<body><div><h2>Louisville women's basketball attended the ACC Tipoff on Wendesday morning</h2>CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Louisville women's basketball is a step closer to tipping off the the 2024-25 season. The Cardinals made the trip to Charlotte for the ACC Tipoff, the league's annual preseason media gathering.Participating in the event comes with plenty of interview demands, TV appearances and photo sessions. It also allows the players an opportunity to see league rivals around the Hilton Uptown doing the same."It feels like, oh, the season is here," UofL senior Olivia Cochran said. "The season is about to start and it's exciting because at Louisville Live, you have all your fans and all that loving people. But being here you feel the competitiveness. You see who is here and stuff like that.""For us it was an opportunity when I got the call and was asked, would you guys like to play, of being able to get your players out on a world stage and experience. Experiences are everything. My wife and I talk about that with our kids. It's, like, the more experiences we can give them, the better. That's my whole thing with these young ladies. We have players that have never been to Europe. So we're going over on Wednesday. We'll get there Thursday. We play on Monday."Walz joked that the first thing will be a workout at the Eiffel Tower."First thing when we get there is to make them run the stairs of the Eiffel Tower, and the first five up start on Monday. You know, we'll find out real quick. It's news to them, you know? I just thought it was a creative new idea."The trip to Paris will be more than just basketball. Walz wants the experience to include seeing the cultural spots and more during their trip to France."We're going to do a lot of sightseeing. It's going to be a cultural experience."Cochran added that the opportunity to face a talented UCLA squad at the event in Paris is a highlight of the trip."It's so cool. I'm so excited," Cochran said. "On top of that we get to a top five team, so I'm excited."Highly-recruited freshman Mackenley Randolph also pointed to the opportunity to play UCLA."We're going all the way to Paris to play one of the top teams I've been watching, been recruited by," Randolph told Cardinal Authority. "I've been watching them since middle school, UCLA. So it's gonna be really exciting. Really fun."<h2>New Role for Olivia Cochran</h2>Louisville senior forward Olivia Cochran has accomplished a lot during her career. She's participated in a pair of Elite Eights and a Final Four. Last season she joined the program's 1,000-point club and has logged over 800 rebounds. She has seen and achieved plenty.A new role has emerged as Cochran enters her fifth season with the Cardinals. With eight true freshmen joining the UofL roster for this season, Cochran is now being leaned on to help establish the expectations for the newcomers."I think I'm so proud and happy that there's not that much pressure on me because the ladies came in with the mindset of wanting to work or wanting to already adapt to Louisville basketball," Cochran told Cardinal Authority. "Just being willing to be coached, willing to be a good teammate by listening to what people are telling you."This is a new role for me. It's kind of hard dealing with 14 other personalities and how they respond to you. I don't really have to worry about them taking it to heart or not because they know that I'm competitive and want to win. Just seeing my edge and my intensity, and how it fuels them makes me feel so good. Makes me feel like Coach Walz and his staff have taught me very well."<h2>New Faces</h2>Jeff Walz's team this season has eight true freshmen on the roster. As the team prepares for the coming season, the effort to get a rebuilt squad playing consistently is a priority."We're trying to get the consistency," Walz said. "The one thing I will say -- and I say it in a positive way -- the old saying, ignorance is bliss. I have freshmen out there that are playing as hard as they can, and it's fantastic. Are we always doing the right thing? No. But they're doing it hard. That's one thing that we talk about and I always talk about. We can teach you and try to show you what to do, but when we've got to teach effort and coach effort, it's not going to happen."Much of the effort to form a strong on-court bond with the team is their time off the court."We build our bonds off the court first, so when we do get on the court it's easy," Cochran said. "I think with this group it's because they want to hoop, they want to learn and they want to do the impossible things. I love that for them."Randolph, one of the top incoming freshman nationally, believes having a large group of freshman can prove to be a positive."I think it's good," Randolph said. "We can collectively come together because we are all experiencing the same things at the same time. It's good to have someone like that to lean on knowing they are going through the same."Randolph and the other newcomers are leaning on the veterans "a lot" as they become accustomed to college basketball and the Jeff Walz way."They're always willing to help me and they want to want to see me succeed," Randolph said. "So it's good. I can ask them for anything like in practice and outside of basketball life. They're just good big sisters to have right in my corner."<h2>Freshman at ACC Tipoff</h2>Louisville head coach Jeff Walz invited true freshman Mackenly Randolph to be one of the program's representatives at the ACC Tipoff. Typically, the players attending the preseason event are those with a few more years of experience. Players that are regular starters, key contributors and top performers in the league the year prior are those that fill up the list of attending athletes.Walz tabbing Randolph is a noticeable difference. He credits her approach to practice and teammates as reasons why he made the choice to bring her to Charlotte."As we have gone through our practice, you know, one of our most consistent players we've had so far and not just making shots, but being vocal, being a leader, being positive," Walz said. "Just how she handles herself. I've been very, very impressed with it, and I was, like, okay, come on. You're coming. Just try not to embarrass your family."A 6-foot forward from Sierra Canyon High in Los Angeles, Randolph"It just really shows how much Jeff trusts me and how much what he expects out of me," Randolph told Cardinal Authority. "You know, being one of the only freshmen here, they are asking all the questions about last year or questions about like playing in college and I'm like I don't even know what it's like yet. Just being one of those to represent and support my team, it's just like a blessing because I got high expectations for me and Jeff has is expecting a lot."The daughter of former NBA All-Star Zach Randolph, the UofL freshman was a five-star prospect who committed to the Cardinals over Michigan State and Notre Dame, along with a slew of additional scholarship offers.<h2>Cardinal Authority Newsletter</h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3BJ2yl_0w0M7Qvq00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3BJ2yl_0w0M7Qvq00" width="620" height="320" ><figcaption>(Photo: Michael McCammon, 247Sports)</figcaption></figure>The Cardinal Authority Newsletter is a free service that helps keep site visitors and members up to date with the latest headlines and breaking news.A completely free service, the newsletter is quick and easy to signup for.All the news from our team of contributors, plus national and regional content on UofL recruiting efforts, team developments, Cards in the pros and of course, breaking news, will be delivered directly to your email inbox. 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NOTEBOOK: Louisville women's hoops at ACC Tipoff

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Louisville women's basketball is a step closer to tipping off the the 2024-25 season. The Cardinals made the trip to Charlotte for the ACC Tipoff, the league's annual preseason media gathering. Participating in the event comes with plenty of interview demands, TV appearances and photo sessions. It...

NOTEBOOK: Louisville women's hoops at ACC Tipoff

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