Monthly Archives: June 2015

As Always There Is Mixed Reviews Over Louisville’s New Football Swag

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We have heard the term unleash the beast but now it’s time to Uncage the Birds!!!

So the new “Uncaged” Adidas football uniforms for the Auburn game were released today to a flurry of mixed reviews. And while these new crazy uniform styles may not appeal to the adult crowd you have to keep in mind that they don’t design them with a middle aged man or woman in mind. In the end, the new uniform is all about creating a product that can be marketed and enticing to 17-18 yr olds. Not only to encourage them to buy the Adidas product, but also updating the look and feel of the uniforms to give the athletes that sizzle factor. For apparel companies to grab the attention of the younger audience nowadays the crazier and louder the better. Just look at some of the shoe designs of today.

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Consumers no longer buy sports apparel just to show support for their team, as fashion and wearability have become the new standard for buyers’ purchasing decision. Often a team’s success on the field is irrelevant to the buyer. More often color scheme, and perhaps more often, the color scheme’s impression determine a uniform’s selling ability. The image that different colors portray is a huge factor. Gone are the days when uniform color was purely symbolic. Today, colors are both symbolic and psychological.

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The psychological impact of logo and color usage has made an impact upon opposing teams giving an illusory impression of speed or tenacity. I wouldn’t want to be bringing the ball up the field facing Louisville’s nasty defense combined with those crazy and loud uniforms. Look at how the crazy infrared uniforms helped get our basketball team rolling a few years ago. And the uniforms were a factor. I remember being a junior in high school and our basketball team was given the new baggy style uniform that was inspired by the Fab Five of Michigan. When I put that uniform on it immediately gave me a feeling that I could run faster and jump higher. I went from just being able to touch the rim to being able to grab and hold on to it. There is no denying the psychological affect.

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So no matter what you think about these new and crazy looking uniforms just try to keep an open mind about it and realize that a lot of research and development go into the design process. Adidas wants their product to be successful and they want the teams that wear their products to be successful. And if they can give a slight psychological or physical advantage to our Cardinals with some new material and a crazy color scheme then I’m all for it. I’ll paint my face with that crazy bird on it if it will help our guys beat Auburn. Go out and buy some of this gear and lets help Adidas UNCAGE THE BIRDS….! #L1C4

Cardinals land 5 Star VJ King

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Coach Pitino and his staff have started their 2016 recruiting class off with a bang landing the #2 SF in the country today VJ King. King who is ranked #16 by 247Sports, #18 by Scout, #11 by Rivals and #25 by ESPN picked the Cardinals over UCONN and UK. Louisville assistant Kenny Johnson is a former assistant at King’s high school and this is thought to have played a big role in his decision.

I had a chance to check out King first hand at EYBL in Lexington this spring. He is a very nice player and was making some very nice plays. He has a great looking jump shot and can handle the ball very well for his size. His skill set makes him very hard to guard.

Talk about a stat stuffer in the Friday session I watched he had 22 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. He is also a very crafty defender. During the second session on Saturday night Coach Balado and Coach Padgett were there scouting out King for Louisville. King had another very impressive performance again at this session scoring 18 points while showcasing his multidimensional game. He has growing to do and will need to add some bulk to his frame. Once he does watch out. This kid is an elite player and I’m glad the Cardinals staff spent so much time on this kid. He’s going to be an immediate impact guy.

ESPN:

Strengths:
King is a long athletic and skilled wing with a very smooth game. He can handle, pass and shoot with accuracy from a variety of areas on the floor. He excels on the break by running the floor and making acrobatic moves around the rim. He uses his length well to shoot deep jumpers over smaller defenders with ease. King has the ability to get into a groove and hit two or three jumpers in a row. He has the length and athletic ability to be a capable multiple position defender as well.
Weaknesses:
King will need to add strength and work to improve his shot selection at times. He also will need to work on beating his defender off the dribble when pressured and not have his mind made up to shoot the jumper regardless of what the defender does. King could also improve as a rebounder and finisher in traffic all which he is more than capable.
Bottom Line:
King is a very athletic and skilled wing that has all the tools to be a special player he will need to continue to hone his skills and build his game and productive in other phases of the game. King’s calling card is his ability to score with his jump shot. King has incredible upside.

Young Cardinals already embracing tradition

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All of the 2015 recruiting class has reported to campus and they are ready to start the next phase of their lives. In successful program the tradition never graduates and it is now time for these new guys to start embracing that tradition. The Louisville athletic program is rich and vibrant because many guys before them have cared enough to give their very best. Many chapters have been written and now it’s time for this 2015 group to start on theirs.

The one thing that’s always been very apparent within the University of Louisville’s athletic department is how the teams of each sport come out and support the others when it’s possible. We’ve seen many examples of this over the years and it too is a part of the tradition. The young Basketball Cardinals have gotten off to a great start as far as this is concerned and they were out in full force over the weekend to support the baseball team in their quest for another College World Series.

Below are some fan tweets and pictures of Ryan McMahon, Deng Adel, and Donovan Mitchell hanging out at Jim Patterson Stadium with captain Mango….

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It’s great to see these guys out already embracing the tradition, fans and supporting the baseball team. This group seems very happy to be here. There are a lot of big smiles on those faces. I got to be around them during the Derby Basketball Classic and they really are wonderful kids. I’m already looking forward to the six games against the Puerto Rican national and junior teams and the Dominican Republic national team. That trip is slated for Aug. 10-17.