LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Louisville junior Jordan Nwora has felt the pressure this season. Just ask him. In fact, while meeting with reporters as part of the University of Louisville's Senior Day news conference on Friday, he was asked whether he'd felt the weight of expectations this season.
He turned the question back on the reporter: "Do you think I have?"
Nwora wasn't being contentious. Just a little playful. Few players in recent memory have carried the weight of a team on their shoulders, for better and worse, the way he has this season.
The junior from Buffalo, New York, said Sunday's 6 p.m. game against Virginia Tech will in all likelihood be his last at the KFC Yum! Center. When he was asked if he wanted to go through Senior Day activities, which was the understanding he and his family came to with Cardinals' coach Chris Mack when he decided to forego the NBA Draft last season, Nwora said he called his mother to make sure she could come walk with him, and said yes.
"It's definitely strange," Nwora said. "It's kind of been a funny feeling thinking about it this week, that it could probably be my last game at Yum! It's crazy just knowing how fast time flies, really."
Nwora didn't shrug off the question about expectations. In fact, as he usually has in his time at Louisville, he talked about the subject candidly.
"I definitely have (felt the weight)," Nwora said. "That's the only way I can put it, really. I definitely have felt the weight of everything. Win or lose, a lot is on my hands. So I definitely have, to say the least. I just feel like, at times, I put a lot of pressure on myself. That's probably the biggest thing for me. But you've just go to keep moving forward. It's about that time to really lock in now and not worry about other things and keep winning games."
Mack said he has tried to help Nwora handle expectations by, "showing confidence in him and valuing other things."Â
"I think sometimes Jordan puts pressure on himself to score," the coach added. "That's why I've talked so much about doing other things besides scoring that affect winning, and I think he's bought into that and done a much better job this year as opposed to last year. But ultimately, I think the way to relieve those expectations is putting in the work."
Nwora said he feels like his decision to return to U of L for his junior season has been a good one. He said he's grown as a player and a person and is on track to graduate this summer.
As for whether there's any scenario in which he might return to Louisville for a senior season, Nwora said, "I don't know. Right now, I'm just worried about Virginia Tech."
Asked if he could envision any scenario in which his leading scorer returns, Mack said, "Not really. Not really. You know, I mean, Jordan and I and his family had a lot of talks during last summer, and that was the understanding. That's why we're honoring him. He's going to graduate. But, no. I could make a funny joke about him coming back, but, like, you know, yeah."
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