LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- In a world of constant content, college programs have two choices: create their message or get drowned out by someone else's. Louisville basketball's answer? Cardinal Commitment — a documentary-style series that's polished, yes, but more insightful than most.
The danger with these efforts is that they can become just empty marketing vessels. This isn't that.
The latest episode, a 15-minute drop on the GoCards YouTube channel late last week, focuses on the team's guards, particularly Xavier transfer Ryan Conwell and former Virginia sharpshooter Isaac McKneely, and it gives a hard-nosed, occasionally sweaty and sometimes surprisingly thoughtful glimpse at what this team is becoming.
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It's unquestionably a marketing tool. But it also does a good job of getting out of the way and letting the players and coaches carry the story.
And in Conwell's case — quite literally — carry the weight.
A guard's grind
The theme of the episode is leadership through adversity. Or maybe it's simply: "Are you willing to carry something when no one's asking you to?"
That's what Conwell did during a team conditioning session in L&N Stadium, when, after dragging two loaded barbells across the football field, he didn't stop at the finish line. He kept going, halfway up the end zone tunnel.
Nobody told him to. But everybody followed him, cheering.
"Just something to do for the team," he said. "Keep the energy high."
You can script a lot of moments in these kinds of videos. That didn't feel like one of them.
McKneely, meanwhile, described the summer grind as a "dark place." Not as complaint, but as truth. He talked about fighting through conditioning when your legs are jelly and your lungs are screaming — and finding another gear when a teammate is yelling for you to push.
It's real stuff. The kind that might not show up in a box score. But it usually shows up in February.
This will be a fun team to hear from. These players have a variety of experiences, and have shared some good insights in various forums already.
From Peyton to pros
Peyton Siva's presence looms large in this one — and not just because Conwell is wearing his old No. 3. (A number Siva himself gave a nod of approval on Day 1.)
The former championship point guard is now a first-year assistant, and if you're wondering what that looks like, the answer is this: Siva's on the floor, in pick-and-roll drills, barking instructions, throwing no-look passes, mixing in shoulder bumps, and, yes, even talking a little trash. He called being back in the practice gym "a little PTSD, but a lot of pride."
For McKneely, Siva was one of the reasons he came to Louisville. For Kelsey, Siva is everything the program should aspire to be: talent, energy, love of the city, and total buy-in.
"If he ran for mayor," Kelsey quips, "he'd give Mayor Greenberg a run for his money."
He's not wrong.
'Steel sharpens steel'
The episode closes in a way that reminds you this program still has a long reach.
First, we see the current guards — McKneely, Conwell, Mikel Brown, and Adrian Wooley — working out with former Louisville star and current NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell at his Spida Elite Camp in Los Angeles. It's Mitchell's voice leading early, urging reps, shouting encouragement, bringing juice. It's an off-campus bonus that not every program can pull off.
Back on campus, to close the episode, Kelsey has arranged a scrimmage against some of the best in recent program history, including Russ Smith, Jordan Nwora, and Chucky Hepburn. It's old heads vs. new blood. Call it a litmus test. Or maybe just an eight-week palate cleanser.
Either way, it's a statement. That Louisville's past is in the gym. That its future is being tested by it.
The takeaway
You don't come away from these episodes feeling like you're being sold something, even if, yes, you're being sold something. The program. You're only going to see what they want you to see, which is why more programs have taken charge of their own reporting.
But some branding, like some editing, is to be expected. It's access on their terms, but still it is legitimate access. You do see players working out, see Kelsey talking to his team, see players in Denny Crum Hall talking about their experience so far.
And what's coming through the lens right now is a team with real personality. A program built on shared sweat. Guards who are a little beat up but a little more bonded. And a coach who is intense, joyful, and fully aware of what kind of tradition he's stepping into.
This episode ends with Kelsey quoting Churchill: "This isn't the end. It's not even the beginning of the end. It's just the end of the beginning."
We'll see where it goes from here. It's shaping up as something fun to watch.
Quick sips
- Savannah DeMelo is still in the hospital waiting for answers to what caused her second medical episode on the soccer pitch this season Sunday in Las Vegas, but she's "in good spirits" according to the team's latest update. Racing Louisville's suspended game against Seattle Reign will take place later tonight. Get an update here.
- Congrats to Louisville's own (and WDRB alum) Katie George, who made her first Monday Night Football appearance as a sideline reporter for ESPN during Monday night's Chargers-Raiders game. My main question to the folks at ESPN is, what took you so long? Katie has been serious about doing her job well from day one, has paid her dues and brings a lot of insight as a successful former athlete. I expect there are more good things coming.
The Last Drop
"When you're in a dark place, trying to pull the sled, and you don't think you can go anymore, but you hear somebody yelling at you to keep going, keep going, keep going. I think that you go to another level, you find another being inside you that you can get to."
Louisville guard Isaac McKneely, on the challenges of summer conditioning
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