This writer has never been one to check recruiting services for the next great super stars. But it’s obvious that the University of Louisville women’s basketball team has missed out on some major prospects from the community over the years.
Grace Berger, a former Sacred Heart player, just finished a marvelous career at Indiana University. Berger was drafted in the first round by the Indiana Fever on Wednesday.
Berger averaged 12.9 points and 5.8 assists per game in helping the Hoosiers turn around a stagnant program. She shot 45.8 percent from three and scored over 5,000 points during a five-year period. Berger also overcame numerous injuries, including one this past season.
Your truly has always favored Louisville or Kentucky players or even Southern Indiana athletes.. Maybe Walz didn’t like her game. He prefers quick guards and smaller forwards with quickness. That’s just his style. Maybe Berger wanted to get out of town and see college life as a student on her own. She was good enough to start and was on the Kentucky All-Star team that played Indiana.
Ties between the UofL basketball program and Sacred Heart have never been that strong, which is a shame when one considers that Sacred Heart just won its third consecutive state basketball championship. Most of their good players go elsewhere. Nevertheless, Walz should have gone after her harder. She is a talented team player and would have been a good fit at UofL.
Former Miss Kentucky Basketball players to come out of Sacred Heart also include Crystal Kelly and Carley Ulmerod. Kelly played at Western Kentucky University where she still holds numerous records, including total points (2,803), points per game (21.6), rebounds (1,258), field goals made (953), field-goal percentage (61.7) and free throws made (885). Ulmerod played four seasons at the University of Kentucky.
Sacred Heart is coached by Donna Moir, who played basketball at the University of Cincinnati. Maybe an introduction is in order?