TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Staff Columnist Sandy Walker with her weekly jaunt through the world of Cardinal Women's Athletics. She's our version of Wikipedia...if you can't find it here, it probably doesn't exist. )



 

NELL ON WHEELS

 

Anyone who checked the comments last week saw that Louisville was selected as the most recent location for Nell Fortner to bring her “Nell on Wheels” show.    Those of you who were unable to see the taping or who are interested in seeing other video’s posted from the Louisville trip can check out Sara Hammond’s tour of the women’s training and practice facility http://m.youtube.com/videos?open=1&c=17&s=pop&t=t

Also check out this video of the Lady Cards Pre-Kentucky practice http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4LH-lQo99w

 

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BASKETBALL SPECIAL TICKET PACKAGE

 

The women now have a special 4 game special package of tickets available to the women’s games.  Go to twitpic.com/biriq1 for the details or call the Louisville ticket office at 502-852-5151.

 

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WOMEN’S HOOPS ON TV FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 3-9

 

Check out the NCAA posting of televised games for the week.  http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-women/article/2012-12-02/women-s-hoops-tv-dec-3-9

 

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BASKETBALL RANKINGS AS OF DECEMBER 3, 3012

 

Louisville carries a 8^th place ranking into Saturday’s home game against Valparaiso.  Game time is 7:30 at the YUM! Center.  Come and spend the evening with your friends while watching the best game in town.

RANK	SCHOOL	RECORD
1	Stanford	8-0
2	Connecticut	6-0
3	Baylor	6-1
4	Duke	6-0
5	Notre Dame	5-0
6	Georgia	9-0
7	Kentucky	6-1
8	Louisville	8-1
9	Maryland	4-1
10	Penn State	6-1
11	California	6-1
12	Texas	5-0
13	Oklahoma	7-1
14	Tennessee	6-1
15	Purdue	7-1
16	Oklahoma State	6-0
T17	UCLA	4-1
T17	Kansas	7-0
19	Dayton	9-0
20	Ohio State	5-2

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BASKETBALL RECRUITS

 

I am sure that I am missing others but word is that 2014 recruit Sydney Brackemyre @syd_the_kyd31 and 2015 recruit Maci Morris @Maci15Mo were at the game last Saturday.  Hopefully they could see themselves out there on the floor as the focus of 15000+ cheering fans.

The breath-taking panorama of the KFC YUM! Center on game day for the Louisville Women's basketball is something that never ceases to amaze us here at Cardinal Couple. 10,000-15,000 fans, the stirring intro for the Cardinal team, the LadyBirds and roar of the Cardinal fans has got to be VERY impressive to high school juniors and seniors. Heck, it's got to be impressive to anyone!

 

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LOUISVILLE SOFTBALL

 

There is just a little over 2 months before the softball team opens their new season in Las Vegas against UCF on February 8.  They will participate in the Sportco Kick-Off Classic with UCF, UNLV, Minnesota, Texas Tech and DePaul. 

Coach Sandy Pearsall’s 2013 team includes 8 new players.    Bios can be found by going to the Louisville Official softball website news page for November 15 at http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/111512aab.html .  They are Maryssa Becker, Kristina Dillard, Rachel Houck, Autumn McDuffie, Jordan McNary, Morgan Meyer, Nicole Pufahl and Tiarra Sanabria.  3 recruits are KY residents with Autumn and Morgan coming from Louisville and Jordan is from Madison, KY.

 

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ACC SOFTBALL

 

Plans are for various contributors to the Cardinal Couple site to provide brief overviews of various ACC sports where women’s teams are expected to be in competition with U of L.  Since Louisville will soon be joining the Atlantic Coast Conference and as a new member will be participating in their softball conference. 

This past year found Georgia Tech (The Yellow Jackets, who won their third regular season ACC title in the last four years) and Virginia Tech in the ACC finals with North Carolina, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Florida state, NC State, Boston College, Virginia and Virginia Tech all fielding teams.   Five teams (Georgia Tech, Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech) advanced to the NCAA Championship while Virginia Tech went on to within just one win of advancing to the Super Regional.  Obviously the conference members have and are changing but we look forward to the competition and introduction of conference teams to our facilities and team. 

Most recently the ACC softball championship tournament was played at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.C. but the 2013 Conference Championship will be held May 9-11 in Tallahassee, Fla., at Dr. JoAnne Graf Field on the campus of Florida State University.

Comprehensive current and historical softball information regarding ACC teams can be found at http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/acc/sports/w-softbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/release/release.pdf

 

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COACH WALZ on WHAS.com – 11 INTERVIEW

 

In case you missed it, the November 30 WHAS-11 Great Day Live Featured Video with  Rachel Platt and Terry Meiners interview of Coach Walz can be seen at http://www.whas11.com/video/featured-videos/UofL-womens-basketball-coach-Jeff-Walz-181538421.html where he not only discussed the team but also the effect our move to the ACC may bring.

 

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MILESTONES IN BASKETBALL

 

Shoni Schimmel surpasses 1000 points during Thursday’s win over Austin Peay.  She is the 6^th player to reach this mark as a junior and the 23^rd player overall to do so. "Shake 'Em" is on path to be the second leading scorer in UofL women's basketball history at this pace. Monique Reid is already the 7th leading scorer all-time at UofL and with a 300-point season, she could pass Kristin Mattox...who is 5th on the list with 1737 points.

The top three are Angel (2779 pts.) Nell Knox (1899) and Jazz Covington (1805).

(Thank you, Sandy for another comprehensive and detailed report on Cardinal Women's Athletics. We were unaware that Clemson did not field an ACC softball team, just a 'club' version. We will be bringing you more synopsis of other ACC women's athletics this week and leading up to the Cards inclusion in the conference. Scheduled down the road is Jenny and ACC women's hoops, Jeff and ACC Volleyball and Paul will preview ACC Field Hockey and Soccer. I suppose they'll dump the rest of the sports on me. Have a great day, everybody!   -- Sonja)

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Friday Cardinal Couple -- Stars galore at Cardinal Elite Camp Clinic

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FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Action, competition and talent the order of the day in Cardinal Arena on Thursday.


It may have reached the 100 degree mark in Louisville Thursday afternoon, but it wasn't as nearly as hot as the all-star group of players on display at the Jeff Walz Cardinal Elite Camp Clinic in Cardinal Arena. 

Despite having hip surgery Wednesday, Asia Taylor was
on hand to run the score clock. 

Talented high school girls basketball players from all over the nation were on hand for the four hour event. One didn't have to look too far to see the best and the brightest in action. Whether it was Mercedes Russell banging under the paint, Makayla Epps lofting that sweet mid-range jumper, Rebecca Greenwell taking one to the hoop with skill and grace or Erica Moore making head-shaking play after brilliant play...the stars were out early Thursday afternoon before an appreciative crowd of around 150.

A brief hydration break before another drill

After a brief overview of NCAA rules, regulations and guidelines by assistant WBB coach Cam Newbauer for the campers, Teena Murray took over and took the players through a series of dynamic stretching exercises. Also there to lead and spur them on was the UofL WBB squad..the vocal encouragement from Mo, Sara, Sherrone and the rest of the Lady Cards filling the gym. 


The campers then separated into four smaller groups 

Working on the mid-range jumper

for skills practice on essentials such as jump shots, transition basketball, layups, 5 player weaves and trans-post passing. Almost two hours went by as the Cardinal coaches, players and camp staff worked with the groups on shooting, defense, rebounding and breakdown moves according to position. 


When 3:00 p.m. rolled around, it was time for the first of two thirty-minute scrimmages. The players were divided into two red and two white squads and competed for fifteen minutes against each squad of the opposite jersey color. 


This is where it got really fun and competitive. 

UofL WBB Freshman Megan Deines takes in the action

With so much talent and skill level competing, it's really hard to pick out who performed the best...but the four members of the CARDINAL COUPLE staff present were sold on the efforts of Makayla Epps (Marion County), Katie Collier (Webb School), Raven Merriweather (Sacred Heart), Maci Morris (Bell County) Jasmine Lumpkin (Joliet) and Lauren White (Edwardsville) as "ones to watch" when it came to guard play. Also keep an eye out down the road for 6th grader Casey Collins (Katie's younger sister) who went toe-to-toe with the bigger, older guards and never backed down. 


CARDINAL COUPLE's Jenny O'Bryan will have a future article about who she thought was impressive and her thoughts on the afternoon. Don't miss it! 

Front liners that impressed would have to include the names of #1 ranked 2013 recruit Mercedes Russell (Springfield), Erica Moore (Mount Vernon), Nora Kiesler (Assumption), Logan Powell (Marion County) and Taylor Robinson (Ladue Horton Watkins). 


Then...there was Becca Greenwell. The senior-to-be at Owensboro Catholic showed no ill effects from her knee surgery. A quick crossover move, silky-smooth jumper and all-over-the-court awareness made her my personal choice as MVP of the first round of scrimmages. Some players just "have it". She's one of them. 

CARDINAL COUPLE'S Sonja and Sandy react to the
aggressive post play.  

After the scrimmage, the groups broke up into guards and forward/centers. These drills were fun to watch...Coach "Sam" had her guards doing a lot of push ups whenever I looked at that end of the court...I was concentrating on the battles that the bigs were displaying underneath the basket.

One to watch in future years is 6'6" center Nancy Mulkey out of Texas. Still a bit thin and just a freshman, but goes to the hoop with aggression and has a nice outside shot. Keep an eye on Logan and Kendyl Powell out of Marion County, too. Definitely not afraid to mix it up underneath and both hit the boards well.

Stretching it out the Teena Murray way...

Free throws and 3-point drills followed before the second and final 30-minute scrimmage of the afternoon. I dedicated this one to Mercedes Russell watching, who Louisville really wants to land.


I can see why. 

A.J. flashes that beautiful smile before going out to
teach the campers. (Take it easy on Jude, A.J!)

She positions well on the offensive sets and her height and agility allows her easy access to close in shots and put-backs. Teamed with Epps and Morris, they played with the precision of a squad that had been together for years. One writers dream: To see these three in Cardinal Red and Black against Big East opponents. Epps has a "lights out" jumper and Morris runs the point with the skill of a college senior. 


It was fun to watch these three compete against Becca Greenwell's squad for 15 minutes. You could tell that neither squad wanted to lose this scrimmage. Add Greenwell to this writer's wish-list to see in a Cardinal jersey. Her skill set is light-years beyond her age.

Free throws: a very important factor in any game

It was also good to see the Lady Cards out there working with the campers and teaching. Sara Hammond is a natural coach and it was fun watching her work the sidelines during the scrimmages. All the Cards seemed to be enjoying themselves and after the scrimmage they engaged the campers in conversation and a lot of laughter and fun filled the court. Mo Reid is brimming with confidence and authority this summer...can't help but think she's on the cusp of a sensational season. All of the Lady Cards went out of their way to encourage, teach, demonstrate and reinforce the things that are essential and important on the court. You can tell this bunch really likes each other and brief, casual chats with Cortnee Walton and Megan Deines indicated that they are fitting in just fine with the group and enjoying being Lady Cards. Although freshmen aren't allowed to work camps, they both seemed to enjoy watching the action and are ready to join in next year. 

Nora Kiesler (middle left) is a rising star for Assumption.

The four hours seemed to fly by. 


As Sonja and I walked to the car in the blazing heat after the camp, we talked about the massive amounts of talent we had just witnessed. A short chat with Rebecca Greenwell after the camp confirmed that she had a great time and that Louisville is still among the top schools she is looking at. Mercedes Russell grinned broadly when asked about the camp and saw it as a "great afternoon of fun and learning." Makayla Epps thought she had an "OK" camp and assured us that the ice wrapped around her knee was nothing to worry about...just a standard post-practice procedure. 

We had a wonderful time with the CARDINAL COUPLE staff writers in attendance Thursday afternoon and enjoyed meeting the CARDINAL COUPLE readers who came up to us and introduced themselves as the afternoon went on. If anyone had a better time at the camp than us, it was probably the actual participants...who got in a great four-hour workout Thursday afternoon in Cardinal Arena. 


Our thanks and appreciation to the coaches, staff and players who were gracious, entertaining and so much fun to watch and be around. 


This is Cardinal basketball, ladies and gentlemen...and you will not find a better product, philosophy and way of doing things out there...in our book.   


--Paul Sykes






  

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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