Terrence Williams has recovered, no doubt. It shows from the opening tip, in his demeanor, in how he approaches opportunities, the smile. the shots, the rebounds, even the patience — they’re all back.
T-Will has spent the last three seasons perfecting his shot, starting with some god-awful mechanics and terrible shooting percentages. Working on his mechanics, always working, even adopting a shooting sling. Suffering a severe wrist strain, not even taking a shot two games ago. Yes, he’s back, and right on schedule as Rick Pitino promised, comfortable, natural, keeping the elbow into the side.
T-Will’s back to stay, too much at stake and he loves what he’s doing at Louisville.
— Twisting, turning, bumping, tripping down the lane, the ball rolling in for Earl Clark. But six turnovers? Meanwhile, keep pulling down those eight or nine rebounds per game, keep making life difficult for the opposition on the defensive end. Turnovers gotta cease.
–Preston Knowles can hit some of the most difficult three-point shots. He knows it, he’s confident, and he’s going to keep doing it. Clutch on offense, clutch on defense.
— Andre McGee is easy to overlook unless he’s the player guarding you. Just ask UC’s Deonta Vaughn, nine points in the first half, zero in the second. Ever notice that McGee always seems to get his three to six points precisely when they are needed.
— Samardo Samuels may have been shut down a few times this season but he doesn’t let it bother him for long. Just puts his head down, keeps going in for more, making key baskets, precious rebounds.
— Edgar Sosa showing new gears occasionally, little bursts of speed, new approaches to the basket, avoiding the traffic james in the middle. Interesting.
* * *
Angel McCoughtry scored 34 points to lead the Lady Cards to a 70-56 win over Villanova at Philadelphia. Candyce Bingham added 12 and Keshia Hines had 10 for Louisville (25-3, 12-2 Big East), which is off to its best start after 28 games in school history. The Cardinals shot 57 percent (27-for-47) from the field. Sonja’s report.
* * *
The Baseball Cards are limping out of the gate at Gainesville, having dropped the first two games of the season against the University of Florida, 6-4 and 10-4, respectively. All-America third baseman Chris Dominguez has been held hitless thus far.
Cronin’s dad is still a high school coaching legend in the Cincy area. No doubt that Mick has been privy to great coaching philosophies during his time as an assistant. The “Cronin as head coach” phase will likely be given a long run at UC. He’s non-controversial, unlike Huggins or Kennedy. He’s improved the won-loss record each year. Vaughn will be back next year and Mitchell is a definite three point threat. Whether they can join the elite four or five top programs in the Big East remains to be seen, but if Cronin can get the Bearcats to 20 wins a year and the occasional NCAA appearance, he’ll have a job up there as long as he wants it. I’ve also seen a little more “fire” out of him on the sidelines and he does interviews much better than his days at Murray State.
He’s also popular with the fan base..a base that dwindled considerably after Huggins departure but is slowly rebuilding. He’s a great recruiter, like mentioned earlier in these comments, but he does look like the kid leaning against the fence in the playground watching the big guys play basketball, doesn’t he?
I enjoyed that win. And T-Will is back – having fun out there.
But I just have to say, I am not an Earl Clark fan. I believe he is very over-rated. If not for T-Will (and the great play from Preston/Jennings), what would the Cards’ record be? It seems to me that Earl Clark makes the dumbest turnovers at very important stages of the game — a momentum killer. And he always seems to clunk a short 10-footer…or be way off on a three-pointer when the Cards need it most. I try not to be overly critical of Clark – he does put up the numbers – nearly a double-double…and has made a huge difference at times. I just don’t like seeing so many turnovers at the wrong time. That could be what stops them in the tournament. I hope not. Go Cards!
Sosa may be coming around. That’s good to see. But we’ve got to help Earl hang on to the ball.
I noticed that Paul, no Rolex for Mick. Mick still seems like a kid, you know the kid that hangs around the gym all the time. Can’t play, you know that. He can recruit. Can he coach? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Knowles really sparked us off the bench today. This UC team is going to be a dangerous first round opponent for someone in the BE tourney. Anyone else notice the quick, nonpersonal greeting Cronin and Pitino gave each other after the game?
Figured teacher and student would exchangeat least a few words.
I’ve seen Mick down here at Churchill a few times during last summer’s meet. Great guy to talk to and knows a thing or two about handicapping.