Traveling Violations: High-Tech Solution

By Dan Wetzel - Yahoo! Sports

LOUISVILLE – John Carter loves hoops and technology, so maybe it isn't surprising he has created the new training machine that is sweeping college basketball.

His Noah system is a movement diction machine that you line up off the court and point at a player shooting either free throws or jumpers. It almost instantaneously analyzes the arc of the shot. It trains a player to not just make a shot, but make it the same way every time.

"We have all sorts of data to prove that guys with the most consistent arc on their shot make the most shots," said Carter, who traveled up from Athens, Ala., to deliver a new system to Louisville, which joined Kentucky, Arizona, Wisconsin and a couple of dozen other schools in buying a Noah for about $6,000.

"What we did was come up with a machine to come up with a way to measure a shot's arc," Carter said. "For years coaches have been saying to players to get their shot up. Never before has there been an objective way to give a player feedback."

The Noah does just that. It is a bit strange, very high-tech and a little unnerving as the computer voice calls out "45 degrees" or some measurement after each shot. We can only imagine what Henry Iba would say if he ever saw one.

But judging by the look on Pitino's face, it is a coveted coaching tool. Each Cardinal player who tried it immediately adjusted his shot to whatever the preferred arc for his body and follow through was.

"Everything for the kids is competition from the video games," Pitino noted.

Count it another satisfied customer.

NOTES

• Had the pleasure of stopping for breakfast at Herle's Cafe in historic downtown Orleans, Ind. Herle's has been in continuous operation since 1915; it even has the old soda fountains behind a small bar.

The Herles owned it until about seven years ago. Since then it has changed hands four times and took various names until the new owner asked if he could bring back the old name in April. The family agreed and business again has picked up, as well it should. You can't get a more classic small town diner.

"Glad you liked it," the owner said. "Tell everyone you know."

Done.

• We have received a bunch of emails from people claiming the Jerry Tarkanian Runnin' Rebel book is sold out in Las Vegas and Fresno. We know how frustrating that can be (even more so from our end), but we offer the following suggestions:

1. Move.
2. If you are in Vegas, check with the Soho Village Shop inside New York, New York Casino. They may still have some.
3. Keep calling book stores and be patient as reorders arrive.
4. Buy it online.

• We say this almost every year but one of the best parts of this trip is the early morning ride out of Bloomington on State Road 37, the frosted rolling fields coming to light as the sun rises over the Hoosier National Forest. Not a bad commute to work.

• Pitino is thrilled with the development of his senior guard, Taquan Dean, who has improved in almost every facet of the game. "Last year he was a great shooter," Pitino said. "Now he is a great basketball player."

• We had some feedback issues, so we will return to the email of the day tomorrow. I know your morning wasn't the same without it, but bear with us.

• We got the chance to catch up with a couple of new U of L assistant coaches, including old friend Steve Massiello, who played for Pitino at Kentucky and cut his teeth as an assistant to Bobby Gonzalez at Manhattan College, and the Cards' new California connection, Marvin Menzies, who spent years as a high school and junior college coach in and around Los Angeles.

In the coaching business Pitino is considered someone who can "get guys jobs," which means his assistant coaches are on the fast track to a head position somewhere – New Mexico State coach Reggie Theus worked at U of L last year. As a result, Pitino has no problem finding eager assistants to join his staff.

• Kentucky used to have a motto on the big signs welcoming motorists to the state that read: "Education Pays." A lot of people thought that was funny, this being Kentucky and all. That has been replaced now by "Unbridled Spirit," a play to the horse racing industry here. It is all part of the state's new Can-tuckee attitude.

• Just outside Georgetown, Ky., we saw a sign for a Hillbilly Trading Post. So we stopped in and traded for a couple.

• Total Mileage Thus Far: 560.5 miles

• Tour Stops Saturday: Morgantown, W.Va.