Monthly Archives: January 2014

The Beak Basketball Breakdown: The Cougars

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American conference play rolls on and on Thursday night the Houston Cougars come to town. This will be the 19th meeting between the Cardinals and Cougars with Louisville holding the advantage 13-5 in the series. This is the first time the Cardinals have faced Houston since a 70-67 loss in Hofheinz Pavilion on Jan. 5, 2005. And it’s the first time the two teams have played in Louisville since a 64-48 Cards win on Jan. 28, 2004. Houston has won three of its last four games and the Cougars currently stand in fourth place, a half game behind Louisville.

Coach James Dickey’s team could be a sleeper in the AAC race before the season is over. They have a big win against UCONN under their belt and had a very competitive game losing to Cincy in their last game by one point. They are a very interesting team at this point in the season and due to some injury issues have struggled with their team chemistry. They are still missing some big time scoring in LJ Rose, Danuel House and JJ Richardson. Houston uses an athletic, versatile, high-octane offensive attack that finished tenth in the nation in scoring a year ago.
Leading the way for the Cougars is TaShawn Thomas (17 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.6 apg), Jherrod Stiggers (10.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.9 apg), Danrad Knowles (8.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 0.6 apg), Brandon Morris (5.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.2 apg), and Tione Womack (5.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.8 apg).
Thomas is the only player to rank among the league’s top-4 leaders in both scoring and rebounding. Stiggers is the team’s top three-point threat. Knowles has already earned conference freshman of the week honors this season. He has a unique skillset for a 6-9 player in that he can shoot the ball from the outside, handle the rock, and his length makes him a factor on the defensive end. Morris and Womack are sold players and have the experience edge.

Houston comes into Thursdays game averaging 72 points-per-game, while shooting 45.7% from the floor and 36.5% from 3-point range. The Cougars are converting 67.6% of its attempts from the free-throw line. Defensively, Houston is allowing 67.4 points-per-game as the opposition is shooting 41.6% from the floor. The Cougars are out-rebounding their opponents 580-566 with a rebounding margin of +0.9 averaging 36.2 boards-per-contest. The Cougars are 15th nationally in blocked shots, swatting 6.4 per game.

Houston
2013-14 OVERALL RANKINGS
-POINTS PER GAME
72.0
184th
OVERALL
-REBOUNDS PER GAME
36.3
151st
OVERALL
-ASSISTS PER GAME
14.1
108th
OVERALL
-FIELD GOAL PCT
.457
119th
OVERALL

Kenpom Ranks
Overall – #140
Defense Adjustment Efficiency
– 103.5 ranks 159th
Offensive Adjustment Efficiency
– 105.8 ranks 140th

After coach Pitino’s talk with his team about forming their own identity and stepping out from the shadow of the national title team they looked like they played with a sense of purpose in the win against SMU. While this Houston team has struggled at times with team chemistry due to injury they are playing well as of late and their athleticism and versatility will be another good challenge for the Cardinals. Our guys will match up well against this Houston team because both are a little undersized in the front-court. I think they do have a slight advantage on the wings but our back-court is much better. I like our Cards in this game to win comfortably. Houston you will have a problem on Thursday night. Go Cards!

Cards Tame The Mustangs

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The Cards came in to the AAC battle with SMU today desperate for a quality win and looking to get things back on track. It was mission accomplished as the Cardinals beat the Mustangs 71-63. The win today gave the Cardinals their 3rd win in the AAC but more importantly gave them that all important win over a top 50 RPI opponent. Cards improve to 14-3 on the season and 3-1 in the AAC.

Today was the first time all season that I had seen any resemblance of the great defense Louisville is known for playing. Coach Pitino would say after the game: “It’s rare you see as good a team statistically as SMU. Our 1st half defense was the best I’ve seen all year. 2nd half, we fatigued.” The guys actually looked like they knew where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to be doing. They looked much more in sync than they really have all season. Maybe Coach Pitino finally reached this group after that loss to Memphis. Just maybe that game was the wake-up call they needed. Coach Pitino after the game: “We talked a lot this week about unbridled enthusiasm. Just being the best team we could be.” Pitino said he told them “Stop trying to live up to last year’s team. Be yourself. Stop trying to be last year’s team, because we’re not.” Today it looks like they got the message and got a very good win over a very good SMU team.

Russ and Luke looked and acted like the leaders of this team today leading the way with 23 points each. It was a new career high for Luke and he has now played two very good games with his shooting touch looking like it’s finally coming around. Pitino on Luke after the game: “not until the last two games has Luke been 100%.” then says jokingly “his defense isn’t 100% but that has nothing to do with his Achilles (laughs).” I’m just glad that jump shot is coming around.
Russ made some mistakes today and did look out of control on some of his plays to the basket but he had that look in his eyes that he did not want to lose the game and was going to do whatever he could do to keep that from happening. That’s the Russ that I love!
Montrezl had a double-double today with 12 points and 13 rebounds and backed up his words after that last game coming out today with a lot of purpose and passion. The Cards got out-rebounded 48-35 and would have really been in trouble without Harrell’s effort on the glass.
Terry Rozier had 8 points with 5 rebounds today and got extended minutes with Chris Jones out with a hip injury. Every time I see Rozier play I get giddy thinking about the contributions this kid is going to have during his Cardinal career and I think he could be one of the best we’ve seen. Coach Pitino said this about him after the game: “The best thing about Terry Rozier is his professional attitude. Never gets high, never gets low. He’s going to be a great player.”

There were some areas of concern today against SMU. The Cards got out rebounded 48-35 and shot just 52.4% from Free throw line. But those things aside this group took a good step forward and it really was a great win. This SMU team is one that you’ll be seeing make a deep run in March and was by far the best team statistically that Louisville has played this season. I hope the guys can keep building on this one as they head into the grind of the conference schedule. Coach Pitino after the game: “we are going to lose games, that is OK, we just need to keep getting better all the way until March.”

The other attraction today was the first-ever collegiate meeting between Hall of Famers Pitino and Brown, who brought 2,554 combined victories and three NCAA titles into the contest. Congrats to Coach Pitino for taking the first college victory in this Hall of Fame match-up.

Coach Pitino After Win Over SMU:

Montrezl After His Double-Double against SMU:

Russ After His 23 Point Effort Over SMU:

Luke Hancock After His Career High Against SMU:

Terry Rozier After a His Solid Outing Against SMU:

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The Beak Basketball Breakdown: The Mustangs

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Our Cardinals will be looking to get back on track and looking to get a quality win on Sunday afternoon when SMU comes to town for an AAC showdown. SMU and Louisville are meeting for the ninth time, the first time since the quarterfinal round of the 1987 Rainbow Classic when UL won 87-79. The Cards lead the series 6-2. Sunday’s game is the first collegiate match-up for Hall of Famers Larry Brown and Rick Pitino. The two met 17 times in the NBA (Brown 11-6). SMU is coming into this game 11-3 after their first win over a ranked opponent (UCONN) since 2003 and on the cusp of being ranked in the top 25.

Southern Methodist may not Jump out to everyone as a respectable opponent or national contender, but boy are they ever. Larry Brown is a helluva coach and he has assembled a roster that can compete with any team in the American and the country. They return four starters from last season, Nick Russell (8.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.6 apg), Ryan Manuel (5.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.3 apg), Cannen Cunningham (4.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 0.6 apg), and Shawn Williams (4.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 0.7 apg). They have three transfers giving them great production with leading scorers Nic Moore (13.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.6 apg), Markus Kennedy (10.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.2 apg), and Yanick Moreira (9.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.6 apg). Moreira is injured and will not play against the Cards. SMU also signed one of the best shooting guards in the country in McDonald’s All-American Keith Frazier (6.5pts, 2.0rpg, 1.4apg). This team has seven players averaging at least 5.4 points. Nic Moore and Markus Kennedy are averaging double figures. Individually, Nic Moore is second in the American and first nationally in 3-point percentage (.547). This is one of those teams that can come out of nowhere this year and be the surprise of the college basketball season. They are deep, talented and versatile and this may turn out to be one of Louisville’s toughest opponents of the season.

SMU is shooting 50.2 percent (1st American, 6th NCAA) and 41.5 percent from 3-point range (2nd American, 9th NCAA) while averaging 15.9 assists (2nd AAC, 26th NCAA). The team is averaging 73.5 points per game and have outscored all 14 opponents in the paint by an average of 34.9-18.9. On defense, SMU is holding opponents to 35.8 percent from the field (1st American, 2nd NCAA) and 61.6 points per game (2nd AAC, 21st NCAA). SMU has held 18 of its last 23 (12 of 14 this year) opponents under 40% shooting. SMU is also leading the league in rebound margin (+8.9, 10th NCAA), out-rebounding 13 of 14 opponents.

SMU’s
2013-14 OVERALL RANKINGS
-POINTS PER GAME
73.5
155th
OVERALL
-REBOUNDS PER GAME
38.6
62nd
OVERALL
-ASSISTS PER GAME
15.9
28th
OVERALL
-FIELD GOAL PCT
.502
6th
OVERALL

Kenpom Ranks
Overall – #37
Defense Adjustment Efficiency
– 97.6 ranks 63rd
Offensive Adjustment Efficiency
– 113.0 ranks 37th

All of SMU’s statistics and the things they are excelling at as a team is a recipe for disaster for a Louisville team that is struggling in every phase of the game. Our Cards are lost on defense and don’t have any clear direction on the offensive end of the floor. They will have to get back to fundamental basketball in a hurry if they even want to compete against an SMU group that is trending upward. Coach Pitino and the team seemed very disappointed after the loss to Memphis and hopefully it was the wake up call they needed to get things back on track. If they haven’t got the message the last couple days in practice they will get it loud and clear on Sunday afternoon. If they play like they did against Memphis they will get ran off the court by SMU. It’s gut check time!

Memphis Has Cards Singing The Blues

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The 89th chapter of the Louisville and Memphis rivalry has been written and undoubtably it will be title “The Memphis Blues” after the Cards lost to the Tigers 73 to 67. The Cardinals still maintain a comfortable lead in this series 53-35 and had won four straight in the series, but this one tonight was a important game for conference implications and resume implications. The Cardinals head into Sunday’s AAC game with SMU still in need of a signature win.

Not many things to celebrate in this game and our Cardinals just look lost on the court. I would best describe it as if you tried to run a world class thoroughbred without the blinders on in a big race. Just like that horse our guys have no clear direction when they are playing in these tough games. They have the talent and the ability to overcome their lack of direction when they play teams with less talent, but in games where teams can match their talent and ability they can’t slide by. This team had enough of an obstacle to overcome losing the guy who was their leader in Peyton Siva, but add to that the Chane drama along with Kevin now being out for the season, and it really has overwhelmed these guys. Russ and Luke aren’t being leaders on the court and this team just doesn’t have an identity. They must get back to basics and refocus or it could be a long year.

Luke Hancock had a season-high 20 points to lead the team and it looked like he might be starting to find his groove, but still needs to be a more vocal leader on the floor. Russ Smith had 19 points moving him to 19th on UofL career scoring list with 1,520 total points. He also had 4 steals moving him into 6th place on UofL career steal list. I think Russ needs to focus on what he needs to do to help this team win games and stop focusing on what he needs to do to impress the NBA scouts. Teams success should be his first goal. Montrezl Harrell had 14 points and is a force on the offensive end of the court. He just needs to duplicate that on the defensive end.

Memphis was more physical and more aggressive for most of the game and it showed not only on the floor but the box score as well. They out rebounded the Cards 37 to 35, and out scored them in the paint 42 to 34. You aren’t going to see a Louisville team get out hustled too many times but they did tonight and it was a big reason they lost this game. Usually they are the team that takes over after wearing down the other team but tonight those roles were reversed and it was Memphis who put their foot on the gas and closed this game out in a flurry.

Like most Cardinal fans I’m extremely disappointed by this teams play, but when you take an objective look it’s easy to understand why. I don’t think its time to toss in the towel, but it is the third round and Louisville has one eye swelling shut after this one. We need to come out swinging to avoid the TKO and I am confident in coach Pitino’s ability to get them going. Just hope these guys can start to believe in themselves.

Rick Pitino following Memphis loss:

U of L senior Luke Hancock after a loss to Memphis:

U of L guard Russ Smith after a loss to Memphis:

Montrezl Harrell following Memphis loss:

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The Beak Basketball Breakdown: The Tigers

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The Cards will renew a conference rivalry that historically is considered to be one of the better hardwood feuds in NCAA basketball when they face off against Memphis for the 88th time on Thursday night at the KFC Yum Center. The Cardinals lead this series 53-34 and have won the last four. Memphis enters Thursday’s American Athletic Conference match-up having won nine of its last 11 games. Louisville is a perfect 9-0 at home this season, with all nine games won by 16 or more points. The Cardinals return home for the first time since December 17th.

The Tigers could pose the biggest threat to Louisville for the AAC title and if last season’s meeting was any indication, this year’s meetings will be fun to watch as Josh Pastner should have his best team in his five seasons as head coach. Their deep, veteran backcourt is among the best in the AAC, Memphis returns a perimeter game that can compete with any team in the country with Joe Jackson (15pts, 3.5rpg, 3.5apg), Geron Johnson (8.3pts, 4.9rpg, 3.5apg), and Chris Crawford (8.8pts, 4.2rpg, 3.0apg). Crawford and Jackson are the first teammates to have 1,000 points and 400 assists for a career. While emerging low-post force Shaq Goodwin (12.3pts, 6.6rpg, 1.8apg) and freshman sensation Austin Nichols (8.5pts, 4.2rpg, 0.2apg) are controlling both the defensive paint and the boards.

Memphis comes into Thursdays game averaging 80.5 points-per-game, while shooting 47% from the floor and 29% from 3-point range. The Tigers are converting 65% of its attempts from the free-throw line. Defensively, Memphis is allowing 69.7 points-per-game as the opposition is shooting 44% from the floor. The Tigers are out-rebounding their opponents 510-473 with a rebounding margin of +2.8 averaging 39.2 boards-per-contest.

Memphis
2013-14 OVERALL RANKINGS
-POINTS PER GAME
80.5
35th
OVERALL
-REBOUNDS PER GAME
39.1
56th
OVERALL
-ASSISTS PER GAME
16.5
20th
OVERALL
-FIELD GOAL PCT
.473
66th
OVERALL

Kenpom Ranks
Overall – #35
Defense Adjustment Efficiency
– 96.3 ranks 45th
Offensive Adjustment Efficiency
– 111.5 ranks 45th

Folks this is probably one of the most important games of the season. Not only does it hold conference implications but also will hold season implications as our Cardinals need this quality win for their post season resume. Missing the opportunity to get the RPI quality wins against UNC and UK the opportunities are going to be few and far between as the rest of the season plays out. It won’t be an easy task to get the first win over a ranked opponent as Memphis is a very talented and athletic group. They get to the basket, like to control the paint and rebound well. The Cards front-court will once again be held to the fire. Mango, Van Treese and Montrezl will have to defend and hit the boards for Louisville to win and our back-court duo of Jones and Smith will have to stop their talented guards and force them to take jump shots. They only shoot 29% from beyond the arc. Their guards love to drive and dish and stopping the ball is key here. Cincy beat this Memphis team by playing great interior defense and stopping penetration. That will be the key for the Cardinals Thursday night. Be sure to wear your “WHITE” and cheer loud Cardinal fans!

Floyd St, A Road To Redemption

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I’m very happy to be writing this article knowing that just a few days after Coach Strong’s departure the University of Louisville’s Football Program has found the next head coach to lead the program forward. And I say forward because that’s exactly where the program will go with Bobby Petrino leading the way. This is a very good thing Cardinal fans. There isn’t a fan among us that wanted to go backwards after the success the last coaching staff worked so hard to achieve, we’ve been there done that. This will assure that a Top 15 program in the country will not only remain that way for the near future but also take that next step forward as well.

I know some fans are torn on the decision to take coach Petrino back due to his off the field indiscretions and due to the way he handled himself when he left the Louisville program the first time. A lot of folks like to sit atop their moral high horse and cast stones on the lowly souls who stumble beneath them. But to judge those folks would be just as bad so I won’t. And I don’t think anyone should be forced to forgive/forget but aren’t we as human beings at least required to give those who have done wrong some room for redemption? Coach Petrino had a year off from football, and had a year to reevaluate his life and priorities. “I just made a terrible mistake, something that I have to live with for the rest of my life,” Petrino said. “I’m trying to work hard every day to make things right, to put it behind me and move forward.” Can’t we give him that chance? Who are we to tell someone they can’t change?

And while it may be questionable what kind of person he is there is no doubt what kind of coach he is. With the move to the ACC taking place next season and the level of competition reaching a whole other level it was a no brainer to take a coach with a resume like Bobby Petrino has. He’s never done anything as a coach to even raise an eye brow of the NCAA. As a head coach he has a record of 83-30 a 73% winning percentage. Bobby has a history of building formidable programs. He has the best winning percentage (.82) of any head coach in Louisville football history, took our Cards to the Orange Bowl and had us all but a field goal away from playing for a national title. When he took over a dying Arkansas program many thought he would struggle to rebuild in what most consider the best college football battle ground in the country the SEC West. But not only did he rebuild that program he led them to the Sugar and Cotton bowls and had them on the cusp of competing with Alabama and LSU for the SEC West crown. And last year he took over a Western Kentucky program leading them to a 8 win season and beating in-state Kentucky along the way. He has been called an offensive minded genius in the past and has proven that he is a winner time and time again.

On Thursday Bobby Petrino will officially be announced as the Cardinals football coach and will probably be introduced as such to the folks in attendance at Thursday nights basketball game. Coach Petrino will start his road to redemption, a road that will be paved of much success for the football program. Be happy Cardinal fans and welcome back home Coach Petrino! L1C4!

4 Louisville Basketball Signees Nominated For McDonalds All-Stars

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Today McDonalds has announced it’s list of high school seniors that have been nominated for the 2014 McDonald’s All American Games, taking place on April 2 at Chicago’s United Center. Among those nominated include four Louisville signees.

-University of Louisville signee Shaqquan Aaron who plays for Seattle Rainier Beach High School.
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-University of Louisville signee Chinanu Onuaku who plays for Riverdale Baptist in Upper Marlboro, Md.
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-University of Louisville signee Jaylen Johnson who plays for Ypsilanti, Mich., High School.
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-University of Louisville signee Quentin Snider is a senior point guard at Ballard High School.
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Here’s the official release:

The final team of 24 boys and 24 girls who will be selected to play in the 2014 Games will be announced during the McDonald’s All American Games Selection Show on ESPNU on January 29 at 5:00 p.m. CT.

Nearly 1,000 players from 44 states and the District of Columbia were nominated for the 2014 McDonald’s All American Games. Ohio boasts the highest number of nominees this year (121), followed by Texas (97), Iowa (72), New York (63) and New Jersey (56). Players were nominated by high school coaches, athletic directors, principals and members of the McDonald’s All American Games Selection Committee.

The complete list of nominees is available at www.mcdaag.com.

“This year’s list of McDonald’s All American Games Nominees represents the finest prep talent across the country, and we are thrilled to present nearly 1,000 players with this once in a lifetime honor.” said Morgan Wootten, McDonald’s All American Games Selection Committee Chairman. “Today we celebrate this list of nominees, from which the final teams of 24 girls and 24 boys will emerge.”

Birdprints In The Snow

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Last night I had a dream that I was walking on a snow covered field at Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium. But when I looked down there were Birdprints in the snow.

Many memories of this past Cardinal football season flashed before the sky and at the end of each memory I’d look down and there were Birdprints in the snow.

Towards the end of the dream I seen Louie standing at the end of those Birdprints in the stadium all alone.

He looked back at me and said coaches and players come and go, but the Cardinal spirit will always be here and if there’s ever any doubt just follow the Birdprints below.

I started to follow those Birdprints in the snow until I reached Louie in the middle of that field standing on his own. Then I knew it would be alright and yelled with Louie Go Cards, Fight, Fight…!

(Thanks to @JenHeisey for sharing the very cool photo above)

Road RUSST

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Today our Cardinals finished a four-game road trip that started on Dec. 21. It looked like they were suffering from a little road rust as they struggled at times with Rutgers. In a game that featured 62 personal fouls and lasted more than 2 1/2 hours the Cardinals did survive with the 83-76 victory. They will now return home from the road 3-1 and get ready for #18 Memphis on Thursday night.

The Cards looked out of sorts to start the game tonight getting behind by margins of 7-0 and 12-4 before the press started to take effect. They took control with a 31-11 “Boom” spurt that happened at the end of the first half and the start of the second. During this 10 minute stretch they held Rutgers to 3 scores. It’s a good thing the run came when it did because they would need it at the end after they started to get sloppy, force up bad shots and turn the ball over (season high 17 TO’s). Not exactly the way to finish strong.

Four Cardinals scored in double digits. Russ Smith scored 22 points, Luke Hancock added 15 points, Terry Rozier had a career-high 14 and Wayne Blackshear 13. Terry is really developing nicely and it was good to see aggressive Wayne back today. The most impressive thing about the win was the free-throw shooting. The guys shot a whopping 89% from the charity stripe converting 41 of 46 foul shots. The 41 made free throws were a season high, and a school record for a conference game. Would like to see this trend continue. It was also a good effort on the defensive side of the ball forcing Rutgers to a season high 19 turnovers.

This game was one of those battle it out to the end Big East type of road wins, and I think it was good for our guys to get tested like they did. It is only going to get tougher from here on out. The AAC is starting to look like it could end up being a very competitive league. I bet our guys will be happy to be back in the Yum Center in front of the Cardinal faithful on Thursday night. Should be a great game taking on the old foe Memphis.

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My, How Quickly Things Change

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Below is the article I wrote around this time last year when Coach Strong turned down the Tennessee job. Crazy how much things can change in just a year. Really thought Coach Strong was different, and it would have been nice if this story had played out. Not much loyalty in the world today especially in college sports. I would be lying if I said Charlie didn’t let me down. But I do wish him and his family the best.

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Today something happened at the University of Louisville that you don’t see very much in the world of college sports. Today wasn’t about money, ego, power or greed. Today was about relationships, family, respect and loyalty. Today Charlie Strong made what he called the “Biggest decision in 29 years of coaching” and decided to stay at the University of Louisville for the long haul. Strong was hired in December 2009 and led the Cardinals to a 7-6 season in 2010. But at the beginning of the 2011 season he was struggling with a young team and got off to a 2-4 start. It was during that time that Tom Jurich decided to give Charlie a 7 year contract extension. That extension went a long way toward showing how committed Louisville was to Strong and building a solid football program. Today Strong acknowledged that moment saying “I was 9-10, and Jurich hands me an extension…How do you walk away from someone who trusts and believes in you.” Coach Strong has done a really good job in just 3 years at Louisville. And with his commitment today it could be the start of something big. Louisville has often been referred to and recognized as a stepping stone job for up and coming coaches. But today all of that changed as we went head to head with one of the traditional powers of the SEC and came out on top. Coach Strong says him signing means that UofL “is no longer a stepping stone job.”

When coach Strong arrived at Louisville he brought a much-needed winning pedigree to the program at a crucial time in it’s history. But today we found out that we got much more than that. Today our program took another step on the road to greatness and got a commitment from a guy who is all about greatness. One of the things that coach Strong was famous for saying when he got here was “You never Know.” Well now we know that our program is in good hands and heading in the right direction. Perhaps summed up best in one of Coach Strong’s comments today “My enthusiasm and my heart are with the University of Louisville.”