Drayage Brokersin Louisville, KY

The landscape of college athletics is changing in multiple ways, including how supporters and the local community can interact with student-athletes.

In years past, the traditional interaction between players and the community that supports them, consisted of attendance at games, purchasing season tickets, making donations to the athletic fund, and the like. Since the NCAA enacted its Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy two years ago, student-athletes have enjoyed the opportunity to financially benefit off their individual value. That shift in policy has brought the relationship between player and that community even closer.

The desire to help the student-athletes and the UofL programs that they play for recently led a trio of fans – Don Kohler, Richard Herrmann and Robert Weddington – to wonder aloud, “What can we do?” More specifically they wondered, what can be done to further strengthen the Louisville women’s basketball program. Following a few discussions, this ‘group of three’ launched an effort to generate an annual inflow of contributions to the 502Circle for the purpose of funding the women’s basketball program’s NIL fund pool.

While 502Circle works to benefit student-athletes of all UofL sports, this more focused effort serves as an excellent example of how fans can impact the sports that they enjoy. The early results have been promising as more fans become familiar with the purpose of collectives. The ‘group of three’ suggests a minimum donation for season ticket holders at $50 per seat annually, although many provide larger annual donations. During just the first three weeks of its push, the trio secured over $80,000 in commitments for UofL women’s basketball NIL and is excited for the potential.

Louisville fans can make a donation earmarked directly for women’s basketball NIL by visiting: http://basepath.co/r/l-cmw1s8. Or, one can utilize the included QR code.

502Circle, a Louisville focused non-profit collective that was launched last August by U of L alumnus Marc Spiegel, has been diligent and proactive in the effort to provide a strong and ever-growing source to help student-athletes benefit with NIL opportunities.

UofL Athletic Director Josh Heird has endorsed the 502Circle and asks that fans support the student-athletes through donations.

“The 502Circle is an NIL collective that will partner directly with our student-athletes in order to create opportunities for them to take advantage of their name, image and likeness,” Heird said in a video statement released on Jan. 10.

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For more on the 502Circle, click HERE.

Marcus Fuller, a writer for the Star Tribune, recently published an article saying that the prized recruit of the 2023 recruiting cycle for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Dennis Evans, has asked to be released from signing his National Letter of Intent. Evans is 7-foot-1 210 pounds and is ranked in the Top 10 best center prospects by 247 Sports.

#Gophers men’s basketball team’s prized recruit Dennis Evans asked for release out of his letter of intent @StribSports https://t.co/ngvdLurBS4

— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) February 24, 2023

Not long after 247 Sports writer Ryan James corroborated the story and published an article detailing why he thinks the highly coveted big man asked for a release from his NLI.

According to James, he believes Evans wanted out for three proposed reasons: Minnesota does not have many NIL opportunities, the Gophers production in conference play over the past two years, and the lack of accountability with players. James writes:

“And Evans has a former teammate on the current Gopher team who is playing a lot, and in my opinion has been allowed to play through constant mistakes on both ends of the floor. There is no doubt that is a factor as well although in what way it was a factor we really don’t know.”

What is interesting in this fast-moving development is how quickly he was projected to come to Louisville.

Trevor Andershock, a contributor for Indiana University’s 247 Sports site, predicted the big man to come to Louisville. Not even a Louisville contributor has done that at this point, which could be telling of Kenny Payne’s interest in him has already spread across the Ohio River and filled the Bloomington airs.

If KP does land him, he would be a huge addition (both physically and metaphorically) to the Cardinals’ front court that could likely be without Zan Payne, a graduate student, and Sydney Curry, a senior. The other big men Evans would share the floor with are, potentially, Roosevelt Wheeler, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, and recent addition Emmanuel Okorafor.

For a team that has been rumored to land another big man from the NBA Africa Academy, likely center Churchill Abass, it is noticeable that Louisville is rumored to land yet another center. But, a nationally regarded talent such as Dennis Evans, it doesn’t really matter what position he is. If he’s available on the market, you go get him. And that appears to be what Head Coach Kenny Payne is doing.

Hopefully he can add some guard talent to this roster at some point this off-season, whether it be through the transfer portal or scouting the nation for available talent. Maybe even reaching out to a guy like Skyy Clark, to see if he would want to come join the Cardinals and help restore them back to the successful program they were for so long.

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A product of Ashland Blazer on the eastern edge of the Bluegrass State, Mykasa Robinson has been a fixture on Jeff Walz’s roster since arriving as a freshman in 2018. Now a graduate player, Robinson will play her final home game as a Cardinal on Sunday against Notre Dame.

Robinson has appeared in 154 games during her UofL career, starting 32, while becoming one of the top defenders in the ACC. Twice a selection to the ACC All-Defensive Team, the 5-foot-7 guard has helped define the toughness often associated with Louisville basketball.

“Really, it's hard to put into words what she's meant to our program for five years,” UofL head coach Jeff Walz said. “I wish she could play a sixth year. But she epitomizes, I think, what Louisville women's basketball stands for. She's a hard worker. It's what we build this program on. She's not afraid to compete. She'll get in there do whatever she has to do. She guards one through five.

“Don't ever doubt her. Don't say, ‘I don't think you can do that,’ because then she'll prove she can do.”

This season she has tied or established new career highs in scoring, rebounds and assists. Her consistent effort on both ends of the floor helped lead the program to a pair of Elite Eight and a Final Four finish in three of her seasons at Louisville.

She’s a favorite throughout the community. Her focus and hard work have been an example throughout her career.

“What she's meant to our community, what she's meant to the city, her hometown,” Walz continued. “She's everything you would want a daughter to be. I'm sure she has fun. You know, we're all supposed to have fun in college but I never hear about it. You know, she's responsible. Everybody that I run into in Louisville, that the first name that they bring up. I just love this kid.”

Just as she gives credit to teammates following a victory, Robinson points Walz and her teammates in helping her enjoy the career she’s had as a Cardinal.

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“I think my overall statement would be just that my time at Louisville has been something I've never could have imagined,” Robinson said. “I've made friends, I've made relationships. I've grown as a person both on and off the court in ways that I never thought I could and I just want to thank Coach Walz, my teammates, all the staff for pushing me and challenging me to be the person that I am today.”

Robinso admits that when she prepares to take the court at the KFC Yum! Center for a final time that “the tears will be flowing.”

Kenny Payne didn't want this to be a shootout, and in the grand scheme of things it wasn't.

But winning, as the Louisville men's basketball coach has said at several points during the worst season in program history, is fragile. And the difference-maker in Georgia Tech's 83-67 victory over the Cardinals on Saturday at McCamish Pavilion was the Yellow Jackets' lights-out shooting in the first half.

"I want to feel like we’re going to war to win a game, not to play offense," Payne said after his team's 16th loss by double digits dropped Louisville to 4-25 (2-16 ACC). "I thought today’s game was an indicator that — it was, 'You score, I score.' We’re not built like that. We have to defend. It’s not a choice.

"(If) we decide not to defend, it’s like saying, 'We don’t want to win. We just want to score.'"

U of L women's basketball:Cardinals still control their own destiny as March approaches

U of L trailed by as many as 18 points after falling behind 45-32 at halftime but cut the deficit to five with 4:46 to play in a second half that was mired by scoring droughts. Tech (12-17, 4-14 ACC) cooled down significantly after the intermission but went on a 17-6 stretch run to split the regular-season series — and deal a crushing blow to the Cardinals' chances of avoiding a last-place finish in conference play.

"There’s a focus, a discipline, that you have to have, especially when you dig yourself (into) a hole," Payne said. "There’s a fight that is required — you don’t just make a run. You gotta get over that run; you gotta take the lead. We get to the cusp of making the run, of getting the lead, and then a bad play, a bad call, a lack of defensive effort — one thing goes wrong, they get a basket, and it kills our run."

The energy Payne saw from his team as it closed out a 10-point victory against Georgia Tech on Feb. 1 at the KFC Yum! Center and as it competed against some of the ACC's best over the past four games resurfaced at times in Atlanta. The Cardinals asserted themselves with 40 points in the paint and a 37-29 advantage on the glass after getting beat physically Monday night in a 17-point loss at Duke.

They did not, however, bring the defensive intensity they showcased in a three-point loss to Virginia on Feb. 15 and a 10-point win against Clemson three days later. The Yellow Jackets made them pay for it.

After scoring just 58 points on 29.5% shooting in its loss at the Yum! Center, Georgia Tech was nearly 12 points better than its first-half season average (33.8) on Saturday thanks to eight 3-pointers on 16 attempts and a 53.3% clip from the field. The first time these teams met, the Yellow Jackets converted just seven of their 27 total shots from deep.

Recruiting:Koron Davis wants to turn doubters into believers with Louisville basketball, Kenny Payne

Ironically, the game’s leading scorer, Georgia Tech’s Ja'von Franklin with 21, did not attempt a 3. His teammates, three of whom turned in double-digit performances, finished the game 12 of 29 from deep.

"I don’t think our closeouts were desperate," Payne said. "I thought we were very casual in getting to shooters. I thought we were casual in getting to spots. I thought we were casual in giving them resistance to where they wanted to go on the floor."

Louisville used a 7-0 run to take a 17-14 lead with 11:41 remaining in the first half and held onto a 24-22 advantage at the 7:38 mark. That was the Cardinals' last lead of the game after Tech ended the half with a 23-8 swing.

Unlike Monday’s loss at Duke, U of L's offensive attack was more balanced Saturday afternoon. El Ellis and Kamari Lands led the team with 15 points apiece. Mike James (14) and JJ Traynor (10) also broke into double digits, and Jae'Lyn Withers added a team-best nine rebounds to go along with eight points.

Payne, however, was left preaching a message similar to the one he had at Cameron Indoor Stadium: Scoring is to be expected — and yet again wasn't enough.

"We’re not more talented than Georgia Tech. We’re not," he said. "The only way we win (is if) we fight together and we talk to each other on the court and we, defensively, get after them. That’s the only way we can win, and we weren’t connected today."

U of L's biggest win of the season:As 2013 team is honored, Louisville basketball beats Clemson

The Cardinals went just 4 for 17 from 3-point range Saturday afternoon and were a combined 11 for 34 beyond the arc during the penultimate week of the regular season. They also turned the ball over 14 times, resulting in 18 points for the Yellow Jackets.

Returning to the scene of its last road victory (Jan. 2, 2022), Louisville fell to 0-10 in enemy territory and must win March 4 at Virginia if it wants to avoid the program's first winless season on the road since 1939-40. U of L next takes the court at 9 p.m. Tuesday for senior night against Virginia Tech at the Yum! Center.

The Cardinals' chances of clawing their way out of 15th place in the ACC grew more bleak with Saturday's loss, too.

Sweeping Georgia Tech would have given Louisville a tie-breaking advantage over the 13th-place Yellow Jackets. U of L could have also passed 14th-place Notre Dame, with the Fighting Irish losing their seventh consecutive game Saturday night at Wake Forest.

But, much like what transpired Saturday afternoon at McCamish Pavilion, sometimes the hole is just too deep. Chalk it up as another lesson for Payne and the Cardinals during a season that's been billed as, "Win or learn."

Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

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Louisville football continues to extend scholarship offers to players from across the region and further. The program has shown the ability to attract top prospects from the across the country and that effort continues.

Another recent group of offers reached in numerous directions from Louisville, while recruiting in-state and across Florida are clear priorities.

Here's a look at a few other recent offers from varying regions of the country:

Nashville, Tenn., CPA offensive lineman John Wayne Oliver has added UofL to a list of scholarship offers that also includes Cincinnati, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan, TCU and others.

The 6-foot-5, 275-pound three-star prospect is listed as the nation's No. 27 offensive tackle by 247Sports, which also places him as the No. 8 overall prospect and top-rated offensive lineman in Tennessee.

There are no current Crystal Ball projections for Oliver.

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Another imposing offensive lineman to recently receive a Louisville scholarship offer is Sugar Land, Tex., Fort Bend Christian's Bennett Warren.

The 6-foot-7, 305-pound prospect has yet to receive a rating in the industry-generated 247Sports Composite but that will certainly change. In addition to Louisville, Warren has also drawn the same from Auburn, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M, BYU, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Utah and a host of others.

There is one Crystal Ball projection for Texas A&M.

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Louisville is eyeing many of the top prospects in the Lone Star State, which includes a new offer to Converse, Tex., Judson safety Myles Davis. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound prospect is listed as the nation's No. 22 safety by 247Sports. The network also places him at No. 43 overall in Texas.

UofL joins a list that have offered that also includes Arizona, Boston College, Houston, Missouri, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Tulane, Washington and others.

There are no current Crystal Ball projections for Davis.

Davis finished his junior season with 38 tackles, four interceptions, and six pass breakups.

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Another Lone Star State target is Top247 defensive back Aaron Flowers of Forney.

247Sports lists the 6-foot, 185-pound prospect as the No. 13 safety nationally and the No. 31 overall prospect in Texas.

Louisville joins an impressive list of scholarship offers for Flowers, including Alabama, Baylor, Colorado, Duke, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, USC, and a host of others.

There is a 247Sports Crystal Ball pick in for Oklahoma.

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Hudson, Fla., edge rush Elias Williams has added Louisville to a list of scholarship offers that also includes Cincinnati, Florida State, Kansas, Miami, UCF, West Virginia and others.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Williams has yet to receive a prospect rating by the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. There are no current Crystal Ball projections.

Williams is a two-way player who also receives snaps at tight end and fullback. As a junior he was credited with 51 tackles (13.5 for loss), 29 hurries, 2 forced fumbles and 7 sacks.

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Athlete PJ Woodland of Hattiesburg, Miss. Oak Grove has yet to receive a prospect rating but he's another that he adding multiple Power 5 scholarship offers. The 6-foot, 165-pound shines at cornerback and wide receiver, along with being a standout performer on special teams.

In addition to Louisville, Woodland also holds the same from Arkansas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Texas, Texas A&M and a number of others.

As a junior, Woodland totaled 38 tackles, seven interceptions and four pass breakups. He also had 32 catches for 262 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver.

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Louisville is the first ACC scholarship offer for Clinton, Tenn., safety D'Mon Marable. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound safety also holds offers from Austin Peay, Charlotte, Colorado and Liberty.

There are no current Crystal Ball projections for Marable.

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247Sports Composite four-star Terrance Hibbler is building an impressive list of scholarship offers. In addition to the new one from Louisville, the 6-foot-3, 305-pound defensive lineman also has the same from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Colorado, Florida, LSU, Miami, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC and a host of others.

The Composite places Hibbler as the No. 297 overall player nationally regardless of position. He also checks in as the No. 30 defensive lineman in the country and the No. 8 player in Mississippi.

There are no current Crystal Ball projections.

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Bay Springs, Miss. defensive lineman Kamron Beavers now includes Louisville on a list of scholarship offers that also includes Alabama, Auburn, Colorado, LSU, Miami, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas, Texas A&M, among others.

The 6-foot-4, 330-pound prospect has yet to receive an industry-generated prospect rating but seems inline for a strong starting point once updated.

There is currently a Crystal Ball projection for Ole Miss.

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Nashville, Ga., Berrien safety Josiah Davis adds Louisville to a list of scholarship offers that also includes Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, NC State, Tennessee, Wake Forest and others.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound defensive back has yet to receive prospect rating and there are no Crystal Ball projections.

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Top247 target Jeffery Rush Jr. of Pascagoula, Miss. checks in as the nation's No. 18 defensive lineman.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound lineman also holds offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Colorado, Florida State, Miami, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and others.

The industry-generated 247Sports Composite lists Rush as the nation's No. 182 overall prospect regardless of position.

There are no current Crystal Ball projections.

2025 Target

2025 Gilbert, Ariz., running back Zach Thompson adds Louisville to an early list of scholarship offers that also includes Oregon and Washington.

The 5-foot-11, 182-pound prospect has yet to receive a rating by the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

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