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COACH AND PROGRAM
TONY WILLIAMS (6-8, 210 lbs., SR, PF, #3, 12.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.0 apg, 27.6 minutes, .496 FG, .343 3PT, .598 FT, Doss HS/Louisville, Ky.) Even though Williams isn't the truest of power forwards Crum did say he has grown an inch and gained weight there is no intention to fool with the player who might have been the most valuable for the Cardinals last year. Williams is what Sanders always thought he was: a player who can operate inside and out, who can force a defense to play him honestly along the perimeter but still mix it up inside. Sanders was never that great a shooter (.313 on three-pointers). Williams hit .343 last season and is capable of better. He hit .370 as a sophomore. Williams is a lefty who began his career as a situational sub with an emphasis on deep shooting. He became more valuable as a sophomore and then last season blossomed as a starter. For some reason no one who can add or see could reasonably explain, Williams ranked second among the Cardinals in scoring at 12.1 ppg overall (and first at 13.5 ppg in C-USA games), yet still was not named to the 15-man All-Conference team. Puh-leeeze. Murray and Sanders were on there. That just sealed it. One problem apparently was that Williams' lack of size occasionally caused him matchup problems. He tended to run hot and cold. He scored 17 points against Saint Louis, 18 against South Florida and 15 against Marquette in one January stretch, hitting 20-for-28 from the field. Then, against Cincinnati and UCLA, he got only 12 shots combined and scored seven points. He had another stretch like that late in the season, scoring a combined 14 points against Southern Mississippi and UAB. But Williams was Louisville's most determined player. He did not surrender when Louisville faced Cincinnati, as some of his teammates did. He delivered in the NCAA Tournament and the Conference USA Tournament final, when his teammates appeared to be spent. Against UNCC in the C-USA title game, he scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds and tried to mount a comeback from a deep deficit. Against Creighton in the NCAAs, he had 21 points and shot 8-for-14. Size is a factor, but Williams did have some impressive rebounding games, including 10 against UNC Charlotte and 12 against Marquette. He needs to approach these numbers consistently. Perhaps playing alongside more big bodies will help occupy opponents underneath and free Williams to get more on the boards. Sanders was not much help in this regard because he so often was removed from the basket. But Williams will have to improve his box-out techniques, as well. "He came a long way," Crum said. "I thought he was our most improved player two years in a row. He's lifted and worked really hard at that. I think that will help us. One of the areas we were weak was in rebounding. All our kids are bigger and stronger and should be able to do a better job on the boards. That's going to be crucial." NATE JOHNSON (6-6, 215 lbs., SR, SF, #21, 12.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.7 spg, 26.7 minutes, .473 FG, .298 3PT, .759 FT, Camden HS/Camden, N.J.) Perhaps not being able to blend his lack of effort in with what Murray and Sanders weren't doing will cause Johnson to play harder as a senior. Regardless, he remains the key guy in this operation, because even at less than full speed, he led the Cards in scoring. That's how good he can be. If only he cared as much as, say, Williams. Johnson missed two games last year for disciplinary reasons that resulted from off-season trouble. He has not been as devoted to his conditioning as he needs to be. But Johnson has significant one-on-one scoring ability. He can break a defender down along the baseline and, on occasion, will hit the three-point shot. He knows he's not a big-time three-point shooter, so he doesn't overdo it (47 attempts). He is much more judicious about what to shoot than a similarly skilled small forward, which explains why he hit .473 last year. He does not go outside the Louisville offense too often to find his shot. Johnson does not play as intently on defense as necessary, but when he concentrates, he can be very good. Creighton's Rodney Buford shot 6-for-21 against Louisville, and UNCC's Galen Young was 4-for-12. He was dominated in two games against Cincinnati's Pete Mickeal, who was 15-for-23 for an average of 23 points. Johnson had some injury problems last season that affected him at mid-year. During a stretch from Jan. 28-Feb. 14, he played in five games and missed one, averaging just 19.8 minutes and 5.8 ppg. Louisville needs Johnson to play his senior season like he means it. Johnson needs that, too, because he's got some pro potential. He'd need to shoot better to play in the NBA, but the better he does as a senior, the more chance he has to play and make money somewhere. One thing you don't want with a player who owns Johnson's sketchy work habits is an off-season injury. Alas, in March he had surgery to fix some foot problems and then he broke his hand and required surgery and did not get to play much in the summer. He has done some weightlifting. "I think he could have a great year," Crum said, regardless. MARQUES MAYBIN (6-3, 185 lbs., JR, SG, #5, 12.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg, 26.7 minutes, .493 FG, .294 3PT, .653 FT, Northwest HS/Clarksville, Tenn.) Maybin is the only proven guard in Louisville's stable. He is one of C-USA's most dynamic athletes, a great leaper who could become a significant star if only he'd work on his ballhandling and strength. He is competitive enough, but doesn't have the physical toughness to back that up. His three-point shooting represented a significant drop from his freshman year. That decline is cause for concern, if not for alarm. He burned out in the final month of the 1997-98 season, shooting 19-for-57 in the final eight games. He ended only one of those in double figures. He showed improvement in the last weeks of 1998-99, shooting 51-for-99 after Feb. 10. He had a 25-point game against Tulane on Feb. 18 in which he was 10-for-10 from the floor. He scored 20 against Saint Louis, making 8-for-12 from the free-throw line. He played 200 more minutes in his second season, but playing full-time still seemed to take its toll in some areas. Down the stretch last season, he shot just 4-for-15 from three-point range in the final seven games. He did not hit double-figures in either the C-USA final nor the NCAA loss to Creighton. In better condition, he would be able to handle more than a 27-minute load and be able to handle it over the course of the season. It's one thing for a freshman to hit the wall, but a sophomore should be ready for the grind. Maybin is not a confident ballhandler. He committed 65 turnovers last season, compared to just 49 assists. His exhaustion showed here, too; 17 of his turnovers came in the final six games. That's nearly a third of his turnovers in a fifth of his games. He does have the ability to make one-step moves into the lane and the quickness and explosion to get that done, but ask him to do much more with the ball, and it's a problem. For Louisville to seriously challenge in C-USA, he needs to be a more consistent shooter and be prepared to help his point guards. DION EDWARD (6-9, 235 lbs., SR, C, #33, 5.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.2 bpg, 20.4 minutes, .492 FG, .644 FT, Westark CC & Woodward HS/Cincinnati, Oh.) It's not easy for a any player to adjust to the Louisville system quickly, and it's especially tough on a junior college big man. The precision required by Crum's high-post offense is rarely demanded of a JC center. It's really foreign to most players who arrive, but a junior college recruit has more urgency to learn it. Edward never appeared to be entirely comfortable in his first season at Louisville. He had only four double-figure scoring games and, more telling, had 12 games in which he committed either four or five personal fouls. That's a lot of fouls for a guy who only once played 30 minutes. Edward is athletic and has a naturally strong body, but lacks a natural offensive game. He doesn't particularly fit into the high-post offense, but having another big player is a luxury for the Cardinals. How long he can hold onto the starting job will be at least dependent on how comfortable he becomes with the ball in his hands. He had 40 assists last season, which isn't bad, including five in one game in late February against UAB. But 56 turnovers is too much, and that's a concern that not likely to dissipate as the year progresses. He had 12 in his final six games. But if Edward is comfortable, he can be a monster. He grabbed 11 rebounds in a game against South Florida and 11 more against UAB. He averaged seven rebounds in his final six games, although he only once played more than 24 minutes in that stretch. Anyone who saw him play in junior college, when he was more comfortable, saw someone capable of chewing up the boards and also with the hands to produce a lot of offensive rebound baskets. He's got 8-9 rebounds and 10-11 points a game in him, if he plays without constraints at both ends. RASHAD BROOKS (6-1, 205 lbs., JR, PG, #0, 19.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.6 apg, .540 FG, .390 3PT, Cecil CC, Md. & Mardella Springs HS/Mardella Springs, Md.) There is no clear leader in the race to become Murray's successor. The natural suspicion is that Brooks will get the first look because he arrives from junior college, which means he has more experience and less time to make his mark. He played in NJCAA Division II, and not a lot of players at that level are recruited to NCAA Division I, but Crum believes he can win the point guard job. He will bring a physical toughness to the backcourt that's been lacking. He bench-presses 290 pounds and squats 525. "He's very strong, about 6-2, powerfully built," Crum said. "He's a real physical, tough, hard-nosed kid. I think he can be an outstanding defensive player. I love his attitude. He is a great worker." Brooks' JC team was 25-8 last season and won a regional championship, which placed Cecil CC in the NJCAA Division II tournament, where it lost to the eventual national champion. He scored better than 1,000 career points in two seasons and had 47 in one game. In both his seasons of junior college ball, he shot high percentages, which indicates he not only has a nice touch but also that he exercises good shot selection. The concern with Brooks is the level of competition he has faced. Division II junior college players rarely become successful in the NCAA's Division I. In fact, they're rarely recruited among the high majors.KEY RESERVES TOBIAH HOPPER (6-9, 210 lbs., JR, C, #51, 5.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 14.0 minutes, .472 FG, St. Catherine JC & Hopkinsville HS/Hopkinsville, Ky.) When he was taken out of the mix last year, Crum leaned on that excuse a bit too hard given that Hopper wasn't even playing half the time. His 15 blocked shots in a fairly short period, though, suggest he would have given the Cards more bite inside. Hopper did not play high school basketball and still is learning the game. He had 12-point outings against Western Kentucky and Towson State before being ruled ineligible, and blocked four shots against both Western and Saint Louis. Those blocks against the Billikens came in just 12 minutes of playing time. He did have a tendency to encounter foul trouble because he challenged so many shots. Against North Carolina's big men, Hopper committed four fouls in just nine minutes. Between Hopper and Edward, Louisville has two reasonably capable shot-blockers and a lot more fouls to waste than they once did. "Between Tobiah, Dion, Muhamed (Lasage) if we have those three in the middle, that should really give us an opportunity to be competitive," Crum said. "I'm hopeful those three guys will hold their own in there." Those three will rotate through the center spot and back up Williams at power forward. KEVIN SMILEY (6-6, 190 lbs., SR, G, #13, 2.2 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 12.0 minutes, .393 FG, .150 3PT, Allegany CC, Md. & Iroquois HS/Louisville, Ky.) For a guy who averaged 12 minutes in 29 games, Smiley did not get much done. He was a horrific three-point shooter, making just 3-for-20 from behind the arc. He was not strong enough to defend Conference USA players. His only double-figure game in his first season with the Cardinals came against Morgan State, when he hit 4-for-7 from the field. He also played well against Saint Louis, scoring six points, and on the road trip to Mississippi, where he was 3-for-6 from the field. He remains the closest thing to a reserve small forward, which means the Cardinals are thinnest at Johnson's position. They would have only two real options if he were unavailable. One would be to play a bigger group that included two of the big men and Williams at small forward (which would make the Cardinals less skilled but might help in rebounding). The other would be to go with a sort of three-guard look, with Maybin most likely playing the "three" REECE GAINES (6-6, 185 lbs., FR, G, #22, 22.5 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.6 spg, Charlottesville HS/Charlottesville, Va.) The most highly recruited of Louisville's three-point guard prospects, Gaines was wrestled away from Maryland in the spring. He was named first-team All-State and generally ranked as a Top 50 prospect. Recruiting USA listed him among its Top 25. He showed himself to be a solid playmaker with an adequate three-point stroke at the ABCD Camp. Gaines should grow into a very capable college defender. His high school team went 21-4 and reached the semifinals of the state tournament behind Gaines' 55 percent shooting and 40 percent work from long range. Like Caleb Gervin, Gaines could also function as a second guard. The Louisville system has operated nicely with players such as Gaines (Milt Wagner) and like Gervin (DeJuan Wheat), so the only guide to which player gets the ball will be which plays the best in practice and early in the season. "Which one will fit the best? It's hard for me to know," Crum said. "At this point, I've not seen any of these kids play at this level. I'm going to keep an open mind, let them all have an opportunity, see who works the best with the other three guys." CALEB GERVIN (6-1, 175 lbs., SO, G, #24, 31.2 ppg, 4.6 apg, .520 FG, Cathedral HS/Palm Springs, Calif.) If Crum chooses to go more with speed and explosive scoring ability at the point guard spot, the job could belong to Gervin. He sat out as an ineligible freshman last season. Gervin was a tremendous scorer in high school and made 61 three-pointers in his senior season. He is one of the leading scorers in the history of Southern California basketball, ranking with the likes of Leon Wood, Tracy Murray and, umm, Cameron Murray. Gervin has to prove he can fit the Louisville offense and also that his lack of strength will not damage the Cards on defense. They would be very slight if he were to join Maybin, Williams and Johnson on the floor, regardless of who is positioned at center. "He's a great shooter. He can shoot the ball from anywhere," Crum said. "He has great range, good quickness. He should do nothing but get better. He has a great attitude. He loves to play. I think that's a great asset." MUHAMED LASEGE (6-11, 225 lbs., FR, C, #50, 21.5 ppg, 14.9 rpg, Charlottesville HS/Charlottesville, Va.) It's hard to know what exactly to expect from Lasege, one of three Nigerian players brought last winter to Canada, where they created a recruiting frenzy that was most likely a bit beyond the degree of their talent. Those analysts who want to say nice things about him say he compares favorably to Hakeem Olajuwon at the same age. Well, who doesn't? In Olajuwon's first year at Houston, he didn't play and redshirted. As a second-year freshman, he averaged 8.3 ppg and 6.2 rpg. Only about 500 big men since have done about the same in their first couple years of college. How many Hakeems are there? Lasege was considered to be the second-best of the trio. He played internationally with Nigeria in several competitions in the spring and summer, but what he's capable of accomplishing is likely to remain a mystery until he has spent some time in a Louisville uniform. If it takes some time for him to adjust, it would help merely to have an extra body. Louisville signed the player considered the best of the Nigerians, as well, 6-8 Benjamin Eze, but he did not qualify for freshman eligibility. He is planning to retake the standardized admissions test in the autumn to see if he can join Louisville for the spring term. Eze played in the Derby Festival Classic and scored 10 points and got eight rebounds in his only real U.S. competition to dateOTHER RETURNEES QUINTIN BAILEY (6-3, 190 lbs., SO, G, #13, 2.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg, .366 FG, .385 3PT, Iroquois HS/Louisville, Ky.) A nephew of former Cardinals star Wesley Cox, Bailey joined the squad as a walk-on last season and played respectably in 19 games. In games in which he scored, the Cards were 10-1. He played himself into a prominent role midway through the season before breaking his wrist in practice in late February; he averaged 11 minutes per game in the eight contests preceding his injury. His best game was six points and two rebounds against Georgia Tech, a game the Cardinals needed in their drive to earn an NCAA at-large berth. It may be more difficult for him to remain in the rotation with the growing depth at guard. JEFF MCKINLEY (6-5, 225 lbs., JR, G, #25, 1.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg, .400 FG, .400 3PT, Simon Kenton HS/Independence, Ky.) There were times in the past couple years when Crum was desperate enough even to start McKinley, which was an indication of how thin the backcourt was for the Cards. McKinley does not have the athletic ability to compete in Conference USA. He is not agile or quick enough and is not a particularly deft ballhandler (15 turnovers in 137 minutes). He should get most of his playing done in practice with the guards that have been recruited.OTHER NEWCOMERS HAJJ TURNER (6-8, 220 lbs., FR, F, #4, 21.5 ppg, 14.9 rpg in 1996-97, Charlottesville HS/Charlottesville, Va.) It's hard to classify Turner as a newcomer. It seems as though he's been around as long as Crum. Turner has missed two full seasons because of knee injuries since completing his high school career in 1996-97. It's hard to expect any real contribution from a player who has been away from the game so long, but he did get in some practice time last season He was considered tough and athletic before his injuries, although perhaps not overwhelmingly skilled. There is an opportunity for him to compete for playing time if he's not too rusty from the time away from the game and if his legs are able to hold upSTARTERS NOT RETURNING CAMERON MURRAY (6-1, PG, 11.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.9 apg, 29.5 minutes, .454 FG, .404 3PT) There were things Murray did very well as Louisville's point guard, and he did them extremely well near the start of last season. Through the first eight games, he was hitting .529 from the field and averaging 14.6 ppg. He passed for eight assists against Western Kentucky and 10 against Kentucky. He seemed a lock to be first-team All-Conference USA, and Louisville entered the New Year with losses only to Mississippi and North Carolina on the road. Then he appeared to lose his fire. As the season continued, he shot more often and less accurately from three-point range. Less than a third of his shots in the first eight games were three-pointers. The rest of the way, he shot nearly half the time from behind the arc. His field goal percentage after Jan. 1 was only .399. His inability to stay consistent cost the Cardinals in several big games. In the NCAA Tournament against Creighton, he was 1-for-5 from the field and scored only four points (despite playing 37 minutes). In the Conference USA Tournament, he was 2-for-7 from the field. He committed 14 turnovers in his final four games. He was not physically tough as a point guard nor was he creative. The Cardinals should be in better shape with the several players who will compete to replace him. ALEX SANDERS (6-7, C, 11.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 27.7 minutes, .493 FG, .313 3PT) Sanders was classified as learning-disabled after spending considerable time at Louisville, the first two years without playing a game for the Cardinals. He tried to have a year of eligibility restored on the basis of his problem being undiscovered, but the NCAA ruled against him during the summer and ended his college basketball career. Sanders never lived up to what he was capable of becoming, partly because he played out of position almost his entire career. He was a power forward playing center out of necessity. His body looks every bit like a four-man's. He had great natural strength and explosive athletic ability. But Sanders never developed a taste for contact. Against the most physical teams the Cardinals played, he would stay to the outside and shoot three-pointers and rarely sacrifice his body in pursuit of rebounds. Over two seasons against Cincinnati, he was a shockingly poor 14-for-54, a .259 field-goal percentage, with 5.8 rpg and 6.8 ppg. He attempted nine three-pointers against the Bearcats last season, more than one of every three shots he tried in those two games. Sanders had some excellent games, including 26 points against Houston and 18 on 8-for-8 shooting against UNC Charlotte on the road, a win that was among the most important for the Cardinals last winter.OTHERS NOT RETURNING ERIC JOHNSON (6-3, G-F, 6.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 17.7 minutes, .439 FG, .407 3PT) If not for a knee injury suffered early in the 1995-96 season, his second at U of L, Johnson might have developed into an all-league caliber player. He was limited as a ballhandler, but a reasonably proficient shooter. Before the injury, he was a ridiculous athlete. He still could get up after it happened, but never had quite the same explosion. That is, he never exploded to the hoop the way he once did. But he could explode whenever you put a big-time opponent in front of him. Against Kentucky as a senior, he scored eight points, grabbed seven rebounds and was 3-for-6 from the field. He scored 13 and hit three times from three-point range at home against Cincinnati. He was 5-for-5 from the field for 10 points against DePaul. His greatest moment as a player will always be his 8-for-10, 20-point effort in U of L's monumental upset of eventual national champion Kentucky in December, 1997. Johnson was a valuable bench player for the Cardinals throughout his career. He did not develop as a defender the way he might have on a team that had more character; it was too easy for him to look at some of his teammates and not spend that extra ounce of sweat. But when Louisville needed a clutch performance, he quite often delivered. TRAVIS BEST (5-11, G, 0.6 ppg, 0.2 rpg, .333 FG) Best was a product of Crum's mid-1990s recruiting malaise. He was a surprise signee when he was taken by Louisville and never demonstrated high-major ability in two seasons with the Cards. He played in 10 games last season for a total of 31 minutes and hit one three-point shot.QUESTIONS Direction? All three of the point guard prospects have talent, but each has specific weaknesses. It's not easy to run this position by committee, so somebody has to emerge for the Cardinals to excel. Muscle? Rebounding was a significant problem last season, with the Cards beaten on the boards by nearly two per game. Over the course of a season, that's more than 60 possessions sacrificed more if you considered that an NCAA-level team should be beating its opponents by at least two in the rebounding department. Johnson and Williams have to help, and the centers have to contribute more. Shooting? The Cards will shoot a high percentage because that comes from the offensive sets Louisville is routinely among the NCAA's field goal leaders but a team with their physical disadvantages needs to be able to cut loose some three-pointers to succeed.ANSWERS Depth! The Cardinals have not had so many capable players in at least five years, which should give them flexibility to defend harder and to play with more energy. Johnson! Maybe that exclamation point comes more as a matter of this book's format than anything he's done to this point, but a healthy, motivated and properly directed Johnson is one of the country's top 25 or 30 players. He could have a breakout year. If he does, Louisville will be dangerous. Crum! He remains a masterful coach who has lost none of his edge or intelligence when he gets to the practice floor. He is a weapon each time the Cards take the floor.
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