In this Cardinal Fans opinion it should have been “For The Birds” in a literal sense not the idiomatical one.

First let me start by saying that I really enjoy the ESPYs every year for their inspirational stories. It does remind you that there are some pretty incredible folks in the world. And this year I’m glad that our very own coach Pitino was awarded the ESPY for “Coach of the Year.” Talk about inspirational stories. This time four years ago there were a lot of people including myself that had doubts about Coach Pitino ever returning to the pinnacle of coaching he once had enjoyed. But he showed us. Coach Pitino faced his adversity and is now in the midst of maybe one of the best comebacks ever for a college basketball coach.

Earlier this week CBS Sports Gary Parrish wrote about how Coach P was enjoying his summer and how he was in a great place personally and professionally and now he can add an ESPY trophy on the pile. I was disappointed that they didn’t present the trophy live on air during the program because I was looking forward to hearing Russ Smith give his acceptance speech. Coach Pitino wasn’t at the ESPYs last night and was out on the recruiting trail getting ready for the second round of the July evaluation period. And this gesture very much exemplifies the “Louisville First” philosophy that he has helped implement. He not only preaches it to his players he lives it.

Now that “For The Birds” part of the ESPYs. Ever year as far back as I can remember they have always included the Men’s National Championship basketball team into the nominations for “Team of the Year” but for some reason they omitted our Cardinals this year. And I can’t think of a team that has been more deserving of that nomination than that group last year. ESPN did themselves a huge injustice by not including them in the show.
And I think everyone thought that our women’s basketball team was a lock for the “Biggest upset of the Year.” They had one of the biggest upsets in the history of college sports by beating Baylor in the NCAA tournament. Don’t guess the folks who took the time to vote for that category felt the same way and our Cards were denied their ESPY.
These were my biggest issues I had with the show last night and you could also make the argument that Louisville could have been mentioned for other nominations as well. How does an athletic program have one of the most successful seasons in the history of college sports not even get one second of live air time on a show dedicated to honoring the years best?

I could go on and on about this and I know that most of you feel the same way. At least they got it right with the “Coach of the Year” award and the night wasn’t a total wash for Cardinal fans. Regardless of what the ESPN brass thinks we all know who had one of the best years in the history of college sports and I don’t think it’s over. I think this next year is going to be just as special.

Cardinal fans poured into Papa Johns Cardinal stadium on this beautiful Saturday afternoon. But today it wasn’t to watch the Cardinals play football. Today Papa Johns stadium was transformed into a movie set to shoot a scene in the film about Patrick Henry Hughes titled “I Am Potential” and hundreds of Cardinal fans turned out to play extras in the movie. The scene that was recreated for the movie today was when Hughes and his father got to run onto the field for the first time with the UofL Marching Band. It was during a UofL vs UK game and there were a few Cats fans who showed up today to help make the shot authentic.

We are 50 days away from the start of another football season and you could tell by the conversation today that Cardinal fans are very excited and ready for it. Perhaps that’s why some showed up today and the Football field did look awesome. It was nice being back in the stadium on a Saturday afternoon, but it was also important for me to get a chance to play a small part in the making of this very inspirational story. Be sure to keep an eye out for the release of this film.

At 5pm on Wednesday evening coaches flooded into gyms all over the country to evaluate talented high school players and also to watch some players that will play a part in the future of their programs.

Coach Pitino’s first stop of the July evaluation period was at the Adidas Invitational in Indianapolis. He got the chance to catch a glimpse of what his future back court will look like when 2014 commit Jaquan Lyle and Quentin Snider played together for the Louisville Magic. The two future Cards combined for 42 points to lead the Magic to an 86-60 win over Elite Nation. Scouts that were in attendance raved about Quentin Snider’s court presence and how he has physically improved his game and appears to be much stronger with the basketball in his hands. He had 24 points and 7 assists in the game tonight. Scouts also raved about Jaquan Lyle’s energy tonight and how he played so hard. Also saying that it is very apparent that his basketball playing abilities are at a very high level. He would have 18 points in the game. The word coming out of the game Wednesday was that Lyle and Snider played very well together and had some great chemistry.
Coach Pitino will be out on the recruiting trail until this first evaluation period ends on Sunday. He will watch other games in Indianapolis, then Myrtle Beach and at Peach Jam in Augusta. He will be keeping his eye out for a big man to fill out the 2014 class. I think you’ll be hearing the names Elbert Robinson, Goodluck Okonoboh and Angel Delgado as the most realistic options.

There were several great coaches in attendance at the Adidas Invitational on Wednesday night. Below is a picture of two greats sharing a hug Mike Krzyzewski and Coach Pitino.

Video of Lyle and Snider after their game Wednesday courtesy of Scout.com:

More video courtesy of City League HoopsTV:

I always appreciate anytime corporations use their resources to help raise money for a great cause. That’s why I’m happy to hear that Northwestern Mutual has purchased the 2012-13 Final Four court that was used in Atlanta and will donate it to the University of Louisville where pieces of the court will be sold to help raise money for pediatric cancer treatment.

This will not only be a great chance for Cardinal fans to own a piece of history but we will also be able to play a part in saving lives from this terrible disease. Coach Pitino held a news conference today to talk about the effort, along with officials from Northwestern Mutual and Kosair Children’s Hospital. We learned at the press conference that the original center court of the Final Four floor will hang in the lobby of the Yum Center and that Coach Pitino will sign 1000 pieces of that court that will be sold. The pieces will be sold for 500.00.

Here’s what the pieces for purchase will look like:

Like any press conference with coach Pitino involved there was some good info about how the team is progressing and other great nuggets.

NBA Guys:
Coach Pitino excited to watch Peyton and Kyle Kuric play against each other at 1pm today. Says that he expects to see Peyton make it onto the Detroit Piston roster.

Kevin Ware:
Coach Pitino says that you can see the bone healing in recent X-rays and that he expects the bone to be healed in a month and that’s when Kevin will start working out. Says that he expects Kevin to be playing basketball in October. “Awesome news!”

Current Roster Update:
Coach Pitino says that the BackCourt group is really strong and that they go all out in practice. “Go for blood” is the way coach put it. He also mentioned that Mango had made some good improvements. Coach Pitino seems very excited about the new guys. Coach mentioned how it was scary having Russ Smith as a leader, but that he was doing an awesome job. And briefly mentioned moped wreck. Says that “Russ was OK!”

Future Cards:
Coach Pitino will hit the recruiting trail tomorrow for the first day of the July evaluation period. Coach says that he is looking for two big guys to round out this class. He also mentioned how he was trying to keep the roster balanced so they would never have to completely rebuild. Stay tuned to The Beak Recruiting page for updates. I think a name you will here a lot is Elbert Robinson for a big man.

The ESPYs:
Coach Pitino did acknowledge his nomination and said that he would not be attending the ceremonies. He said that Russ Smith is going on his behalf and will accept award for him if he wins. Says Russ’s speech will be “I am accepting this award on coach Pitino’s behalf and if it wasn’t for me he wouldn’t have won it in the first place.”

Coach was in a very happy mood today and seems to really be in a good place. He talked about how he has took the time to enjoy the championship and how he and his family have celebrated all summer. Happy to see this rejuvenated coach Pitino.

Good press conference today. Be sure to keep watching for the pieces of the floor to go on sale and take advantage of your chance to get your piece of history and help kids with cancer.

The announcer of the game today used “Enthusiasm Personified” to describe Montrezl on a basketball court. Cardinal Nation really got their first glimpse of this and Montrezl Harrell’s greatness when he helped the Cardinals come back from a huge deficit to win a Big East Title in MSG this past season. He took over that game and made it look easy. Today Montrezl stepped up big for team USA and led them with 17 points and had 4 rebounds, 4 blocks and two assists capturing the U19 gold 82-68 over Serbia. And again made it look easy.

Harrell had a great tournament and started all nine tournament games for for the U19 squad. His tourney averages were 10.5 points a game, 3.6 rebounds a game, 0.8 assists per game, 1.2 blocks per game, and all while averaging only 18.2 minutes per game. Hows that for production? I have said it before and I will say it again this kid has a motor that doesn’t stop running. He loves to be on a basketball court and is always giving his best effort. He has that quality of stepping up in big game situations and that’s the kinds of things that will have NBA scouts salivating.

Most draft experts already have Montrezl predicted to be a lottery pick next season and I’m sure after his performance in these world games the past couple of weeks has solidified that thought. I’m looking forward to seeing what Montrezl has in store for the college basketball world this fall and am expecting great things out of him. His ceiling keeps getting higher and higher and there’s no end to what this kid could achieve. Any doubts about our front court strengths are evaporating daily. There won’t be many teams who have a player like Montrezl this season.

One of the things that was considered as Harrell’s weaknesses coming into his college career is that he would be in a little bit of position limbo but with Pitino’s style of play and his physical growth he will be a nightmare matchup for a small forward or a unique match for a bigger guy. He has shown in just the last couple of weeks that he is developing his game more in the post and also improving his ball skills. With his size coming out of high school he had to become a more skilled player and he is doing just that. The raw materials are there and when he plays he goes hard, real hard.

“Enthusiasm Personified”

For 24 long years the frustration and anger built up between the two major universities in the State of Kentucky. The University of Louisville’s basketball program had caught up with the University of Kentucky who at the time was the ultimate measuring stick. However, the Wildcats continued to deny the Cardinals the chance to prove just how powerful they had become. This rejection was about basketball but included race, demographics, country, city, tradition, and the nouveau.

Then by the fate of the 1983 NCAA Tournament the 24 years of frustration would come to a head when these teams would meet in the Regional Final. ESPN recently named this game as one of their top 75 moments of the Tournament but for the folks of the state of Kentucky it was dubbed the “Dream Game.” It was a defining moment that would ignite a feud that has become on of the greatest rivalries in all of college sports.

Now there has been a movie made documenting this great rivalry. “The Rivalry: Red V. Blue” is a movie made by the rivals for the rivalry and is something that we can all be a part of. The folks who have made this great documentary need the help of the fans for the completion of principal photography as well as the post-production and distribution expenses of Red V. Blue. They have set up a page on KickStarter where Louisville and Kentucky fans can make this happen. If you would like to be a part of this film just visit this link to donate. Every dollar will help.

If you have grown up in the state of Kentucky and you are a sports fan this rivalry has been a part of your life. I can’t say that for the last 27 years I have enjoyed all the constant back and forth between me and my friends that cheer for Kentucky. But rivalries are what define sports and every competition needs a great rivalry. We have one of the best rivalries in all of sports and it deserves the credit that this movie will give it. The Rivalry has given us many enjoyable moments and now it’s time to give a little back. Go donate to this film.

Here is the link again: The goal is $40,000 and the current total is $16,882.00