again I apologize for being late uh you know recruiting always comes first uh J just wanted to take this opportunity to just uh talk a little a little bit about our opening game uh what a great experience opportunity it's it's going to be for us uh to be able to travel over to Paris and play a very very talented UCLA basketball team so it's going to be a great way to start we're we're going to be young uh but I've been very encouraged about what I've seen so so far and there's no doubt we'll make great strides from now until that first game um any questions on what we got at stake here coach just to have an opportunity to go to Paris with this squad and not only have the opportunity to play UCLA but come together as a group how crucial is a trip like this now we're we're really excited when this came about this opportunity uh obviously I really appreciate our Administration uh it is going to be a trip that that we are we are going to fundraise for uh to make sure that that we're able to take care of the expenses that come along with a trip like this because it's not a uh you know an expensive little Endeavor here but I thought for the opportunity for our players uh to give them this experience to be able to go abroad uh to play a team of the quality of UCLA on you know a a big stage I mean it's not just a national state it's it's a worldwide stage so really excited to put our brand out there to put the University of Louisville out there as well uh you know I think our women's basketball program has grown to a point where you know we're always in the talk with the top programs in the in in the country Jeff I was putting together uh this year's Group which is has a bunch of freshmen compared to last year where you had almost nothing but transfers well it it's it's it's one of these time we we go into the season into recruiting always looking to sign the best freshman that we can sign the difference with recruiting now is instead of having five players for one scholarship where you know I've got my top five now you you really have three at least that's how we how we do things so if we don't get first second or third at the point guard spot then we're just going to wait and see what comes open in the portal so two years ago we just you know we didn't go after me uh a many kids and you know unfortunately we didn't sign them so then we had to go the portal route which we knew that and that we were fine with that um and now last year that 24 class we had a great recruiting class uh a lot a lot of those kids saw the opportunity to be able to to be able to come in and play as freshman and compete so now we're looking at seven freshman and one transfer uh and I'm really excited about it because now we're able to continue to teach and and develop and really hopefully work the younger ones to develop in to to the players that that we think they can be well I it's just nice to be able to go out and play a team of UCLA's caliber on a neutral floor you know you're going out there it's going to be a great trip uh we have a lot of fans and that are making the trip I've heard from a lot of uh of people who who who will be out there to support us and you know it's not a home game you're not a technically a road game so it it's great it's an opportunity for us to see you know where are we November the 4th uh as I've always said it's not going to dictate or decide if we're going to make it back to a final four or not but it's going to give us a a good Litas test to know where exactly are we what do we have to do to continue to improve Jeff had a boot I can't remember on which foot but what happened there and what's kind of her status now she's she's been great she uh had a little ankle issue but she's she she's doing fine right right now she's in practice today uh so yeah I'm not she she's a tough kid and she'll she'll be good to go no no do you speak any French bonjour it's about that's about the extent of my Turkish as well uh my Spanish no it's I've had the opportunity to go over once before on a foreign trip years ago uh but excited for all of our players because we're going to make it a cultural experience for them as well uh you know if you're making a trip trip like this you you want to make sure that you're getting the kids out to see everything to experience it and you're not just going to play basketball only yes how did things go with your recent overseas trip it was great uh it was an experience that that I I mean it was fantastic you know I had the opportunity to go to uh Istanbul for a week uh so they had a coaching Clinic that they asked me to to to participate in um that was on June thir on June 30th I was able to take my wife and my kids over so they were able to go over and experience Istanbul for a week uh also practiced during that time with the Turkish under 20 national team that a play uh played on so July 4th the family came back home and then we went over to Lithuania uh to compete in the European under 20 championship and uh AA played extremely well I think she was listed as one of the top top you know the top 10 or top 20 players in the tournament uh she shot the ball well played extremely well uh we finished seventh in the event uh lost to France in the uh quarterfinal game by one uh France went went on to win the the whole thing uh it was a great game had two had two free throws with four seconds left down one and and missed both uh but it was just a a great experience I learned a ton of basketball uh brought a lot of European stuff back with us I like the tempo that they play at the movement they have uh the physicality of their game is much greater than what we have here uh so yeah I it it it was really really good I'm excited for E uh I think she'll have a really good year for us I mean we always have to take take a step back and realize she she got on campus in September of last year had never met one of her teammates thrown into to a completely different culture halfway across the world and then we're throwing her out there in November playing basketball games so I I think her Comfort level is much better now the relationships with her teammates and knowing knowing what she's coming into now the start of her second year so really excited for her so the trip was was a huge success coach it seems like basketball here in Louisville in July is crazier than it's ever been before obviously you were at the vill last night and to have your own team currently having something to look forward to and preparing for this how crucial is this kind of month with the season still so far away well it's anytime you you get the chance to work with your own team uh and it's a we're a long way away you know from our final product what we think it can be uh and then today was a a great opportunity for our kids Maisha Hines Allen was back Erica Carter was back so they came and T and talked to our kids at practice today so anytime you can get some of your past alumni to come back and share ESP especially to that you know they're playing professionally doing basketball as a career to to let your young ones and even your older players realize what it takes you know it's a job it's just not I show up for two hours in practice it's a job and it was really really good to to to have them back and you know the game it's it's been exciting here in Louisville uh for everyone to to be able to go back out there to to Freedom Hall and and watch basketball when is the last time of Ever you've had such a young team and what kind of dynamic does that bring coming into the season oh God it might go back um shy Shimmer her her freshman year we had a lot of freshman that that year that played significant role in the team um so it's it's fun right now it's fun because I'm seeing growth each day you know it's small but I'm seeing them get more comfortable with what we're asking them to do uh the pace of play that we're asking them to play at and then the amount of details that they've got to make sure they focus on uh so it it's been great it's been great and uh I'm really excited about this upcoming season you have Jada going overseas to France twice this year obviously she's out there right now to go to France a second time with her is that almost a leadership opportunity she now has to kind of show maybe the spots that she once was at or just to even have this experience already to to kind of help lead that younger group yeah I think for her this has been a it it's a important trip right now she's over there training uh really getting pushed past her comfort zone and I I think that this was really important for for her um she's a kid that that likes to be comfortable and right now she's working with some people as we tried this past year and we're going to continue to get her un uncomfortable and when she learns how to handle those th those situations I think you're going to see a huge jump in her game as well and that's why I was so excited for her when she approached me and asked me if if it was okay if she went over there I said go I think it'd be great for her so we're looking forward to when she comes back so she can fill us all in we've we we've talked to her and stayed in touch with her and she said she's really enjoying it how did adding Amanda Butler kind of come about and what kind of dynamic does that bring in terms of just her having a had coaching experience and also getting Amari with kind I'm not a p but do you know what I mean yeah no we you know it unfortunate for for a manand of what took place at Clemson I mean it's part of the game you know everyone knows it um and then we had a s a situation here where Ma Macy Ford who who who was our director of Ops decided to go back to to college um and and work towards a a Nursing degree so then Courtney had wanted the opportunity to get more into the administrative side so I moved Courtney up into the op spot which then had that spot open um and then once everything took took place with Amanda I you know I talked to her and said hey would would you possibly be interested in this um because I know the value we had when Beth Burns was here you know it's it's nice to have someone else who's been in that those shoes as as a head coach um she's done a great job of of blending in with our staff she's brought a lot of great ideas but at the same time What I really appreciate about Amanda is she's not trying to walk in and say hey I'm gonna change something you know because we've we've been pretty good here so but she's willing to ask questions and say hey did have we we thought about doing this thought about possibly at adding this so we've she's been a great addition to our staff um she loves to work on the floor with W with the players and now with us being a able to have two extra staff on on the floor so that's where she's really added a huge value for us yeah now we we we'd see each other on the road uh we we were friends from within the league obviously playing against each other um so yeah it it was a good relationship and then when this opportunity came about it it just it it fit perfect and then you know we were on aari's list towards the end when she decided to go to uh to to to Clemson and then when Amanda got let go and then Amari went back you know she reopened her recruiting um it was the first call I made was to Amari and then I was started the process but it was never one where I wanted Amari to feel any pressure that she had to come because Amanda was here because I only wanted Amari here if she wanted to be here because that's one of the things we we take great pride in is the players that want to be here they want to be coached and Amari wanted that and she she's been absolutely fantastic and then adding Amanda just gave a little more sense of security for Amari knowing hey that that's the coach I had agreed to play with the first time so it it it it's been a really good fit and as soon as we get everything finished with the rest of our non-conference schedule I'm still working on uh mte event so once we get that finished then we'll be able to release all of it if we release some of it okay yeah so there's there's more to come just trying to get it all ironed out thank you everybody I I I apologize for being late