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Thursday Morning Cardinal News And Notes

It's not quite the weekend yet, but that isn't going to keep the CCBM (Billy Slater) off the water as the CCBM Summer Tour 2014 rolls right along.

By Mike Rutherford

I_medium Lost in all of Wednesday's player breakdowns and schedule talk is the huge fact that it sounds as though Rick Pitino is nowhere near retirement.

I_medium That didn't stop Sports Illustrated's Brian Hamilton from looking at who might eventually succeed Pitino.

I_medium ESPN's Andrea Adelson has a great piece on how well Bobby Petrino prepares his players for the NFL. It features a story from the 2004 game against Cincinnati that has been sort of like a big fish tale around the program for the past decade...except that it's completely accurate.

The day Bobby Petrino turned his first Louisville players into film-study believers unfolded exactly the way he said it would. 

It was Nov. 27, 2004, Louisville against cross-state rival Cincinnati. 

Louisville got the ball first, at the 20. All week, Petrino told his offensive players that if the defensive end lined up on the opening play in the 9-technique, the Cards would score a touchdown. 

Sure enough, the Cincinnati end was lined up exactly the way Petrino predicted. Brian Brohm checked to the right play. 

Eric Shelton scored an 80-yard touchdown. Louisville won 70-7. 

"I remember that play like it was yesterday," recalled Breno Giacomini, an offensive lineman on that squad. "It was unbelievable. He proved himself a lot to us before, but that day in my mind showed he knows exactly what he's talking about. It all goes back to the film work he put in. That has made me a better player. It took me a little longer to realize but the film work that I put in has really helped my career."

Awesome.

I_medium The folks over at The Crunch Zone virtually sat down with U of L SID Rocco Gasparro and Sir Arthur Carmody for their weekly podcast. There's plenty of good stuff to be heard.

I_medium Fox's Bruce Feldman says that DeVante Parker is the 15th biggest freak in college football.

15. DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville Cardinals

Charlie Strong upgraded the athleticism across the board at U of L and Parker is a good example of that. The 6-3, 208-pound wideout, who caught 55 passes for 885 yards and 12 TDs last year, was timed at 4.39 in the 40 and broad jumped 10-feet, 10-inches to go with his tremendous range (80-inch wingspan).

Parker's pro agility time was 4.10 and he has benched 225 pounds 17 times, which is also excellent for a receiver.

Auburn wide receiver Sammie Coates tops the list.

I_medium The bros over at TNIAAM preview Louisville in podcast form.

I_medium Just when you think these pictures couldn't possibly freak you out anymore.

I still don't really know what I'm looking at or how what I'm looking at was accomplished.

I_medium U of L's Katie George is one of 12 players currently representing the United States in Europe as a member of the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team. The squad kicked off the 11-day tour on Tuesday.

I_medium It's time to begin the annual CC summer tradition of dishing out college advice for incoming freshmen and returning students alike (don't bellyflop into the baby pool...I could not be more serious).

Today's lesson is about disagreements, something that's bound to happen as you find yourself interacting with all sorts of people from different backgrounds and upbringings. A trick that I figured out early on and utilized throughout my college career was that when anyone contradicted me, however slightly, I would throw my hands up in the air, scream "YOU'LL NEVER GET ME" and then walk away from the situation. When or if you return to the scene of the crime is completely up to you, but when you're around that person or those people again, they'll know who's in charge.

Follow Card Chronicle all summer long to have your mind, body and spirit as prepared as they can possibly be to attack the fall semester starting in just a few weeks.

I_medium Peyton Siva Sr. is now handling security at Zanzibar and it's the greatest thing to happen to the city of Louisville since it was first introduced to Peyton Siva Sr.

I_medium Keith Garrett over at A Sea of Blue expects Kentucky to be one of the biggest surprises of the 2014 football season, and predicts that the Cats will upset Louisville on Nov. 29.

I_medium I typically enjoy the lull of the May-July period, but man, I am so ready to be back here this year.

I_medium According to Chris Haines of Comcast, the Jazz, Nets, Pelicans and Rockets have all expressed interest in signing Francisco Garcia, who is a free agent.

I_medium CBS took an extended look at which college programs fared the best in the four major sports (men's and women's basketball, football and baseball) this year, and Louisville came in at No. 3. Stanford and Michigan State were the only two programs to finish above the Cards.

I_medium Among the players who will be joining Russ Smith on the New Orleans Pelicans summer league roster is Samardo Samuels, who is looking to get one more shot in the NBA after spending the past year in both Jerusalem and Italy.

I_medium Beach Gorgui 2: Beach Gorguier

I_medium For those unaware, WNBA All-Star Angel McCoughtry is featured in ESPN The Magazine's annual "The Body Issue" this year. So that's cool.

I_medium The New Orleans Picayune takes a look at how the Pelicans targeted Russ Smith despite not having a pick in this year's draft.

Even though the New Orleans Pelicans didn't have a pick in last month's NBA Draft, it didn't stop their pursuit to acquire former Louisville point guard Russ Smith.

They thoroughly scouted Smith at the Chicago Draft Combine in May where Pelicans general manager Dell Demps had a lengthy interview with him.

Also, Pelicans assistant coach Fred Vinson made the trip to Chicago in an effort to get to know Smith better. And assistant coach Bryan Gates recalled one of the few times they watched a college game together as a staff on television while on a road trip in Los Angeles and came away impressed from how Smith attacked with his quickness in the 2013 national championship game against Michigan.

It all left enough of an impression on Smith that he wasn't surprised when the Pelicans acquired him in a draft night trade last month from the Philadelphia 76ers, who selected him with the 47th overall pick in the second round.

''It felt like I was right at home the way I was treated,'' said Smith, recalling when Demps interviewed him at the combine. It all made sense. I was kind of hoping they would get a pick and move into the draft, and they ended up doing so and I'm just happy I ended up here.''

I_medium There will be no more Peter Jurkin in Bloomington. The absence isn't going to feel like much at first, but after a few weeks, trust me, it's going to start hurting.

I_medium Terry Rozier is spending this week at the LeBron James Skills Academy, where the official roster confirms that he has gained 20 pounds since last season:

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It also breaks the news that he still has four years of eligibility left somehow.

I_medium Mangok Mathiang, meanwhile, is spending the week at the Adidas Unrivaled camp in Chicago.

I_medium ESPN has Louisville at No. 24 in these super bizarre rankings (insider) of the...next three years.

I_medium This is just wonderful.

I_medium Bloggin' Richard Pitino appears to have taken the torch from his father.

I_medium Despite UK Fan Tattoo Guy's imminent blowout loss in the LCPT, it's been a banner year for Kentucky tattoos.

I_medium Peyton Siva did not play in the Pistons' summer league game against the Celtics Wednesday night after tweaking his hamstring the day before.

I_medium And finally, the Minneapolis Star Tribune takes a closer look at the (playful) first fired shots in the lead-up to November's Battle of the Pitinos.

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