Louisville’s Ty-Laur Johnson barely played in first half because of wardrobe malfunction
The top-100 recruit, who has scored in double figures three times in his first six games, only played three minutes in the first half against Bellarmine.
nypost.com
Louisville’s Ty-Laur Johnson barely played in first half because of wardrobe malfunction
By Bridget ReillyAn underwear problem almost cost Louisville a win and Ty-Laur Johnson was almost willing to take the loss.
The top-100 recruit, who has scored in double figures three times in his first six games, only played three minutes in the first half against Bellarmine on Wednesday despite the Cardinals trailing by five points entering halftime.
Team discipline?
Nagging injury?
None of the above.
“You ready for this? I probably shouldn’t tell you this,” head coach Kenny Payne told reporters after the game when asked why Johnson was on the sideline.
“We didn’t have the tights he wanted, so he didn’t know if he wanted to play. Oh yeah, you heard it. We didn’t have the tights he wanted, that we’ve never had for him, and he decided, ‘I don’t feel like I can go.’”
Johnson got his mindset straight as he came back on the court to tally five assists in 16 second-half minutes to help Louisville rally for a 73-68 win to avoid a second straight loss to Bellarmine.
The Cardinals hold a 12-1 series record over the Knights, whom they lost to for the first time in 2022, 67-66.
“In the second half, he accepted the fact that we didn’t have the kind of tights that we’d never had for him, and he played well,” Payne said.
Bellarmine’s head coach Scotty Davenport also said he had never had to deal with a similar situation throughout his decades-long career.
“I coach my guys … I will say, I’ve coached a lot of years, at all levels and that’s a first,” he said.
Johnson was one of head coach Payne’s highest-ranked recruits as he tries to boost a program that went 4-28 last season — Payne’s first year at the university.
Across seven games, Johnson has averaged 8.9 points and 3.7 assists in 20.9 minutes per game.
The 4-3 Cardinals have five more games before ACC play kicks off against Virginia (6-1) on Jan. 3.
