The Cardinals honored two of their players who won’t get a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament to finish their college careers.
It wasn’t exactly the way things were supposed to go for Louisville basketball graduate transfers Damion Lee and Trey Lewis. The two players joined the Cardinals this season in hopes of making it to the NCAA Tournament during their final season of college eligibility.
Unfortunately, the school took that chance away from them when they self-imposed a postseason ban on this year’s Cardinals basketball team…a punishment that is part of the ongoing investigation into alleged sex parties inside a campus dorm involving basketball recruits reportedly paid for by a former assistant coach.
Tuesday, the Cardinals hosted ACC foe Georgia Tech in their home finale, and head coach Rick Pitino honored both players by giving them rings with the team’s motto for the 2015-16 season inscribed on them:
Inscription inside senior rings: I will always have your back. It's been a privilege to coach you. Love you Coach P pic.twitter.com/uykJilR6W9
— Kenny Klein (@KKcards) March 2, 2016
It’s a small step toward making things right with these two players, who were paraded around during ACC Media Days by the school when the allegations first were made public. Louisville basketball came out on top of the Yellow Jackets with a 56-53 win and will close out their season on Saturday when they take on Virginia.