Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Shoni, Mercedes, Kelsey, oh my!

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WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Ms. Shoni goes to Washington


-Why don't you rent a billboard? (Hey, they did!) 


-Kelsey Mitchell: A name you need to know.


-Walz Elite Skills Camp Thursday. Be there! 


(Jenny O gets the spin for today's CARDINAL COUPLE. As usual, she brings us the best and brightest about CARDINAL womens hoops. Rumors that she's wire-tapped the WBB coaches phones and sleeps on a cot in front of the WBB offices are entirely false. Here's Jenny!) 

It’s the offseason for Louisville Women’s Basketball but you would never know it by the goings on this past week.  Shoni gets invited to the White House, a billboard goes up in Springfield and at least one special guest was on campus last week. 

Shoni Schimmel at the White House in Celebration of Title IX! 

Shoni was one of five panelists at a White House event discussing Title IX and the opportunities it has provided to female athletes.   Shoni was in extraordinary company as she shared her experience as a female athlete who has benefited from Title IX.  Shoni shared the stage with Billie Jean King, former tennis great and founder of Women’s Sports Foundation, Tom Perez, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights with the Department of Justice, Amy Mullins, a double amputee who was a track and field standout at Georgetown University and Laurel Ritchie, Director of the WNBA. 

Attached is a video of the day.  For those of you who do not want to watch this lengthy video, Shoni is introduced around minute 27-29, and she speaks around minute 38 and again around the 49^thminute. Link below.


Shoni at White House

Congratulations to Shoni for continuing to represent the University of Louisville as well as her family and hometown folks in Mission, Oregon.  Well done, Shoni!


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According to a tweet from a reporter out of Oregon, the University of Louisville has installed a billboard in Springfield, Oregon.   I have asked this reporter for a picture of the billboard, but to date, I have yet to receive/or hear what the billboard says.  Fans on opponents' message boards are crying foul, stating that:

“Promotional materials designed to solicit the enrollment of a prospective student-athlete” are prohibited by NCAA by-laws. 

Given that we do not yet know what the billboard states, it is hard to declare it a NCAA violation.  While Springfield, Oregon is the hometown of 2013 recruit Mercedes Russell, Oregon is the home state of 3 people affiliated with Louisville Basketball.  Not only do Shoni and Jude Schimmel hail from Oregon, so too does Coach Norman. 

Whatever the case may be regarding this billboard I am sure the University has researched and knows the rules as it pertains to NCAA standards.   So long as it is  legal by NCAA standards, I think it is brilliant marketing.  We Louisville fans know that the Schimmels have helped to create a huge following of Louisville basketball throughout the Pacific Northwest, and all over the country.  Why not market to that population?  Seems like a no brainer to me.    If any reader has a picture of this billboard, we would love to see it!   


( Editor note: Courier-Journal sports writer Jody Demling commented in an article that he was supposed to receive a photo of this bulletin board. CARDINAL COUPLE e-mailed Jody and asked to see it. Demling has not responded. )


A link below to read more about the billboard:


UofL Billboard


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Finally, it has come to my attention that Coach Walz was hosting several “special guests” on campus last week.   Thanks to social media I was able to track down at least one of the special guests,  Hoopgurlz ranked #1 in the class of 2014, Kelsey Mitchell.   Mitchell is a 5-7 guard out of Princeton High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Hoopgurlz evaluators describe her play as “consistent and explosive…scoring off penetration, pull ups and the three”.   Cardinal fans, this will be a name to watch over the course of the next year.    Just an hour + up I-71, perhaps Mitchell will make the trek back down tomorrow and attend the elite skills camp.  No confirmation on that, but, one can not help but wonder.  


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Speaking of the camp, tomorrow is the big day!  Camp runs from 1-5:00 at Cardinal Arena.  As we have been stating for weeks, Mercedes Russell is a confirmed attendee at the camp.  Makayla Epps, 2013 verbal from Marion Co., will also be in attendance.  We are getting mixed reports on whether Becca Greenwell # 6 ranked recruit 2013 and Louisville prospect will be in attendance.  Certainly we hope to see her there.  Multiple players mentioned several weeks ago about in-state talent will be in attendance, specifically Maci Morris, 2015, who also holds an offer from Louisville.  I am adding Kelsey Mitchell to my wish list to be in attendance tomorrow, and it does not seem so far fetched that she would be. 

Cardinal faithful, hope to see you tomorrow at Cardinal Arena.  I can hardly wait!!


 Another outstanding column from Jenny today! We hope to see plenty of CARDINAL COUPLE readers at Cardinal Arena tomorrow for the skills camp.


WE sent several of the staff chimps down to campus to see if the event could be moved to the KFC-YUM! Center but they weren't successful. They did come back with a bunch of autographed Steve Kragthorpe pictures, though...and napkins from the University Club. 


Can't wait to see the credit card charges on this excursion...
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