Louisville women’s basketball coach Jeff Walz may have turned 51 on Thursday, but he unquestionably nevertheless has some kid in him. Witness the new addition to the Cardinals’ practice facility at the Planet Fitness Kueber Center: a slide from the second-floor coaches’ offices to the fitness center floor.
Jody Demling of Cardinal Authority tweeted a photo of the slide as portion of Louisville’s media day coverage Thursday.
Louisville women’s basketball coach Jeff Walz has place in a slide from the coaches workplace to the practice fitness center. He says, “it really is the quickest way from the second floor.” pic.twitter.com/EUqA1Ja6bP
— Jody Demling (@jdemling) October 27, 2022
“It’s been exciting, and players have enjoyed it,” Walz told ESPN. “We have had some funny sights as people today have come flying down the slide. We place some padding at the bottom. If you have not practiced sticking your dismount, you have a thing soft to land on.”
Walz got the concept for the slide about 5 years ago, but the notion spent a lot of time in improvement. The most critical point, he mentioned, was generating confident it complied with all Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations, which is why it is partially enclosed.
“We had a nearby man in town who does a lot of intriguing styles and ideas,” Walz mentioned. “He’s seriously inventive, and he mentioned, ‘I can make it take place.’ So he drew it up for us.”
Then a donor helped with the financing for building. Walz mentioned he hoped it would entice Cardinals players to come up to pay a visit to the coaches far more typically, which has been the case. It’s also a cool point to show off in recruiting.
The slide does not interfere in any way with practice activities, Walz mentioned, which was portion of the security requirements. It’s just there for the enjoyment of all who like slides, which involves Walz and his two youngest daughters, ages 9 and 7. Asked if his wife, Lauren, also likes the slide, Walz laughed and mentioned, “No, she mentioned she is not performing that.”
Metaphorically, although, “slide” is the final word you would hyperlink to the Cardinals’ plan. Entering his 16th season, Walz is 414-113 and has led Louisville to 4 appearances in the women’s Final Four, such as final season when the group completed 29-five. Walz had his contract extended by means of 2028-29 in March.
Despite losing 3 starters to graduation, such as No. four WNBA draft choose Emily Engstler, the Cardinals are ranked No. 7 in the preseason Associated Press poll and picked to finish 1st in the ACC. That is thanks to the return of starters Hailey Van Lith and Olivia Cochran, and reloading with transfers and recruits.