The good news on the basketball recruiting front is that Tyreke Evans is no longer mentioning the University of Louisville. The 6-foot-9 guard announced that he has narrowed his options to Memphis, Villanova, Connecticut and Texas. No surprise to Rick Pitino, who by all reports, quit recruiting Evans months ago.

Surprising to see Villanova still being mentioned. Not good to be in the company of Memphis when it comes to recruiting. Players who keep putting off their decisions, keep schools guessing and schools kowtowing to them, often have other questionable concerns on their agendas. The guess here is that he goes to a Caliperi-coached team.

Evans is keeping his suitors on the edge of their seats. “I’m going to see how they play from the regular season to the tournament, see how they do things different,” Evans told a reporter. “I’m going to look at everything. I won’t base it on winning the ‘ship. But I am going to look at stuff, though.”

Like those coaches had better have their stuff together, huh?

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Samardo Watch — Fans who want a glimpse into the future should circle Saturday, April 12 on their calendar to see U of L- bound Samardo Samuels, the real prize of the 2008 recruiting class. Samuels will be playing on the World Select Team against a team of players from the United States in the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Ore. The game will be televised on the Fox Sports Network at 4 p.m. Had a chance to see Samuels in action at a Pitino basketball camp. He is an incredibly gifted athlete.

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Another Lady Cards Win — The Card Game poll on what to call Jeff Walz’ team has been concluded. Of the thirty-nine people who participated in the poll, 69.2% favored the Lady Cards, 15.4% preferred U of L Women, and 15.4% indicated they are okay with either description. This observer likes to mix it up to avoid being redundant. Sonja, our ace Walz team reporter, seems to prefer U of L women these days. Nothing wrong with either and the players themselves don’t seem to have a preference; their top priority is winning basketball games, and that’s the way it should be. And how about Sonja’s insights? None better, anywhere.

 

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By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.