Brian McLaughlin, a recruiting analyst for the Sporting News, released his list of the top pro-style quarterbacks in the 2013 class and has Louisville commit Kyle Bolin at the top of the list. Now, before you get too excited, McLaughlin lists all the names in alphabetical order and Bolin happens to be first one, but any way you slice it, he’s the first one mentioned. Regardless, for each player, McLaughlin has a quote on how the player describes his own game and the player’s take on the schools recruiting him. Here it is.

Bolin says: “(Coaches) mostly talk about my footwork, decision making, accuracy and football instincts when it comes to the key attributes of my game.”

His take on schools: Bolin committed to Louisville and coach Charlie Strong last fall, but Cincinnati and Illinois were also hot on his heels. “Growing up, my parents really stressed character, so that was a main quality I looked for in a coach when deciding on a school. Coach Strong is a firm believer in character, and that’s what impressed me the most about him.”

SPORTING NEWS TOP PRO-STYLE QUARTERBACKS

Don’t forget, head out to Jim Patterson Stadium tonight as the Cards take on Morehead State in what will be the final home game of the season. It is also Senior Night and will be your last chance to see Stewart Ijames, Derek Self, Travis Tingle, and fourth year junior Justin Amlung. Here’s what Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell had to say about those four young men:

“You’re talking four high-profile seniors. It’s not common in college baseball. Three of them (Amlung, Stewart Ijames and Derek Self) have been drafted. The other one (Travis Tingle) I think is going to get drafted, so you’ve got four talented kids that want to go out on top. They’ve all individually had great careers and a lot of them have done special things as a team.”

First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 pm and as always, admission is free.

Rick Pitino took to the world wide webs to give Louisville fans a bit of an update on his UofL basketball squad. Pitino started out the post with reviewing what his players need to work on during the off-season. Here is what Rick said about a few Cardinals.

Gorgui Dieng

-Strength and weight gain
-Turning over his right shoulder with low post moves
-3 pt. shooting, one made three per game (have to keep the big fella happy)

Peyton Siva

-Just continue what we started last month of the season
-He has made great strides with his technique on jumper
-Passionate worker!

Russdiculous

-Introduce him to passing (lol)
-Improve balance on jumpshot
-Recognize high percentage shot vs. low percentage shot
-Improve his 3 pt. shooting

Zach Price

-Free throw shooting improvement is a must
-Arc on jumpshot
-Low post moves, turning over left shoulder
-Passing vs. pressure
-Conditioning is his biggest weakness

Pitino then turned his attention to reflecting back on UofL’s tournament run. He called their Big East tournament victory “special” and said it was a much needed confidence boost for the guys. Rick added the Cards left New York with a great mindset and were focused and ready for the NCAA tournament.

Rick also touched on a couple other issues, which I will list in quick hit form:

-In terms of recruiting, they will look to bring in three to four guys in the upcoming class. The UofL coaches are confident they will have a special class.

-Next season’s schedule will be tough, similar to last season’s which ended up ranked 2nd toughest by the RPI. Rick specifically mentioned the Battle for Atlantis tournament UofL will play in on November 22-24. Other teams in the field include Memphis, Missouri, Virginia Commonwealth, and Duke.

Overall, it was a pretty good update from Slick Rick and is definitely worth a look. Check it out.

Rick Pitino updates team

Big news for Jeff Walz’s program as today it was announced Monique Reid and Tia Gibbs have both been granted medical hardship waivers by the Big East and as a result, will be eligible for next season. Monique, a former All-Big East selection, sustained a knee injury and missed the final 22 games of the season. Tia Gibbs, a former Kentucky Miss Basketball, suffered a torn labrum four minutes into the season opener against Missouri State. Gibbs has only played two years of college basketball (transferred to UofL from Vanderbilt) and can apply for a sixth year of eligibility after the upcoming season if she wants.

This is simply tremendous news for Jeff Walz’s Cards. Here’s what Walz had to say about the waivers being approved:

“We are extremely excited to have Tia and Monique back next year. They both have worked very hard throughout the rehab process and have maintained a positive attitude in their recovery. We are anticipating them both back at the beginning of the season and look forward to a healthy and prosperous 2012-13 campaign. There is no doubt they will add great skill and leadership to our already experienced line-up.”

Thanks to a Stewart Ijames home run and a three-run double by Kyle Gibson, the Louisville baseball Cardinals took two of three from the St. John’s Red Storm over the weekend and now sit only one game back of the Johnnies in the Big East standings. Freshman Jared Ruxer pitched a strong 6.2 innings, giving up only 2 earned runs, in getting the victory for UofL. Cole Sturgeon went the final inning and two thirds to earn his second save of the year and secure Louisville’s 6-4 win. The Cards improved to 35-17 on the year and 16-8 in conference.

With only three more conference games to go, Louisville is now one game back of St. John’s for the league lead, who sit at 17-7 in Big East play. The Cards are tied with South Florida for second place and will need to take care of business this coming weekend against Pittsburgh. The Panthers are not having a good year at 26-24 and 9-15 in conference. St. John’s will have a tough match-up as they host Seton Hall, who is 31-21 and 15-9 in the league.

However, before the weekend slate, the Cards will host Morehead State on Tuesday at 6:00 pm. It will be Senior Night at Jim Patterson Stadium, so it will be your last chance to say goodbye to Stuart Ijames, Derek Self, Travis Tingle, and fourth-year junior Justin Amlung. The Cards will need a bit of help from Seton Hall, but they have a chance to take home another Big East title. Get out to Patterson Stadium on Tuesday and let’s get some momentum going this week.

That’s a long time from now. But that doesn’t mean that all is quiet on the Cardinal front. How do we occupy ourselves till then? We rank things arbitrarily of course.

This week The Sporting News ranked every coach in college football, and our beloved Charlie Strong checked in at #51. As in, the one right after #50. Really? There are 50 coaches is in the country right now that UofL fans should be happy to trade up for? With all due respect to Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe, I think we’ll stand pat, thanks.

UofL also found itself in the Top 30 in the country with a Spring Game attendance of 15,000. Not too shabby, especially with the downpours that morning, I think without them Card Nation would have easily reached the 20K mark Charlie Strong aspired too. If the program continues on its upward trajectory, this event will take off in the coming years.

Just where the future of Cardinal football will unfold is still up in the air, of course. On Monday Big East commissioner John Marinatto called it a career, resigning his position at the urging of several college presidents. The move further muddies the waters as to the future of the conference, though it was used by UofL as a chance to make its position is clear.

Our secret is out, and that’s that the Cards want out. Marinatto was reportedly well-liked by both Jurich and Pitino, and though our overtures towards the Big 12 have been known for awhile, Jurich (reported by Andy Katz) took this opportunity to make it plain that UofL will continue to seek an exit to the Big 12 or ACC.

I applaud Jurich for putting it out there like that, since it was all the scheming and skullduggery that got the Big East into the shape it’s in in the first place. Though our future hopefully lies westward, there’s no denying the Big East has served UofL well over the past half decade and has allowed our athletic programs to achieve and grow at a rate that would have been impossible in Conference USA.

It’s never a bad thing to show some respect and (fingers crossed) exit with a little bit of dignity.

The big news on the basketball front was the cancellation of the historic Hoosier-Wildcat rivalry, which John Calipari controversially decided was no longer is his “nontraditional” program’s interest as a home-and-home series. So UofL fans can all engage in some good ole Cal bashing, but also may benefit more practically if it spurs a renewal of our own rivalry with the Hoosiers.

Unfortunately, it’s being reported that it is unlikely to happen next season (which I don’t understand, frankly) but could commence in 2013. With Indiana becoming more old school, powerhouse Indiana again, I think it would be an awesome addition to our nonconference schedule.

Also, Jody Demling of the soon-to-be-charging-for-online-articles CJ reported that UofL is heavily interested in Nigerian-born big man Moses Kingsley and appear to be turning up the heat on his recruitment. An unpolished African center with long arms and a penchant for blocking shots? I dunno, sounds crazy to me.

UofL commences a HUGE series with Big East leader St. John’s tonight. The #22 ranked Cards find themselves two games out of first with two weeks left in conference play, so what transpires over the weekend will go a long way in determining if UofL, as a whole, can add a ninth conference title to its resume for the past calendar year.

The softball team continues in the Big East tournament, facing off against DePaul at 4:00 this afternoon after skunking the UConn Huskies yesterday 8-0. You can follow along at BigEast.tv.

And finally, a big congratulations to Cardinal legends DeJuan Wheat and Marques Maybin who will earn diplomas from the University of Louisville tomorrow after finishing their education as part of the Houston-Bridgemen Degree Completion Program. It’s a big accomplishment that sets a powerful example to their many fans in the community.

And Wheat’s quote to Maybin during their press conference after seeing Maybin was in a sport coat while he was in a tee-shirt, asking: “What, are you getting drafted?”  may be the best of the year to date.

That’s the week that was. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a strongly worded letter to deliver to The Sporting News. Tommy Tuberville over Charlie Strong? For chrissakes.

Go Cards.

Charlie Strong just keeps on rolling. After landing two commitments from the Sunshine state last week, Strong added a huge offensive line prospect from Center Grove, Indiana. 6-6, 305-lb offensive tackle Skylar Lacy visited Louisville for the third time yesterday and decided he had seen enough and pulled the trigger for the Cardinals. UofL was the first school to offer Lacy back in the Spring and he eventually chose the Cards over offers from Cincinnati and Ball State.

Here’s the updated Louisville commit list:

QB Kyle Bolin
CB Ryan White
DE Jacarthy Mack
S Donel Elam
TE Keith Towbridge
S Terrence Ross
OT Shamar Johnson
OT Skylar Lacy

We had hoped Louisville and Indiana would be able to work out a deal to begin a home and home series on the hardwood for the 2012-13 season, but it appears we will have to wait at least a year. According to the Courier-Journal, UofL head coach Rick Pitino says the two schools will not play each other this upcoming season, but are discussing the possibility the following year. As we all know, IU recently cancelled their longstanding series with Kentucky because of a dispute over moving the games off campus.

Pitino has said several times since Tom Crean’s arrival in Bloomington that he would love to begin playing the Hoosiers, but Crean preferred wait until IU was on more stable footing following NCAA troubles. The Hoosiers are definitely on solid ground now and will have a top 5 team next year, and should be a perennial top 10 team for the foreseeable future.

This series needs to happen. It would be great not only for this area, which is the country’s premier hotbed for college hoops, but would give the sport of college basketball another marquee non-conference match-up. The game of college basketball could use that since top notch non-conference match-ups appear to be falling by the wayside. Let’s hope UofL and IU can work it out. It’s fantastic for the sport, fantastic for this area, and would be great publicity for the programs.

In other words, it’s a no-brainer.

Here’s your confirmation of John Marinatto’s resignation as conference commissioner.

John Marinatto

“After a great deal of thought and prayer, I have decided to step down as Commissioner of the Big East conference and formally advised our Board of Directors. I have been associated with this league for my entire adult life, and have had the tremendous honor of serving as its Commissioner since 2009. Our recent expansion efforts have stabilized the Conference for the long term, and we are likewise well positioned for our very important upcoming television negotiations. As a result, I felt this was the right time to step aside, and to let someone else lead us through the next chapter of our evolution. I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish, and would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank both our membership and my staff for their unwavering encouragement, support and loyalty — especially during this past year. I am extremely confident about the future of this league that I love very much.”

Dr. Judy Genshaft, president of South Florida university and chairwoman of the Big East conference

“I know I speak for the entire Conference when I express my sincere gratitude to John for his leadership and dedicated years of service. John helped build the BIG EAST into what it is today, and played a critical role in our successful expansion efforts, and for all of that we thank him.”

Joseph Bailey III, interim commissioner of the Big East

“The BIG EAST has a terrific future. I’m excited to participate in shaping a new structure and strategic plans for the Conference, and I look forward to engaging on these matters with the leadership of all of the Conference’s members, old and new alike.”