Mike Marra wasn't going to start for Rick Pitino. In fact, who knew if he'd even figure into the rotation this season -- after missing nearly all of last season with a torn ACL.
But now Louisville's best perimeter shooter -- and a guy that Pitino once told me was the best high school shooter he'd ever seen -- is done for the season with another torn ACL to his left knee.
This one, from what Pitino says, is career-ending.
"An unfortunate thing happened today," Pitino told WHAS radio station. "We've been working Mike Marra out individually for the past two months and he'd passed all the tests. Literally in the first 10 minutes of practice, he blew out the same knee with an ACL."
It's too bad because Marra, who played at Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) back in the day, is a good kid -- and never got a chance. He was contemplating transferring prior to last season, but decided to stick around and played just two games.
Louisville is loaded this season and could be a Final Four team and maybe even a national champion, but the Cards one glaring weakness is perimeter shooting.
Marra certainly would have helped in that regard.
