-Caravan & Recruits
The 11th annual Cardinal Caravan kicks off tomorrow with stops in Frankfort and Newport. The Caravan will run from Tuesday July 17 through Thursday July 19.
The Caravan was created in an effort to reach fans across Kentuckiana. And in my opinion is an awesome family event. The Caravan has great timing as well. I am so ready for anything UofL sports related. I strongly urge everyone to get out and attend one of these events this week. Lets show our athletic department that the BIG RED WAVE does exist.
The live period for college, basketball recruiting began this weekend. College coaches were allowed to go watch their recruiting targets but were not allowed to make any type of contact. There were two major AAU tournaments taking place that were hotspots for these coaches. One was the Adidas Invitational in Indy and the other was the Nike Global Challenge in DC.
Several Louisville targets took full advantage of this big weekend to shine brighter than ever. Some had breakout performances. Maybe one of the most outstanding performances came from 6’8” 2014 prospect Shane Hall. Shane is a well-known player here in the state of Kentucky were he plays high school basketball for Johnson Central in Paintsville but the nation was mostly unaware of him until this Sunday. Shane had a breakout performance for his AAU team the Louisville Magic in the 16U championship game at the Adidas Invitational. He made big plays on both ends of the floor, and even had seven blocked shots. He had some nasty dunks as well. The twitter world was a buzz over this young man and most assume after Sunday that he will become one of the most sought after recruits in 2014. Hope Rick is listening. I really think this kid would be a great addition to the Louisville program. Right now, his only offer in this state is from NKU.
The other prospect that looked very good is D’Angelo Russell. Russell also plays on the 16U Louisville Magic squad. Unlike Hall, he is already a nationally known name. He also had a huge game on Sunday making explosive plays on both ends of the floor. Folks in attendance said that Russell made it very clear that he belongs in the discussion among the elite shooting guards in the class of 2014. While many major schools are knocking on his door, most believe it will come down to Russell making the decision on whether he looks good in Red or Blue.
We have been hearing a lot about Troy Williams over the past couple of days. Especially since, it was mentioned by him that he could end up coming to Louisville as a package deal with his best friend Anthony Barber.
Williams shined this weekend at the Nike Global Challenge. He dominated both ends of the court and impressed the coaches and scouts in attendance. Williams also posterized several defenders with dunks including the one in the video below in which he drove the baseline and slammed with two hands on a Chinese defender.
Anthony Barber also had a big weekend. He also dominated both ends of the floor with his superior play. Most in attendance considered him the best guard in the tournament. Standing 6-foot-1, Barber is lightening quick with a tight handle, which makes him a nightmare to try to stay in front of. And with his quick hands and feet, he is not fun to be guarded by.
If Williams ends up coming to UofL with Barber, they could do some damage going forward. And it would be great times ahead for our Cardinals.
I would also like to mention a future Card in this discussion. 2014 Louisville commit Quentin Snider also shined bright this weekend helping the Louisville magic U16 team win the title in Indy and winning the MVP. No doubt, that this guy was a great get for Rick Pitino and he just keeps becoming more and more impressive. I cannot wait to see him dunking on Big East opponents in the Yum center in a few seasons.