LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Yes, University of Louisville basketball coach Chris Mack believes his team will play host to the University of Kentucky on Dec. 26 at the KFC Yum! Center.
No, there is not a signed contract for that date. And no, Mack said he didn’t have any special motivation when he recorded his video message about John Calipari and the issues scheduling the game.
“A moment to motivate me?” Mack said. “I don’t know. I never really thought about it. Maybe when I hit the record button, maybe that was the moment.”
Yes, Mack said the Cards’ non-conference schedule should be released in the next 3-5 days.
No, Mack was not able to provide any information on the Cardinals’ Atlantic Coast Conference schedule or Louisville’s opponent in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Yes, the Cardinals have had several players test positive for the novel coronavirus.
No, their symptoms were not severe. In fact, Mack said the symptoms lasted about a day and then the players “were fine.”
So it went Wednesday as Mack, Malik Williams and Carlik Jones answered questions via a video conference on the eve of the beginning of practice for Louisville’s 2020-21 season.
No Louisville Live public practice at Fourth Street Live! No Red-White scrimmages. No secret scrimmage like the one the Cards played against Ohio State last season. No exhibition game, like the ones U of L typically played against Bellarmine.
No team dinner the night before the first practice, a tradition for teams coached by Mack.
Just a lot of respect and caution for the virus, which ended last season prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament and has already delayed this season until Nov. 25.
Other than that, the talking-point moment in the teleconference came from a question I asked Williams, one of the Cards’ senior co-captains.
The final Rick Pitino recruit, Williams played with Christen Cunningham, the grad transfer guard who joined the Cards from Samford two seasons ago. He played with Fresh Kimble, the grad transfer point guard who arrived from St. Joseph’s last season. Now Williams will play with Jones, who averaged 20 points — and 14 field-goal attempts per game — at Radford last season, where he was voted the best player in the Big South Conference. Radford was a ball-dominant player who shot on nearly a third of Radford’s possessions.
The question was simple: How does Jones’ game compare to Cunningham and Kimble? The answer was a clip-and-save soundbite.
“Carlik is different than those other two guys,” Williams said. “He can really get to it on the offensive end, but he's more than just a scorer.
“His ability with the ball, his playmaking ability, his ability to handle the ball screens. It's amazing some of the things he do.
“I joke with him that he's a little AI (Allen Iverson), really nice. He's gonna show you guys a lot this year. I think everybody will like Carlik.”
Yes, the comparison was to Iverson, a guy who could go around Michael Jordan.
Iverson averaged 23 points in two seasons at Georgetown and nearly 27 points over a dozen seasons in the NBA. His statue rests at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Let the record show that the basis for the comparison is likely that both guys are smaller guards. Iverson was listed at 6 feet tall. Jones is just an inch taller. Both are also fearless.
Let the record also show that Williams made the comparison to Iverson. Jones did not make the comparison to Iverson.
I’ll credit Williams with being an encouraging teammate. I’ll also credit Jones for having the wisdom to understand how to handle that praise. He handled it well.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say that I watched (Iverson) a lot growing up,” Jones said. “I’ve definitely seen him growing up. Watched highlights and stuff.
“I don’t really consider my game like his, but for someone to say I play like him and that I kind of like him is a big praise for me.
“Of course, a lot of people watch NBA guys, and they do certain moves that those guys do. I might consider that, at most, but that’s big-time for him to say that.”
This will be a college basketball season unlike any other. Enjoy every game, dribble and even the player comparisons.
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