Newcomers adding energy and competition for Louisville
An offseason inhibited by the coronavirus pandemic has demanded adjustments for every player on Louisville women’s basketball as newcomers transition to the program with the team’s returners.
Louisville coach Jeff Walz says the team’s newest additions have helped reenergize the returning players because the workouts have been filled with competition.
Players currently participate in coach-led workouts on the court for 45 minutes in groups of six.
Walz said the basketball sessions have included “spirited” one-on-one games.
Dana Evans, the reigning ACC Player of the Year, and Hailey Van Lith, the top-ranked guard in the 2020 recruiting class by espnW HoopGurlz, have competed against each other.
“Two kids that are fierce competitors and want to win, but at the end, when they are finished, they are talking to each other,” Walz said.
Junior Elizabeth Balogun and freshman Merissah Russell have competed against each other according to Walz. He also said forwards Elizabeth Dixon, a junior, and Oliva Cochran, a freshman, have spent time battling in the post.
“I am really excited about how the new ones have adjusted and are actually bringing energy to our returning group,” Walz said. “It has really motivated them and reenergized them to because it is competitive every single day.”
Louisville’s roster will have a different makeup compared to a season ago when the Cardinals won the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) regular season title outright for the first time in program history.
With returning guards like Evans, Balogun, Mykasa Robinson, Norika Konno and Kianna Smith paired with incoming members of the backcourt like Van Lith, Russell and Ahlana Smith, Louisville has the potential to utilize a four-guard lineup.
The Cardinals have implemented some transition options during its offseason workouts to develop a faster pace of play.
“We have really been working on tempo because we want to play faster than we did this past season,” Walz said. “We are trying to pick up our tempo, trying to create more scoring opportunities, get quicker scoring opportunities.”
In the front court, Louisville will still need to develop several players in the absence of Kylee Shook, who was selected in the first round of the WNBA Draft.
“We might not have the depth in the post that we have had in the past few years, but the quality is there,” Walz said.
