Basketball in the ACC

THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

( Staff columnist Jenny O'Bryan gives us today's column and it's a look at ACC basketball.)

- A look at ACC WBB

-Corral picked for All-Region

-Charlie staying put. (Good Charlie!)

Louisville Women’s basketball is slated to make their debut in the ACC in 2014, if not before.   Actual arrival is dependent upon when exiting member Maryland makes their way to the Big 10. 

The coaching staff is pretty familiar with the conference.  Coach Walz cut his proverbial coaching teeth in the ACC while at Maryland as an assistant under Brenda Frese for 5 years.  He helped to lead the Terps to a National Championship in 2006.  Coach Samantha Williams found her way to the ACC as Coach Walz was leaving, in 2007.  Alongside Coach Joanne McCallie, Coach Sam spent 4 years as an assistant at Duke.   While both are now at Louisville, Coach Sam’s hometown and Coach Walz’s home state, the ACC is familiar territory.

The standings going in to the 2012 season have Duke atop the conference followed by Virginia Tech, Maryland (whose exit makes our arrival possible), Miami (FL) North Carolina, Virginia, NC State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Wake Forest and Boston College.  Arriving in 2013 is Notre Dame, Syracuse and Pittsburgh.  With the way things stand today, Louisville will arrive in 2014. Add Notre Dame and it looks like a very strong competition level.  

The 2012 NCAA Tournament had 4 teams (Duke, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Miami (FL)) from the ACC.   Of those 4, Duke was knocked out in the Elite 8, the other 3 getting knocked out in the Sweet Sixteen.    Duke, in particular, is stacked with talent and looks to be a force for the years to come. 

The recent recruiting class of 2013’s top 50 prospects was raided by the ACC.  Of the top 50, 15 of those recruits have signed with ACC schools.  Of the top 10 in the class, 6 have signed with the ACC.   Of the top 5 overall recruiting classes, 3 go to the ACC with North Carolina coming in at #1, Duke at #2 and the newly arriving Notre Dame at # 4.  That is a boatload of talent in one conference!

North Carolina, who did not make the NCAA Tournament last year, and who snubbed an invite to participate in the NIT, got a huge haul from this class.  Diamond DeShields is the top recruit coming in at #3 in the class, followed by #7 Allisha Gray, #14 Jessica Washington and #23 Stephanie Mavunga (a recruiting target of Louisville).  The 4 hope to return North Carolina and Coach Sylvia Hatchell back to prominence in the women’s game, and atop the ACC. 

Duke, coming off of a nice post season run, scored some huge recruits as well.  Rebecca Greenwell, # 6 in the class, Kentucky native and former Louisville target as well, headlines the class at Duke.  She is joined by #10 Oderah Chidom, #12 Kendall Cooper and #32 Kianna Holland.   With the current talent at Duke, and incoming stellar class, they look to be the continued team to beat. 

Notre Dame is the other recruiting class of note.  This class is headlined by #4 Taya Reimer, # 25 Lindsay Allen and # 39 Kristina Nelson.  While Notre Dame has long been atop the Big East alongside Connecticut, they look to continue alongside strong competition in the ACC next season. 

While Georgia Tech was not mentioned in the top 5 of recruiting classes they signed # 2 in the class of 2013, Kaela Davis.  As Louisville fans know, one outstanding recruit can really change the landscape of a team and bring in future talent.  The hope here is certainly that Georgia Tech can climb out of the bottom 3^rd of the conference. 

While the Big East has long been thought of as a premiere women’s basketball conference, with Notre Dame leaving, us to follow and Connecticut looking for a way out, the ACC seems to be measuring up pretty well, especially with the very strong haul from the class of 2013.   I certainly believe with the Big East falling apart (Notre Dame and Rutgers already on the way out), the ACC seems to offer as much of a competitive nature, if not more, than the new fangled Big East. 

The Big East has been a very good home to Louisville Women’s Basketball.  I am sorry to see it unraveling, as it pertains to the competitive nature of women’s basketball.  I am grateful to see the move to the ACC and I look forward to many competitive games as we move forward.  As we all know, women’s basketball (and all women’s sports) is just along for the ride in conference realignment.  In this case, it looks to be a step up for what the ever-changing Big East is beginning to look like. 

Thank you, Big East.  Hello, ACC. 

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Louisville women's soccer junior Charlyn Corral was named First Team All-Region (Northeast) by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America earlier this week.

Corral, the 2012 BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and a First-Team All-BIG EAST selection, led the Cards with eight goals and a team-high seven assists during her first season at UofL. She transferred to Louisville from Tecnologico de Monterrey. Corral started all 18 games for Karen Ferguson-Dayes' squad.

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(The following is EDITORIAL COMMENTARY from your senior, senile CARINAL COUPLE owner Paulie and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the rest of the CARDINAL COUPLE writers, staff or animals.)

CHARLIE STRONG SAYS "NO" TO TENNESSEE

Looks like Charlie Strong won't have to learn the words to "Rocky Top" after all. The UofL head football coach turned down two Tennessee offers Wednesday and is staying at Louisville. He's undergoing contract re-neogtiations with Tom Jurich and the scuttlebutt is that Charlie could become another $4 million man at UofL along with Rick Pitino.

I need a little car work done guys....who's your buddy, who's your pal?

I approve of Charlie's decision to stay in the (502). Was it all posturizing to get a better deal? Was Charlie seriously thinking of heading to Knoxville? Will he hire a media-relations coach with the extra benjamins to school him on how to avoid upsetting the press and the fans?

All this and more, at least until the next school comes knocking at the door. It is impressive that he turned down a SEC school to remain with the Cards. That usually doesn't happen. 

Cardinal fans have squirmed under the tag that UofL wasn't a "destination school" for coaches for years. Maybe that's changing.

Or, if you can't win them over with your winning record, "wow" them with your wallet...how many schools will come after a guy that's making more than most schools' athletic budget?

Something that struck me in Charlie's interview today was that he kept coming back to two things. Relationships and family. It's wasn't about the money, the glamour of SEC football or personal ego. It was about how he wanted to finish what he has started here, how his family loves Louisville and the relationships he has built up with his players, staff and town.

I'm beginning to like this guy even more than when he was hired.

Looks like Cardinal football is in good shape, we can move on to the next drama.

Jeff Walz's new look.
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Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Basketball and Volleyball are on the agenda today

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WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Jenny looks at recruiting and volleyball


-USA OLYMPIC Womens' Basketball update


(Columnist Jenny O'Bryan gets us caught up on the recruiting trial and previews volleyball today.)

Cam Newbauer

Women’s basketball coaches have spent the month of July travelling from city to city, coast to coast, searching, looking and watching for the next best fit for their programs. 

During a NCAA Certified Viewing period, college programs cannot have more than 3 coaches on the road at the same time.  They rotate time on the road, spanning out to tournaments all over the country.  In the course of the last month Coach Walz and his assistants have been in DC, Maryland, NC, Georgia, Oregon, Nevada, Tennessee, Chicago and Texas...just to name a few areas they've visited.  

Rest assured that one or all of the coaches have been on the trail to see the talents of Mercedes Russell, Makayla Epps, Becca Greenwell (before Louisville was cut from her list), Emmonnie Henderson and Saniya Chong to name just a few.  Showing up at tournaments of recruits who have offers, or who are considering the program, is an active way of showing continued support of a recruit at a time in the recruiting calendar when no contact is allowed between coaches and recruits.  

Samantha Williams

Additionally, while on the trail, coaches are looking for future talent for upcoming recruiting classes.    Therefore, don’t be surprised if you start to hear names of kids in the classes of 2014, 2015 and even further out who have caught the eye of Louisville Women’s Basketball Coaches. 

Welcome home Coaches!   After close to a month away from home, in gyms throughout the country some with, some without air conditioning, I am sure the comfort of your own homes and the basketball offices are a welcome sight.  


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Lola leads an experienced
bunch of volleyball returnees

In other news with Louisville Women’s Athletics, Louisville Volleyball is just 17 days away from the Alumnae match on August 18 at Cardinal Arena and just 23 days away from the season opener against WKU at KFC YUM Center on August 24 at 7:30 p.m.  The 24^th and 25^th of August is the Active Ankle Challenge and in addition to WKU, the Cards will be playing Morehead St. and Penn State.   It should be a great weekend of volleyball. 

This season the VolleyCards (as I like to refer to the team) will play 15 home games at The YUM! Center, up from 6 games last season.    A family package of 4 tickets for the season can be purchased for  $210.  This is a great deal and will give the ticket holder post season ticket sale priority should the YUM!
Center be chosen to host the 1^st or 2^ndrounds of the NCAA tournament. 

For the past few seasons my family has had the opportunity to attend 4-5 games per season.  With a daughter who is also a volleyball player there tends to be a lot of scheduling conflicts that prohibit us from attending more often. 

The Louisville Volleyball program ranked 23^rd in the country in home game attendance during the 2011 season.  The hope is to break in to the top 10 in attendance this season.  

A healthy Gwen Rucker
will make Louisville tough
to beat. 

So Cardinal faithful get your season tickets now!  If you cannot commit to the season, like my household because of our own volleyball player, mark your calendar and plan to attend a few matches this season.  If you have not seen a volleyball game lately, like say when we were kids upwards 30-40 years ago, I guarantee you will be impressed with the talent on the court.   The game has grown and changed a lot over the course of the last few decades.  Make plans now to get out there and check our VolleyCards out.  


( Louisville looks to be loaded again in Volleyball with Lola Arsenbeckova, Gwen Rucker, Emily Juhl, Kaitlynn James, Caitlin Welch and a very impressive freshman class attacking the wide net. Under Anne Kordes' direction, the BIG EAST championship and a deep NCAA run looks like it's "in the CARDS".


Great job today by Jenny! Get out & support your VolleyCards.) 


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USA OLYMPIC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM UPDATE


USA women's Olympic Basketball team faces Turkey today in pool play. The Turks are 2-0 in pool play, like the USA. Angel probably had a good scouting report on them, since she's played Euroball in Turkey and several of the Turkish players are from club team Fenerbache, a team Angel knows quite well. 

Will it increase her playing time? Knowing Geno, probably not. With the UConn twins at guard (Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi), Candace Parker, Tina Charles and Tamika Catchings getting starting assignments, Geno is comfortable with three UConn players out there and two of the best front-line players in the history of women's basketball. 


They need someone to step up from the three-point line. Candace needs to cure her start-of-the-game "drop-sy". They may win by only 20 today. Look for Angel to provide a spark off the bench and Geno to prowl the sidelines looking like a man who can't catch a cab going into the city. 


-"Big Syl" (Sylvia Fowles) sat out the Angola game because of a sore foot. 


- Brit Griner turned down her reserved spot on the team because of an ailing mom and the need to take summer classes at Baylor. 


- Who would you pick for a 2016 WBB Olympic team? 

I go with Muffet McGraw as head coach and I put Candace Parker, Angel McCoughtry, Brit Griner, Skylar Diggins and Shoni Schimmel out there as my starters. I'll select Maya Moore and the Ogwumike sisters coming off the bench and the final four spots can go to Mercedes Russell and three more UConn players. Can't break tradition, right? Someone remember this bold lineup and throw it right back in my face four years from now. 


- Game time 5:15 pm on the NBC Sports Network...way up there on the digital numbers. Louisvillian Clark Burckle swims today, too. 


L1C4, baby.   


-Paul 

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Wednesday Couple -- 2013 is talented and deep

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WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Jenny looks to the future

( Our Jenny O'Bryan spends this Wednesday gazing into her crystal WBB ball and looking at some high school stars. Results may vary, there are no guarantees and we accept all major credit cards.) 


She'll have a report on the Adidas Nationals team camp and Emmonnie Henderson on Friday...be sure to check back here at CARDINAL COUPLE to get her views!  

College women’s basketball teams are allotted 15 scholarship players on their roster.  (This is different for the men, as they are allowed 13 scholarship players).  Whether a coach decides to use all of the scholarships, I presume, is up to the coach.   Coach Walz seems to stay at or near capacity in terms of how he operates his program, as a rule. One can never predict injuries and other circumstances for the most part, so things can and do change.   

Show us the Monny! (Next year?)

This upcoming season looks like a roster of 13 eligible players.  I've heard that Monny Niamke will be on campus, but will have to sit out a year.  This would potentially bring the number of scholarship players to 14.  So, there could be one scholarship to give, should Coach Walz decide to use it.


 I personally think that the incoming class of 2012 is in the books and we will not see any additions to the roster.  I think this is a good idea, because the class of 2013 is incredibly talented and is deep with elite players that can make an immediate impact upon hitting college campuses. The additions to an already strong UofL roster would be a building upon what is already great. You lose players, you gain players. It is how college basketball operates. 

By my count, Louisville could have 4 scholarships to offer for the incoming class of 2013. I caution the reader that things are always subject to change. 

We are impressed with Makayla

Keep in mind one of these scholarships is already spoken for in the verbal commitment of Makayla Epps.  That leaves 3 available, should Coach Walz decide to have a full roster for the 2013-14 year.

As a faithful reader of Cardinal Couple, you all know that Mercedes Russell and Becca Greenwell are two top targets for this class.  Should they both commit to Louisville that leaves one scholarship still available, should Coach Walz go with a full roster.  Should one, or neither of them commit, well, you can do the math.    

WE want a Mercedes parked in the
KFC YUM! Center for four years.

So, what other players are now mentioning Louisville or considering?  Or, who else could Louisville be watching or considering?   There are a handful of names that come up as interested in Louisville.   I have not given a lot of time to some of these athletes as they have included Louisville amongst 8-10 programs on their (not so) short lists.   Recently, though, there have been two athletes who have narrowed their lists even shorter, and Louisville still remains on their list.   So, who are they?

Saniya Chong is a guard out of Ossining, NY.  She recently cut her list of schools to 4.  In no particular order, Louisville, UCONN, Maryland and Ohio State have made the cut.  According to the attached article, virtually every school in the Big East and ACC has recruited her.  According to Hoopgurlz Chong is not ranked in the top 60 in the country though Blue Star ranks her at #25 in the country.    I have only read reports and message board accounts of this player.  I have not seen her play, nor have I seen game time video of her. 

Saniya Chong: Stay away from the Husky
lure. Keep your game Cardinal pure! 

Please read the attached link about Chong.  You will have to bear with the writer here, as there are lots of comparisons to current UCONN players.  But, in doing so, it will help you understand the talent of this young woman, as it is current UCONN players that the writer compares Chong to.  Of special interest are the follow up impressions of the writer in the comment section.  Please also read the comment section for second, third and fourth viewings of Chong playing and the writers thoughts about her game. 

http://www.fullcourt.com/forum/prep/2013s-saniya-chong-impressions

Pretty impressive young player, eh?  We are in her top 4.   Like I said, the class of 2013 is deep and talented. 

Emmonnie Henderson is a power forward who plays for Edwardsville High School in Illinois.   Like Chong, Henderson has recently cut her list to 5.  Those still in the running for her services, in no particular order are Louisville, Kentucky, Purdue, Miami (FL) and Tennessee.   

So, what we gotta do to get you
away from Purdue? Throw the
shot and discus here, too?
(Cardinal field throwers are
among the best in the nation.)

Hoopgurlz describes this player as “strong as an ox” and a very good game within 15’.  She can create her own shots, and is working on extending her  mid-range game. 

Henderson had stated as recently as this past May that Purdue is the frontrunner, though I am hearing rumblings of that not being necessarily the case.    Henderson intends to major in engineering (uh, Speed School anyone?) and has been very impressed with the multiple visits she has made to Purdue.   Henderson also has a passion for track and field and wants to remain involved in that, too( yeah, we have that too!).  She has a love of shot put and discus and has been clear that she does not want to give that up. 

Andi has game. We shortened her
name. 

There are still several other top-level athletes that have Louisville in the mix of the schools they are considering.   Until individual players pare those lists down a bit, I will not give a whole lot of time to them here.    For those of you who are interested in looking them up and doing your own research, names that are somewhere on the radar of Louisville are Kendall Waters out of California, Alexandra Harris out of Ohio, Halle Washington out of Louisiana, Andrijana Cvitkovic out of Indiana and Nina Davis out of Tennessee. 

Kaela Davis climbed down from Rocky Top.
Head north to the Ohio River... K.D.!!

 One last name that has been mentioned in the very recent past is Kaela Davis out of Georgia.  Davis is currently ranked #2 in the country and reopened her recruitment about this time last summer after having verbally committed to Tennessee.   A very reliable source indicated that Davis was to visit Louisville the Monday before the last Elite Camp.  That visit was cancelled and is to be rescheduled in the near future. 

I do not know how many of the above-mentioned athletes have official offers from Louisville.  I do know that aside from Russell and Greenwell, Chong and Cvitkovic do have offers.  Beyond that there is some level of interest, to what degree, I do not know. The recruiting game is not an exact science. Things change. Situations change. It's not a GPS device. The end destination can change and vary.

A young Cardinal fan makes an
impassioned plea to Coach Norman.
"Please bring Becca Greenwell to
fly into the YUM and soar with the Cards". 

While I have spent a lot of time talking about Russell and Greenwell, and I certainly hope that we land them as future Cardinals, all is not lost if we do not.  There are many very talented athletes that are involved with the Louisville coaching staff that would make excellent additions to the Cardinal team. The players currently on board are top of the line and if Louisville didn't manage to get any of the recruits mentioned above, they would still be a deep, talented and dangerous squad. 

This class is just a few short months away from starting their senior year in high school.  We should start to see this recruiting class fall in to place by the time our Cardinals take to the court this upcoming season.  Until then, keep your eyes peeled for some of the aforementioned names, and continue to check Cardinal Couple for updates!


( Top notch, top notch...Jenny! Recruiting is a process. Nothing is guaranteed until the school officially announces a player. Even then, situations can change. We speculate here at CARDINAL COUPLE, based on what we hear, read and think. We aren't experts but fans like to be kept abreast and we try to provide our opinions and guesses. We look forward to following these outstanding senior prospects throughout their final seasons in high school.)


 PLEASE REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT JENNY'S REVIEW OF THE ADIDAS CAMP at the KEC in Friday's Cardinal Couple.


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Basketball stars meet in the 'Ville

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WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Jenny reviews Elite Skills Camp


-Stephanie Norman promoted to associate coach


( It's Wednesday and Jenny holds court here at Cardinal Couple. She gives us her take on the Elite Skills Camp last week. Did you know you can follow her on Twitter? 
Find her at @uoflwomynfan for updates on the Cards. 
Cardinal Couple is there, too at @Cardinalcouple.)  

Last Thursday there was plenty of heat and star power in Cardinal Arena attending the Elite Skills Camp hosted by Coach Jeff Walz and the University of Louisville.  “Stars galore” as Paul noted after his write up last Thursday.

On the day, no stars were bigger than Mercedes Russell.  As the #1 recruit in the nation, you would expect nothing less.  The kid can flat out play.   Having followed her over the course of the last year and half watching videos and reading scout reports it was nice to see her in live action.  She did not disappoint. 

During the skills sections of the camp she was able to replicate post moves being taught immediately.   She looked fluid with the ball, driving to the basket; she also was hitting 12-15 footers consistently.  Most impressive on the day, though, was game time play under the basket.  Often with two or three defenders on her, she made it look so easy.  Around the rim, she was unstoppable.  Very impressive!  Defensively, she blocked, easily, 7-9 shots.   I quit counting.  What I did not see consistently, though, was speed getting up and down the court.  At first I was a little unimpressed in that regard.  No worries Cardinal Fans, I saw at least one moment where Russell obviously kicked it in to another gear, running down court, seemingly getting beaten by a driving Becca Greenwell.  The switch seemed automatic, and she accelerated into another gear.  What I surmised from this experience is that as good as I thought Russell was on the day, I am not even sure we saw her at full tilt.   I saw a flash of a higher gear, and by day's end, I felt certain she was in low gear with so much more she could give, in real game time environment. 


Cardinal Fans, this is one very special player.  We know from media reports we are in the race to land Russell.  We also know Tennessee and North Carolina are right there with us.  I look for an official visit from Russell back to the ‘Ville in the fall before she makes her final college choice before the high school season starts.  Coach Jeff Walz and the women’s basketball program are ready to make history with this recruit.  Let’s all hope we are the University she feels best fits her needs.    

Becca Greenwell and Makayla Epps were also in attendance.  Both looked strong and consistent.  Having covered them here in the past, I am not going to give them much time here than to say they are impressive and top notch recruits.   Epps sat out most of the last hour of the clinic with ice on her knee.  Whatever the nagging knee issue, I hope she is able to get it cleared up. 

There were several campers that stood out to me, and caught my eye.  Below is a list of those kids and what I liked about them.

2014

Mychal Johnson is a point guard out of West Virginia.  I was excited to see her because I have been following scouting reports on her and all indicators are she is an elite player in this class.   Currently Hoopgurlz ranks her #21 in the class of 2014.   Johnson showed great ball handling skills.  I was also impressed with the use of her slender frame to get to the basket and finish a play.  She consistently used her body... bumping inside and finishing plays.   According to a tweet from her father, Scott Johnson, also a coach with her AAU Club West Virginia Thunder, Johnson left the clinic with a scholarship offer from Coach Walz.  Keep your eye out for Mychal Johnson Cardinal Fans, as she is another elite prospect with an offer. 

Erica Moore out of Mount Vernon , IN was by far my favoriteplayer of the day!  With a strong, muscular, athletic frame, this forward got it done all over the court.  She was banging it up inside, ripping down rebounds, going rim to rim on a fast break consistently finishing, as well as starting the fast break and having great down court vision and making the pass.  During the skills portion of the clinic she was hitting 12-15 ft. shots and dropping back to hit the three.  She is a threat all over the court.  I was highly, highly impressed.  I loved watching this kid play ball!  Keep your eye out for this player.  I am not sure if Louisville is involved with her recruiting, but it is my hope that we are.   Moore was my MVP for the day and I can not say enough about how she impressed me on the day.  


Cardinal faithful, you heard her name here first, at Cardinal Couple.     

2015

Alexis Robinson, a guard out of Ashland, KY, was impressive with the ball.  She had great athleticism and was very quick.   With her speed and excellent ball handling this youngster still has plenty of time to further her already good game.  One of several players from the AAU club of West Virginia Thunder, Scott Johnson also confirmed that she left camp with an offer to play at Louisville.  Cardinal Fans, this is another in-state kid that Coach Walz is going after.  Keep her on your radar.  She is young and has a long recruiting process ahead of her. 

Nora Kiesler is a local player out of Assumption high school.  Upwards of 6-5/6-6 this post player has the potential to be a very good player.  She was at the camp several weeks ago, and honestly, she stood out more this go round, even with greater competition on the court alongside her.  She found herself in match ups with Mercedes Russell on several occasions.  She did not back down.  She has work ahead of her to develop her game, but as a sophomore she has time to get stronger and in better shape.  If she keeps improving her game she is going to be a force in the paint. 

2016

Nicole Ekhomu is a point guard just heading in to high school out of Bolingbrook, Il.  She is a powerful, athletic ball handler who played beyond her young years, with the competition on the court.  She was steady with the ball, quick, and very dangerous on the fast break.   According to scouting reports on-line she is a fearless defender, though I did not see a lot of that on this particular day.  Her athleticism stood out the most.  According to a tweet from Bret McCormick of All Stars Girls Report, Ekhomu already holds an offer from Louisville prior to this camp.  (I was not aware of this going in to the day). 

There were over 50 kids at this camp.  These kids played hard for 4 long hours.  I was impressed with their efforts on the day. The age ranges were from a rising 6^th grader to the best in the class of rising seniors. The kids played hard and appeared to get the most out of their time with the program. From all appearances it was a great day with a wealth of talent on the court. 


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"Wanna start a website, dear? Yeah...
why not?" 

Cardinal Couple passes ahuge milestone today!   Today’s column is the 1000^th post covering women’s athletics at U of L.  Congratulations to Paul and Sonja for maintaining a website that devotes most of its entirety to women’s athletics.  Cardinal fans we are very, very lucky to have the Couple!   With so much of women’s athletics not covered at all, to the “lucky” teams who get back page coverage in the Sports section with a mention in a small paragraph, Cardinal Couple is devoted to keeping the Cardinal faithful abreast of all women’s sports at U of L.  Thank you, Paul and Sonja for your devotion, and for allowing me to share my passion of women’s basketball with your readership.   My glass is raised in cheer, for another 1000 posts with greater readership along the way!  


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(Editor's Note)


We appreciate the kind words, Jenny. Hard to believe that on a snowy day in January of 2010, we left the safety and comfort of writing for other sites and started C.C. We've seen it grow from a tiny tot to a full-fledged, man-child that is read all around the world. Over 2500 hits a day and getting bigger each month. 


We pledge to you, our readers, to continue and try to present this humble website as the fan voice for UofL women's sports. We are also grateful to have the talents of Jenny, Sandra, David and Mark writing for us. We couldn't ask for any better.


Last but not least, we thank you...the reader. Without you, none of this would have been possible. Keep sending those e-mails, comments and suggestions. You are as much of CARDINAL COUPLE as any of us...and we appreciate and cherish you! 


--Paul and Sonja


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Coach Norman is the only remaining
coach for Jeff Walz's original staff
at Louisville. (Besides Jeff...)

Congratulations to UofL WBB coach Stephanie Norman on being promoted to associate coach level! Coach "Steph" has put in the hours and helped build the program to it's current level of success. 


Couldn't help but notice the hard work and teaching she was providing to the players during the Elite Skills camp last Thursday. 

Seems like time has flown by since the announcement that a young assistant from Maryland would be leading the Cards in the 2007-08 season. Stephanie is the only assistant (now associate) left from that original staff...Michelle Clark-Heard now the head coach at WKU and Bethann Ord the head coach at Weber State. 


With her valuable assistance, the Cardinal recruiting classes have been in the top ten since she arrived here and we are confident that isn't going to change.


Enjoy the fourth of July, readers and also the freedoms that come with being in a country where independence is a reality and not a dream. 
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Wednesday CARDINAL COUPLE -- Kentucky Junior All-Stars

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WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Jenny reports on Junior All-Star Game


-Jenny's "take" on Walz Elite Skills clinic


( Jenny O'Bryan brings us the Wednesday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE. She's developing a strong following amongst our readers and WE know you'll enjoy her offerings today!) 

I attended the Junior All-Star Game between Kentucky and Indiana on Saturday night at North Oldham High School.  This is the first time that All-Star juniors from each of the states have suited up to play each other.  Indiana won both games between the girls.  On Friday night, Indiana won 101-98.  Saturday evening the final was 78-68...with Indiana on top again. 

The leading scorer each night was the same for each team.  Becca Greenwell, of Owensboro Catholic, led Kentucky with scores of 44 and 16, respectively.  For Indiana, it was Taya (tie-a) Reimer out of Hamilton Southeastern, who led the Indiana girls with 28 and 24, respectively. 

I decided to go to the game to watch several key players.  On the court for Kentucky, and of key interest for Louisville fans, was Becca Greenwell and Makayla Epps (of Marion County).  Recent Louisville de-commit Kyvin Gooden-Rogers, China Dow, from Christian Academy of Louisville who was mentioned here last week, were also junior all-stars.  My primary interest was to watch Greenwell and Epps. 

On the Indiana side, I was particularly interested in seeing the game of two of their All-Stars Taya Reimer and Stephanie Mavunga.  Reimer is a recent commit to Notre Dame and a future UofL opponent in the Big East.  Reimer is currently ranked #4 in the country by ESPN Hoopgurlz.  Stephanie Mavunga

out of Brownsburg, IN, is currently ranked 17^th in the country and was a recruiting target of Louisville’s, until her recent commitment to North Carolina.   If Mavunga’s name sounds familiar, it could be because it is often tied to the name of Mercedes Russell.  The two are said to be very good friends and long thought of as a package deal to whatever school they chose.  As we all now know, Mavunga has committed to UNC and Russell has yet to make her college choice.   Louisville, UNC and Tennessee are thought to be the frontrunners for Russell.

On the Kentucky side, Greenwell did not disappoint.  While she led all KY scorers on Saturday night, it was an off-night offensively for her.  She went 3-18 from the field.  While I do not have final stats of the game, she was at the free throw line on multiple occasions.  If my memory serves me correctly, she was perfect from the stripe.  With an off night offensively, you may be wondering what impressed me.  The kid never gave up, on a single play and she played with no hesitation.  That is what impressed me the most.  With the bulky knee brace on supporting her right knee from an ACL tear last summer she is not going to be the fastest kid on the court.  But, she made up for it with tenacious defense, fighting for loose balls, getting hands in the way of shooting lanes, blocking out, and rebounding her own misses and going up for second and third chance shots.  She was seemingly beat down court by her opponent only to swipe the ball from behind and deflect a shot.   She was well defended behind the arc, would hesitate a second, and shoot over the outstretched arms of her opponent.  The kid never gave up.  She played hard the entire time.  Even though it was an off night for her offensively, she found ways to score and found many ways to impact the game. Hands down, she was the best player on the KY side by this untrained eye.  Should Louisville wind up keeping this valued in-state talent home and playing at the YUM, rest assured scoring records will be broken. 

Epps was in and out of the game a lot.  She seemed off of her game compared to when I have seen her at previous outings.  There was some speculation perhaps she tweaked her knee in the Friday night game.  She was a non-factor in this outing.  What I can say, is that she looked both taller and trimmer than I remember. 

Gooden-Rogers impressed me in the first half, coming out with some quick buckets to get KY on the scoreboard.  She also made a couple of nice defensive efforts against Reimer on the Indiana side in the first half.   While her second half of play was nowhere near as strong as the first half, she is going to be a great ball player.  I am saddened by her de-commit from Louisville.  I wish her the best as she reopens her recruiting.  I look forward to watching her game, wherever it is she may end up. 

There were two surprises on the KY side worth a quick mention.  Larryn Brooks out of Richmond Madison Central managed the point most of the game.  She was effective, fast, and played tight defense, causing multiple disruptions and steals.   On Friday night, she scored 22 to back up Greenwell’s 44.  She was fun to watch.  Also worth a mention as having caught my eye was Whitney Hartlage.  Hartlage plays for Mercy.  On this particular night, she had a hot hand.  A quick release from behind the arc had this young lady as the second leading scorer for the night at 14. 

On the Indiana side, Taya Reimer did not disappoint either.  I look forward to watching her game continue to grow and having her as an opponent in the Big East.   A Notre Dame commit, Reimer was powerful, aggressive with the ball, and around the rim.  She had several blocks, played tight defense and had no trouble getting through traffic to the bucket.   When she was not scoring buckets she was drawing fouls and making it to the free throw line.   Reimer was by far the best player on the floor on the Indiana side. 

Stephanie Mavunga was the other Indiana player that drew my attention.  Mavunga is tall, and powerful around the rim.  She never gave up on a rebound and immediately would go back to the rim with rebounds secured.  As stated before... I did not get a final stat sheet, but I am sure her stat line was stuffed with rebounds and hard fought points in the paint.


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As Paul mentioned in his Friday article, I was able to attend the latter half of the skills clinic last Thursday.  While the clinic was attended by at least 50 kids, I am speaking of just a few that caught my eye.  All of the kids played hard, and seemed to be getting the most of their time and money from the Louisville staff and players.  Mine is an untrained eye, so, take my thoughts for what they are worth.

Ayanna Edwards- As Paul mentioned, this post player from Sacremento, CA already has an offer by Louisville.  I saw some 5 on 5 half-court scrimmaging with her.  What stood out the most to me was her presence in the paint.  With a big body Ayanna was able to clog up the lane and had several blocked shots in a quick 7-8 minute span.  

JaVonna Layfield is a local player from Ballard High School.  JaVonna has an athletic build and was cat-quick up and down the court.  She saw the court well and passed the ball well.  If my information is correct this young player has Cardinal ties in that she is the niece of former Louisville stand out, Larry O’Bannon.

Sabrina Haines attended the camp from Arizona.  She probably stood out the most to me.  This sturdy framed guard scored, defended, rebounded, blocked out and went after loose balls.  She was all over the court. 

The roster of attendees was helpful so that Paul and I could identify kids as they were playing.  Unfortunately, the jerseys the kids wore had very small numbers on them.  While my eyes are not that old, they felt terribly old that day as I had a difficult time identifying players on the court.  That being said other kids caught my eye, but I could not identify them.  I do not know if anyone involved with the clinic reads these articles, but if they do, bigger numbers on the jerseys would be very helpful!

All of that being said, observers at the clinic on Thursday, June 28 from 1-5:00 at Cardinal Arena should have absolutely no problem identifying Mercedes Russell.  The tall, lean 6-5 post player from Oregon no doubt will stand out not only with her size but with her skills on the court.  Grab a friend and please join Cardinal Couple writers on the 28^th as we get a sneak peek at what the #1 kid in the country looks like on the court!!  We’ll see you there!


( Another couple of great reports from Jenny ! We can't stress it enough...please join us the 28th. at CARDINAL ARENA to watch the camp. You won't regret it...and we'll try to remember to bring binoculars for Jenny...)
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Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Recruiting in the Bluegrass State

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WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Jenny looks at recruiting


-Mercedes Russell confirms Louisville camp attendance.

(Jenny O'Bryan flies the airplane for us today and files this
report on recruiting. She's our ace here at CARDINAL COUPLE 
in this area and we know you'll enjoy her writings
today and increase your knowledge as well.) 

Last week in the comment section of my article someone asked about Coach Walz recruiting and had he “abandoned in–state recruiting”?  I cannot speak to the recruiting of the class of 2010 or 2011, really.  We all know 2011 brought us Sarah Hammond from Rockcastle H.S. (KY).  Kentucky Miss Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year 2012 is Sydney Moss, from Boone County, KY.  She was pursued and offered a scholarship by Louisville, but chose Florida as the place she will spend her college career.

As has been stated before, following recruiting in women’s basketball is difficult, at best.  NCAA rules prevent University and college coaches from discussing recruits until they have signed their Letter of Intent (also called National Letter of Intent).  So, information that is out there comes from the recruit herself.  If not directly from her, then from her coach (either high school coach or AAU coach). Information can also be gathered from scouting services that get their information from the recruit herself or from coaches involved with the recruit. 

This is where the Internet, and more specifically social media, has transformed the recruiting world.  A recruit can tweet, facebook (insert any social media here), which coaches are pursuing them or expressing interest in their game.  It also provides an outlet for scouting services to talk about recruits as they are watching them in real time, as well as reporting information that recruits are giving them.  All of this is to say that information is readily available, as long as the recruits and/or coaches are talking. 

In the most recent past few weeks I have seen a lot of scouting services “tweeting” about the big AAU tournaments going on.  This past April coaches and scouts alike were spread out all over the country for an NCAA certified viewing period taking in big tournaments across the country.  Virginia, the DC /Maryland areas, and North Carolina tournaments specifically had scouts talking about kids from a “local” AAU program, Kentucky Premier.  Fast-forward a couple weeks later to Memorial Day weekend, and again, many tournaments, specifically one in Mason, Ohio, I found myself reading tweets and follow up articles about tournaments featuring kids from Kentucky Premier.  Finally, this past weekend, there was a big Skills Camp in Atlanta.  Bingo, you guessed it.  I again saw tweets about some Kentucky Premier players.  Not only was I hearing about “local” kids talents, but also about schools showing interest or offering scholarships.  


I decided to try and cull together some information about what I have been reading about upcoming talent in the state of Kentucky, and see if Louisville is involved in the recruiting of that talent. 

I also decided to go a step further and contact the Director of Kentucky Premier, Coach David Tapley, to confirm and verify information I was seeing tweeted by recruits, scouts and AAU coaches.  I spent some time talking to Coach Tapley. Not only did he confirm information I was seeing and reading myself, he also shared additional information about in-state kids that have some level of interest from Coach Walz and the University that I had not yet heard or read about. 

I want to caution readers that there are many levels of interest that a coach can show a recruit. Expressing interest does not guarantee the recruit will be extended a scholarship.  Perhaps the Coach is intrigued and wants to watch and see how the recruit develops. Please keep this in mind as I outline the in-state talent Louisville is said to have some level of involvement with. 

Coaches can start to show interest in a recruit by contacting high school or AAU Coaches.  NCAA rules prohibit a coach from initiating contact with a recruit until late in her junior year.  A recruit can initiate the contact, but not the Coach.  University Coaches have to go through high school coaches and AAU coaches when expressing interest in younger recruits. Hence my conversation with Coach Tapley to verify what I was reading, and I was fortunate enough to find out about some names that I had not heard yet heard about. 

2013

Makayla Epps- 5-11 PG from Marion County High School. Makayla has made a verbal commitment to U of L and is eligible to sign her LOI in the early signing period in November. 

China Dow- Christian Academy of Louisville.  China is a guard and recently was written up on ESPN Hoopgurlz and given high praise.   Louisville has shown initial interest in her and is said to be watching her development. Schools said to have interest in her are Texas A&M, MTSU, Miama (FL), Kentucky and Xavier. 

Rebecca Greenwell- 6-1 Guard from Owensboro Catholic.  Becca’s name should be familiar to Cardinal faithful as she is being heavily recruited by Louisville.  Many other top tier programs are vying for her services include Notre Dame, Kentucky, Duke, Tennessee and North Carolina, just to name a few. 

 2014

Yacine Diop- 5-10 combo guard from Darfur, Senegal who has recently moved to Kentucky, and was most recently enrolled at Oak Hill Academy. This young woman is said to have incredible athleticism and speed and is already getting a lot of interest from school such as Kentucky, South Carolina, Dayton, Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.  Louisville is said to be heavily interested in this recruit.  (Any information on this recruit was new to me, as I had not seen her name mentioned before, though I am assured I will see it plenty more in the future). There is some speculation that she may be at the Elite Camp on June 28.  She is also said to have been one of several recent recruits who was on campus the weekend of the softball Regionals several weekends ago.

Ivy Brown-6-2 Forward at Larue County High School. Louisville is said to be watching her progress. She has interest from many schools including St. John’s, WKU, EKU, Miama (FL), Virginia Tech, among others.

2015

Maci Morris- 5-11 guard out of Bell County.   Louisville recently offered Maci a scholarship.  She was among the group of recruits who was also on campus during the Softball regionals.  She is also said to likely be in attendance at the skills camp on 6/28. Maci is said to be getting interest from other big programs such as UCONN, Notre Dame, Stanford, to name a few.  She is absolutely a name to watch in the next few years. 

Morgan Turner- 6-2 guard/wing out of Meade County.  Louisville has some level of involvement with Morgan.  Morgan was invited to several games by Louisville last year and will also be at the skills camp on 6/28.   As an aside, I went to college with Morgan’s mom (a former basketball player herself.  It is certainly in her genes, to that I can attest.)  Morgan is being shown interest by some big time programs as well -- Stanford, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Dayton Iowa State, Kentucky and Virginia Tech. 

Morgan Rich-5-11 PG out of Allen County. Morgan was also said to be one of the recruits recently on campus.  She too is getting interest from big programs such as Notre Dame, Stanford, Virgina Tech, Xavier and  Louisville. 

Ashanti Thomas- 6-3 out of Lexington also is being shown some level of interest by Louisville. Other programs include Kentucky, Virginia Tech, MTSU, Indiana, WKU. 

Future Talent

Two very young players that are already making noise and yet to hit high school but are being noticed by high profile schools, Louisville included, is 2016 6-2 Forward out of Elizabethtown Erin Boley.  Erin is said to already be garnering interest from not only Louisville but also the likes of Notre Dame and Stanford.  2017 5-4 point guard Haeli Howard out of Marion County is also making noise.  While she is very young and still a year away from high school, she is said to ranked 9^th in the country in the class of 2017 by Bret McCormick at All Stars Girls Report. These two are very, very young talent and Cardinal fans should watch as this future talent develops over the next few years. 

Certainly not all of the recruits mentioned above will be offered scholarships by the University of Louisville.  Some may not fit into the Louisville system.  Others may offer a skill set that is not of the greatest need the year they graduate.  I am sure there are many scenarios about how and why Louisville may, or may not be, the right fit for some of the aforementioned talent.  I do think it is safe to say that Coach Walz most definitely has his pulse on the talent within the State though.  This is just talent from one Club Coach within the State who was kind enough to verify information I had on some of his kids, but also give me additional information on kids I had yet to hear about. 

In closing, regardless of where any of the aforementioned young players end up going to college, it looks like the State of Kentucky has a ripe crop of talent that basketball enthusiast should enjoy watching develop over the next few years.  And who knows, maybe a few of them will be suiting up as a Louisville Cardinal in the near future.  Keep your eyes peeled, Cardinal Fans.  Also, show up to the Elite Skills clinic on 6/28 and you may get to see some of this young talent.

(I want to thank Coach Tapley for his time and information.   I also hear it is his birthday today, so I want to give him a birthday shout out for his time this past week.) 

(It is also worth mentioning Andrijana “Andi” Cvitkovic a 2013 6-3 forward out of Culver, IN, by way of Croatia. While Andi lives in northern Indiana she plays AAU ball with Kentucky Premier and was very recently offered a scholarship by Louisville.  Andi is currently in Croatia training this summer for the Croatian national team.  Andi is also said to have been on campus several weekends ago with a few other recruits.  Stanford, Texas A&M, Michigan, Ohio State Indiana are just a few vying for her services. She is said to have over 64 offers to Division 1 programs. )


Recruiting is an area where the future of programs meshes with the needs, wants and desires of high school  students. An area where academics and athletics combine with fervent fans and coaches' cultivation. An art and a science. A fascinating feature in the overall structure of women's college basketball and an area that is continually changing and never boring. Thanks for reading my "take" on it today.


-Jenny


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Mercedes Russell has confirmed she'll be in Louisville for Jeff Walz's basketball camp on June 28th. Link below: 



Mercedes to roll into "Ville"

If there's ever been a reason to stand
up and yell "YES!"...this would be one...


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( Outstanding articles, Jenny! And, a big thank you to Coach Tapley for sharing his knowledge. You can catch Jenny's columns here at CARDINAL COUPLE on Wednesday and throughout the entire year. )
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