Good Times for Louisville Hoops Recruiting

Posted on October 31, 2019 by The Cardinals Beak

The 2020 recruiting class started off slow for Coach Mack and Louisville. But in the last few weeks business has picked up and tonight the highest-ranked player in Kentucky gave a verbal commit to the Cardinals. JJ Traynor is listed as a four-star recruit and the No. 79 overall player in the class of 2020 by 247Sports.com.

Just 10 days ago 4* D’Andre ”Dre” Davis, a 6-foot-5, 170-pound shooting forward from Indianapolis verbally committed to the Louisville 2020 Class. Much like Davis JJ Traynor is a player that came out of nowhere during the summer and impressed coaches. I even read one article where recruiting guru Evan Daniels raved about Traynor. He referred to the Kentucky native as “the biggest sleeper in the country.”

JJ has made a name for himself with his impressive size, length, athleticism, quickness and scoring ability for a primary ball handler. Sure sounds familiar. Traynor’s father, Jason Osbourne, a former Kentucky Mr. Basketball and a legendary Cardinal in his own right used to wow the Freedom Hall crowd with his athleticism. Jason is one of my favorite all-time Louisville players and I’m certain that the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree.

Traynor averaged 11.2 points and 8.6 rebounds last season for a Bardstown team that went 15-16. Traynor is coached by another Louisville legend Bardstown head coach James “Boo” Brewer. I got a chance to interview Boo a few years ago. Coach Mack really kept it in the family with this recruit. A few weeks ago folks were thinking this 2020 class would be a wash but things are certainly looking up and I’m here for it all.

Traynor also held scholarship offers from Cincinnati, DePaul, Evansville, Missouri, Northern Kentucky, Western Kentucky, and Xavier.

Coach Mack & staff land another “We” guy

Posted on October 20, 2019 by The Cardinals Beak

(Photo: Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar)

College basketball recruiting has been a hot discussion on social media. Some Louisville fans getting themselves all worked up because the NCAA cloud still hanging over the program is seemingly having an effect on the staffs recruiting efforts. I don’t see it that way.

Sure it’s not ideal to have an NCAA cloud hanging over your program but I think it serves as a way of only getting the guys who want to really be a part of your program. Guys that are buying into the “we” part of the recruiting pitch instead of the ”what can you do for me” approach.

Coach Mack and his staff have been really good at finding the “we” guys. Today they found another one. 4* D’Andre ”Dre” Davis, a 6-foot-5, 170-pound shooting forward from Indianapolis has verbally committed to the Louisville 2020 Class. Davis was originally committed to Tim Miles and Nebraska but decided to open back up his recruitment last week.

Ranked as the 96th player in the ESPN 100 the Davis decomittment garnered a lot of attention. Several Power 5 programs including Louisville jumped in the mix pretty quick. Coach Mack beat out Purdue and several others for the long athletic 3 man’s services. Davis is known as a player who can drive to the lane and create his own as well as shoot the step-back three. I think he is a guy that will fit well into Coach Mack’s system.

A guy who started out inside the top 200 Davis is a blue-collar player that has worked his way into the conversation with a great AAU season. Give me these Top 100 guys all day long. They are kids that it takes to win a championship and usually make up the backbone of a college program. I hope those Top 10 guys have all the success in the world but I just think they have too much of that ”ME” mentality to give a program the long term commitment it sometimes takes to win a championship. We see this play out every year at our arch-rival Kentucky. Not much of a backbone there.

I want to get guys at Louisville who want to be here. I want the guys who want to sink themselves in the traditions and lore that surround the Cardinal Nation. I want to get to know these guys and watch them develop and grow. I want the ”we” guys and I think Coach Mack and his staff got a commitment from another one of those today.

Recruiting is fine… And Louisville Basketball will be fine. Go Cards!

The Beak Red & White Scrimmage recap

Posted on October 13, 2019 by The Cardinals Beak

The Louisville Basketball team took the Yum Center court for the first time on Saturday at the annual Red & White scrimmage. Team 106 is stacked. A preseason top 5 by most publications this team has the talent, depth, and attitude to make a National Title run. It was great to be back in the Yum Center and I’m excited that another basketball season is upon us.

I just watched the Louisville Football team win their first game over a ranked opponent since 2016. The football team has a new physicality about them this year and that has helped them turn things around pretty quick on the football field. Watching the basketball team at the scrimmage I noticed a significant difference in their physicality.

It was so physical on the Yum Center court on Saturday that you could hear it. Guys body checking, putting an arm in someone’s chest and guys looking to create contact on every play offense and defense. It really is crazy the difference a year has made under Coach Mack’s system and it too will start paying off. I don’t see this team getting pushed around by anyone.

I ask the players and Coach Mack about my observation during the scrimmage. Coach Mack said that it was good to hear someone talk about the improved physicality. Says that it’s hard for them to see the difference in the physicality of the team because they are with these guys every day. Ryan McMahon said that practices had gotten so physical that Coach Mack brought in referees to call fouls. This has paid off. Two of the most physical guys during the scrimmage were Dwayne Sutton and Steven Enoch. Between them, they drew 12 fouls but only had 3 personal combined. They are being very physical but not out of control.

The physical nature of this Louisville Basketball team is the biggest thing that stood out to me during the scrimmage but there were other observations.

Jordan Nwora should win Player of the Year. He made the decision to spurn the NBA and come back to Louisville for his junior season. He made the right one. He is surrounded on this team by offensive weapons. This should allow him to focus on his own game and develop his role on this team without having to be the primary source of points. Last year I felt like some games he was forced to take on too big of a role and that slowed his progression.

There will be nights when Jordan has to put the team on his back but it won’t be every night. I saw more quickness in his game on Saturday. And his vertical game has continued to get better. He had the scrimmages only blocked shot today. Jordan’s game has gotten much more active and is less reactive. I call him swag and his game is legit.

Speaking of legit game. Steven Enoch has gone full beast mode. He had an All American stat Line in Saturday’s scrimmage. He earned his 21 points. Aidan Igiehon did not give him any easy ones. Those guys battled in the paint all scrimmage. The Louisville frontcourt is loaded and the competition between these guys is going to make them all better. It already has.

Can’t say enough about Dwayne Sutton. He is such a workhorse. 20 minutes of grind. He is a guy that thrives in a physical game and really knows how to extend the play through contact. He drew a team-high 7 fouls during the scrimmage. Was 9-11 at the free-throw line. He’ll be another guy who will benefit from having a team full of offensive weapons. Sutton is the ultimate role player.

It has been awesome watching Darius Perry figure things out. His newfound self-awareness has carried over into his game on the floor. He is much more poised than he was a year ago and his improved court awareness makes him a more effective player. He had 5 assist to 1 turnover in the scrimmage. A year ago it would have been the opposite.

I’ve looked forward to seeing the Super 6 on the Yum Center court. I think their class is going to be pivotal in the success of the Louisville program during the next 10 years. If Coach Mack and his staff can go on a run like I think they can it will all have started with this 2019 class. Four of the six were in the ESPN 100. Out of the six, I think Williamson, Johnson, and Igiehon will see the most minutes this season. None of them had a stand out performance at the scrimmage.

Fresh Kimble and Ryan Mack also with a quiet scrimmage but you can bet they’ll both stand out as the season progresses.

All in all, there was nothing really surprising about the Red and White scrimmage. This team is going to come into this season with some lofty expectations. They looked the part on Saturday and have the parts to live up to the hype. It will be fun watching it all come together.

Go Cards!

Cards need win to keep things moving forward

Posted on October 4, 2019 by The Cardinals Beak

Things are looking up for the Louisville Football program. A much-improved effort and attitude have highlighted the early part of the season. This team had a great second half effort a few weeks ago against Florida State and most felt like they really let a big one slip through their fingers in Tallahassee.

After a much-needed bye week, the Cardinals are back in ACC play on Saturday afternoon at Cardinal Stadium. Depth was a big concern heading into the season and in my opinion cost this team that win against Florida State. So it’s good to get some of these guys healed and rested up. Louisville Football hasn’t won a conference game since November of 2017. This weekend is a great opportunity to break that streak.

The Louisville defense had looked impressive in the first three games of the year, holding opponents to an average of 18.7 points per game and 285.0 total yards in those games. They did struggle a bit allowing the Seminoles to score 35 points and gain 522 yards of total offense. While Boston College doesn’t have the athletes FSU does they still have some playmakers.

Boston College QB Anthony Brown has thrown for 1,057 yards and eight scores this season. And he spreads the love around. Eight different players caught a pass for them last week. And folks AJ Dillon is back for his junior season. Remember him? He had 272 yards and 4 TDs on his last visit to Cardinal Stadium on his way to the ACC Rookie of the year back in 2017. He didn’t play against us last year due to an ankle injury. He currently ranks fourth in the nation with an average of 125.4 yards per game. He has rushed for 627 yards and six touchdowns this season.

Dillon will face a much improved Louisville defense on Saturday. After finishing near the bottom in total defense last season, the Cardinals are the 45th-ranked overall defensive team in the country and rank 45th in rushing defense this season.

Khane Pass recorded a career-high 12 tackles, while linebacker C.J. Avery added nine stops and a sack in the last game holding FSU running back Cam Akers to 112 yards. Below his average. I still worry about depth issues especially in the 4th quarter with this unit but Coach Brown will have them up for this challenge.

The Cardinals have a pretty good rushing attack of their own led by Javian Hawkins. He has been a spark plug for the offense averaging 97.5 yards a game. The Cardinals enter this week 22nd in the country and second in the ACC in rushing offense. They can also go vertical with great playmakers like TuTu Atwell and Dez Fitzpatrick. Nationally, the Cardinals rank in the top 15 in plays of 30 or more yards while ranking fifth with five plays of 50 yards or more and eighth with three of 60 yards or better.

How good was it to see Fitzpatrick get back in the groove against FSU? He recorded the third 100-yard receiving game of his career, with seven receptions for 133 yards and that 74-yard bomb. That circus catch was the longest of his career. Hope this is a sign of things to come. We need Sixpatrick. Gonna need him Saturday.

The Louisville offense has been pretty balanced averaging 212.2 yards per game through the air and 225.2 yards on the ground. I think they’ll have to be really effective in the ground game Saturday and continue to take those big shots down the field when they can. That might not be as easy against the BC defense.

While Eagles are allowing an average of 438.6 yards of total offense this season, including 183.0 yards on the ground. They are third in the nation with eight interceptions. Their DBs are very active. DB Mike Palmer leads them with two picks on the season. This BC defense has taken it’s licks this season. But there are still some capable bodies. They played much better last week and I expect them to play out of their minds Saturday. That’s how it goes right.

We can talk about guys making plays and individual performances all day long. I don’t think execution will be a problem this season. Reality is this. Coach Satterfield has played nine former walk-ons, including five who have started games this season. And has played 5 true freshmen. Depth is going to be an issue all season. More so on defense than offense. This coaching staff has worked magic moving guys around but it is what it is. Gonna lose games because of this alone.

In saying that Saturday should not be one of those games. Depth should not be an issue coming off a bye week and pound for pound Louisville has the better athletes in this matchup. This team has us all emotionally invested again. They even have the guys in Vegas invested again. Louisville enters the Boston College game as the biggest favorite it has been vs. a Power 5 opponent since the 2017 season. We are all invested. Now make us believe.

The team is wearing some awesome Ali themed uniforms to honor the great one on Saturday. One of my favorite Ali quotes “Don’t count the days; make the days count.” The Cardinals need to make this game count. I think it’s a must-win to keep things moving in the right direction. Lose this one and I think things could go in the other direction.

Cheer loud. Go Cards!