Turning 60

I know what’s wrong with it. Let me tell you what’s right about it. Surprise party thrown by my two great friends Tom  and Allison O'Grady and Shannon Weaver. Great night with my family and special friends. Thanks Tom, you are the best.

Pictures: My wife and friend Catherine Banks put together a medley of memories in the form of photos. Lynn Carmicle looks younger today, but her husband Ron has gotten old and gray.  Jodi DiRamo at 80 still looks like a mafia Don. My wife looks better today than those high school prom pictures.  It was a great night, a big thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate.

Now to a more important topic, our team:

The players are working hard. I’ll separate the players into backcourt and frontcourt.

Backcourt

Peyton and Kevin are stick outs.

Kevin Ware - We have reconstructed his jump shot.  Looks great and he is becoming more confident with each practice.

Peyton Siva - Still occasionally falling back on his jump shot. This will force players to shoot on the way down. Outside that minor flaw, he looks terrific. His thoroughbred namesake will leave Ocala and be shipped to Louisville. We are hoping that Dale Romans can work his magic with Siva at the fall meet at Churchill Downs.  Just hope this horse stays on his feet more than Peyton.

Russdiculous - sprained his ankle and missed both practices. It happened when he made up his mind to drive to the basket and hurdle three defenders.  Not much has changed.

Tim Henderson - Did some positive things, but needs to cut down on turnovers.

Luke Hancock and Mike Marra are ten days away from practicing.

Frontcourt

Gorgui Dieng - Practiced well. Still has to become a better rebounder and passer.  He looks great and we will continue to work on his deficiencies.

Chane Behanan - Played well but needs to spend more time on his jumper.  He’s close to becoming a good shooter.  Only more work in the gym will make it happen.

Wayne Blackshear - Conditioning, conditioning, conditioning. He needs that the most. When that happens, his game will blossom.  It will take time and a better diet. His game is terrific now, we just need to get him in Louisville shape.

Angel Nunez - Struggles when pressured.  He needs to learn how to score by moving without the ball.  Once he becomes fundamentally sound, he will contribute to our success.

Montrezl Harrell - Plays hard and competes as well as anyone on our team.  Playing against Chane and Gorgui will make him better every practice.

Mangok Mathiang - Still deciding whether to redshirt him. He has tools to help us but needs strength and weight.

Zach Price - Slow progression is occurring.  He reminds me of Nazr Mohammed in terms of slow development. Better conditioning will also help his game immensely.

Stephan Van Treese – Steady. He had two good practices.

The scrimmages will tell a great deal about our offenses and defenses

The Plusses:

+ This team has great attitude and work ethic.

+ They are a close group and understand how much effort is needed to win.

+ If they continue to be humble and hungry, success will find them

+ Our practices have been good and will get significantly better with the addition of Luke and Mike.

Closing Thoughts

Heading down to Miami for the revenge football game vs. FIU. Trying to get Richard to agree that the loser buys dinner. Cheapskate won’t do it.

Congrats to the Volleyball team for cracking the top ten. On the links, our women’s golf team won the Cardinal Cup this week and the men have finished second in their two tournaments this fall. The Cardinals’ men’s cross country team has raced to victories in its first two events of the year. UofL fall sports teams are off to a great start with a combined 29-7 record this fall.

Recruiting is exciting and gratifying…