Louisville SportsReport: April 11 issue by Louisville SportsReport

VOLUME XVI • NUMBER 33 APRIL 11, 2012

$3.00

PAGE 2

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

APRIL 11, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 3

WHAT’S INSIDE:

A, 6

AMERICA’S FOREMOST AUTHORITy ON UNIVERSITy OF LOUISVILLE ATHLETICS®

VOLUME XVI, NUMBER 33 • APRIL 11, 2012

EDITORIAL STAFF GENERAL MANAGER - Jack Coffee SENIOR WRITER AND EDITOR - Russ Brown OPERATIONS MANAGER - Howie Lindsey ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES - Mickey Clark, Betty Olsen and Blanche Kitchen CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Gail Kamenish, Howie Lindsey and Chuck Feist CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS Matt Willinger, Jeff Wafford, Jason Puckett and Rick Cushing GRAPHIC DESIGNER - Scott Stortz COPy EDITOR - Rick Cushing

The Louisville SportsReport is printed in Kentucky and based in Louisville. It is published weekly in January, February and March, monthly in April, May, June and July and weekly mid-August through late December by Louisville Sports News, L.L.C., in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville Sports News, L.L.C.: Owner and General Manager - Jack Coffee. The SportsReport was founded in 1996. United States Postal Number: 015255 POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Louisville SportsReport, P.O. Box 17464, Louisville, KY 40217. Four weeks advance notice is required on old addresses as well as new. Periodicals Postage paid at Louisville, Ky. Subscriptions are priced at $57.95 each (plus 6% Ky. tax) for 32 issues. Members of the University of Louisville’s Cardinal Athletic Fund receive a special group rate of $39.75 for their initial subscriptions and that amount is applied from each annual donation. Year-round firstclass mailing is available for an additional $53 per year. Please call for Canadian and overseas rates. Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs unless accompanied by return postage. Publisher reserves right to accept or reject advertisements. Copyright 2008 by Louisville Sports News, L.L.C. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. For subscriber information or circulation questions call 1-502-636-4330. Office hours at 2805 S. Floyd St. in Louisville: By Appointment Only.

TOTALLY FLIPPED: Running back Senorise Perry was turned upside down by a tackler during one of Louisville’s third spring practice. Louisville fans will get to see the hard-hitting action up close Saturday at 1 p,.m. at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. - photo by Gail Kamenish

SPRING GAME SATURDAy

Teddy Bridgewater and the Cardinals take the field Saturday at 1 p.m. for the Red-White Spring Game. Coach Charlie Strong said he wants 20,000 fans at the stadium.

9 2013 LOOkS GOLDEN

11 BIG EAST TO BIG EASy

After winning what coach Rick Pitino termed a “bronze medal” this season, the Cardinals could be shooting for gold in 2012-13 with a strengthened lineup.

From a four-game run to the Big East title to a fourgame run to the Final Four, Louisville basketball made lasting memories in the 2012 post-season.

20 ANOTHER WINNING STREAk STARTED

DOES yOUR BUSINESS NEED TO REACH THOUSANDS OF LOUISVILLE FANS? EMAIL HOWIELINDSEy@GMAIL.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ADVERTISING IN THE LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT.

Office Phone: (502) 636-4330 Fax: (502) 636-9265 E-mail: howielindsey@gmail.com

Official Web site:

15 SUNk By POOR SHOOTING

Louisville’s struggles with shooting - and Kentucky’s stellar defense - combined to sink the Cardinals in the Final Four. Louisville hit just 34.8 percent of its shots.

DERBy FESTIVAL MVP

Future Cardinal Terry Rozier won the White team MVP after scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic Friday night.

Louisville softball lost a series to DePaul, but has come back strong to start a new winning streak. The Cardinals are 33-2 and currently ranked in the top 15 nationally.

www.cardinalsports.com THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT WILL BE MAILED IN JULy COVER DESIGNED BY SCOTT STORTZ COVER PHOTO BY GAIL KAMENISH

CSPA COLLEGE SPORTS PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION

4 LOOk WHO’S AT THE TOP OF BIG EAST TENNIS AGAIN By Russ Brown 6 FOOTBALL ROSTER AND ROUGH DEPTH CHART 7 SPRING FOOTBALL PHOTO GALLERy By Gail Kamenish 8 EXCITING BASkETBALL AND NOW SPRING SPORTS By Jack Coffee 10 THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLy By Howie Lindsey 12-14 NCAA FINAL FOUR PHOTO GALLERy By Howie Lindsey and Gail Kamenish 16 FINAL BASkETBALL STATS, By THE NUMBERS

17 18 21 21 22 24

CARDS GAVE PITINO, FANS A SEASON TO CELEBRATE By Russ Brown LOUISVILLE BASEBALL PHOTO GALLERy By Howie Lindsey NEW MAGAZINE OFFER FOR LOUISVILLE FANS FOR 2012-13 BASEBALL FAN BUS HEADED TO WkU GAME CARDINAL STARS OF THE WEEk By Howie Lindsey CARDINAL kIDS PHOTO GALLERy

PAGE 4

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

APRIL 11, 2012

LOUISVILLE TENNIS

YOUNG CARDS GEARING UP FOR ANOTHER RUN AT TITLE

look who’s at ForeFront oF BiG east tennis aGain

By Russ Brown After a rocky season on the road, things appear to be rounding into shape for Louisville’s young tennis team, and just at the right time, too. If the Cardinals (15-9) can follow up a big road win at Indiana University with a victory at Notre Dame in the regularseason finale this Saturday, they can nail down the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big East Conference Tournament. And that would be a shocking development to the rest of the league, whose teams were looking forward to ending UofL’s domination with the graduation of the Fab Four seniors that RUSS BROWN has caused coach Rex Ecarma to rely mostly on freshmen this season. Going into the match, UofL is ranked No. 35 nationally, eight spots ahead of the Irish, but a Notre Dame win would probably bump the Cards into the No. 2 slot for the Big East tourney April 19-22 in Tampa, Fla. UofL is the defending Big East champion, has taken three of the last six titles and has played in four of the last six finals. “If the Big East were to happen tomorrow, we would be the No. 1 seed, and to think a team that starts almost all freshmen could repeat as No. 1 is ... just a very enjoyable thought,” UofL coach Rex Ecarma said. “(Four other teams) returned most of their starters, and here we are ranked ahead of all of them. For us to be in this position has got to send shivers down the spines of those teams because for the last three years they’ve been waiting for the Fab Four to graduate. They did, and here we are again. And that’s a great credit to this team and all these young guys.” Five of Louisville’s top six players are freshmen and, as expected, the rookies have taken their knocks along the way -especially on the road, where they are 2-8

compared to 13-1 in the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center. But the Cards got a big boost by knocking off No. 23 IU 4-3 in Bloomington on March 28, followed by rousing home victories over Eastern Kentucky (6-1) and Wright State (7-0) to extend their seasonbest winning streak to six. The freshmen who have carried the team, with the support of seniors Andrew Carter (11-11 at No. 1 singles) and Robert Hall, are Luis Elizondo, Michael Lippens, Chris Simich, Sebastian Stiefelmeyer and Albert Wagner. Ecarma attributes the road woes to UofL’s inexperience, plus a schedule heavy with veteran teams. “Until recently, we were a home team and a road team,” he said. “We didn’t bring our ‘A’ game on the road, and some of the teams were senior-laden with nationally ranked players and were just better than us. “I think our freshmen were overwhelmed a little bit when taken away from Bass-Rudd, and other teams were saying, ‘How in the world can we lose to a team that starts almost all freshmen?’ People really wanted to exploit that, so they were going in with an edge in mentality.” Ecarma hopes the win at IU changed his team’s road outlook, but he believes the true turning point came with a 4-3 victory over favored Virginia Tech at BassRudd on March 17. The Hokies had even beaten a much-stronger Louisville team last season. Wagner (16-5) keyed the upset with a 7-6, third-set win over Lucas Oliveira, who was ranked No. 89 nationally and is shooting for an individual spot in the NCAA Tournament. “I think our win over Virginia Tech really catapaulted us to better times ahead and inspired us to win at Indiana,” Ecarma said. A change in strategy also helped. After dropping four matches in a row against Washington, Tulsa, Texas Tech and Okla-

Robert Hall was hampered by a foot problem early this season, but coach Rex Ecarma likes the way he is playing in the last month. - photo by Howie Lindsey

homa, Ecarma and his assistant coaches sensed that the Cards were playing too cautiously instead of being in an attack mode. “They were playing not to lose, and that was really hurting us,” Ecarma said. “We said we have to get this team to play with looser arms, to really swing at the ball, throw caution to the wind. If we were baseball coaches, it would be like saying, ‘Swing for the fences.’ “I told our staff that was going to be our theme. If we lose, we lose big, if we win, we win with all our guns blazing, and that’s really helped our team. If the guys don’t go for it at the right time, let them know. If they go for it and miss, applaud them. We’re playing a lot looser, their heads aren’t cluttered up with ‘Should have done this, should have done that.’ We told them, ‘Hit your best shot as many times as you can as hard as you can,’ and they’re really starting to play more comfortably and more confidently.” Lippens, from West Long Branch, N.J., is UofL’s hottest player going into the Notre Dame match, with a six-game winning

streak, while Elizondo (10-4) has won five in a row. Ecarma said Stielfelmeyer (12-7), from Vienna, Austria, also is playing well and that Hall has picked up his game both in singles and doubles over the past month since overcoming a foot problem that had hindered him since October. Ecarma also likes the way two other seniors -- the doubles team of Adam Donaldson and Sumit-Prakash Gupta -- have performed recently. With his seniors playing well and the freshmen coming on, Ecarma is feeling upbeat heading into the Big East Tournament. “I’ve got to be optimistic,” he said. “We’re the highest-ranked team in the Big East, so I’m really happy with where we’re at. I think we could win the Big East, but there’s going to be more veteran teams in our way. How these young guys are going to handle their first tournament you just really don’t know, but I’m really comforted by the fact that our senior class is playing their best tennis of year. “I’m excited. I don’t feel a ton of nerves, because how much did people expect from a team starting five-six freshmen, and here we’re sitting in the driver’s seat. That’s a gratifying feeling. I think it’s making the rest of the conference very nervous. They’re probably thinking, ‘If we can’t beat Louisville now, what are we going to do the next three years when these guys are growing up?’” Not only that, but Ecarma is adding a stellar recruiting class next season, headed by Austin Siegel, who was recently named a Blue Chip player -- similar to a McDonald’s All-American in basketball -- and is ranked in the top 70 in the world. Also on their way to UofL are Louisville Trinity’s Alex Gornet, ranked 39th in the U.S., and Jeff Brown, the top player in Louisiana. “Those guys are joining a team loaded with talented freshmen,” Ecarma said. “So if (Big East teams) want to knock off Louisville, they’d better do it now because next year it’s going to be a whole lot harder.”

APRIL 11, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 5

RECRUITING NOTEBOOK LOUISVILLE FOOTBALL 10 AMAZING AND MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF THE 2009-2010 SEASON

STROnG, CARDinALS TAkE THE FiELD SATURDAy FOR FREE SPRinG GAME

By Howie Lindsey Those looking for some inexpensive family fun this Saturday can find some at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium when UofL will offer a free preview of its 2012 football team. The Cardinals will take the field shortly after noon for the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Red-White Spring Game, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. The game will pit the offense vs. the defense in a regular game situations. The first half will be timed as a regular game, and the second half will be timed depending on depth. “We have had a good spring,” said coach Charlie Strong. “It’s been very competitive, and the HOWIE LINDSEY players have given great effort. I hope we can have a huge crowd on Saturday and really show off our team to our great fans.” Sophomore quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will lead the first unit and score points for the Red Team, while senior quarterback Will Stein will be the White Team’s quarterback. The gates will open at noon, and the parking lots will be open for tailgating at 8 a.m. The Cardinals, who started their final week of spring practice Tuesday, return 18 starters from last season’s Big East championship team, including Bridgewater, the Big East Freshman of the Year. “We knew he was good last year, but the progress he has made this spring and the job coach (Shawn) Watson has done with him is unbelievable,” defensive line coach Clint Hurtt said. “We knew he was a special player. He is so composed. He commands respect. The guys follow him, and he directs the offense. He doesn’t have to say much.” Bridgewater’s comfort level is increasing with more reps. During the team’s final closed scrimmage last Saturday, Bridgewater threw for more than 170 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown pass to DeVante Parker, who freed himself with a great move to the inside. “Both sides made plays this morning,” said Bridgewater after the scrimmage. “We were able to move the football at times, and the defense stepped up and made plays. It was a good competition out there. Our offensive line gave me some time to throw, and we got the ball down the field. We also ran the football pretty well. I thought everyone ran the football well today.” Hurtt said the offense has been running smoothly with Bridgewater under center. “They just know when he gets into the huddle he has command of it,” Hurtt said. “He is going to play within the offense. He wants to spread the ball around. He doesn’t panic or get frazzled. He is going to stay within himself whether it’s a great play or a bad play. It’s great having him as our signal caller.” Bridgewater’s backup, Stein, is having a good spring as well. During Saturday’s scrimmage he scrambled for a couple of touchdowns and also threw a TD pass to tight end Gerald Christian. Having two experienced quarterbacks returning, as well

Sophomore-to-be Teddy Bridgewater extended a handoff to a running back during spring practice last month. Bridgewater and the Cardinals will compete in the Red-White Spring Game Saturday at 1 p.m. - photo by Gail Kamenish

as a host of offensive talent and a defense that seemed to get better each game last season are the reasons the Cardinals are considered one of the favorites in the Big East for 2012. Louisville’s 12-game schedule includes seven home games - “I love seven home games!!” Charlie Strong tweeted on March 27. Hurtt cautioned about expectations, though. “We don’t need to worry about it,” he said. “We need to play. All the expectations are fine. We were picked last the first two years we were in here. We don’t worry about that. We have to buckle up and go play. We have to practice. You have to prepare and do all the things necessary to be a champion. No matter what people say about how bad you may be or how good you may be, you have to prepare the same way every time. Our mindset won’t change on that, and our coaching staff won’t change on that message that’s delivered to the kids. All the accolades and the press clippings, we ignore all that.” The Cardinals seem to be ignoring the hype and increasing the hustle through the first three weeks of spring practice. During a physical two-hour scrimmage last Saturday the defense got off to a strong start, forcing three straight three-and-outs before the offense got going behind a strong running game. Senorise Perry, who played sparingly at running back last season, was the star of the scrimmage, having a huge day that included a 75-yard TD run. Jeremy Wright, Dominique Brown and Corvin Lamb all carried for more than 45 yards. Perry had a team-best 17 carries, while Brown and Lamb each toted the football 12 times. While those figures are cause for celebration among the offensive staff, the defensive staff looks at it differently. “So much of being good in stopping the

run is understanding what their responsibilities are and making sure we fit those things right,” Hurtt said. “Our first year we gave up 145 yards rushing a game. This past year we dropped to 100 yards a game. Our goal as a defense is to keep people under a 100 yards a game.... We have to give credit to our offense, too. Senorise Perry, Dominique Brown and Jeremy Wright are doing a great job of running behind their pads. As a football team we are getting a lot better, but we need to do a better job at times.” Place-kickers John Wallace and Andrew Fletcher booted short field goals. Wallace connected from 22 and Fletcher from 27 yards. The Wallace field goal was the result of a Kamal Hogan sack after the Cardinals drove the ball to the goal line. According to UofL football’s sports information director Rocco Gasparro, cornerback Terell Floyd continues to have a good spring while defensive linemen Brandon Dunn, Marcus Smith and Lorenzo Mauldin have been active on the defensive front. “I feel like the defensive line has really progressed,” said Hurtt. “I feel like they have done a lot of good things. Brandon Dunn has really changed his body. He has dropped some weight and has been really productive and has really improved from last year. He and Marcus Smith have really made tremendous strides, as has B.J. Dubose. I’m proud of them as a group. Our second group of defensive tackles, (converted offensive lineman) Hunter Stout and (redshirt freshman) Dominique Dishmon, have gone out and competed. We have done a good job. There have been some runs that have been popped. As a front seven, we have to get on the same page.” UK GAME MOVED TO SUNDAY The Big East Conference has announced that Louisville’s 2012 season opener against

Kentucky has been changed to Sunday, Sept. 2. Originally slated for Saturday, Sept. 1, the game will be played at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPN. It will be the third meeting between Strong and UK’s Joker Phillips, with their series tied at 1-1. The Cardinals won a thrilling 24-17 decision at Commonwealth Stadium a year ago.

FULL SCHEDULE RELEASED The full slate of football games was released March 27, just after the last Louisville SportsReport was published. The Cardinals will host Kentucky Sept. 2, Missouri State Sept. 8, North Carolina Sept. 15, USF Oct. 20, Cincinnati Oct. 26, Temple Nov. 3 and Connecticut Nov. 24. Louisville’s road games are at FIU in Miami Sept. 22, at Southern Miss Sept. 29, at Pittsburgh Oct. 13, at Syracuse Nov. 10 and the season finale at Rutgers Nov. 29. As of now, four games have been selected for ESPN: the UK game, the North Carolina game, a Friday night tilt against Cincinnati and the Rutgers game on a Thursday night.

ATHLON LOVES STRONG Athlon, the popular preseason magazine that comes out each summer, recently ranked the 15 current and future (Boise State, SMU, San Diego State, Houston, Memphis Navy and UCF were included) Big East football coaches, and it listed Strong No. 2 of 15, behind only Boise’s Chris Petersen. “Even with one of the youngest rosters in college football, Louisville claimed a share of the Big East crown in 2011,” Athlon wrote. “The future looks bright for the Cardinals with Strong at the helm, as they should be the early favorite to win the conference in 2012.”

PAGE 6

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

APRIL 11, 2012

CARDINAL FOOTBALL

2012 FOOTBALL ROSTER NO 1 2 2 3 4 4 5 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 18 18 19 19 21 22 22 24 25 26 27 27 28 29 29 30 30 31 31 32 32 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 38 40 40 41 42 43 44 45 45 48 48 49 51 53 54 55 63 64 66 68 69 70 71 72 74 76 79 81 82 83 84 84 85 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 99

NAME Keith Brown Michaelee Harris Preston Brown Charles Gaines Will Stein Robert Clark Teddy Bridgewater Damian Copeland Gerod Holliman DeVante Parker Dominique Brown Luke Brohm James Burgess Andrell Smith Andrew Johnson Matthew Nakatani Titus Teague Terell Floyd Jerry Arlinghaus Adrian Bushell Jordon Paschal Corvin Lamb Daniel Brown Calvin Pryor Zed Evans Mike Addesa Jermaine Reve Jeremy Wright Stephen Goodwin Hakeem Smith Kamal Hogan Anthony Branch DeMarcus Topp Champ Lee Gerald Christian Senorise Perry Alex Witcpalek Grant Donovan George Durant Andrew Fletcher Bo Eggers Tyon Dixon Thaddeus Franklin Ryan Johnson Chris Zelli Aaron Epps Stephan Robinson Jalen Harrington Deon Rogers B.J. Butler John Wallace Mitchell Nelson Deiontrez Mount Nick Heuser Jarel McGriff-Culver Mike Privott Jake Smith Mike Romano Mario Benavides Josh Stearns David Noltemeyer Alex Kupper Kamran Joyer Chris Walker John Miller Chris Acosta Hunter Stout Ryan Mack Chase Petersen Jamon Brown Chris White Eli Rogers Ryan Hubbell Aaron Nance Matt Milton Nate Nord Kai Dominguez Jarrett Davis Scott Radcliff B.J. Dubose Marcus Smith Brandon Dunn Roy Philon Lorenzo Mauldin Dominique Dishman Jamaine Brooks

HT 6-1 6-2 6-2 5-11 5-10 5-9 6-3 6-1 6-0 6-3 6-2 6-1 6-0 6-3 5-9 5-8 5-11 5-10 6-4 5-11 5-8 5-9 6-1 6-2 5-11 5-11 6-0 5-11 6-0 6-1 6-0 5-10 5-10 6-0 6-3 6-0 5-11 6-1 6-0 5-8 6-0 5-11 5-10 5-11 5-11 6-7 5-10 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-5 6-0 5-11 6-0 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-1 6-4 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-2 6-3 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-6 6-4 5-10 6-5 6-3 6-5 6-5 6-0 5-9 5-10 6-5 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-4

Wt 229 193 258 188 185 182 208 188 190 205 227 200 211 210 187 160 170 201 197 184 180 216 234 210 173 214 180 205 191 183 209 182 180 204 260 192 205 227 235 162 240 211 187 175 201 274 170 231 200 275 180 185 243 236 190 224 315 295 301 285 285 296 285 306 304 290 291 308 295 340 240 185 226 197 205 230 172 175 183 273 256 285 290 240 297 330

EXP LB WR LB CB QB WR QB WR S WR RB QB LB WR CB K CB CB QB CB CB RB LB S CB LB S RB WR S S CB WR LB TE RB LB LS LB K FB LB LB P LB TE WR LB LB DE P/K CB DE FB RB LB OL C C OL OL OL OL OL OL OL DT OL OL OT TE WR TE WR WR TE WR WR WR DE DE DT DT DE DL DT

HT/WT FR RS SO JR RS FR RS SR RS SO SO RS JR FR SO JR RS FR FR SR SO RS SO RS JR SO RS FR RS SR RS SO RS FR RS SR SO RS JR RS JR RS FR RS JR RS JR RS JR RS SO RS JR RS SR RS JR RS SO JR RS JR RS SO RS JR RS SO RS SR RS SO RS SO RS SO RS SR RS FR RS SO RS FR JR JR RS FR RS FR SO RS SR RS SO RS JR RS SO RS FR RS SR RS FR SO RS SR RS JR RS JR SO RS SO RS JR RS FR RS FR SO RS JR SO RS SO RS SO RS SO RS SR RS SO JR SR SO JR JR RS JR SO RS FR RS SO

HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS SCHOOL) Miami, Fla. (Miami Norland) Miami, Fla. (Northwestern) Cincinnati, Ohio (Northwest) Miami, Fla. (Central) Louisville, Ky. (Trinity) Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (Florida) Miami, Fla. (Northwestern) Bradenton, Fla. (Palmetto) Miami, Fla. (Southridge) Louisville, Ky. (Ballard) Cincinnati, Ohio (Winton Woods) Louisville, Ky. (St. Xavier) Homestead, Fla. (Homestead Senior) Miami, Fla. (Palmetto) Miami, Fla. (Southridge) Shelbyville, Ky. (Shelby County) Pomona, Calif. (Pomona) Port Pierce, Fla. (Port St. Lucie) Covington, Ky. (Holy Cross) DeSoto, Texas (Cedar Valley CC) Trotwood, Ohio (Trotwood-Madison) Miami, Fla. (Northwestern) Atlanta, Ga. (Douglass) Port St. Joe, Fla. (Port St. Joe) Seagoville, Texas (Seagoville) Bradenburg, Ky. (Meade County) Miami, Fla. (Northwest) Clermont, Fla. (East Ridge) Louisville, Ky. (St. Xavier) Jonesboro, Ga. (Riverdale) Montvale, N.J. (St. Joseph’s Regional) Louisville, Ky. (DuPont Manual) Paducah, Ky. (Paducah-Tilghman) Lakeland, Fla. (Lake Gibson) Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (Florida) Summerville, Ga. (Chattooga) Oswego, Ill. (Oswegol) Louisville, Ky. (Male) St. Petersburg, Fla. (Boca Ciega) Nashville, Tenn. (Montgomery Bell) Louisville, Ky. (Manual) Cincinnati, Ohio (Colerain) Versailles, Ky. (Tates Creek) Louisville, Ky. (DeSales) Jeffersonville, Ind. (Jeffersonville) Tucker, Ga. (Tucker) Louisville, Ky. (Central) Fern Creek, Ky. (Fern Creek) Port St. Lucie, Fla. (Treasure Coast) Kissimmee, Fla. (Osceola) Cecilia, Ky. (Central Hardin) Louisville, Ky. (Male) Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (Fort Walton Beach) Louisville, Ky. (St. Xavier) Downers Grove, Ill. (Downers Grove North) Norfolk, Va. (Lake Taylor) Jacksonville, Ala. (Jacksonville) Port St. Lucie, Fla. (Treasure Coast) Los Fresnos, Texas (Los Fresnos) Louisville, Ky. (DuPont Manual) Louisville, Ky. (Kentucky) Louisville, Ky. (Trinity) Tampa, Fla. (Wesley Chapel) Louisville, Ky. (Ballard) Miami, Fla. (Central) Miami, Fla. (Hileah) Tampa, Fla. (Wharton) Memphis, Tenn. (Wooddale) Bentonville, Ark. (Bentonville) Fern Creek, Ky. (Fern Creek) Elizabethtown, Ky. (John Hardin) Miami, Fla. (Northwestern) Council Bluffs, Iowa (Iowa Western) Louisville, Ky. (Seneca) Belleville, Ill. (Tennessee) Boca Raton, Fla. (West Boca Raton) Montvale, N.J. (St. Joseph’s Regional) Tyrone, Ga. (Sandy Creek) Louisville, Ky. (Trinity) Oakland Park, Fla. (Northeast) Columbus, Ga. (Hardaway) Louisville, Ky. (Pleasure Ridge Park) Lexington, Ky. (Bryan Station) Atlanta, Ga. (Maynard Jackson) Lexington, Ky. (Paul Louis Dunbar) Miami, Fla. (Palmetto)

2012 ROUGH FOOTBALL DEPTHROSTER CHART

OFFENSE

NOSE TACKLE

QUARTERBACK 5 Teddy Bridgewater 6-3

205 Fr.

4 Will Stein

176 Jr.

5-10

RUNNING BACK 10 Dominique Brown OR 6-2

221 So.

28 Jeremy Wright

5-11

199 So.

32 Senorise Perry OR

6-0

201 So.

30 Kamal Hogan OR

5-11

209 r-Fr.

22 Corvin Lamb

5-9

206 Fr.

14 Andrell Smith

6-3

209 Jr.

9 DeVante Parker

6-3

180 Fr.

82 Eli Rogers

5-10

184 Fr.

88 Jarrett Davis

5-10

172 So.

X-WIDE RECEIVER

H-WIDE RECEIVER

Z-WIDE RECEIVER 2 Michaelee Harris INJ 6-2

198 r-Fr.

89 Scott Radcliff

5-10

182 Jr.

81 Chris White

6-4

243 So.

85 Nate Nord

6-5

248 Jr.

80 Stephon Ball

6-4

231 Jr.

66 Alex Kupper

6-3

295 Jr.

78 Aaron Epps

6-5

265 Fr.

70 John Miller

6-2

308 Fr. .

68 Kamran Joyer

6-3

299 So.

TIGHT END

LEFT TACKLE

LEFT GUARD

CENTER 55 Mario Benavides INJ. 6-4

300 Jr.

54 Mike Romano

6-4

295 r-Fr.

53 Jake Smith

6-3

315 r-Fr.

76 Chase Petersen

6-4

294 Fr.

79 Jamon Brown

6-5

320 Fr

71 Chris Acosta

6-3

275 r-Fr.

RIGHT GUARD

RIGHT TACKLE

92 Brandon Dunn

6-3

308 So.

99 Jamaine Brooks

6-4

318 r-Fr.

17 Marcus Smith

6-4

255 So.

90 B.J. Dubose

6-4

257 Fr.

24 Daniel Brown

6-1

219 Jr.

31 Champ Lee

6-0

204 So.

2 Preston Brown

6-0

258 So.

51 Mike Privott

6-0

224 So.

37 Tyon Dixon

6-0

208 So.

48 Deiontrez Mount

6-5

215 Fr.

43 Deon Rogers

6-2

200 So.

5-10

178 Fr.

DEFENSIVE END

SAM LINEBACKER

MIKE LINEBACKER

WEAKSIDE LINEBACKER

CORNERBACK 5 Andrew Johnson

41 Stephan Robinson 5-8

175 r-Fr.

STRONG SAFETY 29 Hakeem Smith

6-1

183 So.

27 Jermaine Reve

6-2

175 Fr.

6-1

190 Fr.

21 Adrian Bushell

5-11

190 Jr.

3 Charles Gaines

5-10

176 Fr.

FREE SAFETY 25 Calvin Pryor CORNERBACK

SPECIAL TEAMS PLACEKICKER 35 Andrew Fletcher

5-8

170 r-Fr.

33 Grant Donovan

6-1

213 r-Fr.

85 Nate Nord

6-5

248 Jr.

5-10

176 Jr.

89 Scott Radcliff (or) 5-10

182 Jr.

82 Eli Rogers

5-10

184 Fr.

10 Dominique Brown

6-2

221 So.

21 Adrian Bushell

5-11

190 Jr.

LONG SNAPPER

HOLDER 4 Will Stein PUNT RETURN

KICKOFF RETURNS

DEFENSE FOX END 44 B.J. Butler

6-2

276 So.

47 Malcolm Mitchell

6-2

236 So.

93 Roy Philon

6-3

272 So.

72 Hunter Stout

6-4

291 So.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

All classes reflect current season, and will be updated at the end of spring practice.

APRIL 11, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 7

CARDINAL FOOTBALL PHOTO GALLERY

Defensive line coach Clint Hurtt yelled instructions to his players during spring football practice last week. - photos by Gail Kamenish

Senior quarterback Will Stein prepared to take a snap as receiver Andrell Smith (14) ran in motion behind him. Stein had two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown during last Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scrimmage.

Ball-carrier Jeremy Wright was tackled during a short-yardage rushing drill.

Two players worked out on weight benches under the watchful eye of strength program assistants. Hurt players work out on injury-speciďŹ c regimens in a section of the practice ruled by strength coach Pat Moorer.

A Louisville wide receiver slipped through a grasp of a would-be tackler during a drill. Practices have been very physical this spring according to team reports.

PAGE 8

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

APRIL 11, 2012

COFFEE BREAK WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Exciting basketball run gives way to the sports of spring

Now that the 2011-12 UofL basketball season is over, all of you who predicted a Final Four appearance for this offensively challenged team step forward and receive your congratulations. I will admit that as loyal a fan as I am I never expected this team to reach the final eight, much less be one of the four best teams in the country. I’m positive but not foolish. After the Cards finished the regular season by losing four of their last six games, I was JACK COFFEE already looking forward to baseball and spring football practice. At that point I had no idea that softball would be so dominant and give fans another great team to cheer for this spring. I also did not believe that defense alone could carry a team deep into the Big East and NCAA tournaments. But I was wrong. I always agreed with the cliché that “You can’t win in the tournament without good defense.” But I thought that also went along with good offense. This Cardinal team averaged fewer points per game than any UofL tournament team since the 40s. Of this year’s Final Four teams, Louisville averaged 68 points to Kansas’ 75, Ohio State’s 76 and Kentucky’s 77. The Cards’ 42.2 percent shooting was the lowest of any Final Four team as far back as I could research. But in spite of the offensive woes, Louisville lost to the national champion Wildcats by only eight points, the same as Kansas. Add a trio of offensive-minded players like Wayne Blackshear, Luke Hancock and Terry Rozier to the roster next season, and the Cards could be formidable. Here are a few suggestions for the returning players: Gorgui -- Spend a lot of time in the weight room and build up your lower body. You were pushed around too easily. Forget about perfecting the three-point shot, work on your inside moves shooting with both hands. Also practice catching a basketball, all those years playing soccer gave you weak hands that need to be strengthened. Peyton -- Practice shooting 200 15-foot jump shots every day and perfect those little 6-foot floaters so you can’t be blocked as often. Chane -- Also work on the 15-foot shot and using your left hand near the basket. Angel, Zach and Kevin -- Get in the weight room and develop Division I bodies so you can make an impact next year. Russ -- Spend some time with a psychiatrist. Just kidding, Cards fans like you just the way you are. ---------------------------------------------------While most Card fans were concentrating on basketball, the UofL baseball and softball teams were putting together very strong seasons, especially Sandy Pearsall’s Cardinal women. At the midpoint of the season they are 33-2 after starting the season with a 28-game winning streak, the longest for any sport in school history. UofL has very strong pitching with Tori Collins, Chelsea Leonard and Caralisa Connell combining for a 1.28 ERA. The leading hitter is Kristin Austin at .407. The team is batting a collective .316 and combines speed and good defense. Their only two losses were at Big East preseason favorite DePaul, and they have defeated Kentucky twice. The Cards are currently ranked No. 9 in the country in the NCAA rankings and 14th by ESPN.com. On April 18 UofL will play Big East-leading South Florida in a nationally televised doubleheader on ESPNU at Ulmer Stadium starting at 4 p.m. Come out and cheer on this amazing team. Although not as dominating as the women, the baseball team has gotten off to a good start with a 23-9 record and matches the softball team with a 7-2 Big East record. Hitting is much improved over last season as the men also match softball with a .316 team batting average compared to .253 in 2011. This team has nine regulars batting over .300, including newly inserted starters Ty Young and Zach Lucas from Butler High School. Pitching continues to improve, with a 3.09 ERA led by starters Justin Amlung, Jeff Thompson and Travis Tingle, all from Louisville-area high schools. Cody Ege (1.00 ERA), Derek Self (1.35) and Cole Sturgeon (1.50) are the leading relievers. Sturgeon also bats .311 as a regular in the outfield. With the rise of Louisville football, spring practice has turned into one of the most popular warm weather sports. A big crowd is expected to attend the Red-White Spring Game on Saturday. The game is free and starts at 1 p.m. With 18 starters returning, including Big East Rookie of the Year Teddy Bridgewater I, like most Cards fans, can’t wait for the Kentucky game, now moved to Sunday, Sept. 2 to be nationally televised on ESPN.

Top 10 Certified Used Car Dealer in the Nation

448-2820

Only President’s Award Winner in Greater Louisville 10 out of 11 years!

448-2802

www.bobmontgomery.com Bob Montg o m e r y h a s b e e n s e r v i n g th e Co mm u n it y SIN C E 19 6 0 .

5340 Wide Wide Dixie Highway

APRIL 11, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 9

LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL

W I T H V E T S , TA L E N T, U O F L’ S F U T U R E L O O K S B R I G H T

Gold standard in reach For cards in 2013

By Russ Brown Here’s a tantalizing thought for University of Louisville basketball fans: What if the NCAA championship trophy were to take up residence in the Bluegrass State in consecutive seasons? Relax. We’re not talking about back-toback titles for Kentucky, but rather the Cardinals’ chances for keeping the trophy from moving to another state in 2013. Sure, it’s too early to be making reservations for Atlanta, site of next year’s Final Four. But it’s not too soon to be looking ahead with more optimism about UofL’s fortunes since the Terrence Williams-Earl Clark-led team of 2008RUSS BROWN 09. That club earned the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the championship game of the Midwest Regional before being derailed by Michigan State. UofL coach Rick Pitino told his players in the Superdome locker room in New Orleans after their 69-61 loss to Kentucky in the semifinals March 31 that the three seniors had worked four years to earn the equivalent of an Olympics bronze medal. “There are no moral victories when you’re trying to win a national championship,” Pitino added. “But we got a medal, and a whole lot of other teams didn’t get this far.” Next season the Cards will be going for the gold, and their prospects appear bright. “We’re going to get a lot better,” Pitino said. “So this was a heckuva learning experience.” Only leading scorer Kyle Kuric and Chris Smith -- who was just one of three players to see action in every game -- plus reserve Jared Swopshire should depart from the Cards’ Final Four roster. The 2012 group was a flawed team that got by -- and was probably more successful than it should have been -- on gritty and spirited efforts that resulted in an unlikely Big East Tournament championship, an even more improbable trip to Louisville’s first Final Four since 2005 and a 30-10 record. UofL succeeded despite having a team that contained no lottery picks, no National Player of the Year candidates and only one former five-star recruit -- freshman Chane Behanan. Incredibly, the Cards placed no players on the Big East’s first, second or third team, although Behanan was named to the all-rookie squad. Yet the Cards won more games than just two other Louisville teams over the past 25 years. Next season will feature a talent and experience upgrade that contributed to the sense of optimism among the returning players in the locker room following the loss to UK. “Next year we’re going to be even better,” Behanan said. “We’re going to be pretty good,” sophomore guard Russ Smith said. “It’s a building block because we return a lot of the core guys and have some young guys who can step in. We just have to keep up the intensity. We can’t be satisfied.” And point guard Peyton Siva, who returns for his senior season, added last week: “We are looking forward to a national championship run next year. I plan on getting in the gym now and working on trying to get a national championship.”

Freshman Chane Behanan and sophomore Gorgui Dieng leaped to block a shot from Kentucky’s Terrence Jones during the Final Four in New Orleans. - photo by Gail Kamenish

The expectations will be high both inside and outside the program. UofL was voted fourth in the final ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll and already has been picked 2012-13 preseason No. 1 by the Chicago Tribune and Dick Vitale, and No. 2 by ESPN.com (behind No. 1 Indiana, one spot ahead of Kansas and two in front of UK). Here’s a closer look at why the Cards should be in position to maintain a top-10 ranking throughout the 2013 season and be primed for another Final Four surge. Siva, sophomore center Gorgui Dieng, Behanan, Russ Smith and former five-star recruit Wayne Blackshear head the list of returnees. Siva had a poor shooting season after setbacks with an ankle injury and a concussion, but he averaged 5.5 assists and played better in the postseason after Pitino lectured him on changing speeds and had him study two players who exemplified that skill -- Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns and Seton Hall’s Jordan Theodore. “Peyton is one of the fastest point guards in the nation, and when you go that fast and don’t change your pace, you get off balance, you travel, you leave your feet,” Pitino said. “So he did a good job changing his pace (late in the season).” Siva cut down on his turnovers and was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Big East Tournament, leaving just one major area requiring improvement. He shot just 24.6 percent from three-point range (17 of 69) and 40

percent overall last season, meaning defenses could play off him to a certain extent to hinder his drives to the basket. “Peyton has to develop a consistent jump shot where there is no doubt in anybody’s mind that the ball is going in the basket,” Pitino said. “We have to continue working on that because he’s done everything else.” Dieng improved vastly during his sophomore season, especially in his ability to stay out of foul trouble. He set the UofL singleseason record for blocked shots with 128, 26 more than Pervis Ellison had in 1987-88. The Senegal native led the team in rebounding at 9.1 per game and also developed better offensive moves. Now he has to get stronger, with Pitino saying Dieng needs to add about 25 pounds to his 6-foot-11, 235-pound body. Pitino compared Dieng’s potential to UK freshman Anthony Davis, who led the Wildcats to the national championship with his shot-blocking and defensive skills. “Davis is probably, well, he is the No. 1 player in country,” Pitino said. “Both have a unique shot-blocking ability. Davis is a little more advanced right now, but we hope Gorgui gets to that stage some day. Gorgui and Chane have so much more potential than where they are. Both guys are going to get stronger, quicker, more triple threats. “Gorgui is a pure joy in terms of humility and starvation to learn. I love teaching him. He came over here with such eagerness to

learn the game, and it’s such a healthy environment to be around him. I have another player (referring to Russ Smith) who isn’t from a foreign country, he’s from a different planet, so I enjoy coaching him as well.” UofL had a highly touted recruiting class of five freshmen, but for various reasons, the 6-6 Behanan was the only rookie who was ready to start, or even play many minutes, from the beginning of the season. He got stronger and more aggressive as he became more comfortable and was a major force in the NCAA Tournament, earning Most Outstanding Player honors in the West Regional in Phoenix. But Pitino said Behanan still has a long way to go. “He’s got to develop his skills more than anybody on the team,” Pitino said. “He did it this year with brute strength and good effort, but now he has to develop his passing, ballhandling and shooting skills more than anything else. He did carry a big load for us, and he has gotten better. He’s just scratching his potential, he’s going to get so much better down the road.” Then there’s Russ Smith, known as “Russdiculous,” who drove Pitino crazy with his unpredictability but rescued the Cards’ sluggish offense time and again to the extent where Chris Smith called him a “season-saver.” Russ played a huge role in the Cards’ postseason success and will be their top returning scorer at 11.5 points per game. But he shot just 35 percent and Pitino wants him to improve his shot selection and decision-making. “He’s capable of scoring 20 straight points,” Siva said of the 6-0 Super Sub. Russ could move into a starting spot opposite Siva next season, or Blackshear or freshman Kevin Ware could be the other backcourt regular. George Mason transfer Luke Hancock, who sat out this season, is expected to move into Kuric’s small forward spot. Blackshear could be a big difference-maker, especially on offense where the Cards need him the most after becoming the lowestscoring UofL team in over a century at 68.2 ppg. The 6-5 Chicago native and McDonald’s All-American was expected to contribute this year but missed the first four months of the season with shoulder injuries that required two surgeries within six months. Blackshear flashed a hint of his future against Kentucky, getting nine points and four rebounds in just 14 minutes while hitting 3 of 5 shots. “You got an idea of what Wayne can do against Kentucky,” Pitino said. “We have a lot of young talent that will develop -- Gorgui, Behanan, Blackshear.” Also Ware, 6-11 Zach Price and 6-7 Angel Nunez, who were non-factors this season as freshmen but could be significant contributors next season. The Cards will be further strengthened by the return of forward Stephan Van Treese and swingman Mike Marra from knee injuries. Van Treese will help UofL’s interior depth, and Marra will provide outside shooting that was sorely missing this year. For leadership, Pitino will turn to Siva, who was one of last season’s tri-captains, and Hancock, who played two seasons at George Mason and has impressed Pitino with his ability and his approach to the game. “If you asked our guys right now who’s the best leader, without him even playing yet, they’d say Luke Hancock,” Pitino said. So the stage is set for 2013, and tipoff is only about seven months away.

PAGE 10

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

APRIL 11, 2012

GAMEDAY PREVIEW - DAVIDSON

C O M M E N T A R Y

GOOD

What a good, nay great, run for the Cardinals in the post-season. Coach Rick Pitino told fans and media alike that his team would win the Big East Tournament, and he was right. Then he told fans and media that his team was preparing for a long run in the NCAA Tournament. Again, he was right. Pitino was so confident in his team, he told his players to pack for a two-week stay out West. They did, and he was right. After the Cardinals won two games in Portland, they flew directly to Phoenix, where they beat No. 1 seed Michigan State and No. 7 seed Florida to advance to the Final Four. The Cardinals flew back home after a successful two-week run and prepped for the Final Four in New Orleans. UofL couldn’t beat the super-talented Wildcats, but their tournament run was inspiring to watch.

GOOD

This senior class has helped the Cardinals every step of the way. Kyle Kuric, Chris Smith and Jared Swopshire (a senior with a year of eligibility left) aren’t the most vocal bunch, but they helped define the Cardinals’ work ethic and team demeanor. The team took on Kuric’s work ethic and drive, Smith’s toughness and confidence and Swopshire’s steadfast faith. Those qualities helped spur Louisville through a remarkable four-week stretch that sent this team from seventh place in the Big East regular season to the Big East Tournament champs and NCAA West Region champions. As Pitino said, “Anytime you hang another banner in our gym, it’s been a great year.” Absolutely true. When fans and media look ahead to next season and marvel at the possibilities, noting the few seniors lost, they should be reminded how important those seniors were. Those new banners would not have been there without Kuric, Smith and Swopshire.

GOOD

Speaking of next season, junior point guard Peyton Siva said he’ll be back on campus and can’t wait to make another Final Four run. Siva’s strong post-season led some to believe he might test the NBA Draft waters. Not so, according to Siva. When he was asked about returning to school at the Kentucky Derby Festival Night of the Future Stars event in New Albany, Ind., Siva didn’t hesitate. “Oh yeah, I’ll definitely be here,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere. I plan on getting in the gym now and working on trying to get a national championship next year.” Siva isn’t the only one coming back to the Cardinals. “Everybody is coming back,” he said. “We are looking forward to a national championship run next year.”

GOOD

Of all the players on the team, Louisville fans have overwhelmingly tabbed sophomore center Gorgui Dieng the fan favorite. Move aside, Kyle, Gorgui’s the new pick. His smile is infectious, his gentle nature makes him a hit with young fans, and his thoughtful responses throughout the NCAA Tournament made him a hit with the media. He already was a hit with Pitino. “Gorgui, as you all know, is from Senegal,” Pitino said. “He’s not like most of the kids I’ve seen from Africa. He has a great finesse game. When I first met Gorgui it was in December, and he spoke very little English, but come February, he spoke really good English. I marveled at that because I was going to be the Puerto Rican national coach and I learned how to speak Spanish. I marveled that while I was spending two hours a day to learn Spanish, how well Gorgui did while he was at Huntington Prep in West Virginia, where I first saw him play. I couldn’t get to his level. Rosetta Stone did not do me well compared to Gorgui.”

GOOD

Prior to the Cardinals’ victory over Florida, Dieng spent 20 minutes in a media breakout session describing his life philosophy. It was absolutely enthralling. During the session he explained that much of his outlook is shaped by his father, Momar, a school principal, local mayor and legislator. “Where I am from, my dad taught me how to share,” Dieng said. “A lot of people are selfish in this world right now.” Dieng told The Courier-Journal’s Eric Crawford that his father used to take his salary and sit it on a table. People would make a line outside the house because his father was known for his generosity. Gorgui explained: “My dad always told me, I made this money. I’m not going to save it for you, I’m going to give it to people that need it. If you want to make your own money, just go work for it. He always told me, I’m going to give you food, I’m going to feed you well, I’m going to get you clothes, I’m going to take you to school. But don’t ever think that you’re going to get my money one day.... Then he took that money and gave it to the poor. Bought them food, clothes, took their kids and got them school stuff. And

B Y

H O W I E

L I N D S E Y

I learned from that. Why could I not be like him one day? Make my own money, helping poor people and people that need it. I think he’s a role model, and he taught me how important school is.... You need to be smart to be successful in this life.” Wow, what a tremendous outlook.

GOOD

Gorgui isn’t the only fascinating character on this year’s team. The squad was full of them. But perhaps none was as fascinating as sophomore scorer Russ Smith. Usually the first off the bench, Smith was a spark for the Cardinals’ sagging offense for much of the season. He also was a frequent target for Pitino’s cutting wit. “I’ve enjoyed coaching a couple of foreign players this season. Gorgui is from Senegal and Russ is from another planet.” For the record, Russ is from Brooklyn. “It’s just that you can’t fathom what he’s going to do when he takes you off the bounce,” Pitino said. “That’s the difficult thing coaching him.” Russ plays with a rare fearlessness. “I take a lot of risks and I do a lot of things that maybe are questioned a lot, but I have total confidence in my abilities, so I guess that’s most important,” he said. “I get like very, very hyped because I did do something good or something maybe that I should not have done, and then it’ll work and then I’ll know that Coach is upset, but it was a positive, so we got a positive out of it, so Coach is just satisfied that everything worked. But then again there’s that play that if it don’t work, it’s just like, I’m going to the bench, I’m about to get destroyed.”

BAD

We keep hearing that Syracuse and Pittsburgh are pushing to leave the Big East this summer. If they succeed, it would remove them from the football schedule with just a month or two to spare. That’s not good. On Wednesday, ESPN’s Andy Katz noted that Pitt and Syracuse administrators and coaches attended the ACC meetings instead of the Big East meetings recently. When will the two schools join the ACC? “Hopefully, we’ll get everything worked out here soon,” Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson said. “Their league is reconfigured and ready to move, and when you get to that point where everybody is on the next page, everybody should move on.” Pederson wouldn’t commit to the fall of 2013, but that seems to be his goal.

GOOD

Last Thursday UofL’s Board of Trustees approved an 18,000square foot expansion of the Schnellenberger Football Complex at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. The expansion, which would be paid for with private funds, requires approval of the Council on Postsecondary Education and state legislators before work can begin. We were told that plans aren’t currently ready to be released but that the vote was necessary to start the private fundraising process. The estimated $7.5 million expansion likely will include weight-room space and some academic offices. The expansion is another indication of Louisville’s seriousness when it comes to competing at the highest levels of college football. It also draws a stark contrast between Louisville, constantly improving its facilities, and Kentucky, which apparently needs a two-year process to put a new doorknob on Commonwealth Stadium. Former UK coach Rich Brooks is right. UK’s lack of attention on football facilities is a clear indicator of their true feelings for the program. Louisville legends Darrell Griffith, Wiley Brown and Scooter McCray were phenomenal basketball players. They turned out to be bad choices as judges for the Kentucky Derby Festival Dunk contest. What was the trouble? It apparently takes so much to impress Louisville’s Doctors of Dunk that the high school all-star contestants got discouraged and frustrated. One contestant even exclaimed, “Come on! What do you want?” after his spinning windmill dunk got a 7 from Griffith and an 8 from McCray. Brown scored the finals Friday night and was tough on the contestants as well, just not as tough as Scooter and Griff.

BAD

GOOD

If you haven’t been out to Ulmer Stadium to see Louisville’s softball team this season, you should make a trip as soon as possible. After a three-game sweep of Rutgers last weekend, the Cardinals are 33-2 on the season. This weekend coach Sandy Pearsall and the squad will host Longwood for a doubleheader Saturday starting at noon and a single game Sunday at noon. The Cards then will host USF for two games on April 18. The final chance to see the squad this season will be April 28 and 29 for a three-game series against Georgetown.

GET DAILY UPDATES ON THE CARDS AT CARDINALSPORTS.COM - Want more opinions? follow @howielindsey on twitter

APRIL 11, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 11

LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL

FroM BiG east to BiG easY: what a run For the cards

By Howie Lindsey Walking the streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans, I met hundreds of Louisville fans who traveled to the Big East to cheer on their team. In fact, the crowd of UofL fans on Bourbon Street outpaced all other fan bases by a large margin. Each time I met a new group of fans after exchanging greetings, the conversation quickly turned to the same topic: “Can you believe we are in New Orleans at the Final Four?” And the response was almost always: “No way. Unbelievable.” This year’s team took its coach and fans on a wild ride that started HOWIE LINDSEY with four straight wins in the Big East Tournament and ended in the Big Easy at the Final Four on college basketball’s biggest stage. In the process, this team went from being a hardscrabble seventh-place finisher in the Big East regular season to one of the 10 most accomplished UofL basketball teams in history. This year’s Louisville team went from also-ran to Big East Tournament champion and NCAA West Region champion over the span of one month. Now that’s March Madness! Along the way the Cards turned doubters into believers and skeptics into fanatics. After two seasons of post-season frustration, and a 2-4 stretch of tough games to end the regular season, the grumbling among the Louisville fan base was at a dull roar. That’s when future Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino stepped to the front and said, “We are going to go to New York and bring home a Big East championship trophy.” Privately, he told his team that they had a choice to make: They could either lose in the Big East tourney and lose in the first round and become known as that team, or they could pull it together, go on a run and be beloved in UofL history. “He pretty much told us the ball is in our court,” senior Chris Smith said. “Everybody is healthy, so we have no excuses. We can make our own dreams come true.” And they did. Along the way they turned their fans back into believers. I’ll never forget talking to the players in a joyous locker room in Phoenix after the Cardinals beat No. 1 seed Michigan State to advance to the Elite Eight. They were so happy, and yet there was a common thread among them. “I think we got our fans back on board with us,” Smith said. “We wanted to come out and win this for our fans,” junior point guard Peyton Siva said. The players had been hearing disappointment from fans and fellow students

Sophomore Gorgui Dieng blocked a lob-pass by Kentucky’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Dieng was a media star during Louisville’s run to the Final Four. - photo by Gail Kamenish

for months, ever since their first loss in late December to Georgetown was followed with a loss at Kentucky in Rupp. “Well, I think when we lost the four out of six games ... invariably people come up to you and say things,” Pitino said. “You can’t even stop them and say, ‘Look, I don’t want to hear it.’ Somebody said that we lost four out of six, we’re going the wrong way, we’re not going to go far in the tournament. If I’m hearing it secondhand, I know my players are hearing it. “We went into the tournament (and) I sort of told them, ‘Look guys, the last two losses were on me.... Now your season’s beginning. There wasn’t a whole lot of confidence on the basketball team going into Madison Square Garden. We had to build that. We did really play four terrific teams. Could have lost to Davidson, New Mexico, Michigan State or Florida. All four teams could flat-out play and were extremely well coached. We went through four tough games in the Garden, and then in the tournament. “And now we’ve cut the nets down

twice.” To know that they had played hard and won the respect of their city back was a huge source of pride for these players. They let their play on the court do the talking, and it won the support of the city. So much so that Mayor Greg Fischer declared a city-wide Red Out on the Friday before the Final Four. During their eight-game winning streak in March the Cardinals collected a pair of trophies and provided memories that will last a lifetime. Some little moments along the way: The moment when Russ Smith broke down in tears and yelled to the bench, “I’ve never won anything!” when the Cardinals had the Big East Tournament trophy secured during the final minute of a victory over Cincinnati. ... Or in Portland, when the team gave Peyton Siva a hard time about his beloved Northwest being cold, wet and rainy 24 hours a day. ... Or when the team pointed to the crowd and Siva pointed to the sky as they walked

off the court after the win over New Mexico sent them to the Sweet 16. ... Or the team’s joyful reaction when Vinny Tatum unveiled the Sweet 16 T-shirts in the locker room after the game. ... In Phoenix, it’ll be tough to forget Gorgui Dieng hitting a three against Michigan State or listening to him talk about his father’s inspiring life philosophy of sharing during one of the NCAA mandated interview sessions. It also will be tough to forget him cheering on a soccer team in a game being televised on the big screen or his reaction when I asked why he’s no a goalkeeper. ... The moment when Chane Behanan, trying to one-up Gorgui, told reporters that he speaks two languages: English and slang, and then proceeded to explain what Cincinnati slang words meant. (To perp is to lie). ... When a national writer and I were hurriedly walking toward the Louisville locker room under the arena after the Michigan State game, marveling at the spectacular job by Pitino out-coaching Tom Izzo. ... Or the moment when Louisville finally figured out Florida’s offense and began that remarkable comeback by switching defenders before the Gators executed their pick play. ... Or when UofL vice president for athletics Tom Jurich and Pitino embraced near midcourt in the post-game melee after the win over Florida. How much that bear-hug meant is immeasurable. ... Or seeing Chris Smith’s face light up as Pitino motioned for him to get down off the ladder and wait until last to cut the nets down. “You go last,” Pitino said. “You’ll bring down the net.” ... The giddiness of the UofL assistant coaches as they passed the West Region championship trophy around the locker room for pictures. “How many pictures are you going to take with it. Give someone else a chance, Wyking,” players joked. ... The happy banter between road roommates Kyle Kuric and Peyton Siva as they posed with the trophy in the locker room. ... And then in New Orleans, seeing the massive crowd of UofL fans in the SuperDome for the open practice. ... Or when the players came out for the shoot-around and Pitino led the C-A-R-D-S chant. ... Or even after the loss to Kentucky when the players were upbeat and positive, realizing what an amazing thing they had accomplished. ... This team earned fans’ love and respect. And when that banner is celebrated whether that is sometime this summer or even at next fall’s first game - they’ll take their place among the most beloved UofL teams of all time.

PAGE 12

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

APRIL 11, 2012

NCAA FINAL FOUR PHOTO GALLERY Louisville’s bench cheered on their teammates during part of their second half run. The Cardinals tied the score at 49-49 before cold-shooting sparked an 11-2 Kentucky run. - all photos by Gail Kamenish

Sophomore guard Russ Smith was sandwiched by UK’s Anthony Davis (left) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. An offensive spark for much of the season, Smith ﬁnished just 4 of 15 against Kentucky with nine points.

Freshman Chane Behanan hit a jump shot over the outstretched arms of Kentucky’s Terrence Jones (left) and Anthony Davis. Behanan had 10 points and nine rebounds.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino explained a play to Peyton Siva. The junior guard had 11 points, three assists and three rebounds.

APRIL 11, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 13

NCAA FINAL FOUR PHOTO GALLERY

The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, site of the 2012 NCAA Final Four, was lit in purple hues for much of the Final Four weekend. While it is New Orleans’ color, it is also a combination of red (Louisville and Ohio State) and blue (Kansas and Kentucky). - photo by Gail Kamenish

Senior Kyle Kuric dove for a loose ball as Kentucky’s Doron Lamb tried to catch up. Kuric had seven points, ﬁve rebounds and a steal against the Cats. - photo by Gail Kamenish

Louisville coach Rick Pitino screamed a point to his team during a timeout in the Final Four. The Cardinals were a surprise entrant into this year’s event, knocking off No. 1 seed Michigan State and No. 7 seed Florida in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. - photo by Gail Kamenish

Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich and his wife, Terrilynn (second from left), posed for a picture with fans (L. to R.) Mollie and Silas Boyle, Susan Vogt and Bobby and Kelly Koetter. - photo by Howie Lindsey

Pitino and seniors Kyle Kuric and Chris Smith were disappointed, but fairly upbeat at the post-game news conference. Pitino said his team made the Olympics and won a bronze medal, and that is nothing to hang your head about. - photo by Gail Kamenish

PAGE 14

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

APRIL 11, 2012

NCAA FINAL FOUR FAN PHOTO GALLERY

Thousands of Louisville fans cheer on the Cards in New Orleans

APRIL 11, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 15

LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL

L O W E S T- S C O R I N G U OFL T E A M I N D E C A D E S

old neMesis – poor shootinG – Foils cards in Final Four

By Russ Brown In the end, the Louisville Cardinals’ season-long Achilles’ heel proved fatal in the game that mattered most. Never mind the dominating performance of Kentucky’s Anthony Davis or the Wildcats’ 57 percent shooting. Make no mistake about it: The Cards (30-10) lost their Final Four matchup with UK 69-61 on March 31 in the Superdome in New Orleans because it solidified its mark as the lowest-scoring and one of the worst shooting teams in modern Louisville history. The gang that couldn’t shoot straight and had been subject to long scoring droughts RUSS BROWN took 20 more shots than Kentucky, but hit four fewer. UofL hit just 34.8 percent (24 of 69) overall, although the Cards were a respectable 4 of 11 (36.4 percent) from threepoint range. With Davis and UK’s other interior players clogging the middle, the Cards sorely needed to hit some mid-range jump shots, but couldn’t. Nothing new there. UofL finished the season shooting 42.2 percent, tied for the second-lowest percentage for a Cardinals team over nearly the last century. Their three-point percentage of 31.8 was their worst since the trey was introduced to the college game 26 years ago. And their scoring average of 68 points was the lowest in at least 62 years. Makes you wonder how in the name of James Naismith they ever won 30 games and came within two games of a national championship. Chalk it up to a tenacious, confusing defense, incredible hustle and an indomitable spirit. UofL coach Rick Pitino even had said that he always believed one thing a team needed to reach a Final Four was good shooting. Not so with this group, though. Against UK, the Cards’ three main outside scoring threats -- Kyle Kuric, Chris Smith and Russ Smith -- were a combined 10 of 34 (29.4 percent). The poor shooting was a double whammy because it didn’t allow the Cards to use their full-court press enough, which could have resulted in UK turnovers and some easy baskets. “We just couldn’t score against their defense,” Pitino said. “We really struggled. We’ve never been a great shooting team. In 2005 we got to a Final Four with Taquan Dean and Francisco Garcia and Larry O’Bannon. All three guys could knock down shots. But this was not a team of great shooters. They had to win with confusing opponents and old-fashioned hustle.” And that wasn’t enough against a long and talented Kentucky team (38-2) that

Senior Kyle Kuric was guarded by both Darius Miller and Anthony Davis as he tried to shoot. The Wildcats’ defense hounded the Cardinals into shooting 34.8 percent from the ﬁeld. - photo by Gail Kamenish

went on to win the school’s eighth national title by beating Kansas two nights later after beating the Cards for the second time this season (69-62 on New Year’s Eve in Rupp Arena) and increasing its winning streak in the series to five. Aside from their shooting woes, the Cards had no answer for the 6-10 Davis. The projected No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft finished with 18 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots and altered or discouraged a number of other attempts. He made 7 of 8 shots and became the first player since Kansas’ Danny Manning in 1988 to post at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a Final Four game. “Anthony Davis is as fine a basketball player as there is,” Pitino said. “When you’re playing against Bill Russell at the pro level, you realize why the Celtics won 11 world championships. When you see this young man at the collegiate level, you realize why they’re so good. Not that their other players aren’t, but he’s so much of a factor.” “He pretty much changes every shot,” Chris Smith said of Davis. The margin would have been much

greater had the Cards not battled so ferociously on the boards, intent on not getting embarrassed as they had in Lexington three months earlier when the Cats outrebounded them 56-21. This time, UofL won the rebounding war 40-33, including 19 at the offensive end, where there were plenty of missed shots to go after, of course. “We were going to be like starving dogs (on the glass) that hadn’t eaten in a long time,” Pitino said. “We just needed things to go right down the stretch.” Not much did in a game that had the highest stakes for the rivals since UofL beat UK in a regional final to reach the 1983 Final Four. Besides holding their own on the boards, the Cards achieved two of their other primary goals -- they controlled the pace and thereby contained UK’s devastating fast break. And they got a key Cat in foul trouble, although the Cards would have preferred it had been Davis. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was limited to 23 minutes, finishing with nine points and four rebounds, far below his 24 and 19 in the first meeting. “You have to give Louisville credit,” UK

coach John Calipari said. “They offensive rebounded against us better than any team we’ve played this year. They never stopped playing, got up into our bodies, created turnovers (14) and gave themselves a chance to win.’’ As they had all season, the fourth-seeded Cards scrapped and clawed to get back within striking distance of overall top seed UK after falling behind by 10 points early, then trailing by as many as 13 (45-32) in the opening stages of the second half. But the Wildcats withstood every surge in reaching the NCAA championship game for the first time in 14 years and denying UofL its first trip to the final since winning it all in 1986. Point guard Peyton Siva said he felt UofL’s poor start was in part due to the pressure of being on college basketball’s biggest stage, although it didn’t appear to affect Kentucky’s much younger club that way. “In the first half, I think we were too uptight,” said Siva, who finished with 11 points and three assists but was scoreless with an assist and three turnovers in the first half. “Everybody was a little jittery. You see (sophomore center) Gorgui (Dieng) drop a couple of passes and (miss) dunks. And (freshman forward) Chane (Behanan) missed a couple of dunks. And I had a couple of bad turnovers. In the second half, we just played relaxed. And we went out and played hard.’’ Louisville tied the score at 49 with 9:12 left on back-to-back baskets by Siva, a pullup 15-footer and a three-pointer from the top of the key -- only his second trey in the five NCAA Tournament games. But then came another the all-too-familiar scoring drought. Over the next six minutes the Cards managed just two free throws while missing seven straight shots and committing a turnover as UK built a 60-51 lead. The Cards weren’t through, closing within 63-58 on a free throw by Russ Smith with 1:23 left. But then back-to-back dunks by Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist, the former a spectacular one-handed jam, wrapped it up for the Cats. “We just kept fighting,” Davis said. “We are Kentucky. We build for this.” “All our guys stepped up,” Calipari said. “We’re an attacking team. I have a team that’s had people come at them all year, and they’ve responded like they did today.” So there was no need to surround bridges with fences (to prevent UK fans from jumping off) as Pitino had suggested during a Final Four week interview should his team upset the Cats, who were 8 1/2-point favorites. Now time will be best spent fixing UofL’s shooting woes before the 2013 season rolls around.

PAGE 16

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

APRIL 11, 2012

LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL

2011-12 FINAL men’s basketball season stats

MINUTES

TOTAL

3-PTS

F-THROWS

REBOUNDS

## Player

Tot

Avg

FGA Pct

3FG FGA

Pct

FTA

Pct

Off Def

Tot

14 Kuric, Kyle

1369

36.0

165

391 .422

231

.329

.791

114

159 4.2 81 0 45 38 19 47 478 12.6

02 Smith, Russ

837

21.5

149

419 .356

134

.306

110

144

.764

05 Smith, Chris

1099

27.5

122

302 .404

168

.399

102

.735

103

143 3.6 57 0 76 44 0

24 Behanan, Chane

1039

26.0

146

286 .510

.167

138

.594

117 181

298 7.5 76 2 32 72 18 32 380 9.5

03 Siva, Peyton

1203

31.7

121

301 .402

.246

119

.739

121 3.2 114 5 211 131 5

10 Dieng, Gorgui

1312

32.8

145

276 .525

.500

108

.676

138 225

363 9.1 132 5 42 80 128 47 364 9.1

33 Marra, Mike

12.5

.625

.250

.500

2.5 0

04 Buckles, Rakeem

149

13.5

.432

.400

.556

3.8 20 0 3

21 Swopshire, Jared

509

13.1

115 .391

.208

.688

109 2.8 42 0 17 22 9

13 128 3.3

25 Blackshear, Wayne

105

7.0

.293

.300

.583

1.4 12 0 2

37 2.5

01 Nunez, Angel

4.6

.381

.375

.500

0.7 1

0 2

24 2.0

13 JACKSON, Mark

4.0

.500

1.000

.000

1.0 1

0 0

1.7

44 Van Treese, Stephan

6.7

.333

.000

.500

2.0 5

0 0

1.3

15 Henderson, Tim

5.2

.364

.429

.500

0.8 7

0 6

14 1.3

23 Ware, Kevin

105

5.3

.296

.000

.333

0.7 12 0 9

21 4

20 1.0

22 Justice, Elisha

122

4.9

.385

.091

.667

0.4 15 0 9

12 0

23 0.9

12 Price, Zach

4.3

.308

.000

.267

0.8 18 1 0

12 0.6

TO Blk Stl Pts Avg

2.5 110 3 76 90 1

12 6.0

44 4.0

Total

8100

963

2281 .422

233 733

.318

568

826

.688

518 994

1512 37.8 706 16 532 562 193 353 2727 68.2

Opponents

8100

857

2233 .384

218 720

.303

508

766

.663

509 935

1444 36.1 745 -

So how did the Cardinals make their post-season run? Defense. UofL’s aggressive defense forced opponents to shoot 38.4 percent and finished second in the nation with 353 steals. Louisville finished tied for sixth in the nation in field-goal-percentage defense. The Cardinals had the best defense in the Big East.

UofL gained 33 rebounds on Kentucky in between the Dec. 31 meeting and their meeting in the Final Four. On Dec. 31 UofL was out-rebounded by 26, including 19 rebounds by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. In the Final Four, Louisville out-rebounded the Wildcats by seven and held Kidd-Gilchrist to just four rebounds. Louisville finished 28th in the nation and third in the Big East in rebounds per game with 37.8.

The Louisville market’s 27.7 average TV rating for all of the NCAA Tournament games was nine points higher than any other TV market in the nation. The city was ranked No. 1 in the nation in basketball viewership by a big margin. And for those who like to claim Tobacco Road the capital of college basketball, the city of Louisville’s ratings nearly doubled Raleigh-Durham’s 14.3 average rating.

15 2

Prior to this season, UofL coach Rick Pitino always said you have to have a good shooting team to make a run to the Final Four. “I had to re-evaluate my thought process,” he said after this year’s team made it to New Orleans. Louisville was 13th in the 16-team Big East - and 236th in the nation - in shooting at 42.2 percent.

64 347 9.1

9 13

34 386 9.7

Team

The 2012 basketball squad earned Louisville’s ninth trip to the NCAA Final Four. This group, which finished 30-10, will go down as one of the top-10 most-accomplished teams in school history (joining the 1956 NIT champions and the other eight Final Four teams).

0 2

87 449 11.5

BY THE NUMBERS

102

Avg PF FO A

453 621 144 284 2440 61.0

By Howie Lindsey

It had been seven years since a Final Four was as well-rated as this year’s Final Four. More than 64 million households tuned in to see Louisville take on Kentucky in the Bluegrass Battle. The two semifinal games generated the highest ratings for a Final Four since 2005. The games earned a 9.0 overnight rating and a 17 share. The Final Four involving Illinois, Louisville, North Carolina and Michigan State in 2005 generated a 10.5 rating and 19 share.

378

After the Cardinals tied the score at 49 with 9:12 to go, they were outscored 11-2 over the next 6:18. Louisville didn’t hit another basket until 2:54 remained, marking 378 seconds in between field goals. The Cardinals hit just 37.7 of their shots against the Wildcats, who hit 59.2 of their shots.

StatSheet.com ranks players on a 110-plus point scale to try to measure their impact on the game, positive or negative. Their end-of-season rankings took all the traditional statistics and combined them with plus-minus rankings and other statistics to rank the top 150 players in the nation. Kentucky’s Anthony Davis led all players with a 102.4 rating. As an example of how Louisville’s Final Four trip was a team effort, the Cardinals didn’t have a single player in the top 25 of the rankings. Gorgui Dieng was the top UofL player at No. 47 with a 91.0 rating. Kyle Kuric was 67th with a 89.0 rating.

How good will the Cardinals be next year? Dick Vitale believes the Cardinals will be the best. “My top 5 for 2013 = #1 Louisville, #2 Michigan State, #3 UK, #4 Kansas, #5 Indiana. Subject to change with recruiting and NBA news.” The Cardinals were also ranked No. 3 in Yahoo! Sports’ early preseason ranking, behind #1 Indiana and #2 Kentucky.

APRIL 11, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 17

LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL

cards GaVe pitino, Fans a season to celeBrate

By Russ Brown Even though Louisville’s Cardinals came up short of their ultimate goal, it was a season to celebrate, and coach Rick Pitino urged his players to do as much after their 69-61 loss to Kentucky in the semifinals of the Final Four in New Orleans. After all, the Cards (30-10) had endured a season of numerous injuries that slowed their development and not much was expected of them in the postseason, especially after they dropped four of their last six regular season games. But Pitino, a master motivator, convinced them that better times were ahead, they regrouped, won the Big RUSS BROWN East Tournament and took new-found confidence into the NCAAs, where their most impressive accomplishment was a 57-44 dismantling of No. 1-seeded Michigan State in the West Regional semifinals, followed by a stirring comeback win over Florida in the final. Then UofL put up a strong fight against Kentucky, but couldn’t overcome the Wildcats’ superior talent. That didn’t dim the Cards’ accomplishments in their coach’s eyes, however, and surely not their fans’ either. “I told the guys, ‘Look, I’m going to Miami tomorrow and celebrating a season where we worked around the clock, around injuries and everything else. If you guys don’t celebrate and have good, clean fun, you’re fools,’ “ Pitino said. With the clock having run out on a marvelous season, it was time to salute the Cards’ never-give-up spirit that fueled their first Final Four run since 2005 and unquestionably the most unexpected in Louisville history. In a span of about three weeks, they rewrote their legacy. “I’m the happiest person in the world,” freshman forward Chane Behanan said. “Like Coach said, ‘Go out and celebrate. Celebrate the Final Four.’” Not that there wasn’t disappointment, it just didn’t reach the level of despair. How could it? As Pitino noted, people won’t remember the roller-coaster regular season, only the new Final Four banner that will go up in the KFC Yum! Center. “We’re not satisfied. We wanted to win,” UofL guard Russ Smith said. “But nobody expected us to come this far. Everybody always doubted us. We’re just upset we lost because everybody picked against us and we wanted to win and prove everybody wrong.” Actually, the Cards did prove most everybody wrong all along the tournament trail. Even before the postseason, though, they had become one of Pitino’s favorite teams, taking their place alongside his 1987 Providence club that also made an

Kyle Kuric swatted at the Marquis Teague’s shot before Gorgui Dieng blocked it away. Dieng was one of the nation’s ﬁve best shot blockers this season. - photo by Gail Kamenish

improbable Final Four appearance. “When I’ve compared them to the ‘87 Providence team, it was in terms of effort and attitude,” Pitino said. “They made me really, really proud.” Said senior forward Kyle Kuric: “We had a lot of highs and lows throughout the season. But the way we played together and the effort we gave, I was just proud to be on this team. This team always played hard. The last eight, 10 games it really came together. It had a special bond I’ve never been a part of before.” Added senior guard Chris Smith: “We put in a lot of time and hours with each other like building a family. We were all like brothers.” ONE-AND-DONE NOT FOR PITINO Pitino was highly complimentary of Kentucky and coach John Calipari throughout Final Four week and after the loss to UK even said he hoped the Wildcats brought home the national championship trophy. But Pitino said he couldn’t operate the way Calipari does with so many one-and-done players, preferring to build a relationship over several seasons. “I marvel at what John [Calipari] does. I couldn’t do it,” Pitino said. “I can’t say

hello and good-bye in seven months. It’s just not me. I love getting to know Kyle Kuric and Chris Smith. I like that emotional attachment of the players. I feel like they’re my children, part of their life- not that [Calipari] doesn’t feel that way about his kids.” TOURNAMENT QUOTEABLES Pitino, asked about the accuracy of a Calipari statement referring to UofL’s defense as scratching, clawing, gouging: “He’s done that since the UMass days when he spoke about is in ‘96 at Kentucky. he thinks the referees read the newspapers. He thinks the referees stay up at night and listen to Coach Cal’s comments. They really don’t. I can play a tape back from Memphis when I was at Kentucky, pretty much the same operating procedure.” Pitino, talking about UofL as the underdog vs. UK: “We’ve cut down the nets twice, and I don’t want my guys to feel inferior. It’s easy to feel inferior to Kentucky because they go on the draft board all the time. You don’t want that feeling going into it because you’ll play like inferior players. We don’t want that underdog mentality.” Peyton Siva: “Nobody thought we’d be

here. If you asked yourself that a month ago, you would have laughed and somebody else would have laughed with you.” Pitino on UofL’s whirlwind postseason journey: “We went through the Big East, we cut down nets, we’re in Portland, we’re in Phoenix, we get a win, we cut down nets, and suddenly we’re playing Kentucky. It’s like, flashback... what happened the last two weeks? How did we get here?” Jody DeRaimo, a former restaurateur and close friend of Pitino’s from his Providence days: “Rick’s greatest passion has been to be an innovator, to figure out a way to make teams that aren’t the most talented greater than the sum of their parts. Rick always believes he can win one game by getting his guys to play above and beyond. He will convince them they have a chance.” Chris Smith on the UofL-UK rivalry: “I would say the fans take it as, whoever loses, it’s their funeral really. Like, you know, it’s really cutthroat.” Chane Behanan on UofL being the only Final Four team excluded from a Sports Illustrated regional cover: “I guess they just forgot,” Behanan joked. “We don’t hate you for that. I guess they were just sleeping and forgot there were four teams.” Pitino on UK’s champs: “To tell you the truth, I haven’t always liked some of the Kentucky teams. I’m not going to lie to you. But I really like this team a lot because of their attitude, the way they play and the way they carry themselves.” NOTE--Kentucky shot 57.14 percent from the field in its win over Louisville. The last team to shoot that well in the Final Four was Syracuse, which also shot 57.1 percent in its win over Texas in the 2003 Final Four. The Final Four record is 61.2 percent by UNLV in its 30-point romp past Duke in 1990.

PAGE 18

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

APRIL 11, 2012

LOUISVILLE BASEBALL PHOTO GALLERY A crowd of 2,230 fans attended Louisvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 9-2 win over Western Kentucky at Jim Patterson Stadium. The Cardinalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; home park, Patterson will be expanded in the off-season after this season is over. - photos by Howie Lindsey

Sophomore Jeff Gardner readied himself at the plate as his teammates watched. Gardner is hitting .327 this season with a .418 on base percentage.

Sophomore Cody Ege pitched 1 2/3 innings of hitless relief against Western Kentucky last week. Ege has given up just one earned run in 12 appearances this season. He has 11 strikeouts.

Sophomore Adam Engel prepped to swing the bat in the WKU game. He is hitting .316 with a teamhigh 32 runs scored this season.

Freshman Jared Ruxer is 4-0 this season with a 2.47 ERA.

Sophomore Alex Chittenden was congratulated by teammates after he scored on an RBI single by Engel. Chittenden is batting .281 with 12 runs scored.

APRIL 11, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 19

BASKETBALL RECRUITING

ROZIER WINS MVP AT DERBY FESTIVAL CLASSIC

By Matt Willinger Basketball in the Bluegrass continued last Friday as the White team outlasted the Black team 130-127 in the Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic at Freedom Hall. North Carolina State signee T.J. Warren led the winners with 27 points, while future Cardinal Terry Rozier contributed 16 points and a team-high 12 rebounds in a game that featured several highlight dunks, very little defense and three McDonald’s AllAmericans. UofL signee Terry Rozier took home MVP honors for the White team. He made 6 of 17 shots, including 3 of 8 from threepoint range. He also added four assists in his 26 minutes on the floor. “Like I said the other day, how I play down here has nothing to do with the way I’ll play at Louisville,” Rozier said. “Today is just about having fun.” Rozier’s 12 rebounds were an eye-opener for fans and the other AllStars as well. He grabbed more than a quarter of his team’s total rebounding haul. “I’ve always rebounded like this,” the 6-foot guard said. “I always rebound. That is what I have been taught since I was younger. Nobody thinks I am going to go in there and rebound because I am a point guard. That’s how I get some of my rebounds because they don’t expect it.” FACES IN THE CROWD Among the announced crowd of 6,700 fans were several familiar faces. Fresh off a Final Four appearance, UofL point guard Peyton Siva was back in Freedom Hall to watch his future backcourt companion -- Rozier. It was the second Siva sighting in as many nights as he joined teammates Gorgui Dieng and Russ Smith on Thursday at the Night of Future Stars at New Albany High School. Also spotted in the crowd was a trio of former Cardinal greats - LaBradford Smith, Wiley Brown and Scooter McCray. Brown and McCray both served as judges for the final round of the dunk contest. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer was also in attendance to catch the thrill and excitement of the game. THREE-POINT FINALS Oklahoma State signee Phil Forte won the Three-Point Shooting Contest. The 5-11 point guard blew away the competition when he made 19 threes in the final round. It’s easy to see what attracted OSU coach Travis Ford to Forte. He has to see a little of himself in the diminutive long-range shooter. Forte was a 5A first-team All-State selection in Texas and also led his team to the state title.

During pregame introductions, Terry Rozier ran onto the court in a Louisville warm-up jacket and a Louisville ﬂag on his shoulders like a cape. - photo by Brandon Pry

ry Rozier was named Louisville signee Ter val MVP after scoring Kentucky Derby Festi ing 12 rebounds 16 points and grabb me at Freedom Hall during the All-Star ga by Howie Lindsey Friday night. - photo

F o r t e ’s closest competition was Rozier, who drained 13 threes in the final round. Here’s the final tally: Phil Forte - 19 Terry Rozier - 13 Chicken Knowles - 12 Mekale McKay - 6 DUNK CONTEST Marcus Smart took home the trophy for the game’s annual Slam-Dunk Contest. The 6-4 swingman impressed judges with his Barnum & Bailey-like throw downs. On each of his dunk attempts the Oklahoma State signee executed a perfect flip followed by a jump stop and a two-hand slam. “That was impressive,” Rozier said of Smart. “He’s just a great athlete. I don’t know how to compete with that. You can’t argue with that. I tried my best, but Marcus Smart earned it.” We are not sure how much flipping coach Ford will allow of Smart, but he definitely showed supreme athleticism. Rozier’s first dunk in the finals was a stunner as well. He leaped and tagged a sticker on the left corner of the backboard while dunking with his right hand. “Yeah, I practiced that one,” Rozier said. “It didn’t work out like I wanted it to because the sticker got folded up, but I still got the points I needed to move on, so that was good.” Rozier showed impressive athleticism and leaping ability with that dunk, as well as with a 360 later in the finals. Here’s a look at how the competition played out: Sam Dekker - First Dunk - 25 / Second - 15

Jakarr Sampson - First Dunk - 25 / Second - 15 Marcus Smart - First Dunk - 23 / Second - 26 / Third - 28 Terry Rozier - First Dunk - 23 / Second 26 / Third - 27 TIP-INS St. John’s signee Jakarr Sampson may be a little unpolished, but there is no doubting the young man’s athletic ability. Sampson threw down a couple of dunks during the game that brought the crowd to its feet. A one-time Louisville recruit, Sampson is going to provide a highlight reel of jams for the Johnnies over the next few seasons. • Best fashion statement of the event was without a doubt the argyle socks displayed by IU signee Jeremy Hollowell. Definitely unique. • Best name in the event of anyone not named “Chicken” Knowles: Mekale McKay, an Arkansas-bound swingman. • The surprising player of the night was small forward Sam Dekker. He’s headed to Wisconsin, and the Badgers are getting a great player. Dekker is very athletic. He can take his man off the dribble and also showed a nice stroke from the outside. He will have success at Wisconsin, but it seemed that his style would be more suited for a team that likes to push tempo and run. • Did anyone check the ID of North Carolina State signee Tyler Lewis? The kid can play, but he barely looks a day over 12 years old. Lewis is a McDonald’s All-American, but barring a growth spurt, he won’t need to shave his entire freshman year. • Danrad “Chicken” Knowles is going to be a player for Houston. The No. 47ranked player in the country by Rivals.com, Knowles needs to add 25-30 points of muscle but plays like a more athletic version of Rakeem Buckles. • The Louisville Sports Report’s own Howie Lindsey did a great job in his third year as emcee of the event. Lindsey introduced each team’s lineup and set the stage for

both the three-point and slam-dunk competitions. The man never rests. • For the ﬁrst time in several years, the event was dominated by Indiana fans. The Crimson and Cream came out strong to support IU signees Jeremy Hollowell, Ron Patterson and Hanner Perea. With IU expected to be among the top teams in college basketball next year, it appears coach Tom Crean has another solid group coming in. • The Indiana fans were most noticeable due to the absence of Kentucky fans at the event. The game usually is dominated by a strong contingent of UofL and UK fans, but with just one Louisville signee (Rozier) and without any UK signees, IU fans had top billing. • Despite a modest crowd of less than 7,000, the traffic lines to enter the Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center were backed up and prevented many from making the start of the game. Perhaps two years at the downtown KFC Yum! Center made spectators forget just how frustrating the famed “Ring Road” can be. Mix in a rate of $8 for parking and it’s a no-brainer why the once booming KFEC has fallen on hard times. • Perhaps another reason for the light attendance was the scheduling of the event. Originally scheduled to take place at the KFC Yum! Center the Sunday after Thunder Over Louisville, the NCAA enforced a rule that prevented the game to be played on UofL’s home floor. Therefore, the game was moved to Freedom Hall on Good Friday. With spring break starting for area schools and Easter weekend upon us, many families were likely headed out of town for an extended vacation. • Forward Amile Jefferson led the way for the Black team, scoring 26 points on 11of-18 shooting. Jefferson is undecided as to where he’ll play his college ball. Duke, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Indiana and others are suitors, but wherever he goes he’ll make an impact. The 6-8 McDonald’s All-American is long and versatile.

PAGE 20

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

APRIL 11, 2012

LOUISVILLE SOFTBALL

cards start another winninG streak, 4 in a row

By Rick Cushing It has been an eventful two weeks for the University of Louisville softball team since The SportsReport last was published. The Cardinals attained the highest ranking in school history at No. 11, had their school-record, season-opening winning streak snapped at 28, beat archrival Kentucky twice and swept a three-game series from Rutgers last weekend. UofL now is 33-2, 7-2 in the Big East. A week ago last Wednesday the Cards beat host UK 1-0 as Tori Collins and Chelsea Leonard combined on a two-hit shutout and senior Kristin Austin’s solo home run in the fourth inning provided the game’s only run. It was UofL’s 13th shutout of the season. UK fell to 15-17. Collins (13-0) allowed two hits in 5 1/3 innings, walking none and striking out four. Leonard relieved after a one-out single in the sixth and turned back two threats to earn her fifth save. UK’s runner in the sixth advanced to second on a wild pitch with one out but was left stranded there when Leonard recorded a strikeout and groundout. In the seventh, Leonard issued a one-out walk. After a strikeout, an error put runners at first and third, but Leonard ended the game with a strikeout. She allowed no hits, walked one and fanned three. “This was a great rivalry game, and we were happy to come away with a win,” UofL coach Sandy Pearsall said. ”Kentucky played us well…. Both teams were in a great position to win the game. It came down to a timely hit, and fortunately for us, we got that in Kristin Austin’s home run. The pitching from both teams was great.” It was Austin’s first home run of the season and just the second of the senior’s career. Then last Wednesday UK paid a visit to UofL, and the Cards beat the Cats 2-1 before a record crowd of 1,294 at Ulmer Stadium. Taner Fowler went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs, and Caralisa Connell scattered two hits in the first five innings, was relieved, then re-entered to squelch a rally in the seventh and get a victory and a save in the same game. That may not be a record, but it’s highly unusual, to be sure. “Tonight was another intense game with a very good Kentucky team,” said Pearsall. “Hats off to Caralisa Connell. She kept us in the game and did a tremendous job coming back in when we needed her. Our team showed great resilience and energy … and our defense came through in the clutch. It was good to see the team playing and having fun again. Tonight’s crowd was outstanding. We appreciate the fans who stuck with us through the rain delay, and they really gave us a lot of positive energy.” A heavy rain delayed the start of the game for 90 minutes. The Cards scored a run in the first on a two-out single by Katie Keller and

The Louisville softball team is among the best in the nation. The Cardinals will battle DePaul for the Big East crown. - photo by Howie Lindsey

RBI double by Fowler. Those two combined for another run in the third. Keller stroked a leadoff double and scored on a single by Fowler to make it 2-0. Connell, who surrendered only two infield singles through five innings, was replaced by Leonard to start the sixth. She retired the side in order but encountered trouble in the seventh, walking the first two batters. That’s when Pearsall called on Connell again. An error loaded the bases before Connell got two force plays at home on groundouts. She then walked in a run, which was unearned, but retired the final batter on a fly ball to left. Fowler went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs, and Keller went 2 for 3 with a double and two runs. Connell improved to 11-1. UK fell to 16-20. WINNING STREAK ENDS In between the two victories over UK, the Cards dropped 2 of 3 games to DePaul in Chicago two weekends ago. They lost 7-1 in the first game of a doubleheader a week ago last Saturday, rebounded to beat the Blue Demons 4-3 in the nightcap, then lost the rubber match of the three-game series 3-0 on Sunday. That left the Cards with a 29-2 record, 4-2 in the Big East. DePaul, the preseason favorite to win the league title, improved to 18-11, 2-1. Of her team’s first loss, Pearsall said: “We really didn’t show up to play the first game, and you can’t do that against a quality team like DePaul . I felt like we were lethargic, and DePaul was aggressive and really came to play. They outplayed us. I was pleased to see us come back in the second game. We came

out and attacked the ball.” After the two losses at DePaul, the Cardinals fell in the rankings to No. 12/13, but following four straight victories last week, they likely will rise again. CARDS SWEEP RUTGERS The Scarlet Knights’ hitters won’t be eager to face UofL again, not after suffering a pair of one-hit shutouts -- 1-0 and 2-0 – last Friday, then getting two runs and five hits but losing 3-2 on Saturday. For the three-game series Rutgers managed just two runs and seven hits. In Game 1 on Friday Connell gave up the one hit – a single -- in four innings and Leonard (7-0) worked three hitless innings to earn the victory when Jordan Trimble singled with one out in the seventh and scored on a double by freshman Kayla Soles. Rutgers ace Alyssa Landrith (11-6) was a hard-luck loser. She held the Cards hitless until the fifth and surrendered just four hits and a run in 6 1/3 innings. Trimble was 2 for 3, Soles1 for 2 with an RBI. In the nightcap, Collins took a no-hitter into the seventh and freshman Whitney Arion went 2 for 2 with an RBI as the Cards completed the doubleheader sweep with a 2-0 victory. It was UofL’s 15th shutout of the season. Collins (14-1) came within two outs of her first no-hitter, losing it on a bloop single to center with one out in the seventh. She walked two and struck out 10. The Cards scored a run in the first when Jennifer Esteban led off with a single, stole

second and came home on Austin’s RBI single. They added a run in the fourth when Soles was safe on an infield single and Arion followed with an RBI double. “We’re still finding ways to win games even though our offense is sputtering a bit,” said Pearsall. “All of our pitchers threw well today and our defense was outstanding, and that was the key. “ In the series finale on Saturday the Cards scored three runs in the third and held on for a 3-2 victory. The Knights fell to 16-20, 5-6 and went home seeking better luck at finding Easter eggs than they had in finding runs in the Derby City. The Cards (33-2, 7-2) got all their runs in the third. Hannah Kiyohara drew a leadoff walk, took second on Maggie Ruckenbrod’s sacrifice bunt and scored on a double by Arion. Esteban reached on an error and score on a hit by Trimble, who scored on a double by Keller to make it 3-0. Rutgers finally dented the plate with two runs in the fourth, and the Knights placed their first two batters on base in the fifth, knocking out Collins and bringing on Leonard. She retired the next three batters to end the inning, then finished with two scoreless innings to earn her seventh save. Collins (15-1)allowed both runs and three hits in four-plus innings. Leonard allowed two hits in three innings. Trimble was 2 for 3 with a run and an RBI. Arion was 2 for 2 with an RBI. VILLANOVA, LONGWOOD UP NEXT The Cards will travel to Philadelphia on Wednesday for a doubleheader against Big East foe Villanova, then return home for a three-game series against Longwood this weekend. They’ll play a doubleheader Saturday (noon and 2 p.m.), then play a single game Sunday at noon. TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL STATS UofL’s stats continue to be impressive, although batting averages and run production have been declining. The Cards are batting .316 as a team, with 25 home runs and 169 runs (4.8 per game). Opponents are batting .172 with just eight home runs and 49 runs (1.4 a game). Austin continues to lead the team in batting at .407, but she’s now the only Card over .400. She also leads with 30 runs and with seven triples. Fowler is second at .349 and leads the team in home runs with five. Keller leads in RBIs with 26. Fowler has 25 RBIs, and both she and Arion have four home runs. Leonard is 7-0 with seven saves and a 1.01 ERA. She has allowed just 31 hits in 62 2/3 innings and has struck out 76. Collins is 15-1 with two saves and a 1.34 ERA. She has allowed 63 hits in 99 1/3 innings and has fanned 119. Connell is 11-1 with one save and a 1.55 ERA. She has allowed 50 hits in 72 1/3 innings and has fanned 57.

APRIL 11, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 21

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

GET IN NOW FOR 2012-13 THE 2012-13 ATHLETIC SEASON PROMISES TO BE ONE OF THE BEST IN SCHOOL HISTORy you can follow it all with the Louisville SportsReport.

• Charlie Strong’s football program is a popular pick to win the Big East.

• Jeff Walz’s Louisville women will be a Final Four contender.

Get a full year of magazines delivered to your door for $53.95.

• Rick Pitino’s basketball team was picked #1 by Dick Vitale.

• Anne kordes’ volleyball team is set to make noise nationally.

Call (502) 636-4330 to subscribe today! A S k

U S

A B O U T

G I F T

S U B S C R I P T I O N S ,

T O O !

LOUiSviLLE BASEBALL FAnS Take the Baseball Fan Bus to Louisville vs. WkU with the Louisville SportsReport

Tuesday, May 1, 2012 3:30 PM EDT Coach arrives at Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium for boarding. Green Lot. 4:00 PM EDT Depart Louisville, ky Time change – back 1 hour 5:00 PM CDT (115 mi) Arrive in Bowling Green, ky Game Time 6:00 PM CDT The bus drives us back after the game. we only have around 40 spots available.

Cost is $35.00 per person and you can purchase a game ticket upon arrival for $5.00

T O

R E S E R V E

S E A T

P L E A S E

C A L L

3 6 3 - 0 6 0 9 !

PAGE 22

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

keep up on all the latest cardinal news!

HOWIE LINDSEY’S

CARDINAL STARS OF THE WEEK

OKORO

WARGO

CHINWE OkORO - WOMEN’S TRACk AND FIELD The senior from Darien, Ill., won the discus title at the Tennessee Challenge in Knoxville last weekend. She won with a current national-best heave of 183 feet, 5 inches (55.90m). She also took second in the shot put. Okoro has won all three discus events she has competed in this season. She won the Nigerian shot put title during the summer of 2011 and has been a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honoree in each of her three seasons on campus.

MATTIAS WOLTER - MEN’S TRACk AND FIELD The sophomore from Conquerall Mills, Nova Scotia, had a strong showing in his 3,000m steeplechase debut, taking second at the Tennessee Challenge last weekend. His time of 8:56.51 was second to only former two-time UofL national champion Matt Hughes, who graduated last spring and was competing as an unaffiliated runner. Wolter represented Canada at the 2009 and 2010 World Cross Country Championships and was part of the 2010 Canadian World Junior Team. WOLTER

IJAMES

YOUNG

MALEC

STEWART IJAMES - BASEBALL With his team-leading 10th home run of the season on Friday, the senior from Owensboro, Ky., moved into a tie for eighth on the Cardinals’ career home run list at 43 with Richie Hawks (1988-91). With his two RBIs on Friday, Ijames has 184 for his career, tied for eighth in school history with Rob Newman (198992). Ijames doubled in four at-bats during Louisville’s 6-3 loss to the Hoyas Saturday. He is hitting .299 this season with seven doubles, 37 RBIs and a .615 slugging percentage. He has been walked 17 times. TyLER yOUNG - BASEBALL The sophomore infielder from Coatesville, Pa., is leading the team with a .378 batting average through 30 games played this season. He has 34 hits in 90 atbats and has been walked 10 times. His .486 on-base percentage also is best on the team. He has five doubles, two triples and three home runs. He also is a perfect 9 for 9 on stolen bases. Young is vastly improved from his .209 average his freshman year, when he started 35 of Louisville’s 52 games. Young was a highly ranked high school prospect who participated in the 2008 World Wood Bat Baseball Association Underclass World Championship and the 2008 World Wood Bat Association 16U National Championship. CHRIS MALEC - MEN’S GOLF The junior from Webster, N.Y., was Louisville’s top finisher at the Irish Creek Collegiate Tournament in Kannapolic, N.C., that concluded April 1. He shot 71-67-70 for a three-round score of 208 and an eighth-place individual finish. Malec helped Louisville finish ninth in the tournament with a 290-288296=874. The Cardinals return to action this Saturday and Sunday at the NC State Wolfpack Invitational in Raleigh. Malec played in four tourneys during the fall season last year, averaging 76.5 strokes per round. PEDRO OLIVEIRA - MEN’S SWIMMING The senior from Rio Maior, Portugal, set a Portuguese national record in the morning prelims during the second day of competition at the Indianapolis Grand Prix in the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis on March 30. Then he was timed in 2:00.44 to finish fourth in the 200-back in the finals of the elite event. Olveira competed for Portugal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

OLIVEIRA

AMERICA’S FOREMOST AUTHORITy ON UofL ATHLETICS

❑ New ❑ Renewal ❑ Address Change Please send me a 2012-2013 subscription for $53.95 ($57.19 w/ tax)

❑ JENNA WARGO - WOMEN’S TRACk AND FIELD The sophomore from Lewisburg, Pa., also captured a victory in the field events at the Tennessee Challenge, winning the javelin throw with a current nationalbest throw of 170 feet, 9 inches (52.04m). It’s her second straight victory in the javelin throw this season after opening the year with a second-place finish at the Bulls Invitational in Florida. Wargo earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors as a freshman and won the Border Battle javelin title last spring.

APRIL 11, 2012

TOTAL $

* Add $2 if you’d like a gift card sent to the recipient.

❑ My check or money order payable to The Louisville SportsReport is enclosed. ❑ Charge to my: ❑ VISA ❑ Mastercard Expiration Date

Card Number: I

My NAME AND ADDRESS SUBSCRIPTION NO. NAME ADDRESS CITY

STATE

ZIP CODE

PHONE NO.

Please mail payment to: The Louisville SportsReport • P.O. Box 17464 • Louisville, ky 40217 For additional information; to order a gift subscription or to change your address, please call (502) 636-4330

TRAVEL WITH THE

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT!

Check out our facebook page at facebook.com/louisvillesportsreport for an updated listing of our future travel deals exclusively for Louisville fans. Our next trip is Tuesday, may 1 to WKU for Louisville baseball for just $35/PERSON (TICDKETS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST) CALL (502) 363-0609 TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 27

PAGE 24

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

APRIL 11, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT’S CARDINAL KIDS

Howard Joseph Lindsey IV, the son of the Louisville SportsReport’s Howie Lindsey and his wife, Stasia, likes watching the Cardinals with his Mom while his Dad covers the team.

Spencer Schumacher made the trip to Milwaukee to cheer on the Cards at Marquette.

The Lala girls (L. to R., Taylor, Morgan and Abby) enjoyed a recent game at the Yum! Center. The girls are the children of Les and Norie Lala.

Davy Dowell, 11 months old, attended his ﬁrst Louisville game when the Cardinals beat Long Beach State.

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT • PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID

Tegan Nally, 5 months old, had her game face on for the UofL-UK game.

DO YOU KNOW A CARDINAL KID? SUBMIT A PICTURE OF YOUR CARDINAL KID BY SENDING AN EMAIL TO: MYCARDINALKID@GMAIL.COM

Raley Sue is a Cardinal Kid.

Six year-old Keegan Shramovich at his ﬁrst UofL basketball game in the KFC Yum! Center. His parents are Kevin and Kristin Shramovich.