College recruiting is a lot like a chess match between coaches. Each one makes their strategic moves throughout the process trying to one up the other. Today it looks like Coach Petrino and his staff made all the right moves and got the checkmate over two of the biggest programs in the SEC.

This is just an incredible victory for Coach Petrino and his staff and for the University of Louisville. Another great day to be a Louisville Cardinal.

We are hitting that summer grind for many sports fans and it is the time of year when we start looking ahead to basketball and football and at the returning players who will have a major impact for their respective teams during the fall and winter seasons.

Don’t get me wrong both the Cardinals Basketball and Football programs have some very good returning players who will make big contributions this season. Chinanu Onuaku, Mangok Mathiang, James Quick, Brandon Radcliff, Sheldon Rankins, Keith Kelsey, and James Burgess are going to be big for their teams but when the 2015-16 Basketball and Football seasons end it will be the transfers who will have had the biggest impact. It will be the year of the Cardinal Transfers…

Louisville fans prove yet again how they are among the best in the country in supporting their basketball programs. According to the official NCAA numbers just released The Louisville men’s Basketball program finished 3rd in the nation in college basketball attendance, averaging 21,386 fans per game. The Louisville women’s Basketball program finished third with 9,515. The two programs combined had a total average attendance of 30,901 and that puts Louisville at #1 in the country. Our attendance for women’s basketball was better than eight ACC men’s programs.

Kudos to the Cardinal Nation for showing up last season. Lets do it again this season. Go Cards!

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.

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.

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.

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

2015 signees Raymond Spalding, Donovan Mitchell, Deng Adel and Ryan McMahon will play in the annual Derby Basketball event this weekend. Night of the Future Stars will take place on Friday at New Albany High School at 7:00pm. These guys will compete in Slam Dunk and Three Point contest. Saturday night at Freedom Hall is the actual Derby Basketball Classic All-Star game at 7:00pm.

First held in 1973, the Classic is the oldest high school all-star game in the nation and is known for showcasing players who’ve moved on to stardom at the collegiate and professional levels. Former players include Jamal Mashburn, Moses Malone, Rex Chapman, Pervis Ellison, Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, Darrell Griffith, Derek Anderson, Anfernee Hardaway and Michael Beasley.

Grab a ticket and get out to this event to support the Cards. The Cardinal’s Beak will cover all of the action and will have videos and photos from the events this weekend.

Coach Pitino held his end of the season press conference today. He talked about the disappointment of losing in the Elite Eight and said that it ranked right up there with his loss against Duke. He also formally announced that both Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier will take the next step in their careers and enter the NBA Draft. It’s was also hinted at today that Anton Gill, Chinanu Onuaku and Shaqquan Aaron will be possible transfers.

COACH PITINO’S END OF SEASON PRESS CONFERENCE

With that happening it obviously leaves the roster with a few holes and Coach Pitino said that he would possibly add 1 to 3 guys to the 2015 class. Pitino will be looking for guys at the Juco level as well as looking at guys who will be 5th year transfers.

One name that has been popular as far as a Juco guy is concerned is Vincennes (IN) College SG Mychal Mulder.

He is a 6-4 guard and was the leading scorer for the No. 1 ranked junior college team in the nation. He’s averaged 14.4 points and 7.1 rebounds. He’s ranked the No. 12 player overall and fourth-best shooting guard in the JUCO ranks, Shoots 43% from long range and made almost 50% of his attempts this season. Coach Pitino and staff have watched him play, and he is on campus today for a visit.

As far as 5th year transfers are concerned there have been a few popular names buzzing around.

Trey Lewis a 6-2 Combo Guard got his release from Cleveland State today. He averaged 16.7 points, and 4.3 rebounds this season. He is a complete basketball player and you’ll see points, rebounds, assists and steals on the stat line when he steps onto the court.

Damion Lee a 6-foot-6, 200-pound wing has told several sources today that he is transferring from Drexel where he was on pace to become one of the school’s all-time leading scorers. This past season, Lee averaged 21.4 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 38.5 percent from 3-point range and 88.7 percent from the free throw line. He earned CAA Rookie of the Year honors, averaging 12.0 ppg and 4.4 rpg to help the Dragons make the 2012 CAA championship game.

John Brown a 6-7 Forward who played this past season at High Point where he averaged 18 points, and shot 54% from the field. Coach Pitino said today in his pressor that his emphasis would be on finding guys that can put the ball in the basket and this kid can do that. Louisville assistant Mike Balado worked for three seasons at High Point and recruited Brown so that connection is already in place.

Tyler Harvey a 6-4 guard who played this past season at Eastern Washington where he averaged 23.4 points per game and also sits atop the Division-I stats in total three-pointers made this season. 3rd in Total points scored. This is another guy that would heal some of Louisville’s shooting woes next season.

Those seem to be the popular names floating around and here is a list of other potential 5th year guys:

Shonn Miller a 6-7 guard who played for Cornell this past season where he averaged 16.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, shooting 43.4 percent on field goals and 83.4 percent from the charity stripe.

Tyler Harris a 6-8 guard who played at Providence this past season where he was the third-leading scorer for the Friars. In 34 games, Harris averaged 9.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. I have heard that he is contemplating the NBA draft.

Aaron Cosby a 6-3 forward who played for Illinois this past season averaging 7.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He started 13 of the 19 games he played in.

Andrew Andrews a 6-2 forward who played at Washington this past season where he averaged 14.7 points, and 4.3 rebounds.

Four McGlynn a 6-2 forward who played for Towson this past season where he led the team averaging 12 points per game, while knocking down 37.4 percent of his 3-pointers and a career-best 91.7 percent from the charity stripe.

Marcus Marshall a 6-3 forward who played at Missouri State this past season averaging 19.5 points per game this season for the Bears, and was the centerpiece of their offensive attack. He also lead the MVC in scoring.

As we close out another exciting Cardinal Basketball season we look towards an exciting 2015-16 year. Things are likely to look much different with a lot of new faces. I’m looking forward to seeing how some of the guys in the 2015 class look and who if any of the above guys end up wearing the Cardinal red next season.

We hear many stories around this time of year in college basketball, but none are as interesting as when we see a student athlete going above and beyond and using the NCAA Tournament as a platform for the greater good.

Montrezl Harrell is one of the standouts of March Madness. He is focused on getting his team to another Final Four and trying to play well enough so the many scouts in attendance will take notice. For Montrezl being on such a big stage is an opportunity not only to help him but to take this opportunity to help others.

In a recent interview with Howie Lindsey of CardinalSports.com Montrezl said that he was wearing Yellow Shoe Laces for a school project and as a way to bring awareness to and for his support of kids affected by pediatric cancer. The team will also be wearing the Yellow Laces. Montrezl said that he was inspired by a young Louisville boy named Gavin Howard.

Gavin has been selling T-shirts and hoodies for years to help raise money for Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Harrell said he befriended Gavin during his Louisville career and often wears his T-Shirts.

Montrezl has always been the type of guy to help out when he could and has done many things like this for the community while he’s been a Cardinal. He is another great guy in a long line of them who have worn the Cardinal uniform. Thanks for being awesome Montrezl..! L1C4…

We are hours away from watching our Louisville basketball team play in the ACC Basketball Tournament for the very first time. We have had a lot of these first. Louisville has played in three different conferences in the last three years and six different conferences total. I do hope this first will be our last. I’ve been waiting for years to put down roots in a traditional rich conference like the ACC.

I’ve heard stories of families going to ACC tournaments for decades. For some the conference tournament becomes an annual event. I want to have this with my son someday. I want to look forward to heading south every year, staying in the same spots, and eating at the same restaurants. I’m ready to start building decades of memories in the ACC.

Being a Louisville basketball fan has afforded me many great moments over the years but never the chance to embrace all of the nostalgia that a conference like the ACC can provide. I have been weaned on conferences like The Metro, and C-USA. I remember a time I traveled to Cincy to watch the Cardinals play in the C-USA Tournament at US Bank Arena. There weren’t any hard core fans, there weren’t folks tailgating beforehand and there were barely enough people in attendance to fill the lower bowl in that small venue.

The Big East was a great basketball conference that offered a different and intriguing backdrop. But even it wasn’t the type of conference where you could embrace it in a personal way like fans do the ACC. And it took a pretty healthy wallet to be able to afford the luxury of spending a week in New York City every year.

There has always been a large Louisville contingent at every stop along the way but isn’t it going to be nice to be in a city and an arena filled with fans just as passionate about their team as you are yours. Even the teams in the ACC who aren’t basketball giants have their fair share of fanatics.

In hours the Cardinals will start their first step in a journey that will hopefully be filled with years of great memories that can only be attained in a conference like the ACC. And I think it is very fitting to be able to kick things off by playing one of its founding members. As much as North Carolina represents the conferences past Louisville hopefully represents an exciting future.

I know I’m ready to embrace all that the ACC tournament has to offer, and ready to make many memories in cities like Greensboro, Charlotte and Atlanta. And even if they eventually move the tournament to new places I know that those hard core fans will bring that special tradition along. For the first time as a Louisville Basketball fan I feel like we are part of a bigger basketball family and that we finally have a home. And that’s awesome! Enjoy this weekend Cardinal Fans.

We have reached the part of the college basketball season where teams are winding up conference play 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 across the country are having their Senior Night/Day ceremonies.

On Saturday the University of Louisville will honor one senior Wayne Blackshear, and Montrezl Harrell who will be leaving the program early to pursue his NBA career… These guys will lace em up in that locker room for the last time, 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.

Cardinal fans will celebrate the contributions of these guys, recognizing the significant role they have played in this program, especially in the last three years where they have claimed two Big East Championships, an AAC Championship, two Final Fours and a National Title. These guys like the last group we sent out had their fair share of winning. 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 never look forward to saying good-bye to our players.

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

Montrezl Harrell said the best basketball advice he was ever given was to never give up. Not only has he never given up on this team or this program he is one of the hardest workers you’ll ever see on a basketball court. I heard an announcer in one of the U18 basketball games where Montrezl won a gold medal for this country call him “Enthusiasm Personified”. This announcer also said that he had never seen a player go as hard as Montrezl. That enthusiastic attitude on the basketball court has resulted in Harrell being the program leader in one of the most enthusiastic plays in the game the slam dunk.

He became the UofL career leader in dunks with seven slams against Indiana on Dec. 9, passing Pervis Ellison. He has 63 this season and currently has 204 dunks in his Louisville career. Harrell’s school-record 97 dunks last year shattered the Cards’ single-season mark by 38 slams. This along with his never give up mentality will be the legacy he leaves behind. Things always seem to work out in the long run. Louisville wasn’t Harrell’s first college choice but will forever be his home. Thanks for all of your hard work Trez and all those highlights that will be a part of Cardinal lore forever.

Wayne Blackshear said the best basketball advice he was ever given was to stay positive. He has taken that advice and applied it into his last four years as a Louisville Cardinal. He has had his fair share of tough luck during his college career. Struggling through two years of shoulder injuries and constant criticism Wayne has always stayed the course and maintained a positive attitude. He’s a guy that has never had attitude issues with his team or his coach, and has been an honor student in the classroom. He may not be known for his all-star play on a basketball court but Wayne is an all-star at life. These are the kind of guys that every coach wants on his team and the kind of player every fan wants to cheer for.

Louisville adapted the “Louisville First Cardinal forever” motto during Wayne’s four years here, and there isn’t a player that has come through the program that has epitomized that more. Wayne in the face of high expectations and adversity has always put his teammates first and showed courageous leadership. In four years he has also shown great perseverance and has become one of the rocks of the program. He has done it through nothing but hard work. And I thank you Wayne most of all for your character. Nobody better symbolizes the best of what the Louisville basketball program stands for than you.

We will honor Montrezl and Wayne on Saturday in the final home game of their careers, but the program will continue to count on their leadership. We’ll surely miss these guys but will never forget them. Their departure will be the end of an era as they are the only remaining participants from the 2013 title game, but their legacy will always be just a glance towards the rafters at that National Title banner.

Wayne Blackshear and Montrezl Harrell Louisville First Cardinals Forever…

I never thought I’d see the day when a former Duke basketball player becomes one of the biggest Kentucky Wildcat homers on the planet, but that is what has happened with ESPN analyst Jay Bilas. Bilas’s recent love affair with John Calipari’s latest NBA training camp rivals that of former SEC analyst Jimmy Dykes who always sounded like a giddy school girl when doing UK games.

Bilas’s love affair with the Wildcats even led him to go on a personal crusade against a former Louisville player for flopping during the annual Battle of the Bluegrass game. Bilas who is paid to call games in an objective manner didn’t hold back during the television broadcast and let his disgust for the flop be heard across the country. He even took to twitter to acknowledge his disgust.

Bilas’s rant sparked up a series of attacks from all over social media and he had everyone bashing this flop. National media swarmed to the story like flies to dung, and the UK fan base had a field day. They even got their kids in the mix with a Claymation version of the flop. Even it made its way around the national rags.

For about two weeks all we heard is about that horrible, disgusting flop. I mean how, why, it was a crime against college basketball and Jay Bilas created an angry mob over it.

On Tuesday night I decided against my better judgment to actually sit through a UK SEC basketball game. I have to admit that it was a very entertaining game and Georgia put up a gutsy effort even though the deck was clearly stacked in the Cats favor. It would have been better had it not been for the incessant rambling about UK’s greatness by Jay Bilas.

The most perplexing moment for me was when Andrew Harrison pulled off what was perhaps one of the best flops of the college basketball season. It was a flop that would rival that of a former Louisville player back in December. I was expecting Jay Bilas to have another meltdown and announce his utter disgust for flopping. But that didn’t happen and in fact Bilas found the Harrison flop to be amusing. That’s right he chuckled as if it was one of the funniest things he’d ever seen. It was quite the opposite reaction from the outrage he displayed back in December.

Did Jay Bilas take an anger management class to deal with his rage against the flop? Where was the outrage?

Folks it’s very obvious that Jay has turned into that guy. Who knows where it all went wrong. Jay used to be one of the best basketball guys on TV. He knows the game better than any of those other ESPN talking heads and yet he chooses to be a blind homer for the Kentucky Wildcats. Seriously how does this happen?

Guess we can just add Jay Bilas’s name to the list of things John Calipari has ruined in College basketball. Jay Bilas once a great player and analyst now will be known as Jay BIAS. Sad indeed… Guess it won’t be long until he’s writing articles for KSR.