Economy Claims Corporate Supporter

Soaring gas prices, intense competition and the tight credit market have claimed another victim, the C. W. Express trucking company, which has been a longtime supporter of University of Louisville athletics. The final straw was an inability to pay bank loans.

The company was founded in 1987 by Charlie Johnson and Wade Houston and his wife, Alice Houston. Wade Houston, of course, is a former assistant U of L basketball coach and was head coach at Tennessee.

Wade Houston still serves on the board of the U of L Athletic Association. Alice Houston is a board member of the Louisville Arena Authority, which is pursuing a new downtown arena, and Greater Louisville, Inc. Wade was the primary basketball recruiter at UofL for Denny Crum from 1973 to 1989. Few fans will argue that recruiting suffered after Houston left Crum’s program for the Tennessee post.

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New Pitino Assistant – Matt Grady, assistant basketball coach at New Mexico State, is reportedly leaving that program to join Rick Pitino’s staff as an assistant coach at UofL. Grady previously worked with Pitino for two years as a graduate assistant coordinating team video operations and organizing camps.  He was a bench assistant to Marvin Menzies at NMS last season, assisting in the preparation of game plans and recruiting. He also worked under Mick Cronin when Cronin was at Murray State.

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Farley To Spain – Terrence Farley is taking his winning personality to Spain. There he will suit up with the Baloncesto Archena, which was league runner-up last season is in the bronze division – the third level – of the Spanish professional league.