In turbulent times, Louisville upperclassmen offer a steadying presence
— -- LOUISVILLE -- When news broke that? Louisville?was among the teams involved in the FBI's investigation into college basketball, Anas Mahmoud didn't get down or start worrying about what would happen in the coming weeks.
The Louisville senior looked at his younger teammates and had a simple message: We'll be fine. We've been through this sort of thing before.
"It's bad when you get used to it," Mahmoud told ESPN.
The timeline of the scandal and drama surrounding the Cardinals program is well-known by this point. In October of 2015, a woman named Katina Powell wrote a book alleging that former Louisville director of basketball operations Andre McGee hired escorts and strippers for recruits during campus visits. The Cardinals self-imposed a postseason ban for the 2016 NCAA tournament. This summer, head coach Rick Pitino was suspended for five games and the NCAA said Louisville's 2013 national championship could be vacated.
And then came the FBI investigation in September that led to the firing of Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich.
"It's kind of saddening that you have so much experience with this kind of stuff," Mahmoud said.
Three Louisville players with plenty of experience dealing with off-court distractions -- Mahmoud, fellow senior Quentin Snider and junior Deng Adel?-- have helped the Cardinals reach a sense of normalcy during the transition from Pitino's 16-year tenure at Louisville to interim head coach David Padgett.
"There's always drama happening," Adel said. "At the end of the day, you have to move on. It's not a life-or-death situation. We still get to play basketball."
"Basketball is our escape," Snider added.
Louisville is going to take time to gel. There's a new coach looking to figure out his own identity, and a team still searching for its offensive star power. But the Cardinals have talent and experience, and that's enough to win a lot of games.
Distractions and drama are nothing new to Louisville -- and the Cardinals' veteran trio are well-prepared for the challenge.
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