Someone's got a new favorite player...

I love this kid. 6'2'', 150lbs soaking wet, fearless, and eager to wear the Louisville uniform. This video gets really good around the 4:13 mark...

Success is a choice

It wasn't about Teague so much, was it? It was about Rick Pitino. It was about whether the weathered coach still had it. It was to see if the thorn in his side, John Calipari, had grown into a dagger. Needless to say, there's no shortage of commenters around the Bluegrass dancing around the grave of Pitino's career.

But I'm still not sure just what that means. His literal demise? His firing? The end of his relavance as a college basketball force?

I'll assume most mean the latter, because as we've said before at Cardinal Laws, Tom Jurich will never ask Pitino to leave, nor should he. This is not a situation akin to the late Denny Crum years, when the wheels had fallen off. Pitino is still landing good players, we are one year removed from having the best team in the country heading into March.  Louisville is still competing at a high level.

But there's a wave of Cali-panic shuddering the city, and some of it is valid. As I said before, no one has ever recruited like this before, and will not again once the one-and-done rule is altered (which, ironically, Cal may manage to spur by himself. It'll be called the Calipari-rule, I promise you).

But the late-year-Denny-Era comparisons aren't completely inappropriate. If Pitino and Louisville part ways, it won't be a "firing", it'll be a transition of power. Polite euphemism maybe, but the fact remains that Pitino and UofL will part as dignified allies, whenever that is.

But what I want to know, what everyone wants to know, is how much fire still exists in Pitino's belly. There's a fine book about Muhammad Ali, written by the great (late) middleweight champion Jose Torres. In it he describes boxers as "the ultimate liars". They tell themselves things. They are competitors, at the most raw and instinct-driven level. They tell themselves and the world that they are great, untouchable. They have too.

But, as Torres writes, deep down every one secretly knows the truth. "Do I got this chump, or does this chump got me?" It's almost ineffable, but anyone that's engaged in sport probably recognizes an inkling of the sentiment.

If Rick Pitino believes, in his heart of hearts, that he can coach the Cards to a title, than I am ready to back him once more. Despite the titillating soap opera, that is the only thing I care about. Pitino is a Hall of Famer, but if there's no "there there" anymore, a change must be made. If we must take two steps back in order to move forward, so be it.  I don't think I'm alone.

If Pitino is continuing at Louisville only out of pride, stubbornness, and the frank reality that he doesn't know what else to do, well, both parties deserve better. There are worse things than a graceful transition of power.

The identity of UofL basketball is based on a high-flying tradition of breezy, easy execellence. In two words? Winning. Fun.

But lately it's become a grind; for the team, for the coach, for the fans. I'm ready to step forward, but whether that step should be taken in Versace soles remains to be seen.

Thoughts while filling out the job application to replace Shabaka Lands...

WHAT LOSING MARQUIS TEAGUE MEANS

* Pitino has lost his fastball, and his curveball is starting to hang

Losing Teague wouldn't have been such a big deal, but Pitino made it so by publicly pushing all his chips in the middle. In numerous press conferences, he repeatedly made a point of bringing up his tireless recruiting efforts, claiming he's putting in more recruiting hours than at any point in his career. When last season was going south, he was the one that promised the 2011 monster class, etc.

Well, the prize jewel of the class is gone, 5-star big man Michael Chandler is drifting. Will Wayne Blackshear follow suit? Would you be a bit surprised if he did? The "monster" class he promised is evaporating, at a time when he's claiming to be putting more emphasis onto recruiting than ever before. What other conclusion can one draw?

* Calipari has brought recruiting to unprecedented levels

I don't think I ever underestimated Calipari's recruiting abilities. I think I underestimated the appeal that the culture he's created has on young recruits. One when Cal's on a first name basis with LeBron, talking on the phone with President Obama, when Drake comes to perform at Midnight Madness, when magazines lavish praise, when you can call your head coach "Cal", when he promises not to tinker with your game too much, and when he won't hold you back when you declare for the pros.

These guys aren't selecting "colleges", they're selecting a 8-month destination to prep before turning pro. The environment at UK, the way it appeals to many teenage stars, it cannot be matched by anyone right now.

WHAT LOSING MARQUIS TEAGUE DOES NOT MEAN

* Louisville basketball has been dealt a blow from which it will take years to recover

If I had a Sacagawea dollar for every time someone shook their head in faux-concern over the latest "devastating blow" to Louisville b-ball, I'd possess many Sacagawea dollars. It's a favorite pasttime of those with other agendas. Despite how many times anyone says or writes "Cal is taking over the state", it remains idiotic.

This is not a game of Risk, and Louisville and its proud program aren't going anywhere. The number of Louisville fans, the facilities, the athletic budget, they're all the same as they were 24 hours ago. Recruiting is an inexact science, and there are talented players all over the country. The Cards will continue to find them.

* Louisville fans should try to engage UK fans in argument 

Seriously guys, don't. Not right now. Our connection to objective reality has always separated us from the Blue. To try and spin this in any way that does not acknowledge today's news as a major disappointment is preposterous. We lost the head to head matchup last season, the Cats went further in the tourney, we've lost 3 straight in football, and we just had one of the most elite prospects in program history plucked from us.

Don't bitch. Don't moan. And don't give ever, ever give in.

Get better.

It's official

Teague to the Cats. And the depth of emotion the Louisville faithful are feeling can only be expressed through pirated Youtube clips...

Teague a Cat?

Well...fuck.

After a two-year long recruitment where everything was kept tightly to the chest, word's leaked that Teague will be committing to the Wildcats at 1:30 this afternoon. It began with a text from fellow recruit Tony Wroten leaking the news via twitter, an unreliable source if there ever was one, but everyone else seemed to get on board quickly. So while I'm yet to learn the actual "fire", there's a huge amount of smoke, at this stage of recruiting that's typically the ballgame.

Barring a miracle, this will be the unholy cap to what has been a crappy week all around for Louisville basketball. You'll hear all the typical hyperbole, some of it is valid, but I do have some sympathy for these sentiments expressed by a writer at CardChronicle. I mean, this isn't indentured servitude, if a kid makes a choice, what's he supposed to do?

I'm going back to bed. Wake me when the universe is corrected.

Samaki and GloZell

Tomorrow we'll learn the outcome of the biggest head to head recruiting battle between the Cards and Cats since Samaki Walker. So let's take a trip down memory lane and seek some wisdom from Mr. Walker on this Teague Eve.

The first clip shows some grainy highlights from the triple-double Walker posted on the Cats on New Year's Day, '95. The second is a bizarre interview conducted by GloZell, you can watch Samaki espouse his thoughts on everything from Middle Eastern customs, dating diverse women, and bubbly GloZell's "talented hands". Good stuff.

And knowing is half the battle

Sports Illustrated provides some background information and anaylzes the most frequently asked questions about the Big Ten expansion.

Hooked on Phonics

Smee: I've just had an apostrophe.
Cpt. Hook: I think you mean an epiphany.
Smee: Lightning 'as just struck my brain.
Cpt. Hook: That must have hurt.

Let me say in advance, you're welcome. I've put my beautiful mind to work and I think I've solved our little arena name problem. I was stewing about the stupidity of the moniker yesterday, trying to figure what it would ultimately be called, at least in a conversational sense. Needless to say, no one's saying, "Hey, I'm heading down to the KFC YUM! Center tonight...no..no, not that one, the one downtown. Wanna meet up after?"

So what will it be called? I started just saying it faster, to see if it sounded less stupid that way. KFC-YUM, KFC-YUM, KFC-YUM. You break it down phonetically and say it quickly and you get Kay Eff See 'Em.

I repeated it a few times till the syllables became divorced from their former meaning, and that's when it hit me. The name bears striking linguistic similarity to the Colosseum, the most famous sports arena in history. Though its fast food ties are lost to history, the Colosseum was the Roman epicenter of sports for centuries. And now we've found its successor.

Behold the Kayefsseum, the marvel of the ages. You can tear that old one down now.

Life without Samardo

I'm on record as stating I do not think this will be the case. In fact, what worries me more than him actually being drafted is that Samardo will listen to some JBA idiot this offseason, and do something stupid to destroy his amateur status and unwittingly turn himself pro. I doubt that Ajani Williams has a tremendous working knowledge of NCAA bylaws.

Let's be honest, there's not much to do while we wait for Marquis Teague's announcement tomorrow, so let's entertain the hypothetical.

Without Samardo next season, the Cards would be a completely different team. Okay, that was a waste of a sentence. Let me try again. Without Samardo next season, how much worse would the Cards be?

In my opinion, the dropoff would not be that great. Samardo is, without a doubt, our most skilled scorer when put in the right position. But he is a poor defensive player and a subpar rebounder. While his rebounding may improve next year, he is unlikely to become a defensive stopper. For one, you can't teach mean, and Samardo's not mean. Two, he's only 6'9'' and while he's a good athlete, he's not a great one (I've put a moratorium on the phrase "below the rim player"). His height seems to be the overlooked aspect of his pro evaluation; he's extremely broad, the reason he's good on offense, but he lacks the length on defense, and that's not going to change.

You cannot gauge the energy-sapping effect getting brutalized in the post on defense has on a team, it doesn't lend itself to statistics. But I imagine it's extremely deflating to get dunked on again and again. And it's no stretch to think that kind of "softness" bleeds over to the entire team.

If there is one thing that could shock Terrence Jennings out of lethargy, I think it would be putting such a large responsibility on his shoulders. I have a gut feeling he would rise to the challenge. It's unlikely TJ could fill the scoring gap, but he could make us a more formidable defensive team, and bring a lot of positive energy to the floor. No one would benefit more from a having a slippery point guard and driving wing than Jennings; the best way to gain offensive confidence is by getting continuous uncontested dunks and easy tip-ins.

I think the ceiling for next season's streamlined team is high, with or without Samardo Samuels. But it sure would be nice to have the option.

On Samuels and Coleman

Samardo will test his NBA draft stock, but will not hire an agent, according to a statement released by the university today.

Pitino must be furious over the timing, a mere couple hours after he announced in a press conference (when he was in startling good spirits) that everyone would be returning. You could sense the frustration in the carefully and forcefully worded statement. Pitino said, "He will not hire an agent, and I will orchestrate his NBA visits from my office." I'm fairly confident I know how those visits will go, and would be very surprised if his name remains in the draft.

And yes, Mr. Black, the CJ has now gotten on board with the story. But your question remains, why were they so slow on this?

In more positive news, Justin Coleman has signed his Letter of Intent to Louisville. He is yet to qualify academically, however, and some (including Jody Demling) have expressed doubt that he will.

Watch out if he does, though. Pitino's offense is a different animal with his kind of explosiveness at the wing. And more importantly, if he doesn't qualify that would all but seal my fate in our little gentlemen's bet. C'mon Justin, hit those books!

Interesting side note in all this...

Unless I missed it, there is still nothing on the Samardo situation reported on the CJ's web site. If the story turns out to be false, it can serve as an example of the print media proving its mettle by being cautious and not taking at face value the assertions of something called the Jamaican Basketball Association. If the story turns out to be true, the CJ will have been asleep at the wheel; at the least, it should have reported that an organization claiming to represent Samardo had made the claim that he was going pro.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

Has there ever been a time in Louisville athletics defined by utter excitement and promise, but equally by anxiety and uncertainty?

Charlie Strong has been embraced with open arms, he's bringing in recruits with talent unseen since the days of Brian Brohm, Michael Bush, and Elvis Dumervil. Tom Jurich is bursting with pride showing off the new addition and improvements made to the Papa. Ticket sales are way up.

But after working for so long to move into a BCS conference, its future is now very much in doubt. Should the worst occur, men like Mike Trangehese and Tom Jurich, not known for passivity, readily acknowledge that they are at a loss as to a course of action. If the conference is ransacked, how long before the next domino falls, when will the BCS bowl affiliation be pulled? And how long do you think Charlie Strong will continue to coach for a non-BCS school?

In the roundball universe, things are in a similar state of flux. Despite the occassional nut writing into the CJ, there are few Louisvillians not bursting with anticipation for the new downtown arena. Maybe it's just the Derby Time optimism at work, but the arena has spurred a new wave of civic pride, one that's been transposed onto downtown as a whole and its continued revitalization. We've locked up Pitino with a contract extension, and if we get good news at 1:30 on Thursday, we'll be in a position to hang banners in 2011.

But there are nagging doubts. The pending Sypher-trial will put Louisville basketball back into the headlines for the wrong reasons, the lines of communications have broken between the big man of the present, Samardo, and the big man of the future, Michael Chandler. And if the news is bad at 1:30 on Thursday, no amount of sugarcoating will be able to hide the fact that the balance of power in the state has swung to the dark side.

But it sure isn't boring. In the words of historian John Hope, "One feels the excitement of hearing an untold story."

Oh, Mardo

My internet goes down for a few short hours, and now I'll be playing catch-up for the next 3 days. Apparently Samardo Samuels, close runner-up to Edgar Sosa for Most Schizophrenic player honors last season, may or may not have stumbled his way into the NBA draft.

While it's a complete shock from a "readiness" standpoint and embarassing from a PR standpoint, it is NOT all that surprising from a personality standpoint. Though not all of this post holds up, I did see some of the writing on the walls last season. While he was ever able to match his dominant performance against Notre Dame, he did flash his potential. I don't pretend to understand the bizarre calculus of NBA-scouting, but I do know it has more to do with potential than actual college performance and statistics.

More, importantly, however, it was painted all over his face. Samardo's body language was a topic of every post-game conversation, his response to the Pitino-to-Nets rumors was cryptic, his interactions with teammates was at times odd (though he meant it differently, I'm thinking of Sosa referring to Samardo's "babyish" attitude his freshman year).

Surprising, not surprising, either way it's a flat-out mistake, and you'd be hardpressed to find anyone not affiliated with the Jamaican Basketball Association to argue otherwise. The 6'9'' behemoth still has a lot of growing to do.

Stupid idea, Samardo, Stupid!

A rumor that has been bouncing around since late this afternoon (Adam Zagoria reported it on twitter) is that Samardo Samuels has declared for the NBA draft. Apparently, the Jamaican Basketball Association has made that announcement on Samardo's behalf. However, this is in direct contrast with Rick Pitino's earlier statement at today's press conference that "everybody will be back" next year (see 27-minute mark in the video). From what I gather, all the camps are now calling each other and trying to straighten out the story and figure out what's true. Nothing on the CJ's web site about this as of yet. The question now seems to be, where the hell is Samardo, what thoughts are passing through his mind, and (in the face of near consensus that he's not ready for the NBA draft) who is whispering in his ear?

Hat tip: CardChronicle

****UPDATE****

Card Chronicle located the text of the Jamaican basketball association announcement.

Pitino: "I did try to get the return game (moved) to 2019, but they didn't go for it..."

Rick Pitino announced today that Louisville will open its new downtown Yum Center against Butler on Nov. 16. He also announced that Louisville will play a return game at Butler (in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse) during the 2011-2012 season. Due to its magnetic run this year in the tournament, Butler is expected next season to be in the preseason Top Five. So here it is... while we didn't get Duke, facing off against Butler has terrific big game potential: a great matchup, a seismic event that will draw lots of national attention to Louisville, and the perfect showcase for everyone to see me win my Bud Select bet with Mr. Red. Video link of Pitino's press conference here, article here. For some of our thoughts on next season, see previous posts here, here, here, here, and here. (Sorry for the overload, but man it's great to be excited about college hoops again! Go Cards!)

What I want want want is whatchou want want want, give to me Charlie like boom boom boom

Robert Terell, four-star defensive tackle from Alabama committed to Louisville after the Friday night Spring Game. 6'1'', 240lbs, and looks lightning quick. Here's some highlights.

KFC Yum Center!

That's the official name of the new jewel on the river. Not to be confused with the Yum Center already in existence. Doesn't exactly roll of your tongue like Freedom Hall, does it? Sigh. This makes me sad.

Now, where the hell did I put my sandwich?

Who's up first?

Some breaking news. A press conference has been scheduled for noon o'clock, when Coach Pitino will announce the Cards first opponent in the downtown arena. Since they're getting the coach in front of the camera, I'm expecting good news, i.e. the defending champion Duke Bluedevils or a similar big name opponent. I don't think they'd schedule a presser to announce a Transylvania matchup.

***UPDATE***
Rick Bozich reports, or opines forcefully, that the matchup will NOT be Duke, and may be South Carolina, stating it "makes the most sense" from an marketing perspective. I really wish he'd elaborate on these things.