BIG EAST RECRUITING REPORT: LOUISVILLE

August 5, 2006


Projected 2007-2008 Roster


Seniors: Juan Palacios (F), David Padgett (F/C), Terrence Farley (C)
Juniors: Andre McGee (PG), Terrence Williams (SF), Jonathon Huffman (BF)
Sophomores: Edgar Sosa (G), Jerry Smith (G), Derrick Caracter (BF), Jarvis Walker (SF walk-on), Earl Clark (G/F)
Freshmen: No Commitments Yet


With Rick Pitino as the head coach and in the Big East, it is no surprise that the Louisville Cardinals have become a recruiting powerhouse once again. This is bad news for the rest of the conference and, recently, has been bad news to some of the existing players as three highly regarded recruits from their class of 2005 have opted to leave the program since the beginning of 2006. All that has done, however, has opened up more room for Pitino to pursue prospects for the class of 2007.


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Currently it stands that Louisville has three open scholarships to distribute for the class of 2007. It is also not uncommon for Rick Pitino, like last year, to distribute a scholarship or two over the limit and watch things work themselves out. Whether it is a transfer or a player leaving early for the NBA, you can almost always expect some form of attrition in the program.

A staple of the Pitino system is long, athletic players that excel from beyond the 3-pt range. One of the things missing from last year's edition of the Cardinals was the shooting prowess from beyond the arc of normal Rick Pitino teams, especially with Taquan Dean injured. On the 2007 recruiting trail, it looks like the Louisville staff is dedicated to improving that aspect of their team. The two most immediate targets that the staff hopes begin to fill in the pieces are 6'4 guard Darquavis Tucker out of Saginaw, MI and George Goode, a 6'8 forward, from Raytown, MO. Tucker is an evolving player that is still a work in process from the perimeter, but he brings excellent size and athletic ability and has been improving his ball skills very quickly and all summer long he has shown the ability to shoot the ball. Goode is one of the ideal players for the Pitino system with his length and ability to hit the 3-ball and rattle the rim with an impressive dunk. Goode will need to get stronger to battle inside in the Big East, but is a high-potential recruit that is very high on Louisville.


With the third open scholarship it is most likely that the Cardinals will go in the direction of their frontcourt. Big men such as Anthony McClain, Tracy Smith, Jon Leuer, Anthony Randolph, Patrick Patterson and Herb Pope have seen a lot of coach Pitino or his staff at their games this summer. Leuer is a player that got a lot of interest from Louisville lately with his ability to step outside and shoot the ball. The rest of the list are among the high-end of 4/5 prospects left on the baord that everyone is trying to convince to pledge to their program. It would not surprise anyone to see Rick Pitino score one of these elite prospects. One with a very clear connection to the Louisville program is Tracy Smith who is a cousin of current Card Brandon Jenkins, so this is something to watch as players begin to make their college decisions.


As always with Rick Pitino, the recruiting stories will always be available. This year will no different. What looked like just a few months ago to be a very quiet time for the class of 2007 and the Cards has really heated up with the decisions of Chad Millard and Brian Johnson to leave the program. Late in the season, another freshmen, Bryan Harvey had decided to move on, so the three transfers has opened up some new spots that need to be filled, and with Pitino on the prowl, one can expect some more high-end talent to take the care of the opening.