Jeff Greer
GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – As freshman big man Ray Spalding talked on Wednesday night about his learning curve at the University of Louisville, he looked around the room.
Redshirt junior Mangok Mathiang mentors him, he said. So does Jaylen Johnson. And Matz Stockman. And Anas Mahmoud. And Chinanu Onuaku.
The moment, a throwaway comment in the middle of an interview, gave a good picture of just how crowded U of L's frontcourt is this season. Add in Spalding, a 6-foot-10 Louisville native who was a top-40 prospect out of high school, and Louisville has six big men battling for two spots, and they have all made arguments for playing time this winter during the week-long exhibition series here in Puerto Rico.
That's six guys, all 6-9 or taller, who are fighting for 80 minutes of playing time at power forward and center, and that doesn't include 6-7 freshman Deng Adel, who is learning the power forward position for when the Cardinals switch to a smaller lineup.
On Thursday, when three of them fouled out, it was obvious why coach Rick Pitino sees his six- or seven-man frontcourt as a good problem to have.
"All of our bigs played terrific," Pitino said.
The main goal of this trip, whether a wired and antsy U of L fan base on social media accepts it or not, is not actually winning more than losing, though the players and coaches admit they'd like to see a victory or two vs. Puerto Rico's national team, which is made up of professionals and is ranked 15th in the FIBA world rankings.
The main goal is learning – playing physical, intense basketball against men as opposed to the usual individual instruction and practices against each other that the players would otherwise experience back home.
"We all know they're grown men," said Mathiang, who started nine games last season, primarily at center, but will play both post positions this year.
"I think it'll be a great experience. Coach (Pitino) knows what he's doing. We play a bunch of tough road games this season … For us to have such a new team and so many young freshmen, this will definitely help."
An added element to Mathiang's comment is that Louisville actually has many young sophomores, too. Not young by age, though Onuaku will be just 18 years old when the season starts, but rather young by experience.
Transfers already shining for Cards
Onuaku started 26 games last season and played in 35 of 36. Mathiang played in 34. But Johnson, Mahmoud and Stockman played in 57 games combined, totaling just 264 minutes of action.
Mahmoud logged most of his minutes early in the season, before Louisville's schedule got tougher. Johnson played critical minutes in a second-round NCAA tournament win over Northern Iowa, but only averaged 4.6 minutes in his 23 appearances.
And Stockman, the greenest of the non-freshmen big men, participated in four games for a total of 22 minutes.
That's why it was a blessing, Pitino said, that Onuaku was suspended for Thursday's game in Guaynabo after elbowing Puerto Rico guard JJ Barea in the post-game handshake line on Wednesday.
His absence – Onuaku is projected to start at center this season – allowed U of L's staff to play Mahmoud and Stockman more. The staff was particularly impressed with Mahmoud, who ran the floor well, emphatically blocked two shots and thundered in a one-handed dunk in the second half that even got the Puerto Rico fans cheering.
Report card: Grading U of L after Game 5
"I can play (power forward) or (center), wherever coach calls me," said Mahmoud, a 7-footer from Egypt.
"What I do best -- I block shots, get rebounds, assist, pass the ball around, press … I can take the ball out on the press. It's just being more confident and having fun with the team."
And that's what this trip is for – enjoying a week in sun-drenched Puerto Rico and finding a niche as the preseason workouts ramp up in late August, September and October.
Pitino has said several times that this group could go 10 or 11 deep on the bench. A crowded frontcourt is a big reason for that.
GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – As freshman big man Ray Spalding talked on Wednesday night about his learning curve at the University of Louisville, he looked around the room.
Redshirt junior Mangok Mathiang mentors him, he said. So does Jaylen Johnson. And Matz Stockman. And Anas Mahmoud. And Chinanu Onuaku.
The moment, a throwaway comment in the middle of an interview, gave a good picture of just how crowded U of L's frontcourt is this season. Add in Spalding, a 6-foot-10 Louisville native who was a top-40 prospect out of high school, and Louisville has six big men battling for two spots, and they have all made arguments for playing time this winter during the week-long exhibition series here in Puerto Rico.
That's six guys, all 6-9 or taller, who are fighting for 80 minutes of playing time at power forward and center, and that doesn't include 6-7 freshman Deng Adel, who is learning the power forward position for when the Cardinals switch to a smaller lineup.
On Thursday, when three of them fouled out, it was obvious why coach Rick Pitino sees his six- or seven-man frontcourt as a good problem to have.
"All of our bigs played terrific," Pitino said.
The main goal of this trip, whether a wired and antsy U of L fan base on social media accepts it or not, is not actually winning more than losing, though the players and coaches admit they'd like to see a victory or two vs. Puerto Rico's national team, which is made up of professionals and is ranked 15th in the FIBA world rankings.
The main goal is learning – playing physical, intense basketball against men as opposed to the usual individual instruction and practices against each other that the players would otherwise experience back home.
"We all know they're grown men," said Mathiang, who started nine games last season, primarily at center, but will play both post positions this year.
"I think it'll be a great experience. Coach (Pitino) knows what he's doing. We play a bunch of tough road games this season … For us to have such a new team and so many young freshmen, this will definitely help."
An added element to Mathiang's comment is that Louisville actually has many young sophomores, too. Not young by age, though Onuaku will be just 18 years old when the season starts, but rather young by experience.
Transfers already shining for Cards
Onuaku started 26 games last season and played in 35 of 36. Mathiang played in 34. But Johnson, Mahmoud and Stockman played in 57 games combined, totaling just 264 minutes of action.
Mahmoud logged most of his minutes early in the season, before Louisville's schedule got tougher. Johnson played critical minutes in a second-round NCAA tournament win over Northern Iowa, but only averaged 4.6 minutes in his 23 appearances.
And Stockman, the greenest of the non-freshmen big men, participated in four games for a total of 22 minutes.
That's why it was a blessing, Pitino said, that Onuaku was suspended for Thursday's game in Guaynabo after elbowing Puerto Rico guard JJ Barea in the post-game handshake line on Wednesday.
His absence – Onuaku is projected to start at center this season – allowed U of L's staff to play Mahmoud and Stockman more. The staff was particularly impressed with Mahmoud, who ran the floor well, emphatically blocked two shots and thundered in a one-handed dunk in the second half that even got the Puerto Rico fans cheering.
Report card: Grading U of L after Game 5
"I can play (power forward) or (center), wherever coach calls me," said Mahmoud, a 7-footer from Egypt.
"What I do best -- I block shots, get rebounds, assist, pass the ball around, press … I can take the ball out on the press. It's just being more confident and having fun with the team."
And that's what this trip is for – enjoying a week in sun-drenched Puerto Rico and finding a niche as the preseason workouts ramp up in late August, September and October.
Pitino has said several times that this group could go 10 or 11 deep on the bench. A crowded frontcourt is a big reason for that.
