Subscribe to SI
Give the Gift of SI
Extra MustardSI On CampusFantasyPhoto GalleriesSwimsuitVideoFanNationSI KidsTNT
Talk hoops all year long in Luke Winn's blog, a journal of commentary, news and reader-driven discussions about the college game.
9/06/2006 12:47:00 PM

WHAT WE LEARNED FROM ...
Louisville's Canadian Tour

Caracter
Derrick Caracter, shown here in the 2005 ABCD camp, is a potential post force for Louisville.
Michael J. LeBrecht/1deuce3
The Cardinals went 3-0 over the weekend in Ontario.

1. While Brandon Jenkins is recovering from a broken leg he suffered in a pickup game in mid-August -- and seriously considering redshirting -- a fierce battle is brewing for the Cardinals' point-guard spot. Freshman Edgar Sosa, a four-star New York recruit whom coach Rick Pitino calls a "smaller Francisco Garcia," is challenging sophomore Andre McGee, who is more of a scorer than a playmaker. The duo combined for just seven turnovers in 100 minutes played in Canada; Sosa had just three in 46 minutes and McGee had four in 54 while looking like an effective leader. "What's made Andre a much better basketball player -- better shooter and better shape -- is the arrival of Edgar," Pitino told the Louisville Courier-Journal. "They both know they're very close. They do different things, so it brings out the best in them."

2. Five-star freshman Derrick Caracter -- a massive forward in the Big Baby mold -- had to be held off the trip due to what Pitino deemed a "very minor" amateurism issue. Pitino has said Caracter can be "the most dominating high school player I've ever had" -- as long as he gets his weight down and learns to play defense. Caracter arrived at Louisville this summer around 318 and has since dropped to 295, but Pitino wants him down to 275 for the season. If Caracter is in shape, he's enough of a dominating force on offense that the 'Ville will frequently play Juan Tello Palacios at the three to make room for their gigantic rookie at the four.
posted by Luke Winn | View comments (3) |

3 Comments:

Post a Comment
Posted: 1:56 PM   by Blogger OSUBeaver
Louisville barely got out of their first game with the victory, needing a basket with 1.2 seconds left in the game to get the one point victory. You note that another team trailed UBC, but managed to sneak away with a victory. Should we read anything more into Louisville's close call in their first game of their road trip?
Posted: 10:16 PM   by Blogger Canuckballer
Quite right osubeaver! The sorry part of it is that Carleton had a foul to give in the last seconds and should have fouled before Palacios got his shot off to win the game.
Posted: 1:30 PM   by Anonymous Anonymous
Why don't you worry about your Beavers (do you even have a b-ball team) and let Pitino do his job. He will be on a mission this year. Look for UL in the Final Four this year.
Post a Comment
College Basketball's Blog Homepage
Join In!
Post your thoughts in our (moderated) blog comments section, or send e-mail to Luke Winn by clicking here.
The Style Archive
Style
Our Style Archive has relaunched for 2007-08, with UCLA's Russell Westbrook among the best new 'dos. Readers are invited to make nominations for new exhibits.
Recent Posts
• WHAT WE LEARNED FROM ...Florida's Ontario Doublehe...
• WHAT WE LEARNED FROM ...Wake Forest's Weekend At T...
• WHAT WE LEARNED FROM ...Arizona's British Columbia...
• WHAT WE LEARNED FROM ...Wisconsin's European Vacat...
• Doing The 'Dooby-Doo' At Rucker
• Blog Q&A With ... UNC's Tyler Hansbrough
• Postscript To A Transfer
• O.J. Is Coming To Your Town
• Texas A&M Is Not Scared Of You (anymore)
• Blog Q&A With ... UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
divider line
Search