– The Beak basketball preview for 2012-13

With the basketball season looming here are a few things Louisville fans should look forward to this season.

-Depth: Our Cards have one of the deepest frontcourts in the country with Gorgui Dieng, Chane Behanan, and Wayne Blackshear starting up front, along with rotation players such as Zach Price, Angel Nunez and Stephan Van Treese. The Cardinals added even more size with freshmen Montrezl Harrell and Mangok Mathiang. The backcourt is also loaded with returning players Peyton Siva, Russ Smith, Kevin Ware, and transfer Luke Hancock. Look for Tim Henderson and Michael Baffour to provide a few quality minutes as well.

-Recruits: Montrezl Harrell and Mangok Mathiang. Harrell is a 6-foot-8 forward who is naturally athletic and strong. He approaches the game with a high motor. This combined with his long arms and fast feet will come in handy in the Cardinals pressure defense.
Mathiang has been described by many as a promising recruit. The potential is there but he still needs to add strength to compete in the Big East. He is more comfortable blocking shots, going after missed shots and securing rebounds with his length more than his strength. I don’t think we’ll see a lot of “The Mango” this season but look for him to get a few minutes here and there.

-The Transfer: Luke Hancock has been recovering from a shoulder injury but once healthy I look for this guy to pick up where he left off at George Mason. He is a scoring point guard in a shooting guards body. He will help with the Cardinals offensive production this season. He will likely compete with Kevin Ware and Wayne Blackshear for minutes at the 2 and wing position.

-The Defense: Louisville had one of the best defenses in the country last year and according to Synergy Sports Technology, Louisville held opponents to just 0.764 points per play. And Per Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency metrics, the 2011–12 Cardinals’ 84.0 defensive efficiency rating was the lowest in the country. The Cards Defense also limited the opposition to 38.4 percent shooting and a mere 61.0 points per game. The Louisville D simply refused to allow opponents to make shots inside the arc allowing their conference opponents to make just 42.7 percent of their 2s. With the added depth and most of the starting line-up returning the defense should be as good if not better this season. Our players know Rick Pitino’s complicated system and with the NCAA rule allowing extra time with the team in the off season I’m sure the defense will be ahead of the curve.

-The Offense: We did lose the number 1 and number 3 scorers from last years team in Kyle Kuric and Chris Smith. Together they average almost 24 points a game for the Cards last season. With the loss of those two guys, that leaves Russ Smith as the top returning scorer. And even though Russdiculous is fearless he does lack the consistency to be the go to guy. Chane Behanan proved last year that he was great in the clutch and will be relied on this season for a bigger chunk of the point production. Wayne Blackshear will be back and 100% healthy for the first time since he stepped foot on the Louisville campus. He will also be a guy that could get us 10 or 15 a night. Kevin Ware has been the surprise of the summer according to those close to the program. His offensive production will be a big part of the success of this team early. Peyton Siva posted an offensive rating in the low 90’s last season and Gorgui Dieng is still barely scratching the surface of what he can do on both ends of the floor, but especially on offense. Both could become much more efficient scorers this season. Don’t forget about the above-mentioned Luke Hancock. The guy can be a scoring machine. And once he settles into the fast pace of the Big East he will also help an offense that struggled to score points last season. It is important to note that the Cards averaged 14 turnovers a game last season. A way to guarantee better offensive production is to give yourself more opportunities to score. So this team must protect the ball this season.

-The Coach: Coach Pitino has kept Cardinal Nation very informed during this off-season. His blogs have been a great treat to the folks like myself who thirst for basketball in the summer time. Coach also made some changes to his early season preparations this summer. He first made headlines when he outlawed his team from playing any pick up games while they were off. Coach Pitino: “I said I don’t want you playing pickup basketball, because that’s how you regress.”
Then instead of putting a major emphasis on his offensive and defensive sets he has increased emphasis on early season match ups, and changed his workouts so that his players get sharper faster. Coach Pitino: “We’d put the whole in first then work on the parts, but the parts weren’t really good. They’d grade out at a C or a B, and they’d start to become an A sometime in January or early February,” “Today, you may not be able to get where you want to go, because of the way you’re judged, if you don’t get there quicker.”
With the new rules allowing the coaching staff more time with their players in the off season and with the change in early season preparation I look for this team to start out of the gate fast. And they will need to as expectations are at an all time high.

-Great expectations: Depending on what source you check the Cards are ranked #1 or #2 by most basketball publications or analyst.

Lindy’s – #1 Louisville
Athlon – #2 Louisville
The Sporting News – #2 Louisville
Jay Bilas, ESPN – #1 Louisville
Bleacher Report – #2 Louisville
Sports Illustrated – #2 Louisville
Dick Vitale – #1 Louisville
College BB NBC – #2 Louisville
The Big Lead – #2 Louisville
SB Nation – #2 Louisville
Round Ball Direct – #1 Louisville

(courtesy UofLsports.com)

– Peyton Siva named third team 2012-13 preseason All-American by The Sporting News

Peyton Siva was named by Sporting News and NBCsports.com as a third team all-American. The Sporting News 2012-13 preseason All-American teams were selected by SN writers and editors, in consultation with coaches and scouts. NBC.com was selected by writing staff. Peyton is the only Cardinal and the only member of the Big East to be mentioned in that conversation. He has emerged as the go to guy for our Louisville Cardinal Basketball team and was the catalyst on both ends of the floor during the Final Four run. He will play a big role in the success of our team this year and will have to if the Cards expect to live up to the lofty expectations.

Peyton Siva’s stats: 9.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 5.6 apg, 1.7 spg, 40.2 FG%, 73.9 FT%, 1.6:1 A/TO

At the Cardinal Caravan this summer Peyton talked about his improvements and his expectations for the upcoming season.

On how he’s improved his game: “I’ve tried to improve on my decision making and changing speeds. Of course I’m always working on my jump shot trying to be more consistent.”

On his expectations for this season: “We want to get further than we did last year. We want to make the Final Four. I think we’ll have a better team than last year but we need to stay humble and hungry and pray we don’t get hurt. We’re used to being the underdogs but we need to stay humble and play every game like it’s our last.”

–SPORTING NEWS College basketball 2012-13 preseason All-American teams

–NBCSports.com’s All-America teams

Here’s some footage from this summers Caravan with Siva.

– Will Gorgui take the money and run

To say that Gorgui Dieng has developed greatly since his time as a Louisville Cardinal is an understatement. We have watched him turn into one of the best shot blockers in the country. The Louisville defense allowed their conference opponents to make just 42.7 percent of their 2s last season. Dieng was a big part of that number for the Cardinals. He recorded his fair share of blocks, swatting away about 10 percent of the 2s that opponents attempted during his minutes last season. 

Due to that shot blocking Gorgui had a breakout season in his Sophmore year. Dieng blocked a school-record 128 shots and is already No. 4 in school history with 184 career blocks. He led the Big East Conference and was eighth nationally last season with 3.2 blocks a game.

All of the success hasn’t gone unnoticed. In fact the NBA guys have been watching very closely. And after had a solid showing last month at the Adidas Nations event he has seen his stock rise even more. ESPN’s NBA draft expert Chad Ford currently lists the 6-foot-11, 235-pound center as the No. 3 center in the 2013 draft and the No. 21 overall prospect on his Big Board. While he is listed as the No. 19 pick by NBADraft.net and DraftExpress.net still has him listed as the No. 11 pick in the second round.

The only question mark left in Gorgui’s game is on the offensive end of the floor. If he improves as much in that area of his game as he has done with the rest he will be a beast in his Junior season. Peyton Siva recently said when ask about Dieng:  “Gorgui has gotten really big and he’s holding his own. He’s shown a lot of people his upside. He’s ready for a big year next season.”

If Gorgui does have a monster year and keeps improving his draft stock will he take the money and run or will he stay in Louisville until his senior season and graduate? According to him the most important thing to his father is an education. Will be interesting to see what path he decides to take.

– Louisville’s 2013 basketball class shaping up to be a beast

Today Louisville landed a big time player in Juco PG Chris Jones. The 5-foot-10 Jones was a member of the ESPN 100 in the Class of 2011 and signed with Tennessee but opted to spend two years at NW Florida State. Jones joins a recruiting class now ranked 3rd according to Espn.com. Along with Jones Louisville’s class now features ESPN 100 shooting guard Anton Gill and post-grad point guard Terry Rozier.

Here’s what Espn.com Dave Telep had to say earlier about the Jones commit.
Louisville adds a fierce competitor:
“In Jones, Rick Pitino’s Cardinals landed one of the most important recruits of the year. Typically, that’s a distinction accorded high school talent but in this case, it’s a junior college player. Ranked ESPN’s No. 67 recruit as a high school senior, Jones became a first-team All-American last season at Northwest Florida. The 2012 Panhandle Conference player of the year was the first freshman afforded that distinction since Chris Porter nearly 15 years ago. He averaged 18 points a game for the national JUCO runner-ups. In picking Louisville, Jones passed on offers from a host of programs that had been recruiting point guards, including Kansas, Florida State, Baylor and Oklahoma State.”

Here’s some links from around the country today about the Jones commit.

–Sporting News ‏@sn_ncaab

–Paul Seaver ‏@TheArenaPulse

–AllKyHoops.com

–Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria

–Rob Dauster ‏@RobDauster

–Jeff Borzello ‏@jeffborzello

Now with three big time recruits signed up for the Cards whats next. Louisville appears to still be actively recruiting 6 or 7 guys but in my opinion there are only three left that could be realistic options. And they are Akoy Agau, Joel Embiid, and Kyle Washington.

Other names out there but very unlikely IMO. Jarrell Martin, Troy Williams, Marcus Lee, Jajuan Johnson, and Beejay Anya.

NEW VIDEO of Chris Jones

– Two guys who will be Cardinals

Chris Jones, a 5-foot-10 point guard from Northwest Florida State College, has narrowed his list to Louisville, Baylor, Florida State, Kansas, Memphis and Oklahoma State. In my opinion there is only 1 team on this list that ultimately lands Jones and that is Louisville. They have been very persistent in the recent months in his recruiting process and have been in on him for the longest with the exception of Baylor. Louisville is the best fit for Jones and is a very good option for him. He has a good relationship with both assistant coaches Kevin Keatts, Rick Pitino, and his friend Kevin Ware whom originally committed with him to play at Tennessee. The Cards up-tempo style would fit Jones like a glove and he would have a chance to contribute right away, as star point guard Peyton Siva will graduate after this season. Jones can look at Siva’s production and know exactly how he would fare for the Cardinals. Jones has made it known recently that since he only has 2 years of eligibility left that he needs to go somewhere that he could have an immediate effect. I would be completely shocked if Jones did not commit to Louisville pretty soon after he takes his visits. This past weekend Pitino was in Florida watching Jones. This coming weekend Jones will be on the Louisville campus for his official. Just remember I have been calling this one for many months now. You can check out Jones assessment and video on the recruiting page.

Moses Kingsley, a 6-foot-9 center from Huntington, W. Va., Prep School has narrowed his to North Carolina St., Florida, Memphis, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisville. In my opinion there is only one team on this list that ultimately lands Kingsley and that is Louisville. Louisville assistant Wyking Jones went to the hospital yesterday to see him as he is recovering from having malaria. Wyking Jones has been watching Kingsley play since last summer during the AAU circuits and has been recruiting him heavily. Jones compares him to Dieng. Due to Louisville’s persistence, the Huntington Prep connection and the Gorgui Dieng comparison Louisville is the team to beat. And it seems that Kingsley is pretty high on the Cards. Rick Pitino is expected to be in Huntington to watch him participate in an open gym on Sep. 18, and Kingsley will make the trip to the UofL campus on Sept. 28.

– Basketball season is just 39 days away here a a few things to look for in 2012

With just 39 days until the college basketball season starts here are a few things that we should be looking for at the start of the 2012 season.

It’s September and we are at the beginning of a hopeful football campaign. But it is never to early to look ahead to the hoops season. And with just 39 days until basketball season begins these are just a few things to look forward to.

The Beak basketball notes:

We are a little over two weeks from the start of the 2012 Louisville Football season but the buzz about basketball hasn’t stopped.

We are right in the middle of the recruiting period. Recruits are making their college choices and planning their official visits. Recently some Louisville targets have made some of those plans known.

Jordan Mickey: He is one of the most sought after power forwards in the 2013 class. Mickey will cut his list of suitors at the end of the month and Louisville is expected to be on it. He told Alex Schwartz of NBE Basketball in June that, “A style of play that fits me would be a team that likes to run, get up and down.” Rick Pitino’s up-tempo offensive system would qualify. I look for the Cardinals to be a serious consideration for Mickey.

Marcus Lee: He is arguably the top big man in the Class of 2013. We learned this week that Lee has set an official visit to Louisville and will be on campus Sep. 8th. The 6-foot-9 power forward is great at scoring in transition and has a soft touch around the basket. Though he needs to add weight to his lanky frame, Lee can block shots with the best in the country. He is considered to be a Indiana lean but looks like the Cards are still in consideration for this big mans services.

Anthony ‘Cat’ Barber: He is one of the most sought after PG in the class. Barber is a great prospect at the point because of his great size, length, and the major burst to his game. We learned this week that Barber will be on campus Sep. 8th. IMO there are three schools with the shot at landing his services. Alabama, Kansas, and Louisville. “I just want to view all the schools before I can make my decision,” Barber said. “I think it’ll come down to how comfortable I am at all the schools, knowing where I can come in and play and being real comfortable with the system.”
With Peyton graduating there will be major minutes available next year at the Point Guard position. This just might be the thing that helps “Cat” make his decision.

Jarrell Martin: He is one of the best Power Forwards in the class of 2013. In an interview with Martin’s coach Jeff Jones, Eric Bossi of Rivals.com reported Sunday that there are several developments in Martin’s recruitment. He won’t sign until the spring and has cut his list to 7. And Louisville is among the remaining teams on that list. Because of early academic trouble and then a school transfer, his junior season was his first full season on the high school circuit. So Martin’s true potential has yet to be discovered. Not only does he rebound, he explodes and looks to blaze a path for himself. Awesome mix of strength, power, semi-inside skill and the desire to make the most of his chance.

Mangok Mathaing: We learned that the 6’10” center is at Louisville and has enrolled for classes. He has been cleared at least academically and was supposed to take part in a team meeting on Sunday. Sounds like the big man still has some hurdles to clear before suiting up this season. He may end up redshirting, but there is some speculation that he will actually play.