LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Louisville coach Rick Pitino believes it takes a certain kind of player to be a great rebounder.
There’s a tenacity involved, a love of contact that can’t really be taught no matter how many drills you put a player through.
Assistant coach Mark Lieberman likens rebounding to two cars playing demolition derby. His advice is don’t just ding a fender. Go for it. Get in there and mix it up.
“On defense you’ve got to hit people,” Pitino said. “We don’t have frontcourt people that enjoy contact with the exception of Stephan Van Treese.”
And that’s not nearly enough for the 18th-ranked Cardinals to contend in the Big East.
Louisville (13-3, 2-1) was mauled on the glass by No. 7 Villanova in an 88-74 loss on Wednesday. The Wildcats used a 41-25 advantage on the boards to pull away in the second half.
Things won’t get any easier on Saturday against surging Marquette (12-5, 3-1). The Golden Eagles are just as athletic as the Wildcats and will have a significant height advantage at all five positions.
While Pitino remains happy with his team’s effort level, with power forwards Jared Swopshire and Rakeem Buckles out with injuries and centers Terrence Jennings, George Goode and Gorgui Dieng struggling to make an impact on a nightly basis, he’s turning to the guards for help.
Pitino thinks 5-foot-11 Peyton Siva should be getting at least six rebounds a game because the man he’s guarding typically races back down the floor after a shot goes up to play defense.
It’s a role Siva will warily try to embrace. He’s averaging 2.9 boards a game, pretty decent for someone his size but not enough to compensate for the Cardinals’ lack of inside presence.
“There are times I try to get in there, but I feel it’s going to take a lot more effort on my part and help our bigs out and rebound,” Siva said.
It’s a task feisty 6-foot-1 senior captain Preston Knowles appears to relish. Never one to shy away from a fight, Knowles is averaging 4.1 rebounds a game and has become adept at knowing where to go when the ball is released. He picked up a pair of critical offensive boards in a victory over South Florida last weekend.
Yet Knowles was frustrated after the loss at Villanova, a game the Cardinals lost despite making 12 3-pointers and forcing the Wildcats into 18 turnovers.
Pitino understands Knowles’ anger, but director of basketball operations Ralph Willard has encouraged Knowles to lead in a more positive manner.
It’s a tactic Pitino has stuck with this season. He has been slow to criticize the Cardinals when things have gone wrong. Louisville has been outrebounded by at least 11 in each of its three losses. Yet there has been very little foot stomping from the coach. Maybe it’s because he knows the hand he’s been dealt.
“They’re not the most talented group I’ve coached,” he said. “They are what they are. They have a great attitude, a great group of guys. They’re good solid ballplayers who give you everything they have, there’s just no great rebounders on this team.”
Whatever size the Cardinals have will take a slight hit on Saturday. Sophomore forward Mike Marra will miss the game with an ankle injury, further shortening Louisville’s bench.
“I’m not going to complain on what I don’t have, I’m just going to concentrate on what I do have,” he said.
What the Cardinals have, at this point, is a pretty solid start in the Big East. Pitino has divided the lengthy 18-game conference schedule into six three-game segments. His hope is the Cardinals go 2-1 in each segment while potentially sweeping all three at some point.
It won’t be easy. Louisville faces two games against Connecticut and West Virginia as well as road test at Georgetown and Notre Dame.
“Even if we fall down, we can easily pick ourselves up,” Pitino said. “We’re miserable for 24 hours and we’re frustrated (after a loss) but there’s always another game to make up for it. … We are going to have some down times and we’re going to have some up times.”
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