We have reached the part of the college basketball season where teams are winding up the regular season and ramping up for the post season tournaments. Years of hard work hang in the balance as seniors across the country near the end of their college basketball careers, and programs all over the country are having their Senior Night/Day ceremonies. On Saturday the University of Louisville will honor four seniors Luke Hancock, Tim Henderson, Russ Smith, and Stephan Van Treese. On Saturday these guys will lace em up for the last time in that locker room, will come charging out of that tunnel to the alma mater for the last time, and will get the love and admiration from the Yum Center crowd for the last time.

On Saturday Cardinal fans will celebrate the contributions of our
Senior Class, recognizing the significant role these guys have played in this program, especially in the last two years where they have claimed two Big East Championships, two Final Fours and a National Title. This is the winningest Senior Class in the programs history. Ceremonies like on Saturday are part of the process that allows closure for the seniors and a passing of the torch to the underclassmen. But they really are bittersweet and I’m not looking forward to saying good-bye to this special group.

In successful programs like the University Louisville the tradition never graduates. This program is rich and vibrant because many groups of seniors have cared enough to give their very best. There are still many chapters that have yet to be written, but the 2014 basketball seniors have added to the outstanding tradition of the Cardinal program.

Stephan Van Treese says that the best advice he ever got as a player “hard work beats talent when talent isn’t working hard.” That quote pretty much epitomizes this young mans Louisville career. He was recruited to Louisville from Lawrence North high school along with another super star teammate and they both were supposed to be a part of a very special Louisville recruiting class in 2011. His fellow Lawrence North teammate decommitted, but Stephan decided to stick it out with Coach Pitino and stayed with the Cards. He had his struggles with some knee injuries and played in just three games during the 2011-12 seasons. He did not return to action for the remainder of the year. He battled back to be a work horse for his team. You aren’t going to be wowed by this young mans game but his 11.2 rebounds per 40 minutes average was second on the National Title team and he has 400 boards in his career. He’s averaging 5.1 rebounds this season. I really admire Stephan’s workman like attitude and his hustle will not be forgotten. Thanks for your physical sacrifice. You continue to lay your body on the line week in and week out, and you help set the tone on both ends of the floor.

Tim Henderson says the best advice he ever got as a player was that “hard work pays off.” Tim who has been described by coach Pitino as the best walk-on in college basketball just may be one of the hardest workers in college basketball. He is a local kid who walked on to the Cardinal program after his high school days at Louisville Christian Academy. Tim always stood out to me during the annual Red & White scrimmages where he would play so hard when he was on the floor. I once told my wife that if our son were old enough that I would point to Tim as an example of hard work on a basketball court. I wrote many times over the years that he would get his moment and sure enough after the injury to Kevin Ware he was bumped up in the rotation during the NCAA Tournament last year. In the Final Four game against Wichita State he hit two of the biggest shots in the history of the Louisville program and without Tim Henderson there would be no National Championship. Thank you Tim for your effort in the midst of little playing time. You are so unselfish and a total team player. You have stayed the course and inspired others.

Luke Hancock says the best advice he ever got as a player was “if he can do it, why can’t you?” My admiration for this guy is well documented through my scribbling on this website. Luke is a “can do it” kind of guy and through years of people telling him he wasn’t good enough and through years of adversity he made a name for himself in the college landscape. Last year we saw two amazing guys whose humility and decency defined their careers at Louisville in Siva and Dieng. Luke Hancock follows those guys in that aspect. It was awesome seeing Luke have his moment on the grand stage last year and going from a bench player to NCAA Final Fours Most Valuable Player will be a story that will be passed down through decades of Cardinal fans. Luke thank you for the love of your teammates. No one genuinely cares more about others than you and you’ve proven that on and off the court. In the face of high expectations and adversity, you have always put your teammates first and showed courageous leadership.

Russ Smith says the best advice that he ever got as a player was “to work harder every day.” Since making the decision to stay his freshman year nobody has worked harder than Russ to get where he is today. He went from not being on the radar as a high school recruit and playing sparingly as a freshman in college to being the face of the Cardinal basketball program. He is also one of the most popular athletes in college sports. In the world of instant gratification he gave up his chance to make a paycheck last year to come back and give us one more year of “Russdiculousness”. I don’t remember ever seeing a guy embrace the college life and the city of Louisville like he has. He is a Louisville Cardinal through and through. With two Big East titles, two Final Fours, and a National Title he is one of the most decorated seniors in college basketball. Russ still wants more and just in the last two weeks he’s had two heroic performances to add to his great legacy. Russ thanks for the courage and toughness of a young man twice your size. You have the heart of a lion. You have become one of the rocks of this team and have done it through nothing but hard work. Nobody better symbolizes the best of what this basketball program stands for than you.

Stephan, Tim, Luke and Russ we will honor you guys on Saturday in your final home game of your careers, but the program will continue to count on your leadership. Louisville First, Cardinal Forever. Finally, the game on Saturday will set the tone for an AAC and NCAA Tournament run. You need to prove to yourselves that you are ready physically, mentally, and emotionally to face the challenge of the weeks ahead. You are well prepared and have done the work, now it’s time to play! Go get that Championship. You guys are great!

Today Louisville signed 7 footer Anas Mahmoud as the 6th member of the 2014 Class. He had offers from Arizona State, Auburn, Cincinnati, Dayton, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Minnesota, N.C. State and Texas A&M. Others expressing interest include DePaul, Florida, Georgia and Miami. He became the latest of Egypt’s rising stars to seek a college basketball career in the USA. A few months ago the 18-year-old who last played for Cairo based Zamalek Club arrived in Orlando, Florida. Mahmoud has helped his native Egypt finish second at the tournament held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, and qualify for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

He has been described as a legit 7 footer and a skilled player. He can face the basket and shoot, handles the ball well and has a good overall feel for the game. He is lacking in strength and is still adjusting to hoops on the states. The Cardinals 2014 class is loaded with good size and great potential. Future looks bright!

Russ Smith hit a clutch shot this past weekend to beat arch rival UC at the buzzer. It’s one of those moments that Louisville fans will remember forever. He has also been racking up the mid-season honors; in just the last few weeks being named one of 30 mid-season finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year Award, and was added to the finalist list for the Senior CLASS Award. Russ has also moved himself into the top 10 in the Louisville record books in several categories including #10 in Scoring, #2 in steals, #10 in FG attempts, and #4 in made free-throws. This season he is averaging 17.5 points a game, 4.5 assist a game, and 1.9 steals a game to lead the team.

This coming from a player who didn’t play in 10 of the Cardinals’ final 13 games as a freshman and a former 2 star recruit coming out of high school. Things got so bad for Russ during his freshman year that he was thinking about leaving the Louisville campus until former Cardinal Rakeem Buckles talked him into giving it a second chance. Russ took his good friends advice and decided to make the best of his opportunity. And make the best of it he has. His name will now be etched forever in Cardinal lore. It’s not very often that you get to see a player like this come from virtually nowhere to become a superstar, but that’s what has happened during Smiths four years of college basketball and it has been great to witness such an extraordinary rise.

If it weren’t for a Louisville roster depleted by injuries two seasons ago, Rick Pitino might have never been forced to figure out a way to best utilize the available pieces he did have. One of those pieces was Russ Smith, and the way Rick figured out how to utilize Russ’s skills and off set his weaknesses was nothing short of coaching genius. Russ also deserves a lot of credit for the hard work and dedication he has put in over the last three years to reach that max potential. Hopefully he will add the title of Back-Back-to-back NCAA Champion and All-American to his resume in April. Regardless of what the outcome of this season will be the fact still remains that Russ went from 2 stars to superstar a meteoric rise to fame that we may never see again. As the basketball season winds down over the next couple of weeks enjoy watching and cheering for this kid who has poured his heart and his soul into the team, the University of Louisville, and the city of Louisville.

During the mid 1980’s Cardinal fans were entertained by one of the best to ever lace em up for the Cards in Pervis Ellison. He went hard from tip to the final buzzer and If he got the ball down low he was going to make sure he got two points. He would go for the slam dunk every chance he got. Pervis holds the record for most dunks in a season (59), most dunks in a career (162), and most dunks in a game (7). Darrell Griffith and Alvin Sims were also great at going hard and rocking the rim. Griffith is 2nd and Sims is 3rd all-time in career dunks. Most recently Chane Behanan was a player who liked to try and rip the rim off every chance he got and tied Pervis’s record of slam dunks in a season with 59. He is 5th all-time in career dunks and even got the slam dunk of the year award last season.

(UofL Sports)

This season we are going to see a new name emerge as the slam dunk king in a single season as Montrezl Harrell is leaving rims bent in every gym across the country. On Friday night against Temple he had six monster dunks. Harrell’s six dunks were one shy of Louisville’s single-game record set by Pervis Ellison in 1988. On Sunday night against Rutgers he tied the single season record of 59 and is on pace to eclipse Ellison’s and Behanan’s season records of 59. If he keeps having nights like he did against Temple on Friday night he will also keep moving up the list for dunks in a career. He has passed Marques Maybin and is now 7th all-time. Harrell should break the single season record on Tuesday night when the Cardinals play USF.

Back in the summer during a basketball game that Harrell was playing in for the U-19 USA team the announcer of the game used “Enthusiasm Personified” to describe Montrezl on a basketball court. Coming into his college career some thought he would be in a little bit of position limbo, but with Pitino’s style of play and his physical growth he has been a nightmare matchup for a small forward and a unique match-up for a bigger guy. He has shown in just the last couple of months 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”) . Not only is Montrezl going to dunk himself into the Louisville record books there’s a great chance that he dunks our Cards right into the Final Four and to a NBA contract this summer.

In honor of the NBA Dunk contest the guys on SportsCenter decided to grade some of Montrezl’s dunks during the highlight segment of the Temple game. It was good stuff. You can check it out below.

Back on January 7th nearly 1,000 high school seniors from 44 states and the District of Columbia were nominated for the 2014 McDonald’s All American Games. Four 2014 Louisville recruits were among those on the nomination list. Today the final team of 24 boys will be selected to actually play in the 2014 games. They will be announced during the McDonald’s All American Games Selection Show on ESPNU at 6pm.

The final teams are voted on through private ballot by the All American Games Selection Committee based on athletic achievement. Of course I’m very biased and think that all the Louisville guys deserve to be put on the final teams and deserve to play in the game. But that is not likely to happen and actually our guys just may get snubbed all together. Here are the 2014 Louisville recruits that were originally nominated:

-University of Louisville signee Shaqquan Aaron who plays for Seattle Rainier Beach High School.

-University of Louisville signee Chinanu Onuaku who plays for Riverdale Baptist in Upper Marlboro, Md.

-University of Louisville signee Jaylen Johnson who plays for Ypsilanti, Mich., High School.

-University of Louisville signee Quentin Snider is a senior point guard at Ballard High School.

I think the Cardinals best shot at having a participant in the All-American game is with Quentin Snider on the East Team and Shaqquan Aaron on the West Team. I base this assumption on their overall resumes and their notoriety among the recruiting gurus. They both have also had their big moments on the national scene.

Snider is ranked #35 by ESPN, #36 by 247, and #32 by Scout. He has been on a tear this year both on the AAU circuit and high school level. He is averaging 25 points, 5.1 assist, and 3.1 rebounds a game.
Aaron is ranked #31 by ESPN, #23 by 247, and #34 by Scout. He has also been on a tear this year both on the AAU circuit and high school level. He is averaging 21.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.8 assist.

I really hope one or both of these guys makes it on the final roster. It would be great to have a Cardinal represented in the All Star game on April 2 at Chicago’s United Center. Louisville hasn’t had a participant in this game since 2011 when Wayne Blackshear was on the West team and Chane Behanan was on the East team. Be sure to tune in to the selection show tonight. Good luck to all of these guys.

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.

-University of Louisville signee Chinanu Onuaku who plays for Riverdale Baptist in Upper Marlboro, Md.

-University of Louisville signee Jaylen Johnson who plays for Ypsilanti, Mich., High School.

-University of Louisville signee Quentin Snider is a senior point guard at Ballard High School.

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.”

Since I’ve been a Louisville basketball fan there have been players come and go. Some of them are remembered for a big game, a big shot, or big play. But there are others who come along that leave a lasting impression because of their passion for the program and their hard work and dedication just to be a part of the program. Then you have a guy like Tim Henderson who has all of those things rolled up into one. Tim Henderson has made the big play in the game and his passion, hard work and dedication are something that I will never forget.

He played high school basketball for Louisville Christian Academy and joined the Cardinals’ roster as a walk-on in 2010. He had Louisville pumping through his veins from birth as his father Jeff was a swimmer at UofL (1976-79), and his mother Beth played tennis at UofL. It was obvious when I first saw Tim play in the Red and White scrimmages that he was a kid that may have been a walk-on but didn’t carry himself that way. When he got his moments in the games he would make the best of them. I have said that if my son was old enough to go to the games with me and know what was going on that I would point to Tim as the example of what it’s all about. Tim defines the word “hustle” and whether he was in the game for 1 minute or 10 minutes that’s just what he did. He knew and accepted his role from the very beginning and made the best of it. Sure, most will remember Tim for those three point shots in that Final Four game against Wichita State, but I will also remember a guy who seized his opportunities no matter how small they were.

Today Tim was rewarded for his efforts over the last the last three years with a scholarship for the second semester. Coach Pitino said in his press conference today: “Well, I gave it to him while I was watching film with the team and saying how good his defense was and we’ve got to play defense like he plays it, and it’s a long time coming, but Tim will be given a scholarship second semester,” coach Rick Pitino said when replaying how he delivered the news. “He came up to thank me after practice and I said, ‘Don’t thank me, I’m the one who should thank you.” Very happy for Tim and think this is a very cool move by coach Pitino. This really is a feel good story and I sure needed it after the last few days around the program. Congrats Tim!

The non conference games are over and we now head into the meat of the basketball schedule known as conference play. Just like with the football schedule this season the basketball schedule is suffering from the transitional year and is a little on the soft side. A soft basketball schedule is something that we haven’t seen in a long time and while I will miss some of those Big East battles I’m looking forward to some of these AAC games.
This years conference games will feature old Metro, CUSA and Big East foes. Memphis, UCONN, and Cincy games stand out the most to me, but you also can’t count out those games against Southern Methodist.

Coach Pitino: “I certainly don’t enjoy the transitional part of our conference affiliation, but this is the best scenario possible”

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 this season. 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. Memphis returns a perimeter game that can compete with any team in the country. Joe Jackson, Geron Johnson and Chris Crawford.

After a year of sitting out of post season play UCONN will be one of the hungriest teams in college basketball this season. Coach Kevin Ollie did an excellent job keeping his team playing hard last year and this season the backcourt is experienced on both sides of the ball. Shabazz Napier, Ryan Boatright and Omar Calhoun all can pressure the ball, are competitive, play with confidence and have the ability to score. These guys will be a dark horse contender in the AAC.

It is always a battle when the Cardinals face off against the Bearcats and that won’t change this season as Coach Mick Cronin will bring one of the most physical and athletic teams into the AAC. It will be an experienced and established UC team lead by Sean Kilpatrick and a great supporting cast of characters including highly sought-after freshman Jermaine Lawrence, who is versatile, and athletic. Titus Rubles, Shaquille Thomas, David Nyarsuk and Justin Jackson can all protect the rim and rebound. These guys could very much be a top contender for the AAC this year and will be tough competition for our Cards.

Last but certainly not least is Southern Methodist. They 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 all five starters, had three transfers sitting out and signed one of the best shooting guards in the country in McDonald’s All-American Keith Frazier. This is one of those teams that can come out of nowhere this season and be the surprise of the college basketball season. This may turn out to be one of Louisville’s toughest opponents of the season.

While it doesn’t appear to be the grueling slate of seasons past this is not as bad as most think it is. Our defending National Champion Cardinals will have their hands full once again and the conference part of the schedule will turn out some instant classics just you wait and see.

The next two days are going to be an exciting time if you are a sports fan in the state of Kentucky and especially if you are a Cardinal Fan. Tonight will be the premier of the RedVBlue movie documenting one of the best rivalries in college basketball between Louisville and Kentucky. Then on Saturday the teams will face each other for the 46th time. Oh yea and there’s also the Russell Athletic Bowl where our Cardinal Football team will play the Miami Hurricanes.

This morning I had the chance to interview one of my favorite Louisville players of all times and a Cardinal legend James “Boo” Brewer. He was a star on the basketball team at the University of Louisville from 1988-1993. There he held the record for the most 3-point shots made in a game for 11 years and the most steals in a game for 3 years. He won Metro Tournament awards for the best free-throw shooter and best 3 point shooter for 2 consecutive years. He went on to play professional basketball in Europe for 14 years.
He has been inducted into the Dawahare’s Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame.
I got a chance to ask him some questions about the big weekend and the part he played in the RedVBlue movie. Here is the full version of the Q&A I had with “Boo”.

When the year started there were a few questions that surrounded the Louisville basketball program. How were they going to replace the inside presence after the loss of Gorgui Dieng and what would the back-court look like after losing it’s heart and soul in Peyton Siva. The front-court issues have been very apparent so far in this early season and Coach Pitino is still looking for someone to step up and fill the void left with Dieng’s departure. But the Cardinals back-court is a different story and there has been much to like so far with the efficiency of this group. We knew that Russ Smith was going to be very valuable to this team but Chris Jones and Terry Rozier are filling their roles nicely as well. This Louisville back-court is starting to create some buzz for themselves.

Russ is leading the team in scoring averaging 17.6 points a games and is leading in assist with 4.3 a game. While Chris Jones is the second leading scorer on the team with 14.9 points a game and is second in assist with 2.6 a game. Rozier who has put together a couple of very good outings lately is averaging 5.1 points a game and 2.4 assist.
This group was named today as being one of the top back-courts in the country by ESPN’s Miles Simon. And Monday ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla ranked Russ Smith as one of the top seniors in the country. Here’s what they had to say:

Best backcourts in college basketball
By Miles Simon | ESPN.com

To read the rest of the article click here: Insider$

Ranking the nation’s best seniors
By Fran Fraschilla | ESPN.com

To read the rest of the article click here: Insider$

We all knew the potential was there with this group of guys in the Louisville back-court for something special and it appears that when its all said and done it is going to be special indeed. I’m very excited to see how much this group continues to grow.