Preseason Top 25 (and one): No doubting Memphis as No. 1 team
June 18, 2007
By Gary Parrish, CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
I hated Memphis last season.
I watched the Tigers lose every tough game they played early and was convinced it was an indication of their true ability. So when they waltzed through Conference USA and entered the NCAA Tournament on a 22-game winning streak, I thought the achievement represented nothing more than their talent overwhelming an inferior league, which is why I had Memphis ranked lower than most all season.
Then I picked the Tigers to lose in the Sweet 16.
Privately, I thought an earlier loss was possible.
But I clearly underestimated them.
And I won't let it happen again.
That's why now that the deadline for underclassmen to withdraw from the NBA Draft has passed, the Memphis Tigers sit atop CBS SportsLine.com's preseason college basketball rankings.
What say you, Chris Douglas-Roberts?
"It's an honor," answered the Memphis guard. "But we've still got to play."
Yes, you do.
But the good news for Memphis is that it will be playing with essentially the same group of guys -- sans Jeremy Hunt -- that led the school to its second consecutive Elite Eight. And while Hunt's toughness and ability to make a shot in the clutch will certainly be missed, the reality is this roster should be better than that roster based on the addition of Derrick Rose, a 6-foot-3 point guard projected by some to be the first pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
So Memphis is No. 1.
And Kansas State is No. 26.
Feel free to debate those selections and everything else in between on the message board below.
Preseason Top 25 (and one):
1. Memphis: A strange thing about the Tigers' schedule is how almost all of their difficult games (Tennessee, Georgetown, Arizona, Gonzaga and Southern California) will be played at home or on a neutral court. The toughest true road game is probably at UAB, meaning it's possible Memphis could be favored in every contest.
2. UCLA: Arron Afflalo turned pro prematurely, and that wasn't a plus for UCLA. But the Bruins should still challenge for a national title thanks to a roster featuring Darren Collison, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Josh Shipp and Kevin Love.
3. Kansas: Brandon Rush probably won't miss any meaningful games because of his torn ACL, and when he's on the court with Mario Chalmers, Sherron Collins and Darrell Arthur, the Jayhawks will possess one of the most talented lineups in the nation.
4. North Carolina: There are few programs capable of not slipping when a lottery pick like Brandan Wright bolts for the NBA. But North Carolina is one of those programs thanks to coach Roy Williams, not to mention All-American candidates Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson.
5. Louisville: Derrick Caracter's knee surgery shouldn't affect his status. So assuming the sophomore doesn't relapse into a head case, the Cardinals are the pick to win the Big East, and perhaps more.
6. Tennessee: Bruce Pearl should finally have the numbers and size to play any way he wants. The guess here is it'll be fast and intense, and result in a bunch of wins.
7. Washington State: The Cougars won't surprise anybody this season. When they're good, everybody will know it's because they were supposed to be good.
8. Georgetown: In the spirit of full disclosure, had Jeff Green rejoined Roy Hibbert at Georgetown, the Hoyas would've been atop these rankings.
9. Michigan State: The top five scorers are returning, and Tom Izzo is still the coach. What's not to like?
10. Marquette: Dominic James' wise decision to return to school ensures Marquette's talented trio of guards will play together for at least another season.
11. Indiana: Got an e-mail from a guy named Nate the other day. He wanted to know why I hadn't written about Eric Gordon, Indiana's incoming star, lately. The answer: I'm just saving all my words for that first trip to Illinois. Boy, I can't wait.
12. Villanova: Once Jay Wright finishes with USA Basketball this summer, he'll turn his full attention toward winning a Big East title, which should be possible.
13. Duke: Even when the Blue Devils are down, they really don't slip too far. Remember that before claiming they're ranked too high, and note that Kyle Singler is really, really good.
14. Oregon: Aaron Brooks is the only important part missing from that squad that played Florida tough in the Elite Eight last March.
15. Stanford: Some people remember the Cardinal as the team Louisville blasted in the NCAA Tournament. But I remember them beating UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington State, which is why I'm not certain this isn't too low for Stanford.
16. Alabama: Clearly I didn't learn my lesson last season. But if Ron Steele is healthy (and he should be), I'm picking the Crimson Tide to win the SEC's Western Division.
17. Washington: Everybody not named Spencer Hawes is back. That's why the Huskies will be back in the NCAA Tournament.
18. Gonzaga: A core of Josh Heytvelt, Matt Bouldin and Jeremy Pargo is what Mark Few will win with for at least the next two years.
19. Arkansas: John Pelphrey inherited about the best situation any coach could ever want, specifically an NCAA Tournament team expected to return intact.
20. Southern California: This was a Final Four team had Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt remained in college. Instead, Tim Floyd is left wondering how good O.J. Mayo can make his Trojans.
21. Southern Illinois: The Salukis are good every season, even when nobody thinks they're going to be good. So everybody else can overlook them again if they want, but count me among the converted.
22. Texas A&M: Joseph Jones and DeAndre Jordan will be one of the best frontcourt duos in the country.
23. Arizona: Yes, this is the seventh Pac-10 team I have listed. I guess I really like that league.
24. Pittsburgh: The Panthers are similar to Southern Illinois in that regardless of what leaves, it's safe to assume they're going to be pretty good.
25. Butler: Coach Todd Lickliter is gone. But A.J. Graves and two more of the Bulldogs' top four scorers return from a Sweet 16 team, making Butler the easy pick in the Horizon League.
26. Kansas State: I loved this team when it seemed Bob Huggins would be the coach. But his departure and news that Bill Walker hasn't rehabbed well have me taking a wait-and-see approach.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Tiger Basketball Tickets On Sale
Tigers Basketball Tickets Go On Sale
Last Update: Jun 18, 2007 6:57 PM
Posted By: Jamie Griffin
University of Memphis
With Tiger Nation still buzzing about the addition of Georgetown to its already attractive 2007-08 schedule last week, the University of Memphis athletic department announced Monday that $100 terrace level season tickets at FedExForum are on sale. To order terrace level $100 season tickets, call the athletic ticket office at 678-2331.
For information on donor reserved seating, contact the Tiger Scholarship Fund office at 678-2334. The Tigers have 19 scheduled home dates at FedExForum in 2007-08, including contests against Arizona, Georgetown, Gonzaga and Tennessee. Memphis also hosts two rounds (four games) in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
“I believe this is one of the best deals around,” said Memphis head coach John Calipari. “To buy $100 season tickets for 19 home games to watch one of college basketball’s top teams, that’s less than buying a movie ticket. We are also planning some things for fans that purchase terrace level season tickets to make it an event for them.” The Tigers, ranked No. 1 in ESPN.com’s summer poll, return five starters from their 2006-07 squad that posted a 33-4 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
Memphis swept the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles for a second-straight year in 2006-07.
Last Update: Jun 18, 2007 6:57 PM
Posted By: Jamie Griffin
University of Memphis
With Tiger Nation still buzzing about the addition of Georgetown to its already attractive 2007-08 schedule last week, the University of Memphis athletic department announced Monday that $100 terrace level season tickets at FedExForum are on sale. To order terrace level $100 season tickets, call the athletic ticket office at 678-2331.
For information on donor reserved seating, contact the Tiger Scholarship Fund office at 678-2334. The Tigers have 19 scheduled home dates at FedExForum in 2007-08, including contests against Arizona, Georgetown, Gonzaga and Tennessee. Memphis also hosts two rounds (four games) in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
“I believe this is one of the best deals around,” said Memphis head coach John Calipari. “To buy $100 season tickets for 19 home games to watch one of college basketball’s top teams, that’s less than buying a movie ticket. We are also planning some things for fans that purchase terrace level season tickets to make it an event for them.” The Tigers, ranked No. 1 in ESPN.com’s summer poll, return five starters from their 2006-07 squad that posted a 33-4 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
Memphis swept the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles for a second-straight year in 2006-07.
Former Tiger, NBAer Penny Hardaway Working Out with Tigers
Penny enjoys being involved with Tigers
Former Tiger Penny Hardaway has been working out and playing pickup games with members of the U of M team.
NBA career on hold, he's reconnecting with U of M
By Dan Wolken
June 18, 2007
Nearly every afternoon in January and February, Penny Hardaway would come to the Finch Center and quietly train for a return to the NBA. But with every weight Hardaway lifted and every basket he shot, he wasn't just inching closer to a return to professional basketball.
In a way, he was coming home.
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After years of barely being involved in the University of Memphis basketball program, Hardaway is beginning the process of reconnecting with the school and perhaps laying the foundation for a more official capacity once his playing career is over.
"I'm going to be involved until I leave this earth, because this is where I went to school," Hardaway, who will be 36 next month, said. "This is where I'm from."
Several longtime Memphis supporters say that Hardaway has been around the program more over the past few months than he has at any time since playing his last college game in 1993.
Mostly, Hardaway said, that's a function of his NBA career, which took him to four All-Star appearances before a series of knee injuries that limited him to 37 games in 2004-05, then just four in 2005-06 and none last season.
After rehabbing in Miami and getting to "all the way back healthy," Hardaway moved back to Memphis. He bought a house in Southwind to make his primary residence and began working out at the Finch Center in early 2007, usually slipping out just as the Tigers began practice.
Then, Hardaway became even more visible during the NCAA Tournament, traveling to both New Orleans and San Antonio as the Tigers advanced to the Elite Eight.
"It was fun because I hadn't had the opportunity to do that since I've been in the league," Hardaway said. "I didn't have the chance to go to any games, definitely didn't have the chance to go to NCAA games. And it was a fun experience for me to live that through them, with them, because I did the same thing they did, going to the Elite Eight. It's a magical run. It's a fun time of the year for everybody, and I was just glad to be around them."
And coach John Calipari certainly has no problem with Hardaway being around, playing pickup games and advising his players on what it takes to become a professional. Moreover, Hardaway has begun doing other things to help the program like purchasing equipment for the weight room.
"It's good for our guys to be around Penny," Calipari said. "Of all the guys from here who have gone to the NBA, Penny is someone I can count on."
The natural question is whether all this will lead to something more, whether Hardaway is headed toward some sort of official job with the program in the near or distant future. Hardaway refuses to directly address that issue, saying he's only concerned with playing in the NBA again.
"I'll talk to whoever is coaching at that time when I finally retire," Hardaway said. "Now I'm just trying to focus on getting back in the NBA and finishing up my career and trying to support them as much as I can while I'm doing my thing. After I retire, I'll try to figure out what I want to do from there."
And Hardaway is not eager to concede retirement.
Though he said he was healthy last season, Hardaway found a decided lack of interest in him from NBA teams, including the Grizzlies. Hardaway said he would have even taken a 10-day contract just to prove that he could play again but found no takers.
"I'm going to do a better job of marketing myself this summer," he said. "Last summer, I thought that because I was healthy teams would just bring me in. I was fooled by that because it didn't work like that. This summer I'm going to let everyone know I'm back and ready and if they need to see me, I'll do individual workouts and they can get a better look.
"It won't be anybody giving me anything or sympathy. I'm going to show them I can still play. It's just getting in the door."
As one foot tries to stop the NBA door from closing, the other seems to be leading him back to the Tigers.
Former Tiger Penny Hardaway has been working out and playing pickup games with members of the U of M team.
NBA career on hold, he's reconnecting with U of M
By Dan Wolken
June 18, 2007
Nearly every afternoon in January and February, Penny Hardaway would come to the Finch Center and quietly train for a return to the NBA. But with every weight Hardaway lifted and every basket he shot, he wasn't just inching closer to a return to professional basketball.
In a way, he was coming home.
Advertisement
After years of barely being involved in the University of Memphis basketball program, Hardaway is beginning the process of reconnecting with the school and perhaps laying the foundation for a more official capacity once his playing career is over.
"I'm going to be involved until I leave this earth, because this is where I went to school," Hardaway, who will be 36 next month, said. "This is where I'm from."
Several longtime Memphis supporters say that Hardaway has been around the program more over the past few months than he has at any time since playing his last college game in 1993.
Mostly, Hardaway said, that's a function of his NBA career, which took him to four All-Star appearances before a series of knee injuries that limited him to 37 games in 2004-05, then just four in 2005-06 and none last season.
After rehabbing in Miami and getting to "all the way back healthy," Hardaway moved back to Memphis. He bought a house in Southwind to make his primary residence and began working out at the Finch Center in early 2007, usually slipping out just as the Tigers began practice.
Then, Hardaway became even more visible during the NCAA Tournament, traveling to both New Orleans and San Antonio as the Tigers advanced to the Elite Eight.
"It was fun because I hadn't had the opportunity to do that since I've been in the league," Hardaway said. "I didn't have the chance to go to any games, definitely didn't have the chance to go to NCAA games. And it was a fun experience for me to live that through them, with them, because I did the same thing they did, going to the Elite Eight. It's a magical run. It's a fun time of the year for everybody, and I was just glad to be around them."
And coach John Calipari certainly has no problem with Hardaway being around, playing pickup games and advising his players on what it takes to become a professional. Moreover, Hardaway has begun doing other things to help the program like purchasing equipment for the weight room.
"It's good for our guys to be around Penny," Calipari said. "Of all the guys from here who have gone to the NBA, Penny is someone I can count on."
The natural question is whether all this will lead to something more, whether Hardaway is headed toward some sort of official job with the program in the near or distant future. Hardaway refuses to directly address that issue, saying he's only concerned with playing in the NBA again.
"I'll talk to whoever is coaching at that time when I finally retire," Hardaway said. "Now I'm just trying to focus on getting back in the NBA and finishing up my career and trying to support them as much as I can while I'm doing my thing. After I retire, I'll try to figure out what I want to do from there."
And Hardaway is not eager to concede retirement.
Though he said he was healthy last season, Hardaway found a decided lack of interest in him from NBA teams, including the Grizzlies. Hardaway said he would have even taken a 10-day contract just to prove that he could play again but found no takers.
"I'm going to do a better job of marketing myself this summer," he said. "Last summer, I thought that because I was healthy teams would just bring me in. I was fooled by that because it didn't work like that. This summer I'm going to let everyone know I'm back and ready and if they need to see me, I'll do individual workouts and they can get a better look.
"It won't be anybody giving me anything or sympathy. I'm going to show them I can still play. It's just getting in the door."
As one foot tries to stop the NBA door from closing, the other seems to be leading him back to the Tigers.
UAB to Play @ Witchita State - Key RPI Game
From the Witchita Eagle
No headaches for WSU basketball
Hold the usual pain and suffering regarding Wichita State's men's basketball schedule.
It's done. It should be released this week. It went together quickly and somewhat painlessly, a contrast to recent seasons. Last season, WSU didn't add games with Syracuse and LSU until August. Former coach Mark Turgeon dreaded the challenges of mixing home games, good RPI games and road games into a worthy schedule.
"We're complete," coach Gregg Marshall said. "Maybe things just fell into place this year."
They certainly did. Home games against LSU and Wyoming were set in the Turgeon era. WSU travels to Appalachian State and UMKC. Baylor is the opening opponent in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands.
The newest addition is a game against Alabama-Birmingham in late December at Koch Arena.
Marshall said he could not comment on details of the schedule until it is released.
Scheduling didn't cause Marshall much stress for two reasons. One, associate athletic director Brian Pracht handled much of the work to free Marshall's time during the move to a new job. Second, WSU is a more attractive opponent than in past seasons.
"We're not coming off a Sweet 16 team," Marshall said. "Outside looking in, this would probably be a good time to play Wichita State."
An alliance proposed --Here's how smoothly things went for WSU: UAB is coming to Koch Arena without demanding a return game, according to Blazers athletic director Brian Mackin.
WSU will pay UAB to play at Koch Arena, a practice common for lower-profile opponents.
"We looked at this as an opportunity go on the road and play a good opponent," Mackin said. "We just happened to have this date open. (Coach) Mike (Davis) isn't afraid to go on the road and play anybody."
Mackin, who said he didn't know the amount of the guarantee, said he thinks Conference USA and Missouri Valley Conference schools should do more scheduling.
From his perspective, it is difficult to get an SEC or ACC team to do a home-and-home series. A Valley team, in most cases, will be open to an even series and offer a solid RPI benefit.
The Valley finished sixth in the conference RPI rankings, according to collegerpi.com. C-USA finished 11th. Six Valley schools ranked in the top 100 and no Valley team ranked lower than No. 139. C-USA had only two (Memphis, Houston) in the top 100 and three 200 or lower.
"There are RPI reasons to play this game," Mackin said. "You have to keep that in mind."
UAB might be the toughest guarantee game in the nation next season. The Blazers went 15-16 last season and are expected to improve dramatically in Davis' second season. They add three transfers, including Robert Vaden, who followed Davis from Indiana. One Internet site ranked UAB's recruiting class No. 9 in the nation.
No headaches for WSU basketball
Hold the usual pain and suffering regarding Wichita State's men's basketball schedule.
It's done. It should be released this week. It went together quickly and somewhat painlessly, a contrast to recent seasons. Last season, WSU didn't add games with Syracuse and LSU until August. Former coach Mark Turgeon dreaded the challenges of mixing home games, good RPI games and road games into a worthy schedule.
"We're complete," coach Gregg Marshall said. "Maybe things just fell into place this year."
They certainly did. Home games against LSU and Wyoming were set in the Turgeon era. WSU travels to Appalachian State and UMKC. Baylor is the opening opponent in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands.
The newest addition is a game against Alabama-Birmingham in late December at Koch Arena.
Marshall said he could not comment on details of the schedule until it is released.
Scheduling didn't cause Marshall much stress for two reasons. One, associate athletic director Brian Pracht handled much of the work to free Marshall's time during the move to a new job. Second, WSU is a more attractive opponent than in past seasons.
"We're not coming off a Sweet 16 team," Marshall said. "Outside looking in, this would probably be a good time to play Wichita State."
An alliance proposed --Here's how smoothly things went for WSU: UAB is coming to Koch Arena without demanding a return game, according to Blazers athletic director Brian Mackin.
WSU will pay UAB to play at Koch Arena, a practice common for lower-profile opponents.
"We looked at this as an opportunity go on the road and play a good opponent," Mackin said. "We just happened to have this date open. (Coach) Mike (Davis) isn't afraid to go on the road and play anybody."
Mackin, who said he didn't know the amount of the guarantee, said he thinks Conference USA and Missouri Valley Conference schools should do more scheduling.
From his perspective, it is difficult to get an SEC or ACC team to do a home-and-home series. A Valley team, in most cases, will be open to an even series and offer a solid RPI benefit.
The Valley finished sixth in the conference RPI rankings, according to collegerpi.com. C-USA finished 11th. Six Valley schools ranked in the top 100 and no Valley team ranked lower than No. 139. C-USA had only two (Memphis, Houston) in the top 100 and three 200 or lower.
"There are RPI reasons to play this game," Mackin said. "You have to keep that in mind."
UAB might be the toughest guarantee game in the nation next season. The Blazers went 15-16 last season and are expected to improve dramatically in Davis' second season. They add three transfers, including Robert Vaden, who followed Davis from Indiana. One Internet site ranked UAB's recruiting class No. 9 in the nation.
Memphis' Elite Overnight Camp (Recruiting Targets - Elliott Williams, Angel Garcia, Kenny Kadji, Leslie McDonald)
Budding hoop stars show for Cal camp
Four recruits demonstrate skills for Tiger coaches
By Dan Wolken
June 17, 2007
By the end of this weekend, University of Memphis coaches could very well have an idea of what their 2008 recruiting class might look like.
Three of the Tigers' top targets for the coming year -- St. George's guard Elliot Williams, wing forward Angel Garcia and center Kenny Kadji -- participated in Memphis' Elite Overnight Camp on Friday and Saturday, where they were able to showcase their skills in front of coach John Calipari.
In addition to Briarcrest guard Leslie McDonald, a class of 2009 recruit, the Elite Camp included four potential McDonald's All-Americans.
Though Calipari can't comment on unsigned recruits per NCAA rules, Memphis would clearly be happy to sign Williams, Garcia and Kadji and complete a recruiting class that already includes Philadelphia twin forwards Marcus and Markeiff Morris.
Though Williams' name is familiar locally, Garcia and Kadji's participation lends credence to the idea that Memphis isn't just a national program (as Calipari likes to say) but international.
Garcia, listed at 6-foot-10, is originally from Puerto Rico and in fact is leaving Memphis today for a two-month trip with his national team. After being discovered by a prep coach in Chicago, Garcia moved to the United States without speaking much English.
Both his language and basketball skills have developed rapidly in the past year, and Garcia is now one of the most highly sought-after big men in the country, ranked 33rd by Rivals.com.
Garcia, whose long-range shooting and dribbling skills wowed observers in the Finch Center, said Saturday he was in no rush to make a college decision but mentioned Indiana, Florida and Louisville as schools he was considering.
"I have one more year to think about it," he said. "I feel comfortable here, real comfortable. I like the guys. They're real nice guys. I'm having fun. I think I fit in."
Kadji, a more conventional post player at 6-10 and 250 pounds, grew up in Cameroon and France. Kadji's family, which runs a sports academy in Cameroon, realized his basketball potential and found the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., through the Internet.
Since moving there in the fall of 2005, Kadji has been a highly-touted prospect and has risen to 21st in Rivals.com's latest rankings.
Matt Ramker, who runs the Florida Rams AAU program with which Kadji participates, said he is only considering Memphis, Kansas State and Florida. Ramker said Kadji will announce his decision on July 26 at a news conference in Las Vegas, where the Florida Rams will be playing in a tournament.
"He can play with his back to the basket or facing in certain situations," Ramker said. "He's a very, very good shot blocker and rebounder, adequate shooter. He's got to develop his body a little bit."
Losing is Lost on Hard-Nosed Rose (and Other News)
Losing is lost on hard-nosed Rose
By Dan Wolken
June 17, 2007
In the months before point guard Derrick Rose arrived on the University of Memphis campus, there was a lot of conversation among Tiger fans about his athleticism, his quickness and his unselfishness, almost growing to mythic proportions.
But the one attribute Rose barely got credit for is his competitiveness.
Fast forward to Wednesday night, as the Tigers gathered at the Finch Center for a series of pickup games. In the final game of the night, the squad led by Rose fell behind, then made a mini-comeback but still needed a stop to get the ball back with a chance to tie.
They never got that chance because Chris Douglas-Roberts made a ridiculous 17-foot jumper with two people hanging on him to end the game. As players ran into the locker room, Rose took the basketball and slammed it off the glass, then stewed on the court for a couple minutes until he finally was able to cool his emotions.
If that's how Rose reacts to losing a pickup game, you can only imagine what he's like when something significant is on the line.
"I've seen him cry after losing an AAU game," coach John Calipari said. "It's amazing."
Though it's certainly natural for a player of Rose's ability to feel like he should win at everything he does, you almost wanted to pull him aside Wednesday and tell him, It's only a pickup game, kid.
Then again, his instincts -- even if they are a little overamped for a June pickup game -- will fit right in on a team that values competitiveness and toughness over just about any other attribute.
"He's a competitor," Antonio Anderson said. "You've got to learn that about the kid. He's young, he knows what he's coming into, and he's enjoying it with us. He loves playing. We all like that about him."
Welcome back
Forward Shawn Taggart didn't need a doctor to tell him he was ready to play basketball again.
"I cleared myself," said Taggart, a 6-11 Iowa State transfer who has finally recovered from ACL surgery last October.
Now, the next step for Taggart is regaining his stamina, which isn't easy given how limited his cardiovascular activity was for nearly eight months. Though Taggart said he is still shaking off rust, his play in early pickup games has been more than adequate given the circumstances of his injury.
"I came in last summer, and we all played together, so I already felt like I was part of the team," Taggart said. "But yeah, I'm out here to condition. Coach Cal says he doesn't care about (scoring) as long as I'm out here running as hard as I can. I'm trying to get my wind back."
Schedule talk
By adding a home game with Georgetown next season, Memphis can finally start to get some home-road balance into its non-conference schedule.
Last season, all of Memphis' marquee games -- Tennessee, Arizona and Gonzaga -- were on the road while the Cincinnati and Ole Miss games were at home. In 2007-08, Memphis will have Arizona, Tennessee, Gonzaga and Georgetown at home with only Cincinnati on the road.
But things will start to even out the year after that. In 2008-09, Memphis will play at Georgetown, at Gonzaga and presumably at Tennessee (if the schools agree to continue that series).
And though he declined to reveal specifics, Calipari said he's got two top-five programs lined up to start home-and-home series in 2008-09 -- both beginning at FedExForum -- in addition to home games with Cincinnati and Ole Miss.
Plus, Memphis will be in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando that season with teams like Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State and Wichita State.
Sell, sell, sell
One of Calipari's biggest concerns is filling the upper deck at FedExForum, which had swaths of empty seats for most of last season. To that end, Memphis is going to announce in the coming weeks several initiatives to make upper-level seats more attractive.
"We're going to do some things upstairs to make that its own event," Calipari said. "There's going to be some high-dollar giveaways just in the upper deck. We're going to do some fun things to make this not only the game but an environment where families want to go. You can come to our games cheaper than going to a movie."
Contact Dan Wolken at 529-2365
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Tiger Season Gets Hotter With Hoyas
Tiger season gets hotter with Hoyas
By Dan Wolken
June 15, 2007
The University of Memphis added another marquee game to its 2007-08 basketball schedule Thursday by signing a four-year, home-and-home deal with Georgetown beginning Dec. 22 at FedExForum.
To accommodate the schedule shift, Memphis paid $50,000 to buy out of this year's previously scheduled road game at Ole Miss. Then, Memphis agreed to a new two-year series with the Rebels that will begin in Memphis in 2008-09, with the 2009-10 return game in Oxford.
Memphis will play Georgetown four times over the next five years, rekindling a series that was played every season from 1993-1998. And it comes at a time when both programs are at the peak of their powers.
Memphis is the preseason No. 1 or No. 2 team in nearly every national poll, while Georgetown returns most of its Final Four team from last season and could challenge for the No. 1 spot if Jeff Green pulls out of the NBA Draft and returns to school.
Adding Georgetown to a schedule with Tennessee, Gonzaga and Arizona means Memphis could play four of the top 20 teams in the country at home. Plus, Memphis will play USC (another preseason top-25 team) in the Jimmy V. Classic in New York and could face teams like Connecticut and Kentucky in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
"This is that year where if you don't get season tickets, you're not getting in the building," coach John Calipari said.
Because Memphis had scheduled 31 regular-season games, there was no room when Calipari was presented with the opportunity to play Georgetown.
But in analyzing the benefits of a series with the Hoyas -- revenue from one more home game, a probable spike in season ticket sales, another national television game and the chance to showcase Memphis in the talent-rich Washington, D.C., area -- Calipari determined it was necessary to adjust the schedule.
"The opportunity to get a team like Georgetown in our building this year with the team I have and the fact they'd play us for four seasons when scheduling those kinds of teams, how difficult is that? It's impossible," Calipari said. "So for us to be able to do that, I couldn't pass on it. They wanted to open at our place first, and I know all four will be nationally televised. I told them, if you're willing to go four years, I'll figure out how."
For that part, Memphis turned to Ole Miss, which last fall asked the Tigers to postpone the schools' football series. And because of the dates Memphis had secured, it could switch out the Ole Miss game for Georgetown without moving other non-conference games.
Instead of buying out of the Ole Miss series completely, Memphis offered the opportunity to continue in 2008-09 at FedExForum for a $50,000 guarantee.
"R.C. and I have a great relationship," Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone said. "And he called me and asked me if there was a way to adjust, rearrange, do something with the game. ... R.C. has been very good to us in the sense of our football contract and trying to work with some of our needs. I told him we'd do everything we could, and then it was a matter of how to do it because finding a replacement game is not easy to do. And we were able to work out all those things."
Meanwhile, Memphis has agreed to a contract with Siena to replace the game Holy Cross dropped out of last month. Siena, which plays in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, finished 20-12 last season and was ranked No. 128 in the Ratings Percentage Index last season.
-- Dan Wolken: 529-2365
Reporter Scott Cacciola contributed to this story.
By Dan Wolken
June 15, 2007
The University of Memphis added another marquee game to its 2007-08 basketball schedule Thursday by signing a four-year, home-and-home deal with Georgetown beginning Dec. 22 at FedExForum.
To accommodate the schedule shift, Memphis paid $50,000 to buy out of this year's previously scheduled road game at Ole Miss. Then, Memphis agreed to a new two-year series with the Rebels that will begin in Memphis in 2008-09, with the 2009-10 return game in Oxford.
Memphis will play Georgetown four times over the next five years, rekindling a series that was played every season from 1993-1998. And it comes at a time when both programs are at the peak of their powers.
Memphis is the preseason No. 1 or No. 2 team in nearly every national poll, while Georgetown returns most of its Final Four team from last season and could challenge for the No. 1 spot if Jeff Green pulls out of the NBA Draft and returns to school.
Adding Georgetown to a schedule with Tennessee, Gonzaga and Arizona means Memphis could play four of the top 20 teams in the country at home. Plus, Memphis will play USC (another preseason top-25 team) in the Jimmy V. Classic in New York and could face teams like Connecticut and Kentucky in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
"This is that year where if you don't get season tickets, you're not getting in the building," coach John Calipari said.
Because Memphis had scheduled 31 regular-season games, there was no room when Calipari was presented with the opportunity to play Georgetown.
But in analyzing the benefits of a series with the Hoyas -- revenue from one more home game, a probable spike in season ticket sales, another national television game and the chance to showcase Memphis in the talent-rich Washington, D.C., area -- Calipari determined it was necessary to adjust the schedule.
"The opportunity to get a team like Georgetown in our building this year with the team I have and the fact they'd play us for four seasons when scheduling those kinds of teams, how difficult is that? It's impossible," Calipari said. "So for us to be able to do that, I couldn't pass on it. They wanted to open at our place first, and I know all four will be nationally televised. I told them, if you're willing to go four years, I'll figure out how."
For that part, Memphis turned to Ole Miss, which last fall asked the Tigers to postpone the schools' football series. And because of the dates Memphis had secured, it could switch out the Ole Miss game for Georgetown without moving other non-conference games.
Instead of buying out of the Ole Miss series completely, Memphis offered the opportunity to continue in 2008-09 at FedExForum for a $50,000 guarantee.
"R.C. and I have a great relationship," Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone said. "And he called me and asked me if there was a way to adjust, rearrange, do something with the game. ... R.C. has been very good to us in the sense of our football contract and trying to work with some of our needs. I told him we'd do everything we could, and then it was a matter of how to do it because finding a replacement game is not easy to do. And we were able to work out all those things."
Meanwhile, Memphis has agreed to a contract with Siena to replace the game Holy Cross dropped out of last month. Siena, which plays in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, finished 20-12 last season and was ranked No. 128 in the Ratings Percentage Index last season.
-- Dan Wolken: 529-2365
Reporter Scott Cacciola contributed to this story.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
'Nation's Toughest Schedule'; Memphis Skeds Home & Home w/ Georgetown
'Nation's toughest schedule'
Memphis skeds home-and-home with Georgetown
Posted: Thursday June 14, 2007 7:26PM
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Memphis coach John Calipari heard enough about how weak his Tigers' schedule became once they began Conference USA play. He is doing everything possible to counter that complaint.
Memphis announced Thursday a four-game, home-and-home series with Georgetown over the next five years with the first game being played at the Tigers' FedExForum.
The Tigers will postpone a game with Mississippi one season so the series can begin this year. Memphis won't play the Rebels again until 2008-09 in Memphis and 2009-10 in Oxford.
"This Georgetown game adds to what was already a great home schedule," Calipari said in a statement. "I, too, want to thank Mississippi head coach Andy Kennedy for working with us, and I appreciate his help."
Georgetown lost to Ohio State in the Final Four and finished 30-7 last season. Memphis went 33-4, losing in the regional semifinals for a second straight season.
Memphis will visit Georgetown in the 2008-09 season with the series taking a break in 2009-10 before the Hoyas visit Memphis in 2010-11 with the Tigers going back to Georgetown the next season.
"This Georgetown game is a big event, and I'm sure it will be on national television, which allows us to showcase our university, city and basketball program," Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson said.
The Tigers already will be hosting Arizona, Tennessee and Gonzaga this season, which should seriously boost a strength of schedule that ranked 39th nationally at the end of last season. Calipari said it may be the best home schedule in Memphis history.
"With our home games along with playing in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and the Jimmy V Classic, we quite possibly have the nation's toughest schedule," Calipari said.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Memphis skeds home-and-home with Georgetown
Posted: Thursday June 14, 2007 7:26PM
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Memphis coach John Calipari heard enough about how weak his Tigers' schedule became once they began Conference USA play. He is doing everything possible to counter that complaint.
Memphis announced Thursday a four-game, home-and-home series with Georgetown over the next five years with the first game being played at the Tigers' FedExForum.
The Tigers will postpone a game with Mississippi one season so the series can begin this year. Memphis won't play the Rebels again until 2008-09 in Memphis and 2009-10 in Oxford.
"This Georgetown game adds to what was already a great home schedule," Calipari said in a statement. "I, too, want to thank Mississippi head coach Andy Kennedy for working with us, and I appreciate his help."
Georgetown lost to Ohio State in the Final Four and finished 30-7 last season. Memphis went 33-4, losing in the regional semifinals for a second straight season.
Memphis will visit Georgetown in the 2008-09 season with the series taking a break in 2009-10 before the Hoyas visit Memphis in 2010-11 with the Tigers going back to Georgetown the next season.
"This Georgetown game is a big event, and I'm sure it will be on national television, which allows us to showcase our university, city and basketball program," Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson said.
The Tigers already will be hosting Arizona, Tennessee and Gonzaga this season, which should seriously boost a strength of schedule that ranked 39th nationally at the end of last season. Calipari said it may be the best home schedule in Memphis history.
"With our home games along with playing in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and the Jimmy V Classic, we quite possibly have the nation's toughest schedule," Calipari said.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Memphis Adds 4 Yr Series vs. Georgetown, Drops Ole Miss for Next Season
Memphis adds four-year series vs. Hoyas, drops Rebels from upcoming season
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
Updated: June 14, 2007, 4:55 PM ET
Memphis continued to create the toughest nonconference schedule for next season by adding Georgetown in a likely top five matchup.
The problem is the game pushed the Tigers one over the NCAA maximum number of games. If a team is in a tournament, which Memphis is next season, schools can only play in 31 games. The addition of the Hoyas came at the expense of Ole Miss, pushing off the Rebels for a year and removing their lone marquee home game next season.
Memphis, which will return six of its top seven scorers from an Elite Eight team and adds one of the top five players in the class of 2007 in guard Derrick Rose, agreed to a four-year home-and-home deal Thursday with Georgetown. The first game with the Hoyas will be Dec. 22 on ESPN.
Georgetown could return nine of its top 10 scorers from last season's Final Four team if junior forward Jeff Green decides to return to school. He has until Monday's deadline to withdraw from the NBA draft. Even without Green, the Hoyas are expected to be a top three Big East team and a likely top 10 team in December with the return of junior center Roy Hibbert.
Memphis now has a home slate of games against Georgetown, Arizona, Gonzaga and Tennessee. It also has a neutral site game against USC in New York in the Jimmy V Classic and likely two neutral games in New York in the Coaches vs. Cancer benefit tournament in November against Oklahoma. Memphis could also play either Kentucky or Connecticut, assuming all four win their two-game, four-team tournaments to make it to New York.
Both Memphis coach John Calipari and athletic director R.C. Johnson said it was going to be the best schedule in the country, and one "heckuva home schedule."
But it came at the expense of Ole Miss.
Memphis nearly enacted a buyout clause in the contract with Ole Miss and paid the Rebels $50,000 to get out of the final year of the contract. Kentucky did just that with UMass earlier this spring, opting to pay a buyout rather than play in Boston against Minutemen in the return of a home-and-home set up by former coach Tubby Smith.
Memphis and Ole Miss put off the game a year. But in theory, they are essentially canceling the last game of the series because Johnson and Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone agreed to a new home-and-home series that starts in Memphis in 2008-09. The Tigers would then play in Oxford, Miss., in 2009-10. The reason Ole Miss didn't press Memphis is the Rebels had asked Memphis last year to drop the final two years of a four-year football contract.
So, Memphis and Ole Miss will play the final year of a football deal in Memphis this season and then instead of a four-year deal, the contract has been reduced to two years with a home-and-home series starting in Oxford, Miss., in 2008.
Johnson said the Tigers wanted to start this new series with the Rebels at home because they would be going to Georgetown in 2008-09. That sounds great for Memphis but what about Ole Miss? The Memphis game was going to be the marquee event on the nonconference schedule for Andy Kennedy in his second season in Oxford.
"R.C. helped us out in football," Boone said. "But this was going to be a good RPI game for us."
Kennedy said Calipari asked him if he wanted to put the game off since the Tigers were likely a top-ranked team. But Kennedy said he told him no initially.
"It's a high-profile game in our building," Kennedy said.
The game was originally scheduled for Dec. 1 in Oxford. Ole Miss is playing a rebuilding Winthrop in Jackson, Miss., in the San Juan Shootout and has a few other non-descript games the Rebels are finalizing.
"We can't replace a team like Memphis on our schedule," Kennedy said.
Calipari isn't fretting the scheduling change since he claims that schools like Ole Miss, Tennessee and Arkansas all want to play in Memphis for recruiting purposes. So, instead of always helping them out, he seeks out national games like Arizona, Gonzaga and now Georgetown. Although, next season, with Tennessee the SEC favorite and a likely top 10 team, the Tigers do have a national game against one of their local, regional rivals.
As for Ole Miss, the Rebels are now searching for a marquee game. Anyone interested? Call Kennedy.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
Updated: June 14, 2007, 4:55 PM ET
Memphis continued to create the toughest nonconference schedule for next season by adding Georgetown in a likely top five matchup.
The problem is the game pushed the Tigers one over the NCAA maximum number of games. If a team is in a tournament, which Memphis is next season, schools can only play in 31 games. The addition of the Hoyas came at the expense of Ole Miss, pushing off the Rebels for a year and removing their lone marquee home game next season.
Memphis, which will return six of its top seven scorers from an Elite Eight team and adds one of the top five players in the class of 2007 in guard Derrick Rose, agreed to a four-year home-and-home deal Thursday with Georgetown. The first game with the Hoyas will be Dec. 22 on ESPN.
Georgetown could return nine of its top 10 scorers from last season's Final Four team if junior forward Jeff Green decides to return to school. He has until Monday's deadline to withdraw from the NBA draft. Even without Green, the Hoyas are expected to be a top three Big East team and a likely top 10 team in December with the return of junior center Roy Hibbert.
Memphis now has a home slate of games against Georgetown, Arizona, Gonzaga and Tennessee. It also has a neutral site game against USC in New York in the Jimmy V Classic and likely two neutral games in New York in the Coaches vs. Cancer benefit tournament in November against Oklahoma. Memphis could also play either Kentucky or Connecticut, assuming all four win their two-game, four-team tournaments to make it to New York.
Both Memphis coach John Calipari and athletic director R.C. Johnson said it was going to be the best schedule in the country, and one "heckuva home schedule."
But it came at the expense of Ole Miss.
Memphis nearly enacted a buyout clause in the contract with Ole Miss and paid the Rebels $50,000 to get out of the final year of the contract. Kentucky did just that with UMass earlier this spring, opting to pay a buyout rather than play in Boston against Minutemen in the return of a home-and-home set up by former coach Tubby Smith.
Memphis and Ole Miss put off the game a year. But in theory, they are essentially canceling the last game of the series because Johnson and Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone agreed to a new home-and-home series that starts in Memphis in 2008-09. The Tigers would then play in Oxford, Miss., in 2009-10. The reason Ole Miss didn't press Memphis is the Rebels had asked Memphis last year to drop the final two years of a four-year football contract.
So, Memphis and Ole Miss will play the final year of a football deal in Memphis this season and then instead of a four-year deal, the contract has been reduced to two years with a home-and-home series starting in Oxford, Miss., in 2008.
Johnson said the Tigers wanted to start this new series with the Rebels at home because they would be going to Georgetown in 2008-09. That sounds great for Memphis but what about Ole Miss? The Memphis game was going to be the marquee event on the nonconference schedule for Andy Kennedy in his second season in Oxford.
"R.C. helped us out in football," Boone said. "But this was going to be a good RPI game for us."
Kennedy said Calipari asked him if he wanted to put the game off since the Tigers were likely a top-ranked team. But Kennedy said he told him no initially.
"It's a high-profile game in our building," Kennedy said.
The game was originally scheduled for Dec. 1 in Oxford. Ole Miss is playing a rebuilding Winthrop in Jackson, Miss., in the San Juan Shootout and has a few other non-descript games the Rebels are finalizing.
"We can't replace a team like Memphis on our schedule," Kennedy said.
Calipari isn't fretting the scheduling change since he claims that schools like Ole Miss, Tennessee and Arkansas all want to play in Memphis for recruiting purposes. So, instead of always helping them out, he seeks out national games like Arizona, Gonzaga and now Georgetown. Although, next season, with Tennessee the SEC favorite and a likely top 10 team, the Tigers do have a national game against one of their local, regional rivals.
As for Ole Miss, the Rebels are now searching for a marquee game. Anyone interested? Call Kennedy.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Derrick Rose Arrives on Campus
Touted Tiger PG arrives on campus
Classes, basketball duties keeping Rose on the go
By Dan Wolken, Memphis Commercial Appeal
June 12, 2007
Derrick Rose had been in Memphis for roughly 24 hours, and he still hadn't picked up a basketball. But he had unpacked his suitcase, decorated his new room and, most importantly, gone to his first class.
Indeed, Rose, the phenom point guard from Chicago, officially became a college student at the University of Memphis on Monday. He got his books. He received his ID. He took a physical. He went to two classes and even got homework assignments.
"It was really tight," Rose said. "Something new. Made me feel like I was a grownup."
Though Rose is already a grownup in the basketball world -- it's possible he'd be a top-five pick in this year's NBA Draft if not for the league's age minimum -- he's been through plenty of new experiences in the past two days alone.
One of them was a 7 a.m. weightlifting session at the Finch Center. Though Rose is a naturally stout 6-foot-4, spending time with director of performance enhancement Richard Hogans will be a big part of his summer preparation.
"He struggled a little bit," coach John Calipari said, laughing. "He's never lifted weights before. Can you believe that, with his body?"
After that, Rose went to classes in communications and gender in society. As much publicity as Rose has received over the past year, it's no surprise his classmates recognized him.
"I came in and people were looking at me. I guess they knew who I am," Rose said. "I'm kind of used to it."
Rose said he's also used to being away from home, especially with all the traveling he's done on the AAU circuit last summer and playing in high school all-star games this spring.
Then again, he hasn't had much time to get homesick. After arriving by plane on Sunday, Rose went straight to Wal-Mart to buy some necessities like bed linens before moving into the basketball team's on-campus house.
"I love it here," Rose said. "As soon as I get homesick, I'll probably call my mother or my girlfriend or somebody who can make me feel good."
As Rose's college education begins this week, so does his basketball education. With most of the Tiger players in town for the first session of summer school, Rose said he was looking forward to the pick-up games at Finch Center where he'll get a chance to mesh with teammates.
"I'm a quick learner," Rose said. "Hopefully it will only take a couple practices for me to be in the flow. I want to work on my all-around game -- mentally, my passing, dribbling, shooting, everything."
-- Dan Wolken: 529-2365
Classes, basketball duties keeping Rose on the go
By Dan Wolken, Memphis Commercial Appeal
June 12, 2007
Derrick Rose had been in Memphis for roughly 24 hours, and he still hadn't picked up a basketball. But he had unpacked his suitcase, decorated his new room and, most importantly, gone to his first class.
Indeed, Rose, the phenom point guard from Chicago, officially became a college student at the University of Memphis on Monday. He got his books. He received his ID. He took a physical. He went to two classes and even got homework assignments.
"It was really tight," Rose said. "Something new. Made me feel like I was a grownup."
Though Rose is already a grownup in the basketball world -- it's possible he'd be a top-five pick in this year's NBA Draft if not for the league's age minimum -- he's been through plenty of new experiences in the past two days alone.
One of them was a 7 a.m. weightlifting session at the Finch Center. Though Rose is a naturally stout 6-foot-4, spending time with director of performance enhancement Richard Hogans will be a big part of his summer preparation.
"He struggled a little bit," coach John Calipari said, laughing. "He's never lifted weights before. Can you believe that, with his body?"
After that, Rose went to classes in communications and gender in society. As much publicity as Rose has received over the past year, it's no surprise his classmates recognized him.
"I came in and people were looking at me. I guess they knew who I am," Rose said. "I'm kind of used to it."
Rose said he's also used to being away from home, especially with all the traveling he's done on the AAU circuit last summer and playing in high school all-star games this spring.
Then again, he hasn't had much time to get homesick. After arriving by plane on Sunday, Rose went straight to Wal-Mart to buy some necessities like bed linens before moving into the basketball team's on-campus house.
"I love it here," Rose said. "As soon as I get homesick, I'll probably call my mother or my girlfriend or somebody who can make me feel good."
As Rose's college education begins this week, so does his basketball education. With most of the Tiger players in town for the first session of summer school, Rose said he was looking forward to the pick-up games at Finch Center where he'll get a chance to mesh with teammates.
"I'm a quick learner," Rose said. "Hopefully it will only take a couple practices for me to be in the flow. I want to work on my all-around game -- mentally, my passing, dribbling, shooting, everything."
-- Dan Wolken: 529-2365
Memphis Noted as "Mid-Major" in Rivals.com Article on Recruiting, Ranked #1 in Class
Mid-Majors Attract Their Share of Talent
Justin Young
Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Senior Writer
The mid-major programs are catching up with the high-majors on the recruiting trail.
A number of nationally ranked players in the class of 2007 found homes outside of the power conferences.
A number of players heading to the mid-majors will be bracket busters come March.
Mid-major rank (National rank)
1. Memphis (10)
2. Gonzaga (17)
3. New Mexico State
4. Pepperdine
5. Va. Commonwealth
6. Creighton
7. UNLV
8. Butler
9. Dayton
10. Jackson State
11. UTEP
12. New Mexico
13. MTSU
14. Xavier
15. UAB
16. Charlotte
17. SMU
18. UMass
19. Colorado State
20. Temple
Memphis, Gonzaga lead the charge
The Memphis Tigers claim the top spot in the mid-major team rankings. Already boasting the nation's No. 10 recruiting class overall, we realize John Calipari's club isn't necessarily a mid-major program. However, Conference USA – the league in which his team competes – is not a major power.
Derrick Rose, the nation's best point guard, is the headliner for Memphis' class and should shine from the outset. The Chicago-area star is the most dynamic guard to come out of the prep ranks in some time. Conference foes won't have the speed, athleticism or size to defend Rose. He should thrive in Conference USA.
Rose isn't the only big-time player coming to Memphis. New Jersey wing Jeff Robinson fits perfectly with the Tigers' style of play. He's big, strong, athletic and really improved as a perimeter threat.
Gonzaga checks in at No. 17 nationally and second overall in the mid-major recruiting rankings. Mark Few and his staff reeled in a trio of standout high school players. Five-star prospect Austin Daye is a sharp-shooting wing from California. He picked Gonzaga over offers from several Pac-10 schools.
In-state guard Steven Gray is one of the top sleepers in the West despite being ranked 61st overall in the class of 2007. Four-star center Robert Sacre is a force down low and compares well with Gonzaga big men of the past.
Jerry Meyer's take: Not only do Memphis and Gonzaga have talented classes, but their recruits fill needs as well. … Reggie Theus makes a first-year recruiting statement by landing a deep class that includes top-50 prospect Herb Pope. … P'Allen Stinnett should bring some excitement to the Creighton program. … Lon Kruger beat out Kentucky for five-star center Beas Hamga. … While everyone thought four-star prospect Jenirro Bush was reclassifying, Jackson State convinced him to stay close to home. … Although Middle Tennessee doesn't have a prospect in the Rivals150, the Blue Raiders landed three three-star players who were just on the outside of the Rivals150.
Best of the Mid-majors
Best perimeter scorer: Tyrone Shelley, Pepperdine
Best low post scorer: Herb Pope, New Mexico State
Best passer: Joey Rodriguez, Virginia Commonwealth
Best shooter: Austin Daye, Gonzaga
Best rebounder: Beas Hamga, UNLV
Best shot-blocker: Beas Hamga, UNLV
Best defender: Lance Kearse, Virginia Commonwealth
Most versatile: Jenirro Bush, Jackson State
Best in the clutch: Derrick Rose, Memphis
Best basketball IQ: Derrick Rose, Memphis
Best pro prospect: Derrick Rose, Memphis
Best interview: P'Allen Stinnett, Creighton
Best speed: Derrick Rose, Memphis
Best hands: Kenton Walker, Creghton
Best motor: Matt Howard, Butler
Best strength: Robert Sacre, Gonzaga
Best leaper: Chris Wright, Dayton
Impact player: Derrick Rose, Memphis
Biggest sleeper: Zach Hahn, Butler
Five top incoming mid-major prospects
Despite signing with a mid-major conference school, Rose would have likely been the top prospect in whichever conference he picked. Rose oozes pro potential, and with the athletes around him at Memphis he should continue to shine.
Daye, the son of former NBA player Darren Daye, has the prototypical pro length at the wing. He'll need to improve his body, but in terms of raw skill Daye is one of the best players on the West Coast.
Five-star center Beas Hamga surprised many when he chose UNLV.
UNLV snagged a big-time recruit in Beas Hamga. The 7-footer picked the Running Rebels over the likes of Kentucky, Indiana and New Mexico. Hamga is a defensive specialist and will only improve over time.
New Mexico State landed a surprise commitment when Pittsburgh-area forward Herb Pope picked Reggie Theus's program over a number of high-major schools. The four-star wing forward was shot in the spring and is still recovering from his injuries.
Robinson, a four-star athlete from New Jersey, was lured away from Big East country. His quick springs, physical game, defensive ability and perimeter shot make him a major coup for Memphis.
Keep an eye on us
Gonzaga has long been the powerhouse in the West Coast Conference, but don't be surprised to see Pepperdine make a push in conference play. The Waves inked a class perfect for Vance Walburg.
San Diego native Tyrone Shelley is a scorer supreme. He could be one of the best scorers in the nation in the near future. He has that kind of potential, and the program will help him in that regard.
Virginia Commonwealth fans can breathe easy now because Anthony Grant is coming back to Richmond. The Rams inked a strong group, and most of the recruits hail from Florida. Point guard Joey Rodriguez, scoring guard Ed Nixon and Myk Brown form a tremendous backcourt trio.
Dayton inked one of the premiere athletes in the nation in high-flyer Chris Wright. He'll be on a number of highlight reels while in college. Butler has a great 1-2 punch in Matt Howard - a Rivals150 forward - and point guard Zach Hahn.
Inside the numbers
There are 20 players inside the Rivals150 headed to mid-major conference schools. Three five-star players (Rose, Daye and Hamga) opted for non-power conference schools. Ten four-star players are bound for mid-majors, while six Rivals150 three-star prospects inked with those programs.
The Atlantic 10 claims five teams in the top 20 mid-major rankings. Conference USA stakes claim to four. The Mountain West has three teams in the rankings, while the West Coast Conference comes in with a pair. The WAC, Colonial, Missouri Valley, Horizon, SWAC and Sun Belt all have one team in the rankings.
Justin Young
Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Senior Writer
The mid-major programs are catching up with the high-majors on the recruiting trail.
A number of nationally ranked players in the class of 2007 found homes outside of the power conferences.
A number of players heading to the mid-majors will be bracket busters come March.
Mid-major rank (National rank)
1. Memphis (10)
2. Gonzaga (17)
3. New Mexico State
4. Pepperdine
5. Va. Commonwealth
6. Creighton
7. UNLV
8. Butler
9. Dayton
10. Jackson State
11. UTEP
12. New Mexico
13. MTSU
14. Xavier
15. UAB
16. Charlotte
17. SMU
18. UMass
19. Colorado State
20. Temple
Memphis, Gonzaga lead the charge
The Memphis Tigers claim the top spot in the mid-major team rankings. Already boasting the nation's No. 10 recruiting class overall, we realize John Calipari's club isn't necessarily a mid-major program. However, Conference USA – the league in which his team competes – is not a major power.
Derrick Rose, the nation's best point guard, is the headliner for Memphis' class and should shine from the outset. The Chicago-area star is the most dynamic guard to come out of the prep ranks in some time. Conference foes won't have the speed, athleticism or size to defend Rose. He should thrive in Conference USA.
Rose isn't the only big-time player coming to Memphis. New Jersey wing Jeff Robinson fits perfectly with the Tigers' style of play. He's big, strong, athletic and really improved as a perimeter threat.
Gonzaga checks in at No. 17 nationally and second overall in the mid-major recruiting rankings. Mark Few and his staff reeled in a trio of standout high school players. Five-star prospect Austin Daye is a sharp-shooting wing from California. He picked Gonzaga over offers from several Pac-10 schools.
In-state guard Steven Gray is one of the top sleepers in the West despite being ranked 61st overall in the class of 2007. Four-star center Robert Sacre is a force down low and compares well with Gonzaga big men of the past.
Jerry Meyer's take: Not only do Memphis and Gonzaga have talented classes, but their recruits fill needs as well. … Reggie Theus makes a first-year recruiting statement by landing a deep class that includes top-50 prospect Herb Pope. … P'Allen Stinnett should bring some excitement to the Creighton program. … Lon Kruger beat out Kentucky for five-star center Beas Hamga. … While everyone thought four-star prospect Jenirro Bush was reclassifying, Jackson State convinced him to stay close to home. … Although Middle Tennessee doesn't have a prospect in the Rivals150, the Blue Raiders landed three three-star players who were just on the outside of the Rivals150.
Best of the Mid-majors
Best perimeter scorer: Tyrone Shelley, Pepperdine
Best low post scorer: Herb Pope, New Mexico State
Best passer: Joey Rodriguez, Virginia Commonwealth
Best shooter: Austin Daye, Gonzaga
Best rebounder: Beas Hamga, UNLV
Best shot-blocker: Beas Hamga, UNLV
Best defender: Lance Kearse, Virginia Commonwealth
Most versatile: Jenirro Bush, Jackson State
Best in the clutch: Derrick Rose, Memphis
Best basketball IQ: Derrick Rose, Memphis
Best pro prospect: Derrick Rose, Memphis
Best interview: P'Allen Stinnett, Creighton
Best speed: Derrick Rose, Memphis
Best hands: Kenton Walker, Creghton
Best motor: Matt Howard, Butler
Best strength: Robert Sacre, Gonzaga
Best leaper: Chris Wright, Dayton
Impact player: Derrick Rose, Memphis
Biggest sleeper: Zach Hahn, Butler
Five top incoming mid-major prospects
Despite signing with a mid-major conference school, Rose would have likely been the top prospect in whichever conference he picked. Rose oozes pro potential, and with the athletes around him at Memphis he should continue to shine.
Daye, the son of former NBA player Darren Daye, has the prototypical pro length at the wing. He'll need to improve his body, but in terms of raw skill Daye is one of the best players on the West Coast.
Five-star center Beas Hamga surprised many when he chose UNLV.
UNLV snagged a big-time recruit in Beas Hamga. The 7-footer picked the Running Rebels over the likes of Kentucky, Indiana and New Mexico. Hamga is a defensive specialist and will only improve over time.
New Mexico State landed a surprise commitment when Pittsburgh-area forward Herb Pope picked Reggie Theus's program over a number of high-major schools. The four-star wing forward was shot in the spring and is still recovering from his injuries.
Robinson, a four-star athlete from New Jersey, was lured away from Big East country. His quick springs, physical game, defensive ability and perimeter shot make him a major coup for Memphis.
Keep an eye on us
Gonzaga has long been the powerhouse in the West Coast Conference, but don't be surprised to see Pepperdine make a push in conference play. The Waves inked a class perfect for Vance Walburg.
San Diego native Tyrone Shelley is a scorer supreme. He could be one of the best scorers in the nation in the near future. He has that kind of potential, and the program will help him in that regard.
Virginia Commonwealth fans can breathe easy now because Anthony Grant is coming back to Richmond. The Rams inked a strong group, and most of the recruits hail from Florida. Point guard Joey Rodriguez, scoring guard Ed Nixon and Myk Brown form a tremendous backcourt trio.
Dayton inked one of the premiere athletes in the nation in high-flyer Chris Wright. He'll be on a number of highlight reels while in college. Butler has a great 1-2 punch in Matt Howard - a Rivals150 forward - and point guard Zach Hahn.
Inside the numbers
There are 20 players inside the Rivals150 headed to mid-major conference schools. Three five-star players (Rose, Daye and Hamga) opted for non-power conference schools. Ten four-star players are bound for mid-majors, while six Rivals150 three-star prospects inked with those programs.
The Atlantic 10 claims five teams in the top 20 mid-major rankings. Conference USA stakes claim to four. The Mountain West has three teams in the rankings, while the West Coast Conference comes in with a pair. The WAC, Colonial, Missouri Valley, Horizon, SWAC and Sun Belt all have one team in the rankings.
From the Fresno Bee "Tre'Von Willis May Seek Move With Fresno Bulldogs"
Willis may seek move with 'Dogs
Ex-Washington High star weighs transfer options
By Daniel Lyght / The Fresno Bee
06/12/07 04:18:56
Tre'Von Willis spoke with Fresno State basketball coaches Monday for the first time since leaving Memphis, and said the school is among his top transfer choices.
Willis, the Central Section's career leading scoring while at Washington High, spoke with Bulldogs coaches Steve Cleveland and Senque Carey on Monday and said there is a possibility he would meet with Cleveland next week. He still is interested in other schools, and said he will visit UNLV this week.
As for the Bulldogs, Willis said: "I think I'd fit in good at Fresno State. ... They have a nice offense I'd like to be in."
Two other positives for the Bulldogs, Willis said, were that Fresno is his hometown and his half-brother, Dwight O'Neil, is on the team.
Willis is transferring from Memphis after one season and received his release from the school Thursday. He averaged 2.6 points and 6.1 minutes per game for the Tigers. In his final year at Washington he averaged 23.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists.
If he does join Fresno State, he'd take the final available scholarship. The Bulldogs lost three seniors this season -- Ja'Vance Coleman, Quinton Hosley and Renato Cesar -- and signed prep-school players Brandon Webster and Nedeljko Golubovic, and Arizona State transfer Sylvester Seay in May. USC transfer Kevin Galloway was dismissed from the team because of academics, leaving a scholarship open after junior Dominic McGuire signed with an agent in preparation for the NBA draft.
With Bulldogs point guard Kevin Bell's eligibility ending after this season, Willis could fill that slot.
Though Willis said he's unsure of his future destination, one thing was certain: He wouldn't rush the decision.
"It could be soon, it could be next month," he said of his decision. "I'm going to do what's best for me.
"I'm looking for a place to run, be a big part of the offense."
The reporter can be reached at (559) 441-6400 or dlyght@fresnobee.com.
Ex-Washington High star weighs transfer options
By Daniel Lyght / The Fresno Bee
06/12/07 04:18:56
Tre'Von Willis spoke with Fresno State basketball coaches Monday for the first time since leaving Memphis, and said the school is among his top transfer choices.
Willis, the Central Section's career leading scoring while at Washington High, spoke with Bulldogs coaches Steve Cleveland and Senque Carey on Monday and said there is a possibility he would meet with Cleveland next week. He still is interested in other schools, and said he will visit UNLV this week.
As for the Bulldogs, Willis said: "I think I'd fit in good at Fresno State. ... They have a nice offense I'd like to be in."
Two other positives for the Bulldogs, Willis said, were that Fresno is his hometown and his half-brother, Dwight O'Neil, is on the team.
Willis is transferring from Memphis after one season and received his release from the school Thursday. He averaged 2.6 points and 6.1 minutes per game for the Tigers. In his final year at Washington he averaged 23.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists.
If he does join Fresno State, he'd take the final available scholarship. The Bulldogs lost three seniors this season -- Ja'Vance Coleman, Quinton Hosley and Renato Cesar -- and signed prep-school players Brandon Webster and Nedeljko Golubovic, and Arizona State transfer Sylvester Seay in May. USC transfer Kevin Galloway was dismissed from the team because of academics, leaving a scholarship open after junior Dominic McGuire signed with an agent in preparation for the NBA draft.
With Bulldogs point guard Kevin Bell's eligibility ending after this season, Willis could fill that slot.
Though Willis said he's unsure of his future destination, one thing was certain: He wouldn't rush the decision.
"It could be soon, it could be next month," he said of his decision. "I'm going to do what's best for me.
"I'm looking for a place to run, be a big part of the offense."
The reporter can be reached at (559) 441-6400 or dlyght@fresnobee.com.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Siena (RPI #128 '06/'07) To Play at Memphis in Early January
Siena to play Memphis next season
June 11, 2007 at 1:33 pm by Pete Iorizzo, Staff writer
Albany (NY) Times Union
Siena reached an agreement Monday to play a men’s basketball game this coming season against Memphis, expected one of the top three teams in preseason polls.
The game will be played in early January in Memphis, where the Tigers have won 29 consecutive games.
Memphis, a member of Conference USA, posted a 33-4 record last season, when it reached the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year under coach John Calipari. The Tigers figure to receive strong consideration for the No. 1 slot in The Associated Press preseason poll.
This game adds to a Siena non-conference schedule upgraded considerably from last season. This year the Saints also face Stanford, of the Pacific-10 Conference, and Saint Joseph’s, of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Other non-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference games include matchups with the University at Albany, James Madison, Holy Cross and Dartmouth. Siena also plans to participate in ESPNU BracketBusters and the National Invitation Tournament Season Tip-Off.
Siena can schedule one more game. The Saints are believed to be seeking a series with a regional team to begin on the road during the 2007-08 season.
“This is something great for our program,” Siena coach Fran McCaffery said. “This gives us a chance to see just how far our team has come.”
The agreement, signed Monday morning by McCaffery, calls for just one game, so Memphis will not visit Albany to play at Times Union Center during the 2008-09 season.
June 11, 2007 at 1:33 pm by Pete Iorizzo, Staff writer
Albany (NY) Times Union
Siena reached an agreement Monday to play a men’s basketball game this coming season against Memphis, expected one of the top three teams in preseason polls.
The game will be played in early January in Memphis, where the Tigers have won 29 consecutive games.
Memphis, a member of Conference USA, posted a 33-4 record last season, when it reached the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year under coach John Calipari. The Tigers figure to receive strong consideration for the No. 1 slot in The Associated Press preseason poll.
This game adds to a Siena non-conference schedule upgraded considerably from last season. This year the Saints also face Stanford, of the Pacific-10 Conference, and Saint Joseph’s, of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Other non-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference games include matchups with the University at Albany, James Madison, Holy Cross and Dartmouth. Siena also plans to participate in ESPNU BracketBusters and the National Invitation Tournament Season Tip-Off.
Siena can schedule one more game. The Saints are believed to be seeking a series with a regional team to begin on the road during the 2007-08 season.
“This is something great for our program,” Siena coach Fran McCaffery said. “This gives us a chance to see just how far our team has come.”
The agreement, signed Monday morning by McCaffery, calls for just one game, so Memphis will not visit Albany to play at Times Union Center during the 2008-09 season.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Memphis and Kentucky Reportedly Offered Scholarships to Rotnei Clarke, Oklahoma's #1 H.S. Recruit
By BILL HAISTEN, Tulsa (OK) World, World Sports Writer
6/8/2007
Talent show: Rotnei Clarke, the state's No. 1 basketball recruit, and the Verdigris Cardinals are involved in this weekend's University of Tulsa team camp at the Reynolds Center.
Verdigris plays twice on Friday (against Rogers at 6 p.m. and Jenks at 8) and twice on Saturday (against Tahlequah at 10 a.m. and Bishop Kelley at noon). The games are free and open to the public.
Two more offers: Conley Clarke, Rotnei's father and the director of basketball operations at Oral Roberts, reports that Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie offered a scholarship to Rotnei Clarke this week. A few days earlier, Memphis' John Calipari called with a scholarship offer.
6/8/2007
Talent show: Rotnei Clarke, the state's No. 1 basketball recruit, and the Verdigris Cardinals are involved in this weekend's University of Tulsa team camp at the Reynolds Center.
Verdigris plays twice on Friday (against Rogers at 6 p.m. and Jenks at 8) and twice on Saturday (against Tahlequah at 10 a.m. and Bishop Kelley at noon). The games are free and open to the public.
Two more offers: Conley Clarke, Rotnei's father and the director of basketball operations at Oral Roberts, reports that Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie offered a scholarship to Rotnei Clarke this week. A few days earlier, Memphis' John Calipari called with a scholarship offer.
Fresno (CA) Bee Article on Tre'Von Willis' Transfer News
Memphis' Willis to come West
Ex-Washington star undecided as to which school he'll attend
By Bryant-Jon Anteola / The Fresno Bee
06/09/07 04:38:47
Tre'Von Willis, the all-time scoring leader in Central Section basketball history, is transferring out West.
To which school, the former Washington High star said he doesn't know yet.
But as of Thursday, Willis received his release from Memphis after one season and said he has been in contact with "a few" West coast schools.
"The main thing is I'm coming back West," said Willis, who is back in town for the summer and helping coach Washington's summer team. "It's going to be a Mountain West [Conference], Pac-10 or WAC [Western Athletic Conference] school.
"The process has just started. So I really don't know yet where I'm going. Don't have a timetable when I'll know. I just know I'm not going back to Memphis."
Willis, a former top-100 recruit who finished his freshman year, said he has enough credits and the grade-point average to be eligible to play immediately. NCAA rules, however, would require Willis to sit out a year if he transfers to another Division-I program.
Willis still has a redshirt season to burn, giving him three years of eligibility.
Willis said he has not spoken to anyone at Fresno State and wasn't sure if he would. He added there has been no family or peer pressure to play for the hometown program.
Fresno State has one scholarship available with the early departure of Dominic McGuire to the NBA. Willis' half-brother and former Washington teammate, Dwight O'Neil, also plays for the Bulldogs. O'Neil is a junior.
If Willis came to Fresno State, the brothers would have one season to play together.
"Not sure," Willis said when asked what the chances were of him playing at Fresno State.
Willis said he informed Memphis coach John Calipari in mid-May that he wanted his release, then citing family issues. Willis added Friday that he was unhappy with his playing time and living two time zones away.
Memphis (33-4) won the Conference USA title and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
But Willis contributed little, appearing in 17 of 37 games and averaging 6.1 minutes. He shot 13 of 33 from the field (39.4%) and 12 of 17 from the free-throw line (.706) for 2.6 points per game.
And with most of Memphis' rotation returning, it appeared unlikely Willis' role would change.
"There wasn't enough room for me in Memphis," Willis said. "And with the family situation, it was just best for me to head back West."
Willis described his year in Memphis as a "roller coaster" and said he didn't think he received a fair shot at playing time.
"I do well at practice then come gametime, I'm stuck on the bench. I played in less than half the games, and a lot of them were 2 to 3 minutes or last minute of the game. It was just embarrassing."
In his final season at Washington, Willis averaged 23.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists. He finished with a section-best 2,842 career points, which also was the fifth most in state history.
The reporter can be reached at banteola@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6362.
Ex-Washington star undecided as to which school he'll attend
By Bryant-Jon Anteola / The Fresno Bee
06/09/07 04:38:47
Tre'Von Willis, the all-time scoring leader in Central Section basketball history, is transferring out West.
To which school, the former Washington High star said he doesn't know yet.
But as of Thursday, Willis received his release from Memphis after one season and said he has been in contact with "a few" West coast schools.
"The main thing is I'm coming back West," said Willis, who is back in town for the summer and helping coach Washington's summer team. "It's going to be a Mountain West [Conference], Pac-10 or WAC [Western Athletic Conference] school.
"The process has just started. So I really don't know yet where I'm going. Don't have a timetable when I'll know. I just know I'm not going back to Memphis."
Willis, a former top-100 recruit who finished his freshman year, said he has enough credits and the grade-point average to be eligible to play immediately. NCAA rules, however, would require Willis to sit out a year if he transfers to another Division-I program.
Willis still has a redshirt season to burn, giving him three years of eligibility.
Willis said he has not spoken to anyone at Fresno State and wasn't sure if he would. He added there has been no family or peer pressure to play for the hometown program.
Fresno State has one scholarship available with the early departure of Dominic McGuire to the NBA. Willis' half-brother and former Washington teammate, Dwight O'Neil, also plays for the Bulldogs. O'Neil is a junior.
If Willis came to Fresno State, the brothers would have one season to play together.
"Not sure," Willis said when asked what the chances were of him playing at Fresno State.
Willis said he informed Memphis coach John Calipari in mid-May that he wanted his release, then citing family issues. Willis added Friday that he was unhappy with his playing time and living two time zones away.
Memphis (33-4) won the Conference USA title and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
But Willis contributed little, appearing in 17 of 37 games and averaging 6.1 minutes. He shot 13 of 33 from the field (39.4%) and 12 of 17 from the free-throw line (.706) for 2.6 points per game.
And with most of Memphis' rotation returning, it appeared unlikely Willis' role would change.
"There wasn't enough room for me in Memphis," Willis said. "And with the family situation, it was just best for me to head back West."
Willis described his year in Memphis as a "roller coaster" and said he didn't think he received a fair shot at playing time.
"I do well at practice then come gametime, I'm stuck on the bench. I played in less than half the games, and a lot of them were 2 to 3 minutes or last minute of the game. It was just embarrassing."
In his final season at Washington, Willis averaged 23.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists. He finished with a section-best 2,842 career points, which also was the fifth most in state history.
The reporter can be reached at banteola@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6362.
St. George's H.S. (Memphis) Guard Elliott Williams Courted by Memphis, Tennessee, UNC and Duke
Vols court Memphis prep star, but so do others
UNC, Duke join chase for Williams
By CHRIS LOW
Staff Writer, Nashville Tennessean
KNOXVILLE — Nobody needed to tell Bruce Pearl when he took the Tennessee men's basketball job how important the talent-rich area of Memphis would be to his recruiting.
It was equally apparent that the best players in Memphis weren't flocking to Tennessee to play their college basketball, at least not historically.
"Memphis is very important," Pearl said. "In the state of Tennessee, wherever they're playing the best high school basketball, that's where we need to be. Some years, it's Nashville, and Tennessee has lost some big recruits out of Nashville in the past.
"It just so happens that West Tennessee tends to put out the best players year after year."
And this year, that player is guard Elliot Williams, whose stock may be rising more than any other player in the country.
Duke in the running
A dazzling 6-foot-4 guard from St. George's Independent School, Williams put on a show at last month's Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, N.C. He averaged 26 points per game and was as comfortable burying 3-pointers as he was slicing to the basket.
But here's the catch for the Vols, who've clearly made Williams one of their top targets. They're not just battling John Calipari and hometown Memphis.
Duke and North Carolina also have entered the picture for Williams, who's rated by Rivals.com as the country's 20th-best prospect overall and fourth-best shooting guard prospect.
"That's when I stepped back and knew it was getting serious, when powerhouses like Duke and North Carolina jumped in there," Williams said. "Coach K (Duke's Mike Krzyzewski) said he'd never recruited a player from Memphis before. That's saying something when you think about all the great players who've come out of here.
"But just because Duke and North Carolina are recruiting me, that doesn't mean I'm going to pick the school with the most prestige. I've got to pick the school that's right for me."
Impressed with Pearl
Much like his own ascent among the country's top rising senior prospects, Williams said the Vols' resurgence under Pearl the last two years has placed them squarely in his sights.
"They've improved every year under Coach Pearl," Williams said.
"You look at what he's brought to that team and the intensity he brought. He's made the team what it is. They're growing and growing fast, and you want to be part of something like that."
Does that mean the Vols are right at the top of Williams' list? He's not ready to go that far, but admits he's close to trimming his list.
Right now, in addition to Duke, North Carolina, Tennessee and Memphis, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Texas are all courting Williams.
"The hardest part will be getting that down to four or five," he said.
"You build relationships with all these coaches, and you've got to tell all but one of them no."
Making inroads
Williams plans to sign in November. He visited Duke in conjunction with his trip to play in the Tournament of Champions at the end of last month. He's also been to Tennessee a couple of times on unofficial visits and said he's been everywhere else on his list but Georgia Tech and Texas.
Pulling a player the caliber of Williams out of Memphis would be huge for Pearl, who's already shown he can go outside the state and attract top players.
But getting one marquee player out of Memphis could easily lead to others.
The Vols, along with everybody else, are already eyeing Leslie McDonald, one of the top rising junior prospects in the country.
"If you can make it in Memphis, you can make it anywhere," Williams said. "Coaches know that, and that's why they keep coming back."
Little More Detail on Cooper & Willis From Gary Parrish, CBS Sportsline.com
Memphis sophomore Cooper, freshman Willis will transfer
June 7, 2007
By Gary Parrish
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Reserves Kareem Cooper and Tre'Von Willis, each caught in a numbers game, are in the process of transferring from Memphis, sources close to the situation have told CBS SportsLine.com.
According to the sources, Cooper (a sophomore from Washington D.C.) and Willis (a freshman from Fresno, Calif.) are on track to leave with their eligibility intact, and they intend to secure more playing time with a lesser program after being bit players under John Calipari. One source said neither student-athlete has picked a future college, adding Cooper is "wide open" while stating Willis will "likely transfer out west."
Cooper will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Willis will have three.
Though these developments should leave Memphis with just 11 scholarship players, this is pleasant news for the Tigers. Neither Cooper nor Willis were expected to be factors next season thanks to a deep rotation, and both -- if unhappy with their limited roles -- could've potentially developed into the type of problems that disrupt team chemistry, particularly Cooper.
Skilled for a man 6-foot-11, 290 pounds, Cooper has never seemed committed to tapping into his undeniable talent, and his off-court distractions have been more notable than anything achieved in the paint. He was arrested for marijuana as a freshman and suspended last season for a "violation of team rules."
So while Cooper's departure might eventually hurt if senior Joey Dorsey is injured, sophomore Pierre Niles refuses to get into shape or Iowa State transfer Shawn Taggart doesn’t have an impact, it's likely this is addition by subtraction for Memphis, which doesn't need anything hindering its very realistic quest for the program's first national title.
June 7, 2007
By Gary Parrish
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Reserves Kareem Cooper and Tre'Von Willis, each caught in a numbers game, are in the process of transferring from Memphis, sources close to the situation have told CBS SportsLine.com.
According to the sources, Cooper (a sophomore from Washington D.C.) and Willis (a freshman from Fresno, Calif.) are on track to leave with their eligibility intact, and they intend to secure more playing time with a lesser program after being bit players under John Calipari. One source said neither student-athlete has picked a future college, adding Cooper is "wide open" while stating Willis will "likely transfer out west."
Cooper will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Willis will have three.
Though these developments should leave Memphis with just 11 scholarship players, this is pleasant news for the Tigers. Neither Cooper nor Willis were expected to be factors next season thanks to a deep rotation, and both -- if unhappy with their limited roles -- could've potentially developed into the type of problems that disrupt team chemistry, particularly Cooper.
Skilled for a man 6-foot-11, 290 pounds, Cooper has never seemed committed to tapping into his undeniable talent, and his off-court distractions have been more notable than anything achieved in the paint. He was arrested for marijuana as a freshman and suspended last season for a "violation of team rules."
So while Cooper's departure might eventually hurt if senior Joey Dorsey is injured, sophomore Pierre Niles refuses to get into shape or Iowa State transfer Shawn Taggart doesn’t have an impact, it's likely this is addition by subtraction for Memphis, which doesn't need anything hindering its very realistic quest for the program's first national title.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Cooper, Willis Are On Way Out at Memphis
Cooper, Willis are on way out at U of M
By Dan Wolken
June 8, 2007
Kareem Cooper and Tre'Von Willis are in the process of separating from the University of Memphis basketball program, sources close to the situation told The Commercial Appeal Thursday.
Cooper is doing academic work at the UofM to facilitate his transfer but has not been an active part of the basketball program, according to one source. Willis, who went home to Fresno, Calif., following the academic year, has asked for and will be granted a transfer.
Coach John Calipari did not return a message seeking comment.
The school won't comment on roster changes until the paperwork becomes official.
Neither departure is considered a surprise, since both would likely have had trouble fitting into Memphis' rotation next season.
Cooper, a 6-11 center, has dealt with off-court issues throughout his two seasons at Memphis. As a freshman, he was arrested for marijuana possession during a traffic stop in Millington and suspended from the team for four games. Cooper was suspended again last fall for a violation of team rules and missed the first seven games of the season.
After being reinstated, Cooper initially provided a boost off the bench, averaging 10 points in his first three games. But his production leveled off shortly thereafter, and he barely contributed during the final two months of the season. He finished the year averaging 3.9 points and 10.8 minutes per game.
Willis, a former top-100 recruit, was projected to be a major factor when he signed with Memphis. But Willis couldn't beat out fellow freshman Doneal Mack for minutes at shooting guard.
Willis appeared in just 17 games for Memphis, averaging 2.6 points. Memphis likely will not use the open scholarships this year.
Rather, Memphis will have just 11 scholarship players next year or 12 if walk-on Andre Allen is awarded a scholarship, with any leftovers being saved for the class of 2008.
By Dan Wolken
June 8, 2007
Kareem Cooper and Tre'Von Willis are in the process of separating from the University of Memphis basketball program, sources close to the situation told The Commercial Appeal Thursday.
Cooper is doing academic work at the UofM to facilitate his transfer but has not been an active part of the basketball program, according to one source. Willis, who went home to Fresno, Calif., following the academic year, has asked for and will be granted a transfer.
Coach John Calipari did not return a message seeking comment.
The school won't comment on roster changes until the paperwork becomes official.
Neither departure is considered a surprise, since both would likely have had trouble fitting into Memphis' rotation next season.
Cooper, a 6-11 center, has dealt with off-court issues throughout his two seasons at Memphis. As a freshman, he was arrested for marijuana possession during a traffic stop in Millington and suspended from the team for four games. Cooper was suspended again last fall for a violation of team rules and missed the first seven games of the season.
After being reinstated, Cooper initially provided a boost off the bench, averaging 10 points in his first three games. But his production leveled off shortly thereafter, and he barely contributed during the final two months of the season. He finished the year averaging 3.9 points and 10.8 minutes per game.
Willis, a former top-100 recruit, was projected to be a major factor when he signed with Memphis. But Willis couldn't beat out fellow freshman Doneal Mack for minutes at shooting guard.
Willis appeared in just 17 games for Memphis, averaging 2.6 points. Memphis likely will not use the open scholarships this year.
Rather, Memphis will have just 11 scholarship players next year or 12 if walk-on Andre Allen is awarded a scholarship, with any leftovers being saved for the class of 2008.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Comments on Jeremy Hunt From Orlando Pre-Draft Camp
Jeremy Hunt 6-3 200 PG Memphis Sr. -- 2.3 ppg, 2-11 fg (18.2%), 4.3 rpg, 4.0 apg. He's a bit of a junk yard dog was one scout's description of him. Hunt lacks any real point guard skills and is too small for the 2-guard position. He really struggled to do much offensively but defends well and showed a decent ability to get others involved.
2007 NCAA DIVISION I MEN'S BASKETBALL ATTENDANCE TEAM LEADERS
2007 NCAA DIVISION I MEN'S BASKETBALL ATTENDANCE TEAM LEADERS
Rank School G Attendance Average
1. Kentucky 16 374,737 23,421
2. Syracuse 22 473,353 21,516
3. North Carolina 17 351,785 20,693
4. Tennessee 16 314,571 19,661
5. Louisville 20 369,763 18,488
6. Ohio St. 18 315,539 17,530
7. Wisconsin 19 326,610 17,190
8. Maryland 19 319,616 16,822
9. Arkansas 16 267,520 16,720
10. Illinois 17 282,506 16,618
11. Indiana 15 247,103 16,474
12. Kansas 18 293,400 16,300
13. Creighton 14 222,728 15,909
14. Marquette 20 306,893 15,345
15. Michigan St. 19 280,421 14,759
16. Memphis 19 276,014 14,527
17. Arizona 16 227,239 14,202
18. North Carolina St. 20 279,035 13,952
19. Virginia 17 229,858 13,521
20. Connecticut 20 260,231 13,012
Rank School G Attendance Average
1. Kentucky 16 374,737 23,421
2. Syracuse 22 473,353 21,516
3. North Carolina 17 351,785 20,693
4. Tennessee 16 314,571 19,661
5. Louisville 20 369,763 18,488
6. Ohio St. 18 315,539 17,530
7. Wisconsin 19 326,610 17,190
8. Maryland 19 319,616 16,822
9. Arkansas 16 267,520 16,720
10. Illinois 17 282,506 16,618
11. Indiana 15 247,103 16,474
12. Kansas 18 293,400 16,300
13. Creighton 14 222,728 15,909
14. Marquette 20 306,893 15,345
15. Michigan St. 19 280,421 14,759
16. Memphis 19 276,014 14,527
17. Arizona 16 227,239 14,202
18. North Carolina St. 20 279,035 13,952
19. Virginia 17 229,858 13,521
20. Connecticut 20 260,231 13,012
NYC Recruits On Tiger Radar
N.Y. standouts on Tigers' radar
By Dan Wolken
June 3, 2007
After spending most of his coaching career in the Northeast, John Calipari has brought a steady stream of players from the New York/New Jersey metro area to the University of Memphis, including incoming freshman Jeff Robinson.
Now, with Chuck Martin and Rod Strickland being added to the coaching staff within the past year, Memphis is as entrenched as ever in the New York recruiting scene.
That was evident last weekend at the AAU Nike Memorial Day Classic in Nashville, where the New York Gauchos finished runner-up in the 17-and-under division. Several highly-rated players on that team are being recruited by Memphis, and three of them said they would likely make visits to campus later this year.
"They're in my top three," said Jordan Theodore, a top-100 guard prospect.
"They play my style of game," said Kemba Walker, a hard-nosed guard who was one of the tournament's most impressive players.
"They're definitely on my list," said Durand Scott, a long 6-3 guard ranked 34th by Rivals.com in the class of 2009.
Though Memphis coaches can't talk about recruits per NCAA rules, it's easy to draw the connection between the current coaching staff and that trio.
Strickland, the Tigers' director of student-athlete development, played for the New York Gauchos in the mid-1980s before going to DePaul and ultimately a long NBA career.
And Martin is a native of the Bronx who coached at two of the city's top programs and most recently at St. John's. In fact, Walker said Martin began recruiting him when he was still coaching under Norm Roberts at St. John's.
It's unclear exactly where those players fit into Memphis' plans for the upcoming year. Calipari has said he wants to sign as many as three more players for 2008. The top targets for this class appears to be DeAndre Liggins, a guard out of Chicago and St. George's guard Elliot Williams.
If Memphis can't get either player, Theodore and Walker are exactly the kind of fearless, scrappy guards who would fit well in the Tigers' driving motion offense.
The real prize of the class, however, is Scott, who is eligible to play with the 16-and-under team but is playing "up" on the AAU circuit this summer. Scott showed the ability to attack, defend and rebound, which means he will be highly coveted by most of the major programs in the country.
Though Scott said he doesn't watch much college basketball, he was familiar with Memphis.
"From what I've been hearing, they're pretty cool," Scott said. "I like the coach that's recruiting me (Martin). They came to a couple of our practices, and they're cool people, so that's a good thing. I'll look at other schools like Duke, North Carolina, Arizona and stuff like that, but they're definitely at the top of my list."
Liggins update
Though it's unlikely to significantly alter his recruitment, Liggins suffered a stress fracture in his foot last weekend and will miss roughly six weeks.
Liggins, a 6-5 guard ranked 18th in the nation by Rivals.com, suffered the injury at the Bob Gibbons tournament in North Carolina.
Barring unforeseen events, Liggins will visit Memphis later this year and then decide between Memphis, Kansas and Illinois.
Under the radar
One name to keep an eye on during the summer recruiting season is Sampson Carter, who will be a senior at Hamilton this fall. Carter is the brother of former Tiger guard Shyrone Chatman, now the team's video coordinator.
Like Chatman, Carter grew up in Baton Rouge, La. But when Chatman got the job on Calipari's staff last summer, he convinced his brother to move to Memphis and live with him.
Since then, Carter has gone through a 4-inch growth spurt and now stands at roughly 6-7. Since Carter will still be 16 when school starts in the fall, prep school is an option. But even now, Carter is starting to get interest from mid-majors like New Mexico.
"We'll see how this summer goes," Chatman said. "He's got a chance."
By Dan Wolken
June 3, 2007
After spending most of his coaching career in the Northeast, John Calipari has brought a steady stream of players from the New York/New Jersey metro area to the University of Memphis, including incoming freshman Jeff Robinson.
Now, with Chuck Martin and Rod Strickland being added to the coaching staff within the past year, Memphis is as entrenched as ever in the New York recruiting scene.
That was evident last weekend at the AAU Nike Memorial Day Classic in Nashville, where the New York Gauchos finished runner-up in the 17-and-under division. Several highly-rated players on that team are being recruited by Memphis, and three of them said they would likely make visits to campus later this year.
"They're in my top three," said Jordan Theodore, a top-100 guard prospect.
"They play my style of game," said Kemba Walker, a hard-nosed guard who was one of the tournament's most impressive players.
"They're definitely on my list," said Durand Scott, a long 6-3 guard ranked 34th by Rivals.com in the class of 2009.
Though Memphis coaches can't talk about recruits per NCAA rules, it's easy to draw the connection between the current coaching staff and that trio.
Strickland, the Tigers' director of student-athlete development, played for the New York Gauchos in the mid-1980s before going to DePaul and ultimately a long NBA career.
And Martin is a native of the Bronx who coached at two of the city's top programs and most recently at St. John's. In fact, Walker said Martin began recruiting him when he was still coaching under Norm Roberts at St. John's.
It's unclear exactly where those players fit into Memphis' plans for the upcoming year. Calipari has said he wants to sign as many as three more players for 2008. The top targets for this class appears to be DeAndre Liggins, a guard out of Chicago and St. George's guard Elliot Williams.
If Memphis can't get either player, Theodore and Walker are exactly the kind of fearless, scrappy guards who would fit well in the Tigers' driving motion offense.
The real prize of the class, however, is Scott, who is eligible to play with the 16-and-under team but is playing "up" on the AAU circuit this summer. Scott showed the ability to attack, defend and rebound, which means he will be highly coveted by most of the major programs in the country.
Though Scott said he doesn't watch much college basketball, he was familiar with Memphis.
"From what I've been hearing, they're pretty cool," Scott said. "I like the coach that's recruiting me (Martin). They came to a couple of our practices, and they're cool people, so that's a good thing. I'll look at other schools like Duke, North Carolina, Arizona and stuff like that, but they're definitely at the top of my list."
Liggins update
Though it's unlikely to significantly alter his recruitment, Liggins suffered a stress fracture in his foot last weekend and will miss roughly six weeks.
Liggins, a 6-5 guard ranked 18th in the nation by Rivals.com, suffered the injury at the Bob Gibbons tournament in North Carolina.
Barring unforeseen events, Liggins will visit Memphis later this year and then decide between Memphis, Kansas and Illinois.
Under the radar
One name to keep an eye on during the summer recruiting season is Sampson Carter, who will be a senior at Hamilton this fall. Carter is the brother of former Tiger guard Shyrone Chatman, now the team's video coordinator.
Like Chatman, Carter grew up in Baton Rouge, La. But when Chatman got the job on Calipari's staff last summer, he convinced his brother to move to Memphis and live with him.
Since then, Carter has gone through a 4-inch growth spurt and now stands at roughly 6-7. Since Carter will still be 16 when school starts in the fall, prep school is an option. But even now, Carter is starting to get interest from mid-majors like New Mexico.
"We'll see how this summer goes," Chatman said. "He's got a chance."
Kareem Cooper and Tre'Von Willis To Transfer
Cooper, Willis to leave Tiger basketball program
By Dan Wolken
June 7, 2007
Kareem Cooper and Tre’Von Willis will both transfer from the University of Memphis basketball program, sources close to the situation confirmed Thursday.
Cooper has not been an active part of the basketball program for several weeks, according to one source, but is doing academic work at the UofM to facilitate his transfer. Willis, who went home to Fresno, Calif., following the academic year, has asked for and will be granted a transfer.
The school won’t comment on roster changes until the paperwork becomes official.
By Dan Wolken
June 7, 2007
Kareem Cooper and Tre’Von Willis will both transfer from the University of Memphis basketball program, sources close to the situation confirmed Thursday.
Cooper has not been an active part of the basketball program for several weeks, according to one source, but is doing academic work at the UofM to facilitate his transfer. Willis, who went home to Fresno, Calif., following the academic year, has asked for and will be granted a transfer.
The school won’t comment on roster changes until the paperwork becomes official.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Jeremy Hunt Aiming to Impess NBA Personnel
Hunt aiming to impress NBA personnel
By Marlon W. Morgan
June 2, 2007
ORLANDO -- It wasn't that long ago that Jeremy Hunt was suspended for the Memphis Tigers' 2005-06 season. Hunt's collegiate basketball career was in serious jeopardy, not to mention the idea of earning a shot at playing in the NBA.
Two years later, after a detour by Hunt back to the path of the straight and narrow, the former Craigmont High and Tigers star finds himself participating in the NBA pre-draft workouts in Orlando this week, trying to convince NBA executives that his name is worthy of calling June 28 when the NBA Draft takes place in New York.
''It's just been a blessing,'' Hunt said. ''It's through God. He works in mysterious ways. He brings you down, and then He brings you back up. I'm just glad to be here and having fun. I'm just looking to keep up the work, keep working hard like I've been doing.''
Hunt, listed at 6-5, 210 pounds, spent most of his U of M career playing shooting guard. This week he has been trying to convince NBA scouts he's capable of playing point guard, a position he hasn't played since his freshman year at Memphis.
While struggling with his jumper during scrimmage games, Hunt has adapted well to dishing passes. He's also performed well at crashing the boards and playing solid defense.
''I feel like I'm doing a great job of playing point guard out there and running my ball club,'' Hunt said. ''I haven't shot the ball as well as I've needed to, but I've run the club like a point guard and I've guarded real well. I've done a good job so far.
''It's just something I've got to get back used to. I feel comfortable out there. Surrounded by so many players that are good makes it a lot easier. It's definitely hard because they want you to run the certain sets that they want you to run. You've got people watching you and if you make a mistake, you've got to keep your head up.''
Tigers head coach John Calipari and assistant Derek Kellogg made the trip to Orlando to support Hunt. Calipari credits Hunt's determination in turning his life around after a pair of off-campus incidents led to his suspension.
''You just hope that all of the good things that he's tried to do to get himself right pay off,'' Calipari said. ''But it's not a given. But he would have had no chance if he had stayed on the other road. Now it's just: does he play well? He doesn't have to have 30 teams say he's great. One team has to say he's great, and that's all we're hoping for.''
A successful run through the NCAA Tournament by Hunt is what started getting the attention of NBA scouts. After not participating in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which is also for college players looking to make it to the NBA, Hunt was considered a longshot to be invited to Orlando.
But he quickly accepted an invitation last month and is making the most of his opportunity.
''Even though Jeremy played on a big stage in college, they want to see what he can do against guys that aspire to do the same thing,'' Kellogg said. ''If he can come out here and prove that he can shoot the ball, define his position a little bit more, I think he'll be given a good opportunity. I think there's a lot of NBA general managers that want to see him against the top-level talent.''
There's still some question as to what that position should be. While he has spent the majority of the pre-draft playing the point, Grizzlies director of player personnel Tony Barone, Sr. said Hunt is much more suited to playing shooting guard.
''Jeremy Hunt needs to do what he's capable of doing,'' Barone said. ''I think guys sometimes come to camp and someone's told them, 'You've got be a point guard in this camp. If you're not a point guard, you're not going to make it.' Jeremy Hunt's a great shooter. He should come to this camp and shoot the ball every time he's open and not worry about the other things.
''When guys try to play to something that might not be their strength, they overexpose their weaknesses. He's guarded here, he's done a very good job of guarding. He just hasn't shot the ball yet, and that's what he needs to do.''
In the end, it could be his versatility as a combo guard that, at the least, gets him a free-agent offer should he go undrafted.
Teams are allowed to begin holding their own workouts Tuesday. Hunt said he hasn't had any invitations, but expects to be working out for someone next week.
-- Marlon W. Morgan: 529-2792
By Marlon W. Morgan
June 2, 2007
ORLANDO -- It wasn't that long ago that Jeremy Hunt was suspended for the Memphis Tigers' 2005-06 season. Hunt's collegiate basketball career was in serious jeopardy, not to mention the idea of earning a shot at playing in the NBA.
Two years later, after a detour by Hunt back to the path of the straight and narrow, the former Craigmont High and Tigers star finds himself participating in the NBA pre-draft workouts in Orlando this week, trying to convince NBA executives that his name is worthy of calling June 28 when the NBA Draft takes place in New York.
''It's just been a blessing,'' Hunt said. ''It's through God. He works in mysterious ways. He brings you down, and then He brings you back up. I'm just glad to be here and having fun. I'm just looking to keep up the work, keep working hard like I've been doing.''
Hunt, listed at 6-5, 210 pounds, spent most of his U of M career playing shooting guard. This week he has been trying to convince NBA scouts he's capable of playing point guard, a position he hasn't played since his freshman year at Memphis.
While struggling with his jumper during scrimmage games, Hunt has adapted well to dishing passes. He's also performed well at crashing the boards and playing solid defense.
''I feel like I'm doing a great job of playing point guard out there and running my ball club,'' Hunt said. ''I haven't shot the ball as well as I've needed to, but I've run the club like a point guard and I've guarded real well. I've done a good job so far.
''It's just something I've got to get back used to. I feel comfortable out there. Surrounded by so many players that are good makes it a lot easier. It's definitely hard because they want you to run the certain sets that they want you to run. You've got people watching you and if you make a mistake, you've got to keep your head up.''
Tigers head coach John Calipari and assistant Derek Kellogg made the trip to Orlando to support Hunt. Calipari credits Hunt's determination in turning his life around after a pair of off-campus incidents led to his suspension.
''You just hope that all of the good things that he's tried to do to get himself right pay off,'' Calipari said. ''But it's not a given. But he would have had no chance if he had stayed on the other road. Now it's just: does he play well? He doesn't have to have 30 teams say he's great. One team has to say he's great, and that's all we're hoping for.''
A successful run through the NCAA Tournament by Hunt is what started getting the attention of NBA scouts. After not participating in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which is also for college players looking to make it to the NBA, Hunt was considered a longshot to be invited to Orlando.
But he quickly accepted an invitation last month and is making the most of his opportunity.
''Even though Jeremy played on a big stage in college, they want to see what he can do against guys that aspire to do the same thing,'' Kellogg said. ''If he can come out here and prove that he can shoot the ball, define his position a little bit more, I think he'll be given a good opportunity. I think there's a lot of NBA general managers that want to see him against the top-level talent.''
There's still some question as to what that position should be. While he has spent the majority of the pre-draft playing the point, Grizzlies director of player personnel Tony Barone, Sr. said Hunt is much more suited to playing shooting guard.
''Jeremy Hunt needs to do what he's capable of doing,'' Barone said. ''I think guys sometimes come to camp and someone's told them, 'You've got be a point guard in this camp. If you're not a point guard, you're not going to make it.' Jeremy Hunt's a great shooter. He should come to this camp and shoot the ball every time he's open and not worry about the other things.
''When guys try to play to something that might not be their strength, they overexpose their weaknesses. He's guarded here, he's done a very good job of guarding. He just hasn't shot the ball yet, and that's what he needs to do.''
In the end, it could be his versatility as a combo guard that, at the least, gets him a free-agent offer should he go undrafted.
Teams are allowed to begin holding their own workouts Tuesday. Hunt said he hasn't had any invitations, but expects to be working out for someone next week.
-- Marlon W. Morgan: 529-2792
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Tiger Recruits (Rose, Robinson) Look Even Better
Tiger recruits look even better
Rose always solid, but Robinson improves
By Dan Wolken
May 27, 2007
From the moment he arrived at the University of Memphis more than seven years ago, John Calipari has assembled one talented recruiting class after another.
But here's a quirky fact: None of those classes has included two top-40 players who actually enrolled in school.
That's about to change.
When Rivals.com published its final player rankings for 2007, Memphis signee Jeff Robinson moved up to No. 36, giving the Tigers a second top-40 player to go alongside No. 3-ranked Derrick Rose.
Though recruiting rankings are subjective, can vary wildly from one publication to the next and are not always an indicator of college basketball success, it's interesting to compare Robinson and Rose with the two highest ranked players in previous Memphis classes:
In 2006, Rivals.com ranked Doneal Mack 47th and Willie Kemp 53rd. In 2005, Shawne Williams was 15th and Antonio Anderson was 56th. In 2004, Darius Washington was 23rd, and Joey Dorsey was just outside the top 150.
In 2003, Memphis signed Kendrick Perkins (No. 6) and Sean Banks (No. 32), but Perkins went to the NBA Draft instead of college. Nobody else in that class was ranked in the top 150.
Memphis signed Amare Stoudemire, the No. 1 player in the country, to headline the 2002 class. But the only ones who enrolled were a couple of sleepers named Jeremy Hunt and Rodney Carney.
Calipari's first recruiting class made a big splash with Dajuan Wagner, but there were no other top-50-type players alongside him.
While Rose has long been thought of among the four or five best players of his age group, Robinson wasn't viewed among the 2007 class elite until recently. In fact, the 6-5 New Jersey guard was a borderline top-100 prospect when Memphis recruited him last summer.
Since then, his stock has soared. Jerry Meyer, the lead recruiting analyst for Rivals, said Robinson didn't always play as hard and as disciplined as he should have during the AAU season last year when the initial rankings took shape.
But the work Robinson did during his senior season at St. Patrick's raised his profile immensely, and Meyer expects him to contribute right away at Memphis.
"I got to see St. Patrick's play live a few times, and they were on TV against O.J. Mayo's team, and we noticed he really disciplined his game," Meyer said. "I thought he refined his shooting ability. I really think he can shoot the 3-ball, and he's starting posting up more, rebounding stronger, doing things that a college team is going to need him to do.
"On top of that, he's a perfect fit for Memphis' style of play. He's sort of a mini-version of Carney. So we always knew Jeff had a big-time player inside of him, and I think it sort of blossomed during his high school season."
Golf tourney
The 2007 Larry Finch Benefit Golf Tournament will be held Friday at Galloway golf course. The entry fee is $125 per person and benefits the long-term illness fund formed by the Friends of Larry Finch Foundation.
The public is invited to participate in the four-man scramble, as are corporations, which can buy sponsorships for $3,000, $2,000 or $1,000.
More information can be obtained at coachfinch.org. The Web site details the immense financial needs incurred by the former Memphis player and coach, who lives in a long-term care facility while recovering from a stroke.
TV talk
Word out of the C-USA meetings last week was that its television package for men's basketball will once again include six games on ESPN and ESPN2 -- all of which will involve Memphis.
Plus, Memphis will be on ESPN/ESPN2 for two games in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and against USC in the Jimmy V Classic. There's also a possibility the games at Ole Miss and Cincinnati could be picked up by ESPN or ESPN 2 as part of the SEC or Big East television package, respectively.
Speaking of ESPN exposure, that's the main reason Memphis-USC is a one-year, neutral site deal as opposed to a multi-year, home-and-home series.
Fox Sports Net has the television rights to Pac 10 basketball, which offers far less exposure than an ESPN game. Last season, Memphis made a long, expensive cross-country trip to play Arizona in a weeknight game that got relatively little national TV coverage. Don't expect that to happen again.
The schedule slots occupied by USC and Arizona will be replaced by marquee non-conference series in 2008-09. It's unlikely, however, that a Pac 10 team will be part of the equation.
Camping with Cal
Slots are still available for the John Calipari Basketball School, with four camps for ages 7 through 18.
The first camp from June 4-7 focuses on practice skills and work habits and costs $175. The second, Mike Miller's shooting camp, runs from June 11-13 and costs $175. The Elite Overnight camp is June 15-17 and is $185. From June 25-28, Rod Strickland will run a camp with appearances by NBA players for $225.
More information and registration can be obtained at coachcalipari.com or by calling 678-2346.
To reach reporter Dan Wolken, call 529-2365; e-mail: wolken@commercialappeal.com
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
C-USA Contenders Improved - Houston and Sou Miss Figure to Push Memphis
C-USA contenders improved
Cougars, Golden Eagles figure to push Memphis
By Dan Wolken
May 20, 2007
DESTIN, Fla. -- Houston Coach Tom Penders has an interesting theory about Conference USA last season: Memphis' undefeated rampage through the league was more about Memphis than its competition.
"The league was better," Penders said. "Memphis was just a great team."
Penders and his colleagues expect Memphis to be a great team once again. One coach who shall remain anonymous said, "We might as well not even show up." He was only half-kidding.
But if Penders' theory is correct, C-USA will once again have a hard time getting any recognition for being a better league in 2007-08 unless somebody beats Memphis. And barring injuries or other unforeseen developments, it's possible the Tigers could once again go 16-0.
The consensus among the coaches here, however, is that C-USA should have five very solid teams, a group of three decent teams in the middle of the pack and four at the bottom that will probably struggle.
Based on those conversations, here's an early look at how the league will shape up behind the Tigers.
2. Houston: By the end of last season, Penders had the league's second-best team. There's no reason to think he won't once again. Say what you will about his sometimes reckless style of play, but he's got legit guards in Robert "Fluff" McKiver and a finally healthy Lanny Smith. Houston's lack of size was a problem last year against good teams, but Penders said 6-11 Seton Hall transfer Marcus Cousin is "for real," and he's raided the Northeast prep scene for depth at other positions. With a home-heavy non-conference schedule, Houston has a chance to be ranked by the time league play starts.
3. Southern Miss: Larry Eustachy is a terrific coach, and he finally has the kind of talent to get him into the NCAA Tournament -- probably sooner rather than later. Though Eustachy said his team is still a year away, Southern Miss has enough athletes, toughness and swagger to overcome its youth. The freshman core of Jeremy Wise, Sai'Quon Stone and Andre Stephens really opened some eyes last season and should improve as sophomores. Eustachy is excited about adding 7-foot Brazilian Gustavo Lino, who practiced with the team for the second half of last season.
4. UAB: A lot of people will pick the Blazers to finish second based on a roster overhaul led by Indiana transfer Robert Vaden (a likely first-team all-C-USA guard) and Georgia transfer Channing Toney, plus a top-100 recruit in Keenan Ellis. But can those guys, while talented, really push UAB past teams like Houston and Southern Miss that have roughly equal talent and more experience playing together? Mike Davis' performance as head coach last season doesn't inspire much confidence he'll be able to take this group of vagabonds from eighth place to the NCAA Tournament.
5. Tulsa: Doug Wojcik is on schedule with what should be the league's second-best program. Despite inheriting a mess, Wojcik won 20 games in his second season, and the Golden Hurricane appears poised to move forward in 2007-08. Though Tulsa took a hit when talented forward Jamel McLean transferred, it has a solid backcourt with Rod Earls and Ben Uzoh and a promising big man in Jerome Jordan. Wojcik's teams are always good defensively; the question is whether there's enough offensive skill there to consistently beat the high-level clubs.
6. UTEP: Tony Barbee's team probably falls into the "one year away" category. Junior Stephon Jackson is one of the best scoring guards in the league, and Sheffield High product Randy Culpepper will add instant offense as a freshman. But UTEP will feature one of the league's youngest lineups, which makes it difficult to envision a top-five finish.
7. Tulane: Hiring Dave Dickerson, a former Maryland assistant, was the best thing Tulane ever did. His performance last season -- taking Tulane from 1-4 in the league to a fourth-place finish -- was perhaps the best under-the-radar coaching performance in the country. The Green Wave will have to replace sharpshooter Chris Moore, but don't expect this program to fall too far with talents like David Gomez and Kevin Sims still around.
8. UCF: After losing a couple solid players to graduation, this looks like a season where the Knights should take a step back. Then again, UCF has outperformed expectations each of its two years in the league, including last season's out-of-nowhere second-place finish. Out of respect for how far Kirk Speraw has taken the program and his solid incoming class, it wouldn't be a surprise to see UCF in the top half.
9. SMU: Anybody who questioned whether Matt Doherty could recruit to SMU should look at his incoming class: seven players, many of whom had high-major offers. While Doherty's future looks solid, SMU will be very young next season. Picking the Mustangs here, there or anywhere is a complete guess.
10. Marshall: Hiring Donnie Jones off Billy Donovan's Florida staff was a good move. He inherits a couple nice building blocks in senior guard Mark Dorris and junior forward Markel Humphrey, who could very well lead the Thundering Herd to a higher finish than this.
11. East Carolina: Ricky Stokes has had a couple rough years in Greenville. Expect to see some improvement in Year 3, but the Pirates won't move into the upper division any time soon.
12. Rice: With the Morris Almond era now over, it's no wonder Willis Wilson went job hunting this spring, interviewing for positions at Denver and Hawaii.
To reach reporter Dan Wolken, call 529-2365
Cougars, Golden Eagles figure to push Memphis
By Dan Wolken
May 20, 2007
DESTIN, Fla. -- Houston Coach Tom Penders has an interesting theory about Conference USA last season: Memphis' undefeated rampage through the league was more about Memphis than its competition.
"The league was better," Penders said. "Memphis was just a great team."
Penders and his colleagues expect Memphis to be a great team once again. One coach who shall remain anonymous said, "We might as well not even show up." He was only half-kidding.
But if Penders' theory is correct, C-USA will once again have a hard time getting any recognition for being a better league in 2007-08 unless somebody beats Memphis. And barring injuries or other unforeseen developments, it's possible the Tigers could once again go 16-0.
The consensus among the coaches here, however, is that C-USA should have five very solid teams, a group of three decent teams in the middle of the pack and four at the bottom that will probably struggle.
Based on those conversations, here's an early look at how the league will shape up behind the Tigers.
2. Houston: By the end of last season, Penders had the league's second-best team. There's no reason to think he won't once again. Say what you will about his sometimes reckless style of play, but he's got legit guards in Robert "Fluff" McKiver and a finally healthy Lanny Smith. Houston's lack of size was a problem last year against good teams, but Penders said 6-11 Seton Hall transfer Marcus Cousin is "for real," and he's raided the Northeast prep scene for depth at other positions. With a home-heavy non-conference schedule, Houston has a chance to be ranked by the time league play starts.
3. Southern Miss: Larry Eustachy is a terrific coach, and he finally has the kind of talent to get him into the NCAA Tournament -- probably sooner rather than later. Though Eustachy said his team is still a year away, Southern Miss has enough athletes, toughness and swagger to overcome its youth. The freshman core of Jeremy Wise, Sai'Quon Stone and Andre Stephens really opened some eyes last season and should improve as sophomores. Eustachy is excited about adding 7-foot Brazilian Gustavo Lino, who practiced with the team for the second half of last season.
4. UAB: A lot of people will pick the Blazers to finish second based on a roster overhaul led by Indiana transfer Robert Vaden (a likely first-team all-C-USA guard) and Georgia transfer Channing Toney, plus a top-100 recruit in Keenan Ellis. But can those guys, while talented, really push UAB past teams like Houston and Southern Miss that have roughly equal talent and more experience playing together? Mike Davis' performance as head coach last season doesn't inspire much confidence he'll be able to take this group of vagabonds from eighth place to the NCAA Tournament.
5. Tulsa: Doug Wojcik is on schedule with what should be the league's second-best program. Despite inheriting a mess, Wojcik won 20 games in his second season, and the Golden Hurricane appears poised to move forward in 2007-08. Though Tulsa took a hit when talented forward Jamel McLean transferred, it has a solid backcourt with Rod Earls and Ben Uzoh and a promising big man in Jerome Jordan. Wojcik's teams are always good defensively; the question is whether there's enough offensive skill there to consistently beat the high-level clubs.
6. UTEP: Tony Barbee's team probably falls into the "one year away" category. Junior Stephon Jackson is one of the best scoring guards in the league, and Sheffield High product Randy Culpepper will add instant offense as a freshman. But UTEP will feature one of the league's youngest lineups, which makes it difficult to envision a top-five finish.
7. Tulane: Hiring Dave Dickerson, a former Maryland assistant, was the best thing Tulane ever did. His performance last season -- taking Tulane from 1-4 in the league to a fourth-place finish -- was perhaps the best under-the-radar coaching performance in the country. The Green Wave will have to replace sharpshooter Chris Moore, but don't expect this program to fall too far with talents like David Gomez and Kevin Sims still around.
8. UCF: After losing a couple solid players to graduation, this looks like a season where the Knights should take a step back. Then again, UCF has outperformed expectations each of its two years in the league, including last season's out-of-nowhere second-place finish. Out of respect for how far Kirk Speraw has taken the program and his solid incoming class, it wouldn't be a surprise to see UCF in the top half.
9. SMU: Anybody who questioned whether Matt Doherty could recruit to SMU should look at his incoming class: seven players, many of whom had high-major offers. While Doherty's future looks solid, SMU will be very young next season. Picking the Mustangs here, there or anywhere is a complete guess.
10. Marshall: Hiring Donnie Jones off Billy Donovan's Florida staff was a good move. He inherits a couple nice building blocks in senior guard Mark Dorris and junior forward Markel Humphrey, who could very well lead the Thundering Herd to a higher finish than this.
11. East Carolina: Ricky Stokes has had a couple rough years in Greenville. Expect to see some improvement in Year 3, but the Pirates won't move into the upper division any time soon.
12. Rice: With the Morris Almond era now over, it's no wonder Willis Wilson went job hunting this spring, interviewing for positions at Denver and Hawaii.
To reach reporter Dan Wolken, call 529-2365
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Memphis Possibly Going Unbeaten and Taking on Andy Katz: An Interview With Fox Sports' Jeff Goodman
Memphis Possibly Going Unbeaten and Taking on Andy Katz: An Interview with Fox Sports’ Jeff Goodman
http://thebiglead.com/?p=2378
A special, out-of-season treat for the hoops junkies in the house – an interview with the tireless Jeff Goodman, who covers college basketball for Fox Sports. That’s him on the left. We got him talking about everything from the most difficult programs to cover, to battling ESPN’s Andy Katz, to who will replace Billy Donovan in Florida, and perhaps most importantly, we grilled him about the top two stories for next season: OJ Mayo and Memphis.
Q: The whole OJ Mayo debacle about him basically picking USC before they choose him; the kid telling Tim Floyd not to worry about recruiting, he’d handle it; how do you think all of this will end up? Seems like at the minimum, he’s a Terrell Owens. Do you think this is why Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young bolted?
I don’t trust that kid at all. Sure, he’s talented. My take is he ruins the chemistry of a USC team that really had something good going on, but did Tim Floyd really have a choice? He had to take Mayo – just to help give the program credibility. Young and Pruitt probably made the right choice, because this is O.J.’s team from the day he arrives at the Galen Center.
Q: Memphis is stacked. Again. It will go through C-USA unbeaten, and get a top three seed in the tourney. But is this the year the Tigers finally break through?
I’ve been pretty critical of Memphis in the last couple years. Last season I called them Team Mystery because they rolled through Conference USA and didn’t have enough perimeter shooters. This year I am a believer – but because of one addition: Derrick Rose. This kid is the real deal – a pure point guard who can actually make these guys look intelligent. This club could run the table next year and go undefeated. But I just can’t imagine a team from Conference USA winning the whole thing.
Q: A question we love to ask sportswriters - because it’s one reason we left the biz - social life … are you able to have one? Don’t worry about being painted as a homebody … the hours are brutal. Is it tough to meet chicks when you’re constantly on the road, and constantly working nights? How does one walk that fine line?
Here’s all you need to know. My favorite TV shows these days are Hannah Montana and American Idol. I’ve been married for 6 _ years now. When it’s not college basketball season, I have no control over the clicker. I get a better night’s sleep on the road and the hours are brutal – especially because I’m the only moron trying to cover college hoop and basketball recruiting at the same time.
Q: How does one ascend to the college basketball top spot at Fox Sports? Journalism school? Newspapers? Did you get noticed because you started a blog?
My first interview, in all seriousness, was with James Worthy and Michael Cooper over the phone when they came into Boston before my voice changed. I think they must have thought they were doing some little girl a favor. I never, ever worked for the school paper at Arizona (no, it’s not the one in Tempe). Instead, I tried to make some extra beer money freelancing for papers around the country. I took a job with the AP in Buffalo and was promoted to NYC (although no one warned me that it was hardly a perk to work in that communication-challenged office), where I lasted about a year.
I left for a start-up internet site back home in Boston called School Sports, where I got heavily involved with football and basketball recruiting. Then I chose to try and go free-lance full-time and wrote for several publications – USA Today, Washington Post and also Scout.com, where I became one of the few national recruiting guys that could actually report, write and evaluate players (there aren’t many). I also began covering college basketball for the Boston Herald and writing a weekly ACC notebook. Two years ago, FOXSports.com ended up buying Scout.com and it didn’t take me long to show the guys at Fox that my college hoop connections would allow me to be competitive. I’ve spent the last two years at Fox as the senior college basketball writer and I can’t imagine a better situation.
Q: How vital are team message boards to college basketball reporting? Are you on them frequently? Is it like sifting through a garbage dump for your wedding ring?
Some writers are avid readers of message boards. Honestly, I don’t have time to read them all that much. They can be entertaining – and once in a while, I’ll go to a few of the better ones, but the fans of the team sites message boards are delusional and unrealistic much of the time. The worst are North Carolina and Kentucky fans – very thin-skinned.
Q: One of the problems we foresee for pro sports is athletes starting their own blog and talking less and less to the media. This doesn’t seem likely in college, where the programs themselves restrict access. Who are the most difficult programs you’ve worked with? The best?
I’m here in Boston where Curt “The Fraud” Schilling calls home. He’s had plenty of freedom with his blog until he bashed Barry Bonds recently. I don’t think it would fly outside of the pro world because the college coaches wouldn’t allow 17 and 18-year-old kids that much autonomy. Just imagine Joey Dorsey with a blog. Now that would be entertaining.
The most difficult teams to deal with are usually the ones you’ve pissed off. It was tough for me to get much from Texas A&M since I basically accused them of inflating Acie Law’s assist numbers last season. Tubby Smith, from what I’ve been told, won’t be returning my calls anytime soon. Bobby Knight is obviously erratic to deal with, but when he’s in a good mood, he’s entertaining as hell. Coach K is virtually impossible to get with one-on-one – and the rule that UNC freshman can’t talk to the media prior to their first game makes no sense. As for programs that “get it”, Texas SID Scott McConnell and Florida’s Fred Demarest are two of the best in the business.
Q: Going head-to-head against Andy Katz seems like quite the chore; he probably gets handed more scoops than anyone in all of sports because he’s the top college guy at ESPN (though we have followed him since his days at Fresno; he’s always been a dogged reporter). Is that a frustrating opponent? Are you two cordial?
Who? Just kidding. It’s tough to battle with the Worldwide Leader. You know, ESPN.com seems to “learn” just about everything. Katz has been entrenched in the industry a long time, has tremendous sources, terrific exposure on television and he gets after it. However, I don’t think he had all that much competition – especially for news – until recently.
It’s not frustrating at all going up against Andy Katz and Gary Parrish of CBS Sportsline. It motivates me seeing how hard those guys work. We’re cordial – and we actually grew up about 20 minutes from one another (although I think he’s got a few years on me).
Q: Most underrated coach in the country?
Anthony Grant of VCU. I called it the best hire two years ago when he left as Billy Donovan’s top assistant and, for once, I looked smart. This guy is a future star. He’s got charisma and can really coach. I’m not sure how underrated he is these days after he knocked off the Dookies in the first round of the Big Dance, but if (actually when) Donovan leaves for the NBA, Grant should be a no-brainer as his replacement in Gainesville.
Q: This may sound wacky, but Dean Smith won a whopping two titles in 36 years at UNC. Sure, he’s an institution, a legend, he won an assload of games and all that … but isn’t he a tad overrated? The guy was getting McDonald’s All-Americans on a yearly basis, and to us, it seems like he should have won more titles. The best argument against this: ‘you can’t win a title every year.’ Thoughts?
I understand where you’re coming from, but the guy won more than 850 games and went to 11 Final Four’s in his career. If Coach K doesn’t win a national title in the next five years, he’ll only have one more ring in the identical number of years (36) and could go down as the greatest in the history of the game.
Dean had plenty of McDonald’s All-Americans, but they weren’t handed to him. Let’s remember that UNC was in the Southern Conference a decade before he took over – and Frank McGuire and Dean (and Michael Jordan) were the keys to establishing the tradition that exists now in Chapel Hill.
Q: Can you begin to explain Tommy Amaker going to Harvard? Does he really believe he’s that good of a coach where he can go to a program on a level playing field and win?
Harvard had no choice but to hire a minority – and Amaker has the Duke background and an economics degree on his resume. His wife is a former psychology professor and associate dean of students, so Harvard won the press conference with a big name and someone who fits the school’s persona. If you are a kid and have virtually no chance of making money playing this game, wouldn’t you choose Harvard over the other Ivy’s? Plus, these kids have actually heard of Amaker.
Q: Which of these three players should have stayed in college: Afflalo, Wilson Chandler, Daequan Cook?
There is no way Cook is going back to Columbus, but he’s a guy who could be a late lottery pick if he ever learned to play hard. I’ve seen him play for the past four years – and he’s an enigma. He just disappears way too much. I was told by someone close to him that he would have rather transferred than return to Ohio State, but his stock could soar if he came back for one more year.
Q: Brandon Roy will be the next ____ in the NBA.
Chauncey Billups. Roy is just as versatile and is already a more efficient shooter from long distance. Now he just needs to win a few titles.
Q: Which of these three PGs will make the best pro: Singletary, Dom James, T Green?
Singletary. He’s fearless, strong and has really improved his perimeter shot. Plus, he’s an even-keel floor leader who is able to get his teammates involved or score 30 (he had 37 in a rout of Gonzaga).
Q: We long for the day we can work from home. How do you enjoy it? Where the heck are you located, anyway?
Now that my daughter is 3 1/2, it’s much better. We have a cozy (another word for small) house about 20 minutes west of Boston and it was tough to get anything done with her crying in the next room. We knocked down a wall, moved my office downstairs and she is at school (or whatever you want to call it when she plays dolls and duck duck goose) most weekdays. But it’s great from the standpoint that my commute is about 30 feet from my bedroom and the only traffic I encounter is trying to get past my golden retriever.
http://thebiglead.com/?p=2378
A special, out-of-season treat for the hoops junkies in the house – an interview with the tireless Jeff Goodman, who covers college basketball for Fox Sports. That’s him on the left. We got him talking about everything from the most difficult programs to cover, to battling ESPN’s Andy Katz, to who will replace Billy Donovan in Florida, and perhaps most importantly, we grilled him about the top two stories for next season: OJ Mayo and Memphis.
Q: The whole OJ Mayo debacle about him basically picking USC before they choose him; the kid telling Tim Floyd not to worry about recruiting, he’d handle it; how do you think all of this will end up? Seems like at the minimum, he’s a Terrell Owens. Do you think this is why Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young bolted?
I don’t trust that kid at all. Sure, he’s talented. My take is he ruins the chemistry of a USC team that really had something good going on, but did Tim Floyd really have a choice? He had to take Mayo – just to help give the program credibility. Young and Pruitt probably made the right choice, because this is O.J.’s team from the day he arrives at the Galen Center.
Q: Memphis is stacked. Again. It will go through C-USA unbeaten, and get a top three seed in the tourney. But is this the year the Tigers finally break through?
I’ve been pretty critical of Memphis in the last couple years. Last season I called them Team Mystery because they rolled through Conference USA and didn’t have enough perimeter shooters. This year I am a believer – but because of one addition: Derrick Rose. This kid is the real deal – a pure point guard who can actually make these guys look intelligent. This club could run the table next year and go undefeated. But I just can’t imagine a team from Conference USA winning the whole thing.
Q: A question we love to ask sportswriters - because it’s one reason we left the biz - social life … are you able to have one? Don’t worry about being painted as a homebody … the hours are brutal. Is it tough to meet chicks when you’re constantly on the road, and constantly working nights? How does one walk that fine line?
Here’s all you need to know. My favorite TV shows these days are Hannah Montana and American Idol. I’ve been married for 6 _ years now. When it’s not college basketball season, I have no control over the clicker. I get a better night’s sleep on the road and the hours are brutal – especially because I’m the only moron trying to cover college hoop and basketball recruiting at the same time.
Q: How does one ascend to the college basketball top spot at Fox Sports? Journalism school? Newspapers? Did you get noticed because you started a blog?
My first interview, in all seriousness, was with James Worthy and Michael Cooper over the phone when they came into Boston before my voice changed. I think they must have thought they were doing some little girl a favor. I never, ever worked for the school paper at Arizona (no, it’s not the one in Tempe). Instead, I tried to make some extra beer money freelancing for papers around the country. I took a job with the AP in Buffalo and was promoted to NYC (although no one warned me that it was hardly a perk to work in that communication-challenged office), where I lasted about a year.
I left for a start-up internet site back home in Boston called School Sports, where I got heavily involved with football and basketball recruiting. Then I chose to try and go free-lance full-time and wrote for several publications – USA Today, Washington Post and also Scout.com, where I became one of the few national recruiting guys that could actually report, write and evaluate players (there aren’t many). I also began covering college basketball for the Boston Herald and writing a weekly ACC notebook. Two years ago, FOXSports.com ended up buying Scout.com and it didn’t take me long to show the guys at Fox that my college hoop connections would allow me to be competitive. I’ve spent the last two years at Fox as the senior college basketball writer and I can’t imagine a better situation.
Q: How vital are team message boards to college basketball reporting? Are you on them frequently? Is it like sifting through a garbage dump for your wedding ring?
Some writers are avid readers of message boards. Honestly, I don’t have time to read them all that much. They can be entertaining – and once in a while, I’ll go to a few of the better ones, but the fans of the team sites message boards are delusional and unrealistic much of the time. The worst are North Carolina and Kentucky fans – very thin-skinned.
Q: One of the problems we foresee for pro sports is athletes starting their own blog and talking less and less to the media. This doesn’t seem likely in college, where the programs themselves restrict access. Who are the most difficult programs you’ve worked with? The best?
I’m here in Boston where Curt “The Fraud” Schilling calls home. He’s had plenty of freedom with his blog until he bashed Barry Bonds recently. I don’t think it would fly outside of the pro world because the college coaches wouldn’t allow 17 and 18-year-old kids that much autonomy. Just imagine Joey Dorsey with a blog. Now that would be entertaining.
The most difficult teams to deal with are usually the ones you’ve pissed off. It was tough for me to get much from Texas A&M since I basically accused them of inflating Acie Law’s assist numbers last season. Tubby Smith, from what I’ve been told, won’t be returning my calls anytime soon. Bobby Knight is obviously erratic to deal with, but when he’s in a good mood, he’s entertaining as hell. Coach K is virtually impossible to get with one-on-one – and the rule that UNC freshman can’t talk to the media prior to their first game makes no sense. As for programs that “get it”, Texas SID Scott McConnell and Florida’s Fred Demarest are two of the best in the business.
Q: Going head-to-head against Andy Katz seems like quite the chore; he probably gets handed more scoops than anyone in all of sports because he’s the top college guy at ESPN (though we have followed him since his days at Fresno; he’s always been a dogged reporter). Is that a frustrating opponent? Are you two cordial?
Who? Just kidding. It’s tough to battle with the Worldwide Leader. You know, ESPN.com seems to “learn” just about everything. Katz has been entrenched in the industry a long time, has tremendous sources, terrific exposure on television and he gets after it. However, I don’t think he had all that much competition – especially for news – until recently.
It’s not frustrating at all going up against Andy Katz and Gary Parrish of CBS Sportsline. It motivates me seeing how hard those guys work. We’re cordial – and we actually grew up about 20 minutes from one another (although I think he’s got a few years on me).
Q: Most underrated coach in the country?
Anthony Grant of VCU. I called it the best hire two years ago when he left as Billy Donovan’s top assistant and, for once, I looked smart. This guy is a future star. He’s got charisma and can really coach. I’m not sure how underrated he is these days after he knocked off the Dookies in the first round of the Big Dance, but if (actually when) Donovan leaves for the NBA, Grant should be a no-brainer as his replacement in Gainesville.
Q: This may sound wacky, but Dean Smith won a whopping two titles in 36 years at UNC. Sure, he’s an institution, a legend, he won an assload of games and all that … but isn’t he a tad overrated? The guy was getting McDonald’s All-Americans on a yearly basis, and to us, it seems like he should have won more titles. The best argument against this: ‘you can’t win a title every year.’ Thoughts?
I understand where you’re coming from, but the guy won more than 850 games and went to 11 Final Four’s in his career. If Coach K doesn’t win a national title in the next five years, he’ll only have one more ring in the identical number of years (36) and could go down as the greatest in the history of the game.
Dean had plenty of McDonald’s All-Americans, but they weren’t handed to him. Let’s remember that UNC was in the Southern Conference a decade before he took over – and Frank McGuire and Dean (and Michael Jordan) were the keys to establishing the tradition that exists now in Chapel Hill.
Q: Can you begin to explain Tommy Amaker going to Harvard? Does he really believe he’s that good of a coach where he can go to a program on a level playing field and win?
Harvard had no choice but to hire a minority – and Amaker has the Duke background and an economics degree on his resume. His wife is a former psychology professor and associate dean of students, so Harvard won the press conference with a big name and someone who fits the school’s persona. If you are a kid and have virtually no chance of making money playing this game, wouldn’t you choose Harvard over the other Ivy’s? Plus, these kids have actually heard of Amaker.
Q: Which of these three players should have stayed in college: Afflalo, Wilson Chandler, Daequan Cook?
There is no way Cook is going back to Columbus, but he’s a guy who could be a late lottery pick if he ever learned to play hard. I’ve seen him play for the past four years – and he’s an enigma. He just disappears way too much. I was told by someone close to him that he would have rather transferred than return to Ohio State, but his stock could soar if he came back for one more year.
Q: Brandon Roy will be the next ____ in the NBA.
Chauncey Billups. Roy is just as versatile and is already a more efficient shooter from long distance. Now he just needs to win a few titles.
Q: Which of these three PGs will make the best pro: Singletary, Dom James, T Green?
Singletary. He’s fearless, strong and has really improved his perimeter shot. Plus, he’s an even-keel floor leader who is able to get his teammates involved or score 30 (he had 37 in a rout of Gonzaga).
Q: We long for the day we can work from home. How do you enjoy it? Where the heck are you located, anyway?
Now that my daughter is 3 1/2, it’s much better. We have a cozy (another word for small) house about 20 minutes west of Boston and it was tough to get anything done with her crying in the next room. We knocked down a wall, moved my office downstairs and she is at school (or whatever you want to call it when she plays dolls and duck duck goose) most weekdays. But it’s great from the standpoint that my commute is about 30 feet from my bedroom and the only traffic I encounter is trying to get past my golden retriever.
Friday, May 18, 2007
ESPN.com's Andy Katz Says Memphis Job One of the Best in the Country
Coaches Reap Rewards
By Andy Katz, ESPN.com
The coaching carousel certainly had plenty of stops, but the most significant moves this spring were the deals that some of the traditional powers handed down, as well as a mid-major monster stepping up and keeping its head coach.
Louisville, Memphis, Texas, North Carolina and, of course, Florida bumped up their head coaches' salaries as they become more entrenched at their respective schools. Rick Pitino is determined to build Louisville into a perennial Big East and national power. Rick Barnes is doing the same for Texas in the Big 12. Roy Williams went home to North Carolina and likely will retire in Chapel Hill. John Calipari clearly has made Memphis one of the top jobs in the country, and the Tigers' administration doesn't want him to leave for anywhere, even for the NBA.
Washington State's decision to make a major commitment to Tony Bennett and double his salary was a complete change of philosophy in Pullman. The Cougars haven't taken basketball as seriously from a contractual perspective. But the decision to keep Bennett and to pay him much more of a market value showed that the Cougars want to stay near the top of the Pac-10. Bennett deserved the raise after earning coach of the year honors in just his first season as head coach and getting to the NCAA Tournament's second round. He easily could have pursued other options, especially in the Big Ten, if Washington State had refused to raise his salary.
As for the mid-major front, Southern Illinois' decision to bump up Chris Lowery may have been the most significant move among the extension/salary increases this spring. SIU athletic director Mario Moccia told ESPN.com throughout the postseason and spring that the intent was to keep Lowery in Carbondale and that the school could increase the salary. Lowery's salary was more than doubled. The school made it a clear that the Salukis are in the business of staying at a high level. Lowery likely would have looked elsewhere if SIU refused to compete with Wichita State and Creighton atop the league. SIU has been the most successful program the past five years but the Salukis had lagged in salary.
And now, it appears that Billy Donovan will become the richest college basketball coach in the country once his contract is finalized, which should quiet the NBA chatter. The only reason he would need to go to the NBA would be to challenge himself rather than for any financial reasons.
Here is a breakdown of some of the salary increases:
John Calipari, Memphis
Last season: 33-4 (16-0 Conference USA), NCAA regional finals
Extension: Through 2011-12
Salary: $1.816 million per year
Comment: Calipari got paid handsomely after overtures (at least in the media) that he should be a choice at Kentucky and then after a real overture from Arkansas. Memphis has a shot to win the national title and AD R.C. Johnson isn't about to let Calipari walk away from this cash cow. The only move Calipari may make at this juncture is back to the NBA one day.
By Andy Katz, ESPN.com
The coaching carousel certainly had plenty of stops, but the most significant moves this spring were the deals that some of the traditional powers handed down, as well as a mid-major monster stepping up and keeping its head coach.
Louisville, Memphis, Texas, North Carolina and, of course, Florida bumped up their head coaches' salaries as they become more entrenched at their respective schools. Rick Pitino is determined to build Louisville into a perennial Big East and national power. Rick Barnes is doing the same for Texas in the Big 12. Roy Williams went home to North Carolina and likely will retire in Chapel Hill. John Calipari clearly has made Memphis one of the top jobs in the country, and the Tigers' administration doesn't want him to leave for anywhere, even for the NBA.
Washington State's decision to make a major commitment to Tony Bennett and double his salary was a complete change of philosophy in Pullman. The Cougars haven't taken basketball as seriously from a contractual perspective. But the decision to keep Bennett and to pay him much more of a market value showed that the Cougars want to stay near the top of the Pac-10. Bennett deserved the raise after earning coach of the year honors in just his first season as head coach and getting to the NCAA Tournament's second round. He easily could have pursued other options, especially in the Big Ten, if Washington State had refused to raise his salary.
As for the mid-major front, Southern Illinois' decision to bump up Chris Lowery may have been the most significant move among the extension/salary increases this spring. SIU athletic director Mario Moccia told ESPN.com throughout the postseason and spring that the intent was to keep Lowery in Carbondale and that the school could increase the salary. Lowery's salary was more than doubled. The school made it a clear that the Salukis are in the business of staying at a high level. Lowery likely would have looked elsewhere if SIU refused to compete with Wichita State and Creighton atop the league. SIU has been the most successful program the past five years but the Salukis had lagged in salary.
And now, it appears that Billy Donovan will become the richest college basketball coach in the country once his contract is finalized, which should quiet the NBA chatter. The only reason he would need to go to the NBA would be to challenge himself rather than for any financial reasons.
Here is a breakdown of some of the salary increases:
John Calipari, Memphis
Last season: 33-4 (16-0 Conference USA), NCAA regional finals
Extension: Through 2011-12
Salary: $1.816 million per year
Comment: Calipari got paid handsomely after overtures (at least in the media) that he should be a choice at Kentucky and then after a real overture from Arkansas. Memphis has a shot to win the national title and AD R.C. Johnson isn't about to let Calipari walk away from this cash cow. The only move Calipari may make at this juncture is back to the NBA one day.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
The Inexact Science of Ranking Recruiting
Guess who was the #1 recruiting class (by Rivals.com) in 2004?
Ok, stop guessing............the answer was Kentucky.
Yep, sort of funny considering everyone said Tubby couldn't recruit.
What they really should have said was the "experts" aren't always right.
Now who was the #12 recruiting class in 2004?
Here's a hint......Brewer, Hortford, Noah, Green
Yep.........Florida (2 National Championships with a #12 class)
So, how has Memphis done the last five years?
2003 - NR, outside the top 25
2004 - 9th
2005 - 7th
2006 - 23rd
2007 - 11th
Ok, stop guessing............the answer was Kentucky.
Yep, sort of funny considering everyone said Tubby couldn't recruit.
What they really should have said was the "experts" aren't always right.
Now who was the #12 recruiting class in 2004?
Here's a hint......Brewer, Hortford, Noah, Green
Yep.........Florida (2 National Championships with a #12 class)
So, how has Memphis done the last five years?
2003 - NR, outside the top 25
2004 - 9th
2005 - 7th
2006 - 23rd
2007 - 11th
Rivals.com Ranks Tiger Recruiting Class #11
#11 Memphis
5 Star - Derrick Rose PG 6-4 194 (#3 Overall, #1 PG)
4 Star - Jeff Robinson SF 6-5 205 (#35 Overall, #10 SF)
4 Star - Marcus Morris PF 6-7 215 (#31 Overall, #12 PF)
4 Star - Markeiff Morris PF 6-8 225 (#90 Overall, #28 PF)
Memphis is hoping that Derrick Rose - the nation's No. 3 recruit - can have the type of impact that Carmelo Anthony had for Syracuse a few years ago. Rose appears to be headed to Memphis for one season before leaving for the NBA. Jeffrey Robinson's run-and-shoot game is custom-built for the Tigers' attack. Both four-star prospects in the class of 2008, the Morris twins announced their intentions of going to prep school next year, but the Tigers' coaching staff is trying to convince them to enroll as freshmen next season.
5 Star - Derrick Rose PG 6-4 194 (#3 Overall, #1 PG)
4 Star - Jeff Robinson SF 6-5 205 (#35 Overall, #10 SF)
4 Star - Marcus Morris PF 6-7 215 (#31 Overall, #12 PF)
4 Star - Markeiff Morris PF 6-8 225 (#90 Overall, #28 PF)
Memphis is hoping that Derrick Rose - the nation's No. 3 recruit - can have the type of impact that Carmelo Anthony had for Syracuse a few years ago. Rose appears to be headed to Memphis for one season before leaving for the NBA. Jeffrey Robinson's run-and-shoot game is custom-built for the Tigers' attack. Both four-star prospects in the class of 2008, the Morris twins announced their intentions of going to prep school next year, but the Tigers' coaching staff is trying to convince them to enroll as freshmen next season.
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