—Great news on the Jody Demling front. His wife posted on Facebook this morning that Jody has been taken off the ventilator. Continue to send positive vibes in his direction and the direction of the entire Demling fam.
—Louisville is in the “next 10” section of Seth Davis’ early top 25 (Athletic link) for the 2020-21 college basketball season.
—Rob Dauster of NBC Sports updates his top 25 and keeps Louisville at No. 15.
—Danielle Lerner of The Athletic looks at where Louisville goes now that Jay Scrubb is off the table and also talks with Scrubb’s father about why the decision to stay in the draft was made.
“He decided he just wanted to focus on being a professional athlete,” Jason said. “There are a lot of things that come into play when you leave yourself out in limbo like that. Yesterday he was crowned junior college player of the year, and to me that was like the crowning moment and deciding factor for him. As far as college goes, there’s nothing left to prove. Division I competition, that’s not the top. He’s dreamed of being a professional player his entire life, and that’s what he’s doing.”
On Wednesday, Scrubb was named NJCAA Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. As a sophomore at John A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill., this season, he averaged 21.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
Although Scrubb has not yet received feedback on his potential draft stock from the NBA’s Undergraduate Advisory Committee, his father said he felt comfortable enough to make the jump based on other intel he has received. Mack expressed his concerns but was respectful of the decision, Jason said.
“We chose to do this sooner rather than later because of Louisville,” Jason said. “We didn’t want them hanging on thinking he’s gonna come and he’s really in a different mental space.”
—Three-star offensive tackle Cameron Ball from Georgia has received an offer from Louisville.
—Very cool move by Steph Curry.
“I can’t thank God enough for what you’re doing.”
— ESPN (@espn) April 9, 2020
On a FaceTime call, @StephenCurry30 showed his appreciation for a nurse who wore his jersey under her hospital gear as motivation (via shelbalaney/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/80nMyUXG0F
—Ross Dellinger and Pat Forde have a lengthy feature for Sports Illustrated on coronavirus vs. college football.
—Sports Illustrated’s latest NFL mock draft has Mekhi Becton going 10th overall.
—The Cards make the top five of 2021 OL Mao Glynn.
Thank you to all the schools who have recruited me to this point but as of this time this is my top 5! This list is subject to change over the course of the next few weeks. Please respect my decision pic.twitter.com/zevAeooz05
— big mao (@glynn_ma) April 9, 2020
—Premier League players and teams have handled the coronavirus crisis in the worst way imaginable.
—The best of Jazmine Jones from this past season:
—Bob Huggins says the canceled 2020 NCAA tournament should kick off the 2020-21 college basketball season. I have no clue how that would work, but I’ve never been one to shoot down a booze-fueled dream.
—Alex O’Connell is transferring from Duke to Creighton.
—Western Michigan grad transfer Brandon Johnson is headed to Minnesota. Johnson had previously listed Louisville as one of his potential landing spots.
—Hailey Van Lith is already being memed.
My wife and I tryna decide who changes the baby’s diapers. pic.twitter.com/6glOfA4z8e
— A BALL AND A DREAM (@Freesiree) April 8, 2020
She is going to be so fun to watch for the next four(?) years.
—Wimbledon paid pandemic insurance for almost 20 years. Now it’s getting $141 million.
—U of L looks at how women’s soccer standout Sarah Hernandez is keeping in touch with her teammates from the other side of the country.
—I would usually withhold judgment here, but this guy definitely did whatever he’s being accused of doing.
Kentucky Man breaks quarantine, arrested for drugs https://t.co/V6IYMoPwSK pic.twitter.com/BCQlu4gpOf
— Busted Coverage (@bustedcoverage) April 9, 2020
—More than 50 media members weigh in on whether or not they think there will be a football season. None of them have any real idea or any say in the matter, but hey, people need to create here.
—The ongoing uncertainty surrounding the transfer rule in college athletics seems to have everyone confused.
—Not bad.
#NFLDraft x #GoCards pic.twitter.com/wvCeHqmdMr
— Louisville Football (@UofLFootball) April 9, 2020
—Jeff Walz will have plenty of talent in the backcourt next season, but he’s going to need at least a couple of frontcourt players to step up significantly.
—Louisville signee JJ Traynor makes the Courier Journal’s First Team All-State squad.
—Call him Micale or call him Malik, his story is awesome.
—ESPN’s Jeff Borzello ranks Carlik Jones as the No. 1 immediately eligible transfer in college basketball.
—And finally, since fans are still unable to attend games, one Chinese professional baseball team is going to fill its stands with robot fans.
Hear me out on this: If they don’t allow spectators at the beginning of next season ... the dream of a stadium full of silent fans wearing CCBMs could finally be realized. Robot CCBM Stadium would lead to a win of no fewer than 30 points, regardless of the opponent.