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Recent Highlights From Three Of UofL’s Four 2019 Commits
Samuell Williamson
Photo Courtesy of Samuell Williamson’s Twitter Account (@S_Williamson35)
Two weekends ago, Chris Mack picked up a huge commitment from 2019 4 Star SF Samuell Williamson. The 6’6 Texas native is 45th ranked player in the 2019 class per 247sports composite rankings.
2019 4 Star Trinity G David Johnson Re-commits To UofL Basketball
Photo Courtesy of David Johnson’s Twitter Account (@_daveordavid_)
Trinity High School’s David Johnson committed to Rick Pitino and his hometown UofL Cardinals back in September 2017, but ended up decommitting when the FBI scandal broke. Now, just a year later, Johnson, a 6’5 170 lbs G, has recommitted to Coach Chris Mack and the Cards.
đ´âŤď¸âŞď¸đ #L1C4 pic.twitter.com/dzaT2ezdGI
— David johnson 㲠(@_daveordavid_) September 22, 2018
Johnson is a 4 Star G and the 72nd ranked player in 2019 per 247sports composite rankings. He chose UofL over Tom Crean and the Georgia Bulldogs.
Chris Mack Looks To Cement His 2019 Recruiting Class Next Weekend
Chris Mack has come in like a whirlwind, an irresistible force, and began rebuilding the brand of UofL Basketball; a brand that is as rich in tradition as any school.
Photo Courtesy of Chris Mack’s Twitter Account (@CoachChrisMack)
He started by welcoming all players from all eras to come home. Then, he set about transforming the current roster both in physical appearance and in their style of play. Now, he’s out on the recruiting trail showing the college basketball world that UofLâs brand is not dead; that, in fact, it was merely dormant and it is ready to rise up and enjoy a new birth of relevancy on the national stage.
2019 4 Star SF Samuell Williamson Commits To The Cards
Photo Courtesy of Samuell Williamson’s Twitter Account (@S_Williamson35)
Chris Mack has the Cardinal Caravan rolling as UofL picks up their third commitment for the 2019 class in 4 Star F Samuell Williamson.
C O M M I T T E D âźď¸đ´âŞď¸âŤď¸#GoCards pic.twitter.com/u8J77xyI3Y
— Samuell Williamson (@S_Williamson35) September 17, 2018
Williamson, a 6â6 180 lbs SF from Rockwall High School in Rockwall, TX, is ranked 44th overall in the 2019 class per 247sports composite rankings. He chose UofL over Kansas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Florida, and a host of other schools. Luke Murray was his primary recruiter.
I have watched highlights of Williamson, but we at @CardSportZone also got to see him in person at the open gym the UofL Basketball team held on Saturday. This guy is a cool customer on the court with a high basketball IQ and we came away highly impressed.
Williamson is in constant motion without the ball on offense; always forcing his defender to move and working his way to get open. He loves to get open in the corners for 3s. What stood out on his highlights and in the practice was that his movement isn’t a token gesture. He always moves with purpose; either to create spacing for teammates to work or to get open. He loves to go back door on over eager defenders for alley oops or layups.
However, Williamson can also handle the ball in the open court and in the half court. His ball handling is as smooth as his personality seems to be. He handles like a 6â2 PG and can actually run some point. It is entirely possible to run an offense through him if need be.
Photo Courtesy of Samuell Williamson’s Twitter Account (@S_Williamson35)
Williamson matches his ball handling with excellent court vision, awareness, and passing. In one of his highlights, he grabs a rebound, brings the ball up the court, and makes a nice pass between two unaware defenders to his teammate for an easy layup. At the open practice, he did an excellent job of feeding the post when a big had a favorable one on one matchup; he used very simple, crisp passes.
Top 2019 UofL Target Jaelyn Withers Visiting UofL This Weekend
Photo Courtesy of Phenom Hoop Report Twitter Account (@Phenom_Hoops)
Jaelyn Withers, one of UofL’s top 2019 targets, is set to officially visit campus this weekend.
UofL’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge Game Now Has A Time And Channel
We already knew UofL Basketball and Coach Chris Mack would be facing Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans on November 27th at the KFC Yum Center. What we didn’t know was the time of the game and the channel that would carry it…until now.
Chris Mack Talked With Jon Rothstein On His Weekly Podcast
Photo courtesy of 247Sports
UofL coach Chris Mack joined Jon Rothstein on his weekly “College Basketball Today” podcast Tuesday.
Coach Mack discussed why he chose to leave Xavier for UofL and what he thinks the ceiling is for the 2018-2019 Cardinals, among other topics.
Click the tweet above to give it a listen.
UofL Basketball Announces “Louisville Live” Event
Photo Courtesy of gocards.com
UofL Basketball announced this morning a special event for fans called “Louisville Live.” The event will be held at the unique venue of 4th Street Live from 7-9 pm on September 28th with admission beginning at 6 pm.
It’s a chance to wow recruits, let the players have some fun, and infuse the fan base with some much-needed excitement.
There will be plenty of activities for fans and, best of all, it’s free! Head on out to see new Coach Chris Mack and his 2018-2019 UofL squad. Click on the tweet above for the full details of the event.
CBS Sports Poll Of College Basketball Coaches Names The Best 2018 Coaching Hires
Photo courtesy of 247Sports
CBS Sports polled over 100 NCAA D1 coaches anonymously and asked them who the best coaching hire of 2018 was. By 1 percent of the vote, UofL’s hiring of Chris Mack was dubbed the best hire followed by UCONN’s hire of Dan Hurley. Mack garnered 32 percent of the votes to Hurley’s 31 percent.
CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander provides quotes from the anonymous coaches about the coaches in this poll, gives some background on those coaches, and also list previous winners of the poll. Last year’s winner was Archie Miller, by the way.
UofL Names Mens Basketball Captains
UofL Basketball announced that the captains for the upcoming season will be junior G/F V.J. King and grad transfer Christen Cunningham.
Big things are expected from King as he has completely transformed his body and appears primed for a big junior year under the tutelage of his new coach Chris Mack.
Cunningham, a grad transfer from Samford, is a prototypical PG. He’s a quick, pass-first, facilitator. Cunningham will likely be relied upon heavily by Coach Mack due to his experience and leadership abilities.
Both captains were chosen by vote of their teammates. You can read the full press release below which includes more information about the captains.
Men’s Basketball Buffs Up
Sooooo, it looks like Coach Mack made the right choice in his strength and conditioning coach…
UofL Men’s Basketball Tickets On Sale Now
Press release from the University of Louisville athletic department:
UofL Mens Basketball Season Tickets on Sale
LOUISVILLE, Ky. Season tickets for the University of Louisville’s 2018-19 20-game home men’s basketball schedule in the KFC Yum! Center are now available for purchase.
Under first year head coach Chris Mack, the Cardinals will face an impressive list of home games highlighted by teams such as Duke, Michigan State, North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia and Notre Dame. The Cardinals enter their ninth season in the spectacular 22,000-seat KFC Yum! Center with eight returning lettermen and four talented transfers among the accomplished UofL roster.
2019 UofL Commit Josh Nickelberry Shows Out In Inaugural Battle For Georgia AAU Tournament
Photo Courtesy of Adidas
2019 UofL Basketball commit Josh Nickelberry led his team, Game Elite Gold, to victory in the inaugural Battle for Georgia AAU tournament. His team competed in the 17U division, which was compiled of 8 teams. The tournament was filled with AAU teams that were Georgia based.
Nickelberry showed exactly why UofL fans will love him, as the 6’4 175 lbs G exhibited his shooting prowess all weekend. He rained down threes on every opponent Game Elite Gold faced. He also displayed some of his abilities as a passer and facilitator.
Photo Gallery: Jordan Nwora 17-18
Jordan Nwora enters his sophomore season with high expectations. His production as a freshman was solid, averaging 5 points, 2 rebounds and 43%(!) from 3. His recent play for team Nigeria in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers has garnered some significant buzz. His scoring ability will be valuable as his minutes increase next season.
UofL Basketball Adds Walk On From Division III College In Maine
Photo Courtesy of Matt Hanna’s Twitter Account (@MHanna_22)
UofL Basketball announced another new edition to the roster today when walk on Matt Hanna was added. Hanna is a 5’9 165 lbs G that played for Division III Colby College last season. You can read all the details about UofL’s new player in the press release below.
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT:
Matt Hanna joins UofL Mens Basketball Team
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Matt Hanna, a 5-9, 165-pound guard from Milford, Mass., who played a season at Colby College, has joined the University of Louisville mens basketball team as a walk-on.
Hanna started 23 games last season at Colby College, an NCAA Division III school located in Waterville, Maine. He averaged 11.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and a team-leading 3.3 assists during his freshman year with the Mules and ranked second on the team with 23 steals. He will redshirt the 2018-19 season at UofL and have three years of collegiate eligibility remaining.
Mack Continues To Work To Dissolve “Eras” Of UofL Basketball
Chris Mack promised at his opening press conference, there would no longer be “eras” when it came to UofL basketball. Three months on the job, and he has already shown how determined he is to keep that promise. The 2013 National Championship team held their 5 year celebration on Friday night and the former players talked about how Mack has gone above and beyond to make them feel welcomed on campus and in the program.
Photo Gallery: Malik Williams 17-18
Malik Williams enters his sophomore season at Louisville with big shoes to fill. He started 12 games last year as a freshman, but with the departure of Spalding and Mahmoud, Williams’ role will be increased. We saw flashes of his 3 point shooting abilities in limited minutes last year and he could be a dangerous weapon against opposing bigs this season.
UofL Basketball Hosting Some Elite Talent On Campus This Week
Coach Chris Mack has some very talented 2019 and 2020 players visiting UofL this week. He’s working hard to rebuild the brand and continue the tradition of UofL bringing in high level talent.
A 5 Star and a bunch of 4 Star players will be paying or have paid visits to campus to see what UofL and Coach Mack have to offer.
Here’s a rundown of each of these players.
QUDUS WAHAB
Photo Courtesy of Jody Demling/Cardinal Authority and 247sports.com
2019 4 Star C
- Height – 6’10
- Weight – 230 lbs
- High School – Flint Hill School (Ashburn, VA) originally from Nigeria
- Offer Date – 6/23/18
- Visit Date – 6/23/18
Wahab visited UofL on June 23 and left with an offer in hand. Mike Pegues is the lead recruiter for UofL. Other schools recruiting Wahab include Syracuse, UConn, Virginia Tech, and Clemson, among others per 247sports.
Khwan Fore Is Officially In The Fold For The Cards
Photo Courtesy of Louisville Men’s Basketball Twitter Account (@LouisvilleMBB)
Back on June 2, Khwan Fore committed to UofL as a grad transfer. Fore is a G that had played for the Richmond Spiders. Now Fore is officially part of the University of Louisville basketball roster after signing his financial aid papers today.
The 6’0 175 lbs G originally committed to Tennessee as a grad transfer in May before reopening his recruitment. He averaged 11.1 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game, and 1.7 steals per game for Richmond last year.
Fore is an athletic powerful G that will provide valuable minutes, likely from the bench. His defense and experience will be relied upon by Coach Mack.
By the way, he also loves to dunk. His dunking prowess at Richmond was such that Richmond made a YouTube video studying the physics of his dunks (thanks to John Lewis of WDRB for finding this awesome video and tweeting about it). Check it out below. Lets bring back the Doctors of Dunk and the Dunking Cardinal.
A Cardinal Returns To The Nest: Akoy Agau Is Back At UofL
Photo Courtesy of scout.com and 247sports.com
A prodigal son has returned to UofL Basketball; a player long forgotten after he transferred to Georgetown. Chris Mack has brought back Akoy Agau as a grad transfer. So, Agau’s career has now come full circle and shall end where it began. This has been in the works for a few weeks.
Agau, a 6’8 230 lbs F from NE, played at UofL for 2 seasons. While he did show a little promise in very limited playing time, he never quite capitalized on it.
The inability of Agau to reach his potential likely has to do with two issues. The first is Agau having to battle Montrezl Harrell for playing time. Obviously, it was a losing battle for him competing against a future pro for playing time.
