We all watched last season as Montrezl Harrell dunked his way into the Louisville record books and became the single season record holder. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a player go to the basket so aggressively and I enjoyed every minute of it. Montrezl rocked the rims all over gyms in the American Conference last season and this summer he’s been shattering backboards all over the country.

Back on April 28th he was back in his home state of North Carolina working out and playing a pick-up game at the HCC Hawks home court when he destroyed his first back board of the summer.

Just moments ago it was tweeted out by a Cardinal fan in Northern Kentucky @nkucardsman and @TonyPhotos that Montrezl had demolished his second backboard of the summer at a league game at woodward high school in Cincinnati.

I really hope the athletic directors of the ACC are taking notice and securing their backboards accordingly. All I can say is be very afraid college basketball… Be very afraid. Montrezl Harrell will soon be dunking at a gym near you.

At Indian Summer Camp, children can build friendships with others who understand their circumstances. They gain confidence and build self reliance. They provide amazing experiences so they can have fun being normal kids again. The main concept of these camps is “FUN”. After all, that’s what being a kid is all about! The Louisville Football players spent the day participating in activities, eating lunch and sharing special time with these kids.

Kudos to the Louisville Cardinal student athletes for taking the time to make these kids and their families day a little brighter. Another win in the game of life and that game matters the most.

(Photos Courtesy @UofLFootball)

His recent success and hard work at landing the University of Louisville a spot at the ACC table could very well end up being one of his biggest accomplishments. For years Louisville has been gaining momentum with top coaches, new football stadium, new basketball arena, new corporate partners but all of that means less without a platform to showcase it. “All dressed up and nowhere to go” would best describe Louisville’s past 5 or 6 years. But that all changed on July 1st when the Cardinals joined the ACC. Talk about a platform.

Here at the University of Louisville they don’t put you on a Makers Mark bottle for useless hype. Here it means that you have done great things and that you have etched your name forever in Cardinal lore. What Tom Jurich has built at the University of Louisville will be enjoyed by many generations to come. His legacy and now his Makers Mark bottle will last forever. Unless we win a National Championship in Football then I’m drinking mine.

8500 of these Tom Jurich commemorative Maker’s Mark bottles will go on sale on retail store shelves Friday, July 25. And you will also want to get a ticket for a special signing event to be held next month. You don’t want to miss your chance to have a moment to say hello to Tom Jurich and to thank him for his contributions to our beloved Cardinals. Beginning at 10 a.m. on July 30, 700 tickets for the autograph session will go on sale for $1 each at this link: get them here!

Luke Hancock wasn’t a highly touted recruit when he came out of Hidden Valley, where he made the All-Timesland second team and helped the Titans reach the Group AA semifinals. And he didn’t have the big boys beating down his doors after his postgraduate year at Hargrave Military Academy where he helped them become national prep school runners-up and earned a spot on the all-tournament team. He was viewed as a low to mid major prospect.

Hancock received a rating of zero stars and received only two scholarship offers to play ball one from Toledo and one from George Mason. However, that didn’t get Luke down and he never stopped believing that he belonged. He wasn’t a small guy at 6’8″ yet he lacked superior strength and wasn’t a physically gifted athlete. The one thing he could do was shoot. At George Mason, he shot his way to the CAA all-rookie team as a freshman. He averaged 10.9 points and made All-CAA third team as sophomore, and he made the winning shot against Villanova in NCAAs.

Through two seasons at George Mason Luke Hancock kept his vision and focused on his goals and the basket. After that huge shot in the Tournament and after his very efficient two seasons where he helped make George Mason a consistent winner one person took notice. That person was Rick Pitino. Coach Pitino was looking for a great shooter and passer for his high-octane offense to compliment a great group of guys he figured on having in 2012-13.

Finally Luke would get the affirmation that had been absent for his career up to this moment. Schools that turned him down for scholarships before were now competing for his attention. That affirmation and the opportunity were too much to pass up and Luke chose to transfer to Louisville where Kevin Keatts, Hancock’s coach from Hargrave, was now working.

After battling through long odds and years of doubt, Luke Hancock’s basketball career was finally in good balance. With two strong years of college basketball behind him, Luke’s road should have been easy. Stay in shape, then work his way into the lineup once eligible to play for Louisville. What could go wrong? Having a history of injury problems Luke suffered quite a blow in a pick-up game before the 12-13 season, injuring his shoulder severely enough to require surgery.

According to coach Pitino, the injury was so bad he was not sure Hancock would recover in time for the season and the doctor said it was the worst shoulder he ever operated on. It would take him over a half hour of warm-ups just to lift his arms up over his head but he did maintain his balance getting things pointed in the right direction again. He was in the lineup for the first game of the season not just as a member of the Cardinals, but as a junior co-captain.

When Luke Hancock did make his way onto the court in the early part of the 12-13 season it wasn’t pretty. Cardinal Nation was comparing Hancock’s hype to that of Mike Marra and calling for coach Pitino to keep him off the floor. The theme of those calling into the local radio shows after he went 4-for-29 on three-pointers through Louisville’s first four games was that of dismay. Luke did not let the dissatisfaction affect him. He chose to stay confident, remained positive, kept playing his game and eventually found his form, as he ended up leading the team with a .432 three-pointer percentage.

And as for his role as the captain. The Louisville basketball team faced a very difficult moment during their Elite 8 game of the 2013 NCAA Tournament when one of their brothers Kevin Ware suffered a gruesome injury. When the other players, coaches, and trainers appeared to be in a moment of shock Luke Hancock remained calm, kneeled down, and grabbed the hand of his fallen comrade. Luke was able to calm Kevin with a prayer. And by doing so enabled Kevin to inspire his team to eventually beat Duke and go to the Final Four.

Luke Hancock’s confidence, vision, focus, balance, and adjustments led him and the Cardinals to a national championship. He was also named the most outstanding player along the way. Luke played in all 40 games during the 2013 season, knocked down a team-best 63 3-pointers, and totaled 40 steals. In the national championship victory over Michigan, Hancock totaled 22 points and two steals, going 5-of-5 from beyond the arc.

His senior season with the Cardinals would also started out with some adversity and he battled a achilles injury that held him back through the first part of the schedule. But just like in previous seasons Luke recovered was a key contributor during the Cardinal’s surge to the Sweet 16. He was the third leading scorer on the team averaging 11.8 points a game and was the best free throw shooter at 86%.

I haven’t mentioned in this story about how Luke Hancock’s father was battling cancer along his journey. I didn’t mention it because Luke never mentioned it. It wasn’t until after the Final 4 during the 2013 season that most of us learned of his father’s illness. Luke’s father lost his battle, but did get to see his son take the lessons he had taught him and apply them to a game. He got to see his son be great. And even with the end of his life near continued to push Luke towards his game and the pursuit of greatness. With his father, gravely ill Luke went to try out for the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team. Luke did what he has his whole basketball career and rose above his adversity to make the 12-man roster. Another great accomplishment for this young man from Roanoke, Virginia.

Luke Hancock has started back at square one with his latest challenge to become an NBA player. Again he faces long odds and a lot of adversity and again people are doubting that he has a chance to make an NBA roster. He started out playing in the NBA Summer League with the Orlando Magic and due to a pretty stacked roster didn’t get much of an opportunity for playing time. But he finally got his moment playing with the Houston Rockets in Las Vegas.

Luke really has made the most of his opportunity to play with the Houston Rockets in the NBA Summer League. He logged 80 minutes of playing time, scored 36 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, dished out 5 assist, snatched 3 steals and 1 blocked shot in 7 games.

And Luke isn’t done yet as he remains the last Cardinal standing in the Summer League. He helped the Rockets reach the Championship game tonight at 9:00pm with a 9 point, 6 rebound, 1 steal performance in the Semi-Finals. The Championship game of the NBA Summer League can be seen on the NBA Network.

Gun violence is a big issue and a growing problem for most cities in the United States. Louisville is no stranger to that problem and according to Louisville Metro Police statistics, 197 people were hit in Metro Louisville with gunfire in 2013. Kids are especially the innocent victims in these crimes and some of them are surrounded by this violence everyday.

Christopher 2x is a community activist in the city of Louisville and he along with other community leaders like rapper Master P have launched peace keeping campaigns and events to help stop the gun violence, to support those who have been victims of these crimes, and to help inner city children achieve their goals.

These events in 2014 are held to bring victims of gun violence together to create a sense of hope and to assure that they get the support they need to help them overcome the tragedy they’ve been involved in.

Coach Pitino said today during his press conference that he had a heart to heart with Russ about his NBA Draft and also said that Russ had reached a deal with the Pelicans. Coach Pitino says that Smith will be able to live up to everything the Pelicans expect, which mostly involves around his quickness, ability to defend and handle the ball as a playmaker. And Coach Pitino says that he can’t wait to see Russ play.

Russ will get his first opportunity to showcase his skills on Friday when the Pelicans open summer league play in Las Vegas at 9:30 p.m. against a NBA Development League team. Louisville fans will be able to see “Pelican Russ” in action when New Orleans plays an exhibition game against the Miami Heat at the KFC Yum Center on Oct. 4.

When I was 2 years old Louisville was in the Missouri Valley Conference and the Football program was a D1 Independent. And while basketball has always found a way to thrive the other sports and athletic programs as a whole were merely surviving. Today my son’s Louisville program became a member of one of the most prestigious conferences in college sports. Today my son and I got to share in a transformational moment and one that will elevate the Louisville athletic program to the highest level in college athletics.

It was a huge day for the University of Louisville and I couldn’t be happier for our student-athletes, administration, and coaches. They are the ones who have put in the time and the effort to make this day possible. But I’m also very happy for Cardinal Fans. They are the ones who spend their money to go to the games, they are the ones who buy Cardinal merchandise, and they are the ones who have stayed loyal through thick and thin. Even when we had to watch football games at the old Cardinal stadium. The enthusiasm and passion of Cardinal Nation are second to none and it deserves the best.