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Jeff Walz: Louisville basketball stuck in ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ mode

Coach Jeff Walz and Louisville started the season ranked No. 7 before four losses. (Sam Upshaw Jr./USA TODAY NETWORK)

Louisville women’s basketball is bouncing back and forth between two identities. One good, one bad. One coach Jeff Walz wants to see every day, and one he’s had enough of.

“We don’t communicate,” he said. “And until we fix that, we are going to be Jekyll and Hyde.”

No. 10 Louisville has had an inconsistent start to the season, surviving a test against a tough Belmont squad before losing to Gonzaga in overtime, then topping No. 3 Texas (the Longhorns have since dropped to No. 19) but falling to South Dakota State. The last three results all came at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament last weekend.

Both Gonzaga and South Dakota State are top-25 caliber teams, as the Jackrabbits started the season ranked and both teams have been getting votes each week in the AP Poll. It’s not the losses that are the issue for Walz and his Cardinals, but rather the way they happen.

As Walz said, he’s never sure which team will show up.

“We communicated against Texas,” he said following the loss to South Dakota State. “We talked. We were engaged. Today, it wasn’t a good shootaround, and then our warmup before, we were concerned because we were on the baseline saying, ‘You’ve got to talk, you’ve got to communicate.’ And we just didn’t do it.”

Walz is also concerned about his team’s execution on both offense and defense, calling the Cardinal’s play “sloppy.”

Against Gonzaga on Saturday, Lousivlle looked to have a win locked up after an efficient fourth quarter in which the the Cardinals shot 53.9% from the field, knocked down a 3-pointer and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line. They also held the Bulldogs to 31.6% shooting.

But two free throws from Eliza Hollingsworth tied the score with 38 seconds to play, forcing extra time.

The overtime period was a completely different story for the Cardinals, as they were outscored 18-6. They shot just 2-for-10 from the field and 1-for-4 from the line while letting the Bulldogs shoot 13 free throws (they made 10) and go a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.

Dr. Jekyll, though, showed up when Louisville took on the Longhorns.

Walz praised his team after the 71-63 victory over Texas, in which the Cardinals forced their opponent into 19 turnovers. Hailey Van Lith led the charge with 19 points, while Chrislyn Carr and Morgan Jones each added 18.

“I thought we fought today,” Walz said. “Overall, I thought there were a lot longer stretches where we played hard and got after it. And that’s what we have to do.”

But against the Jackrabbits the following game, Louisville transformed back into Mr. Hyde, suffering a 10-point loss and lacking the communication Walz wants to see from his squad.

Van Lith had 26 points in that contest, but the Cardinals couldn’t find offense anywhere else, as Olivia Cochran was the next highest scorer with 7 points. Louisville also was outrebounded 41-24.

The Cardinals play Longwood at home on Friday before preparing for a top-10 contest against No. 4 Ohio State on Nov. 30 for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Louisville will need to find some consistency in order to secure the upset against the 4-0 Buckeyes.

“We just have a lot of work to do,” Walz said Saturday. “We aren’t going to quit. It’s not the end of the world. I’m sure some of our fans are going to feel like it is, but I promise you it’s not. We are just going to have to get after it in practice, grind and keep competing. Because we show glimpses of being really good, we just aren’t able to sustain it for long period of time.”

Team USA Holds Off Brazil to Win 2025 FIBA AmeriCup Championship

The USA Basketball team and coaching staff pose with a 2025 FIBA AmeriCup Champions sign after winning gold.
A young USA squad held off Brazil to claim the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup title on Sunday. (USA Basketball)

USA Basketball lifted the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup trophy on Sunday, taking down defending champions Brazil 92-84 to top the tournament's podium for the fifth time.

Pitting a roster of NCAA talent against Brazil pros like Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, Team USA battled back from a seven-point third-quarter deficit, then dominated the fourth quarter to send Brazil home with silver medals.

"What a performance by our team," said USA head coach Kara Lawson following the title win. "We knew it was going to be just a tough, physical game."

With 27 points in Sunday's championship game, guard Mikayla Blakes (Vanderbilt) set a USA AmeriCup scoring record en route to earning tournament MVP honors.

"This is my first time playing with USA Basketball, and to be able to cap it off with a win, a gold medal, and to play alongside such great players and great coaches, I couldn't ask for anything better," said Blakes.

After adding 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals in her 21 minutes off the bench on Sunday, guard Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame) joined Blakes in representing the USA on the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup All-Star roster.

Booking a spot on the tournament's All-Star second team was US guard Olivia Miles (TCU), whose 50 assists throughout the competition shattered the modern era's previous single-event record of 46.

Along with their gold medals, Sunday's win also gives the US automatic entry into the 2026 FIBA World Cup in Germany, where they'll look to snag a 12th overall and fifth consecutive world championship.

WNBA Standings Frontrunners Phoenix, Atlanta Right the Ship with Monday Wins

Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner celebrates a turnover during a 2025 WNBA game.
Brittney Griner's Atlanta Dream bounced back with a win over the Golden State Valkyries on Monday. (Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

Two WNBA championship contenders found their way back into the win column on Monday, when the No. 2 Phoenix Mercury and No. 4 Atlanta Dream each notched emphatic victories following disappointing weekend results.

Phoenix tasted revenge by blasting No. 11 Dallas 102-72, with guard Sami Whitcomb's game-leading 36 points and 2025 All-Star forward Alyssa Thomas's triple-double (15 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds) sending the Wings' rookie core packing.

After last Thursday's surprise upset, Dallas's injury-shortened lineup couldn't keep pace in a rematch with the deeper, more experienced Mercury.

The No. 6 Golden State Valkyries also showed their limits on Monday, dropping their sixth road game of the season in a 90-81 loss to the Dream.

Energized by a 24-point performance from 2025 All-Star starter Allisha Gray, Atlanta capitalized on the Valks' fourth-quarter collapse, outscoring the 2025 expansion side 15-2 to book the win.

"I'm telling the refs, 'This is a hard game for us,'" Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase said afterwards. "I get it — home cooking. But to me, I thought for sure that [Valkyries players] were going up just as aggressive as their players, and we just did not get the whistle."

With All-Star Weekend fast approaching, regular-season Cinderella stories are beginning to break away from the true powerhouses, as teams keep chasing Minnesota at the top of the WNBA standings.

How to watch the Phoenix Mercury this week

While Atlanta will be resting until Friday, Phoenix is back in action on Wednesday, when the Mercury will host the league-leading Lynx at 3:30 PM ET.

Live coverage of the game will air on WNBA League Pass.

OL Lyonnes Boosts Midfield with USWNT Stars Lily Yohannes, Korbin Albert

USWNT midfielders Lily Yohannes and Korbin Albert pose in the new 2025 US jerseys.
USWNT stars Lily Yohannes and Korbin Albert will suit up for OL Lyonnes in the fall. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

Eight-time UEFA Champions League winners OL Lyonnes will have even more US flair next season, with the French football titan announcing the signings of USWNT stars Lily Yohannes and Korbin Albert over the last week.

Joining the newly rebranded Lyon side from Dutch club Ajax on a reported €450,000 ($527,000) transfer fee, Yohannes's new contract runs through 2028.

Albert also signed a three-year deal on Friday, solidifying her transfer from Première Ligue rivals PSG — the club that the 21-year-old has played for since her early exit from Notre Dame in 2023.

Yohannes and Albert will join USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps in the OL Lyonnes midfield, with US billionaire and multi-team owner Michele Kang (Washington Spirit, London City Lionesses) overseeing the operation.

Backed by her global women's sports organization Kynisca, Kang reportedly beat WSL giants Chelsea FC to the punch in signing 18-year-old Yohannes on Monday.

OL Lyonnes has been stocking up after failing to make it past the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals, adding PSG striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Chelsea FC fullback Ashley Lawrence, Barcelona defender Ingrid Engen, and Vfl Wolfsburg attacker Jule Brand to a roster now led by former Washington Spirit head coach Jonatan Giráldez.

While international tournaments play out across the world this summer, the club carousel continues to spin as heavyweight teams vie for the sport's top talent.

NWSL Stars Score Big in WAFCON Openers

Zambia players, including NWSL stars Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji, pose during a training session before 2025 WAFCON.

The NWSL is already making a splash at this year's Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), with three of the league's top scorers stealing the spotlight following the 2025 tournament's July 5th kick-off.

Zambia forwards Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride) and Racheal Kundananji (Bay FC) both found the back of the net in their national team's group-stage debut against host country Morocco, helping the Copper Queens earn an opening point in the 2-2 Saturday draw.

Banda struck first, notching the tournament's first goal with one of her signature long-range strikes in the first minute of the match, before Kundananji answered Morocco's 12th-minute penalty equalizer with a Banda-assisted 27th minute goal of her own.

Notably, the NWSL is powering Zambia's entire front line, as Banda's Pride teammates, Grace Chanda and Prisca Chilufya, joined the scorers in leading the Copper Queens' Saturday attack.

Then on Sunday, Kundananji's Bay FC teammate Asisat Oshoala wrote her name on the 2025 WAFCON scoresheet, registering Nigeria's first tournament goal by heading the ball past Tunisia goalkeeper Salima Jobrani in the fourth minute of the match.

With Houston Dash defender Michelle Alozie helping hold down their back line, the Super Falcons opened their WAFCON account with a 3-0 win.

How to watch NWSL stars at 2025 WAFCON

WAFCON action revs back up when the second matches of group play kick off on Wednesday, as the 12 2025 tournament teams all chase defending champions South Africa.

Zambia will hunt their first tournament victory against Senegal at 12 PM ET on Wednesday, before Nigeria looks to maintain their winning ways against Botswana at 3 PM ET on Thursday.

All 2025 WAFCON matches will air live on beIN Sports.

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