A favorite memory of Edgar Sosa will always be the time he played one-on-one basketball with grandson Koby Springer back in 2006. Sosa was a new arrival in Louisville. Koby was 10 years old, participating in a Rick Pitino summer camp.

Quite a thrill for Koby, competing against one of Pitino’s most promising players in the University of Louisville’s 2006 freshman class, one he will never forget: Sosa making him work while sharing some tips, but also allowing him to win.

The memory is relevant in light of what could easily be perceived as overly-zealous criticism of Edgar following his performance in Louisville’s Big East Tournament loss to Cincinnati — despite his leading all scorers with 28 points in that game.

Edgar Sosa is a likable individual and a better-than-average basketball player. Any criticism reflects a personal disappointment in his inability to live up to expectations, which may be a little exorbitant. He has provided more than a few other great memories during four seasons at U of L.

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One could see it coming early.

Edgar Sosa pumping his chest, waving his arms, winking at the camera, the kind of stuff players usually do when a game is in the bag.

Doing it in the first half, acting as if a 10-point lead was 25, and it was only a matter of time before Rick Pitino would clear the bench.

The Louisville basketball team was playing well in the first half, probably one of the better halves this season, sticky quick on defense, challenging every pass, every shot, every defensive rebound.

Feeling good about themselves. Real good. Especially Edgar Sosa.

Danger time. That’s when bad things begin happening for this team.

Second half, different Sosa, over-confident, making circus passes, NBA-distance three-point attempts. Throwing the ball to wrong people — Terrence Jennings and Jared Swopshire — at the worst possible times, neither of them known for hitting shots at clutch time.

Sorry, Sosa, no Kyle Kuric around for much of the second half to bail anybody out this time around. His hot shooting hands relegated to the bench. Pitino’s most predictable decision this day.

Sosa with 20 points in the first half, lucky to get eight in the second.

Still, just another bad night for Sosa in Madison Square Garden. This is the one that will hurt the most.

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Peyton Siva

That’s what Rick Pitino was saying Tuesday anyway. Rick’s been known to change his mind as often as not or do the opposite of what he says he’s going to do.

Something to look forward to, having an actual point guard run the offense for a change. Who was the last natural point guard to run the offense for the University of Louisville basketball team? The only one that comes to mind is DeJuan Wheat but that was during the Denny Crum era. Wheat’s talents were such that could and would carry the team on his shoulders, even with severe ankle problems.

Edgar Sosa has never gotten the hang of the job, and may be more of a contributor at the second guard spot. Wouldn’t that be something.

Siva has shown flashes of filling the void, with some brilliant passing at times. But he’s also made his quota of freshman mistakes and had some surprising mental lapses in a reserve role.

Now that he’s a starter, U of L fans may see a different Siva, one ready to assume responsibility a little earlier than anyone expected.  If so, Edgar Sosa may be able to focus primarily his own game, overcoming the dismal performances in Madison Square Garden thus far in his career.

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Something new, not included in the architectural renderings, is being added to the new second level. Extending from the top of the stadium addition is the beginning of a series of beams.

They will elicit discussion, no doubt about it. Are they to provide shelter for a limited number of patrons? Aesthetic purposes? Trellis for ivy? Safety reasons? What?

Good to see quarterbacks and wide receivers from the University of Louisville football team getting in some work on the field. Rumor had it Coach Charlie Strong wasn’t going to let players near the field for a while. So much for that one.

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Providing the winning hit, however, was freshman Cade Stallings for the second game in a row. His two-run double broke a 7-7 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning.  

Gabriel Shaw, who relieved Matt Lea in the eighth, was credited with his third win of the season.

Here’s video of Wunderlich’s second home run, tying the game 7-7 in the bottom of the eighth:

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Your one chance to see the University of Louisville baseball team in person this week comes Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Jim Patterson Stadium when the Cards meet Indiana University.

Dan McDonnell’s team is 11-0, and ranked 10th by the College Baseball Writers of America. U of L faces 20th-ranked Mississippi in a three-game series at Oxford this weekend.

Believe it or not, a total of 1,007 people were on hand Saturday for a game against Le Moyne that coincided with the final U of L basketball appearance at Freedom Hall.

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My, but  it feels so good, the incredible high University of Louisville fans are luxuriating in right now. The players, too. Especially the players.

A huge win in the final game at Freedom Hall, Kyle Kuric being born a star against No. 1-ranked Syracuse. That’s what U of L basketball is all about, winning the big ones over the decades.

But if competition in the Big East teaches us anything, it is that your last win has no bearing on the next game. The biggest challenge facing Rick Pitino is getting his basketball team back to Planet Earth. As soon as possible.

Win a big game against a good team, get all giddy, overconfident, and look downright impotent losing against a mediocre one in the next game. That’s how this season has gone for U of L, lacking true leadership, struggling for consistency, working like a dog to assure itself of a place in the NCAA tournament.

Wednesday, at 9 p.m., Louisville will face the winner of the Rutgers-Cincinnati game, two teams that don’t exactly get the heart pumping. At Madison Square Garden, where U of L has had more than its share of highs and lows.

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Speaking of struggles, the U of L women’s basketball team finally reached bottom in a season-ending 37-point loss to Notre Dame in the Big East women’s tournament. The Lady Cards finished with a 14-17 record one season after playing in the national championship game.

A nightmarish season included many injuries to key players, making each game a significant challenge. If Jeff Walz had not found walk-on Shelby Harper and enticed Gwen Rucker and Brandie Radde to return, he would have had only five players at the end of the season.

With a top five recruiting class coming in, the outlook is improved for next season. But those incoming freshmen will need some seasoning and the veterans have some things to work on themselves. Sonja Sykes discusses the outlook for next season.

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