE WIN: 

-- Shooting. 15-16 from the free throw line and 54% from the floor

-- Freshmen contributions. The four freshmen had 32 points and just two turnovers in 52 minutes of playing time. Sam Fuehring had seven points in the final period...Cole and Durr combined for 12 in the pivotal third quarter. 

-- Points off turnovers. 40 points off 24 turnovers. 

AREAS TO IMPROVE:

-- Shooting defense. UTM also shot 54% from the floor. How many games do you think the Cards will win in the ACC when the opponent shoots over 50%? Louisville wanted to limit UTM's threes...and they did....holding them to 6-16 beyond the arc. The Skyhawks were 21-34 on two-pointers, though...and that's almost 62%.

-- Paint protection. Louisville outscored UTM by only 46-40 in the paint. DaiJia Ruffin and Shy Copney had a field day on the dribble-drive. 

-- Visiting S.I.D. press release. We were shocked to find out from the UT-Martin press guide that the Cards had returned to the American Athletic Conference. Journalists...always the last to know. Might wanna proof-read that thing next time, Sundance...

And, for God's sake, people...Louisville's team nickname is the Cardinals...not the Cardinal. The Cardinal is a fine student-newspaper on campus. Or the Stanford nickname. 

FINAL, DELUSIONAL THOUGHTS AND MUTTERINGS

So, with conference play looming Friday against powerhouse Florida State...is Louisville ready for ACC play? I posed the question to Jeff Walz in the post-game press conference. Without batting an eye, here was his reply:

"We play Friday at 4. Ask me at 6." 

(Gotta love a coach who so eloquently pontificates on his squad's potential preparedness...)

Could me and my buddies here from Clemson
shoot 50% against Louisville? 

Let's be brutally frank and honest here. Teams seems to find easy ways to score on Louisville. The Cards let substantial leads disappear at different stages of the contests. The freshmen are getting better...encouraging but will this improvement stand the test of the FSU's, Duke's, Miami's, Syracuses' and Notre Dame's of the ACC? 

We discussed the "dependables" yesterday and they were...well...dependable. Carter, Cole and Durr had good efforts against the OVC Skyhawks and that was somewhat expected. If games were one quarter, Sam Fuehring might make All-ACC First team. 

But...as of now...this isn't the third best team in the ACC or the eighth best team in the nation. 

I'll call the Cards to task on the need for improving "FRED" .

Free Throws
Rebounding
Easy Shots
Defense

Cards, meet FRED. Get to know FRED really well over the rest of this season. Make FRED your best friend and inspiration. Without FRED, any long stay in the NCAA Tournament hopes or maybe even a .500 conference record are dead.

paulie
xxxxx



paulie

Louisville Women's Basketball hosts Dartmouth tonight -- Tuesday Cardinal Couple

CARDS LOOK TO REMAIN ON REDEMPTION TRAIN AGAINST IVY LEAGUE'S DARTMOUTH

The University of Louisville Women's Basketball team has a chance to get back to .500 on the season when Dartmouth (2-8) travels to 2nd. and Main for a 7 p.m. contest in the KFC YUM! Center. 

The Cards (4-5) are coming off a comeback win over IUPUI that was basically a three part opera. The first act, a brief one, saw Louisville jump out to a 9-4 lead and encouraged the crowd of 8484 that the inglorious loss to UK was water under the bridge. Act II saw the rise of the Hooiser squad to a incredulous, shoulder-shrugging 18 point lead with a mere 16 minutes left to play. The final act saw an emergence of heart, soul and accuracy as the heroines overcame the adversity and soared to the win. Frank Capra couldn't have written it any better...

Tonight...a squad enters the arena that has had a season of hard luck and that is looking to put a signature win on their resume. 

This is the Dartmouth mascot. Seriously?

Big Green isn't anything special to rave about. They managed to pick up their second win of the season in a snore-fest against Hartford Sunday on the road by seven in a 43-36 contest. 

The Cards scored 44 points in the second half against IUPUI. Any worries that Dartmouth will come and throw an offense blitzkrieg against UofL can be pretty much forgotten.

Dartmouth had lost their previous five games before knocking off Hartford...so it's not like the Ivy League competitors are walking onto the Denny Crum Court as a dangerous, uprising mid-major.

The Big Green were picked to finish fourth in the Ivy League and might well hold up that speculation...but losses to Drexel, New Hampshire, McNeese State, Jacksonville, Oakland, Rhode Island, Maine and Vermont tell us that they're either not very good against the northeastern part of our nation or...just not very good at all. Five of those losses were by ten or more. They did beat Boston University by 20...but the Terriers are 0-for-season so far in the win column. 

LAKIN ROLAND PLAYED ACROSS THE RIVER IN JEFF

Dartmouth, like Louisville, is a fairly young squad. Nine of their 13 players are either freshmen or sophomores. Lakin Roland, a 6'0" senior forward from Jeffersonville, IN leads the squad in scoring with 12.8 ppg and is also the leading rebounder for the team. She was one of the leaders of the 2011 Jeffersonville 4-A Girls High School Championship team and also played in the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star games that summer.  Kate Letkewicz, a 6'0" sophomore guard is good for 9.9 a game and is second in board-grabbing for the Hanover, New Hampshire college. 

A contest featuring some 'givens' awaits Cardinal WBB fans tonight. Given that Briahanna Jackson will turn in one of those all-over-the-court relentless attacks. Given that Myishia Hines-Allen will be menacing in the paint and that Mariya Moore will be trying to get off threes if the Big Green allows her open looks...although the coaching staff has been tirelessly working with her on perfecting a mid-range, pull-up jumper.   

Maybe this will be another game where Walz can get the freshmen a little extended playing time. With the probability of Asia Durr being around for the entire season now...it would be fun to see how the 2015 recruiting class plays as a unit with her, Taja Cole, Erin DeGrate, Sam Fuehring and Brianna Jones on the court for an extended stretch. 

It's Ugly Sweater Night at the arena tonight...so feel free to give your fellow attendees something to chuckle about. 

Cards TV is listed as the game watch option...but that hasn't exactly worked out too well this season from what I'm hearing from others. Your best bet is Matt Andrews and A.J. on the radio. We'll have a full recap of the action Wednesday for you.

paulie
xxxxx

Meet the new girls -- Tuesday Cardinal Couple

EIGHT IS ENOUGH! NEW FACES, SKILLS FOR 2015-16

When Louisville women's basketball takes the court Sunday afternoon against California, eight women who have never recorded a stat in the history of Louisville basketball will be available to Jeff Walz. 

As fans, there will likely be an adjustment period to learn these eight. Some you'll easily recognize, others may take a little longer to match the name and style with the number. 

So, as a public service and familiarity guide....we present to you the highly un-official but hopefully helpful

CARDINAL COUPLE GUIDE TO NEWCOMERS FOR 2015-16 


# 1 ERIN DeGRATE  6'4" C     Waco, TX

DeGrate is the tallest of the Cardinals...so you should be able to get familiar with her quickly. She'll battle in the post and will be grabbing rebound. She chose Louisville over Baylor, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. She's one of five kids in her family and has a professed "sweet tooth". Follow her on Twitter @ErinBalls_254


# 3 SAM FUEHRING  6'3" F     Wanaque, NJ

Fuerhing will be a player you'll come to recognize right off the bat because of her ferocious style of play in the paint and scoring ability inside. She picked Louisville over South Carolina, California, Tennessee and Rutgers. She has five brothers and played club ball on the New Jersey Sparks team in 2014 with Myisha Hines-Allen. She also had a pretty mean Volleyball career at Immaculate Conception H.S. Track her exploits at @SamFuehring


# 5 TAJA COLE  5'7"  G               Richmond, VA

You'll come to know Cole quickly because of her quickness and defense. Expect to see her leading and finishing the fast break. Also blessed with a better-than-average outside shot...Cole is an all over the court threat. Parents complained about her in grade school because she kept stealing the ball from their kids. We think you'll see it carry over to college. She also enjoys hospital volunteering. Probably to check on all the ankles she's broken over the years. Tweet her @teamcole5


#22 BRIANNA JONES   5'9" G         North Babylon, NY

Known as "Bree" by her teammates and "Jonesie" by the coaching staff...you familiarize yourself with her as the girl who keeps hitting all those mid-range jumpers. She's a versatile off-guard who also thrives in the transition fast break sets. Her long range plans are to major in accounting...which will be helpful in tracking her career stats.  You can get updates @B_thekid_Jones


#25 ASIA DURR   5'10"  G               Douglasville, GA

The #1 player in the #1 class of 2015, Asia has the skills to take over any game and make all her teammates look fabulous. Getting closer to 100% after a summer groin injury, you'll recognize her right off the bat when she creates those "Did you see that? moments on the court. Send your emo's to @A_Hooper25


#31 SYDNEY BRACKEMYER  6'1"  F   Wilmington, OH

Syd the Kid should be familiar to all since she was on the bench during her redshirt season at Louisville last season. With a smile big enough to light up the KFC YUM! Center...Syd can lock them down on defense and punish opponents inside or out. She also dons Asia Taylor's old jersey and we're betting she'll be just as integral part of the Cards as A Tayy was. @Syd_the_kid31 will get you Twittered up with the pride of Clinton Massie


#15 DAKOTA WEATHERFORD  5'6"  G   Arcadia, IN

The latest addition to the 2015-16 squad, "Kota" brings a never-say-die, competitive spirit to the team. She led her Evansville squad in steals and assists during her year there and will be a crowd favorite coming off the bench. The Arcadia, IN native will be easily spotted for her high arching, long range attempts. Defensively strong and deceptively quick...she's a secret weapon that the mad scientist will unleash upon beleaguered opponents. @kotaweatherford is the address for congratulatory comments.


#21 BRIAHANNA JACKSON  5'6"  G   (From a galaxy far away) 

A recruiting bonanza for Walz after she left UCF to search for a school that fit her playing style..."B.J." is all that is advertised and has out-of-this world quickness, leaping ability, scoring prowess and game knowledge. Already emerging as a team leader, Jackson's star is just beginning to rise and she'll be a candidate for a banner in the rafters of the KFC YUM! Center when her time is done here at Louisville. She's not a big social media maven...but you can show her a little love at @bj_hoopster. 

paulie
xxxxx

          

Cards Guards young but...how about Marquette? - Thursday Cardinal Couple

The combination of Asia Durr, Taja Cole, Brianna Jones and Arica Carter at guards for Louisville this year is the youngest guard class in Jeff Walz's tenure at UofL. Three freshmen and a sophomore. It might turn out to be the most talented guard class by the time they reach senior status...but, as for now...youth is served.

We could fill three columns discussing the award and honors the three freshmen picked up in their high school careers. Carter came in highly decorated and honored as well. 

It's for real, now. D1. ACC. Can talent overcome lack of college experience? My money is on the talent.

For Carter, it must seem a bit amusing yet bewildering at times. A season ago, she was gathering replacement minutes when either Jude or Bria were out. Battling Megan Deines for the back up guard spot....Arica had some up and down performances. 

Now, she's the elder statesmen of the guard contingent. 

Nine of the eleven players on the listed UofL WBB roster are freshmen or sophomore. With the mad scientist at the helm...there's always the possibility a player or two could be added before the season starts. Given the transfer rate we've seen this summer...anything is possible. 

If you think the Cards are young, though...let's take a look at our former Big East foe from Milwaukee...the Marquette Golden Eagles. 

Terri Mitchell was replaced at head coach last year by Carolyn Kieger. Kieger was an outstanding guard at Marquette from 2002-2006 and led the squad in assists each year she played there. She played against Angel McCoughtry and now she's a head coach. CK also served under Katie Meier down at the "U" for four years as an assistant. Her first season at Marquette she went 9-22. 

This upcoming season, she'll have eight incoming freshmen, a juco transfer and two returning players that were pretty much reserves in 2014-15 to work with. They may be wearing name tags in the first few practices. 

Former assistant and son of the legendary Pat...Tyler Summit is now the head coach at Louisiana Tech. Katherine Plouffe, the most recognizable name (at least for me) in the past few years of Marquette women's basketball is in Romania playing Euroleague ball. Funny how a few years ago, we worried about Marquette's height and rebounding power when we faced them in the Big East. Now, their tallest player is 6'2" and had a season high of 11 points against Northern Kentucky as a freshman last year. 

If we happen to surmise about the youth movement on the UofL WBB squad this year...try to remember that, compared to Marquette...Louisville is a veteran and experienced squad. 


The Cards guards may be young...but between Cole, Durr and Jones....they scored a combined 5,214 points in high school. I expect Carter to return to the form that had West Coast hoop experts raving about her last year when she chose Louisville. 

All four (Taja, Asia, Brianna and Arica) have first names that end in "A". I expect that's also a pretty good grade to give these four in terms of talent. This 2015-16 Louisville WBB squad looks to be one that will get it up and down the court pretty quickly. Fast break, transition basketball. Not a lot of half court sets that use up the shot clock. All four of the guards seem quite adept at that style of play. Get ready for some track meets in the KFC YUM! Center...

paulie
xxxxx

Cats top Cards in Softball 4-0 -- Thursday Cardinal Couple

BREANNE RAY'S 3 RUN BLAST GROUNDS CARDS

For five innings at Ulmer Stadium Wednesday night this Louisville vs. Kentucky softball clash was anyone's ballgame. The teams had gone scoreless through four innings...the Cats with two hits, Louisville one. Pitchers Maryssa Becker and Kelsey Nunley were cruising along. The teams had three hits between them. 

Becker allowed one run in the top of the fifth, a two out Ansley Smith single and Christian Stokes double down the left field line gave UK a 1-0 lead. The Cards threatened in the home half of the inning...Brittany Sims smashing a double to center and getting to third with just one out...but the Cards unable to push her across the plate. 

The sixth was the inning for doom for Louisville (22-9). Two UK singles set the stage for Ray's three run bomb over the centerfield fence and into the crowd of 500 or so gathered on the outfield knolls. The shot made it 4-0 Cats.

The Cards would try to recover. Louisville left two on the bags in the sixth. Two were on with two outs in the bottom of the seventh after Kayla Soles walked and Brittany Sims doubled to left...setting the stage for Kelsi Jones. Her deep fly to left center was hauled in at the fence by UK centerfielder Sylver Samuel to end it.

Sims had three of Louisville's five hits. Maryssa Becker went all seven innings for Louisville...allowing four runs and eight hits while striking out five. She drew the postgame praise of Sandy Pearsall for her effort. She was not backed up by the Louisville bats.

From feast to famine. Louisville had 33 runs in a three game sweep of Syracuse this weekend. Either Kelsey Nunley is that good of a pitcher (11-5 on the season) or the UK women's sports hex on Louisville isn't ready to fade. The Cards will go to Lexington for a return game on April 21st.

Plenty of softball to be played in the meantime...Louisville with road trips to Virginia Tech, DePaul and Ole Miss and a crucial ACC homestand against co-conference leader with the Cards...Florida State.

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THREE CARDS PLAY IN ALL-STAR GAME  

Cooper defended by Durr in All-Star game

Asia Durr had 14 points for the East (seven each half) in a 89-87 East win in the McDonald's Girls All-American Game in Chicago Wednesday night.

All three of the UofL 2015 signees (Taja Cole, Sam Fuehring and Durr) that played in the All-Star game received adequate attention on the ESPNU broadcast.Cole finished with 13 points for the East and Fuehring had four...including a nice reverse layup to score against the West in the second half.

It was the first time in UofL women's basketball history that three signees have played in the annual McDonald's Girls All-Star East/West contest.

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TURKISH TEAM UNCEREMONIOUSLY DUMPS ANGEL MCCOUGHTRY

Former UofL great and

 Atlanta Dream WNBA star

 Angel McCoughtry posted on Twitter via an Instagram

 post

 (a picture of her with another woman) that she has come out with and fallen in love. 

 The post indicates 

she has been discriminated against, they have lost

 family and friends.  

Terrible, but 
unfortunately, not too big a surprise. 

While it should also not

surprise me, but it does,

she was fired/let go/ 

from her Turkish team

 as a result of her

 posting pictures of her 

love. 

 Hell, it happens here, not a surprise it would happen

 in a foreign country.

  
She seemed to love Turkey, and she seemed to 

have a large fanbase in Turkey. 

 
It saddens us here at CARDINAL COUPLE for her and 

the fans.  Especially when backward beliefs interfere with

a game and those who play it.  We wish Angel a HUGE

 season in the WNBA this year and have no doubt that

 there will be plenty of European teams waiting in line 

to ask the talented Ms. McCoughtry to bring her skills

 to their squad. (Thanks to Jenny O for forwarding this)

paulie  

2015 Cards WBB Class tearing up the hardwood -- Wednesday Cardinal Couple

UofL's five recruits showcasing in senior year


As Asia Durr, Brianna Jones, Taja Cole, Sam Fuehring and Erin De Grate prepare to enter the University of Louisville as the 2015 Cardinal WBB recruiting class, there's still the challenges of their senior seasons on the hardwood that are drawing their current attention.

We'll stay in the holiday mode Worldwide started yesterday and play the role of Ghost of Seasons future by taking a look at how the Fabulous Fivesome are doing so far. 



-- Asia Durr recently became the all-time leading scorer (men and women) in St. Pius H.S. history while leading her undefeated team to a 55-21 win over Stone Mountain. In true Durr humility, she stated:

" I'm grateful for my teammates because they found me on the court. I'm just glad I could finish. It shows that all of my hard work is paying off "

The #1 ranked 2015 girls high school player in the nation...Durr continues to stuff the stat sheet every time she walks on the court. Durr the blur.... 

Brianna Jones popped in 36 points and grabbed 21 boards in a recent 55-45 win. She's a 5'9" guard that has displayed triple/double capabilities anytime she walks onto the court. Jones occasionally wears a t-shirt that reads "Defy Expectations". So far, in her senior season...she has done just that. UofL has actually had five "Joneses" suit up over the years for WBB. Brianna looks to be primed to be the one that Cards fans will remember.


Taja Cole is averaging 22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in her senior season. When Cole was eight years old, the coaches had to ask her to stop stealing the basketball in games and practices. 

"People were looking at me as being a bad person." Jones recalls with a laugh. "I was used to playing against boys and they never took it easy on me on the court. So, I didn't take it easy on the girls I was playing against." 

We'll make sure the Louisville Police Department doesn't press theft charges, Taja...keep up the pilfering!

Sam Fuehring is drawing rave reviews in the Garden State during her senior season at Immaculate Conception for her paint work. The steady improvement from her outstanding junior season has Sam ranking as one of the top three "bigs" in New Jersey. Her domination in both squares of paint on the court and splendid teamwork with junior teammate Jasmine Gee have Immaculate Conception pegged as the team to beat in Jersey girls' hoops. 


Erin DeGrate is owing the paint in Texas high school hoops. She recently totaled 31 points and 14 rebounds and her team is 14-2. At 6'5" she can wreck havoc on an opponent...not only inside, but from either elbow or the free throw line. She exhibits a very soft touch inside which equates to lots of second chance points. 

We may have to change the name to "Erin THE GREAT!" 

The 2015 Class is showing that the #1 ranking bestowed on them is warranted. A point guard, shooting guard, wing, forward and center coming in. Combine that with the eight excellent players that will still (hopefully) be on campus when the freshman arrive and Walz may have to consider "five in-five out" platooning during games. 

The Ghost of Seasons future approves and the UofL WBB future isn't scary at all. The Cards look to be ready to leave a lot of haunting memories in their opponent's minds down the road.


Yes, indeed. The future looks "Boo"tiful, baby!

paulie