Offense will be star of Calipari's clinic
By Dan Wolken
Sunday, August 19, 2007
When he started getting phone calls from coaches asking about the offensive system that has helped the University of Memphis win 66 games in two years, John Calipari's initial instinct was to protect the family secrets known primarily to himself, UTEP coach Tony Barbee and Pepperdine coach Vance Walberg, who developed the attack.
After all, part of what has made Memphis successful lately -- especially in recruiting -- is the uniqueness of its system, which can best be described as a fast-paced driving motion incorporating principles of European basketball and the Princeton offense.
For now, however, Calipari is still comfortable sharing information, especially with coaches at the high school and small college levels. And that will be the focus of the first l adidas Mid South Basketball Coaches Clinic on Sept. 14-16 at the Grand Casino Resort in Tunica.
"We're getting calls from high school coaches in the tri-state area, and Vance said he got about 300 calls last year," Calipari said. "He had a half-day clinic (in California), and 300 coaches came to it. So we decided, let's do something in Tunica. I don't know if this has been done before, but it's all inclusive, so you can get the hotel, clinic and a buffet ticket."
Though Calipari and Walberg will be the featured instructors, a true all-star cast of coaches from Larry Brown to Bobby Knight to Del Harris, Jamie Dixon, John Pelphrey and Stan Heath will be on hand as guest speakers.
"Friday night will be the 'Hall of Fame' night," Calipari said. "Then Saturday, Vance and I will do offense, the drills, explaining it. Then the Sunday morning before they leave, we'll say, 'Here's how you tie the defense to it.'"
The "Attack, Attack, Skip, Attack, Attack" system -- run only by Memphis, UTEP and Pepperdine within Division 1 -- is already widely used among Division 2 schools on the West Coast thanks to Walberg. Calipari said he expects most of the coaches attending the conference will be from Division 2 and 3 programs, as well as high schools and junior colleges in the region.
Though Division 1 coaches can sign up for the clinic, Calipari admits to being somewhat conflicted when they inquire about the offense.
"We just say, watch the tape of how we play and ask us questions," Calipari said. "But for a coach to be totally committed to this, it's just hard. Because they'll watch it, and it's just hard. You just can't get yourself to do it. But the drills are good for whatever you run. You don't have to run this offense to be running these drills."
Coaches seeking more information on how to register should go to coachcalipari.com.
Sign of the times
Calipari held out as long as he could. But after famously resisting Internet communication for years, Calipari said he is now the proud owner of an e-mail account.
"I'm an e-mail expert now," he joked. "I'm juiced."
He can thank the NCAA for that revelation. Because once it became illegal to send text messages to recruits on Aug. 1 -- a ban the NCAA upheld after a board of directors meeting on Aug. 8 -- Calipari said he had to learn how to e-mail, which is still a legal way to make contact.
(Side note: Seems kind of odd, doesn't it, that the NCAA has deemed text messaging illegal yet e-mail is legal, considering both can be done on the same phone in many cases?)
Calipari said there has been an adjustment period to the text message ban. Consider, for instance, the system the NCAA has set up for phone calls between coaches and recruits. Players can call coaches as many times as they want, but coaches can only make a limited number of phone calls to recruits at certain times of the year.
So if Calipari missed a call from a recruit previously, he could simply text the recruit to call back. Now, before returning the call, Calipari would have to check with the other members of the coaching staff to make sure he's not breaking NCAA rules by making more than the allotted number of phone calls.
In other words, it's insane.
"I'm just hoping they re-evaluate it," Calipari said. "This is how these young people communicate. They can say bye if they want or not text you back. After you text someone 12 times and he doesn't return the text, you have a pretty good idea where you stand."
Hunt goes Polish
Former Tiger and Craigmont guard Jeremy Hunt signed a contract last week to play in Poland for Polpak, based in the city of Bukowiec. According to eurobasket.com, other notable Americans signed to play in Poland for 2007-08 include former NBA guard Travis Best, former Missouri guard Ricky Clemons and former N.C. State guard Scooter Sherrill.
To reach reporter Dan Wolken, call 529-2365; e-mail: wolken@commercialappeal.com
Monday, August 20, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
From Luke Winn's College Basketball Blog
Talk hoops all year long in Luke Winn's blog, a journal of commentary, news and reader-driven discussions about the college game.
8/17/2007 05:16:00 PM
Converging On The City
See if O.J. Mayo is all he's hyped up to be at the Jimmy V. Classic on Dec. 4 at Madison Square Garden.
New York is not necessarily the best place for a college basketball writer (like myself) to live during January, February and March. Given that none of the city-area teams (St. John's, Seton Hall, Columbia, Manhattan and even Rutgers) is particularly relevant on a national scale, everything requires travel. Trains to D.C. for Georgetown games. Flights to RDU for North Carolina and Duke. Five-hour, cross-country jaunts to LAX for UCLA and USC.
In November and December, however, a wonderful phenomenon occurs: the best of college hoops simply comes to us in Manhattan. I spent this morning -- once I finished my last college football preview piece, that is -- looking through hoops schedules with the intention of returning to regular blogging. And I've come to the pleasant realization that the top three early-season events are all at Madison Square Garden, just a short subway ride away. There's an absurd number of these tournaments/invites/classics in '07-08 -- 15, by my count, not including the Big Ten/ACC, SEC/Big East and Big 12/Pac-10 jamborees -- and I've ranked them in order of quality:
1. JIMMY V CLASSIC, Dec. 4, Madison Square Garden
Games: Kansas State vs. Notre Dame, USC vs. Memphis
This is the premier freshmen showcase -- basically, the '07-08 equivalent of putting Greg Oden, Kevin Durant and Brandan Wright on the same bill in the first month of the season. In forward Michael Beasley (of K-State), O.J. Mayo (of USC) and Derrick Rose (of Memphis), the Jimmy V will boast three top-five picks for '08. The headlining matchup between the Trojans and Tigers, who are both rather freewheeling on offense, could be one of the top games of the non-conference slate.
2. COACHES VS. CANCER CLASSIC, Nov. 15-16, Madison Square Garden
Final Four picks: Kentucky, Memphis, Oklahoma, UConn
The CvC is the closest thing we have to an opening day in college hoops. And this year it'll offer us a number of important, early looks at the following:
- Billy Gillispie's impact on UK, plus super-recruit Patrick Patterson
- Memphis' chances for a title run, as well as if Rose's skills live up to Joey Dorsey's billing
- Oklahoma's freshman savior, Blake (little bro of Tyler) Griffin- The progress of UConn center Hasheem Thabeet, who could be a lottery pick if he develops even a minimal offensive repertoire.
3. NIT SEASON TIP-OFF, Nov. 21 and 23, Madison Square Garden
Final Four picks: Syracuse, Ohio State, Washington, Texas A&M
The preseason NIT was memorable as the stage for Butler's coming-out party in '06. But this time around, rather than a mid-major surprise, we're more likely to get an idea of whether Syracuse, with its talented underclassmen trio of Johnny Flynn, Paul Harris and Donte Greene, is ready to contend in the Big East or is still another year away.
4. CBE CLASSIC, Nov. 19-20, Kansas City Sprint Center
Final Four picks: UCLA, Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri
At this summer's Pan American Games trials, I had hoped to see UCLA's Darren Collison square off against MSU's Drew Neitzel in a battle of All-America-caliber point guards. Alas, Neitzel was the only one of the two invited to camp, and he, Villanova's Scottie Reynolds and Washington State's Derrick Low handled floor-general duties in Brazil. We'll have to settle for a Darren-vs.-Drew battle in KC, with both teams likely ranked in the top 10 of the polls.
5. MAUI INVITATIONAL, Nov. 19-21, Lahaina Civic Center
Field: Arizona State, Duke, Illinois, LSU, Marquette, Oklahoma State, Princeton, Chaminade.
This is a far cry from the Maui field of 2005, which was won by a loaded UConn team and included an epic battle between Adam Morrison and Michigan State. While this Invitational could still provide a decent finale between the Dukies and Golden Eagles, it's tough to see anyone knocking off Marquette. The Blue Devils' perimeter posse of Greg Paulus, Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler will be decent -- but can they really play enough D to stop Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wes Matthews, who took down Coach K's boys last season in Kansas City?
6. LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL, Nov. 17-24, Las Vegas
Field: BYU, Hartford, Iona, Jackson State, Louisville, North Carolina, Old Dominion, South Carolina State
The overall strength (or lack thereof) of the Vegas field is irrelevant: the whole point is to generate a UNC-vs.-Louisville title game on Thanksgiving weekend.
Most of us pundits have been speculating, based on their late-season surge and near-upset of Texas A&M in the NCAA tournament, that Edgar Sosa and the Cards could be a Final Four team. But can they run with a Carolina squad that has all the pieces in place to win a national title? This could be a near-equivalent of the Florida-Kansas bout in Vegas last November -- and Louisville's prime opportunity to jump into the top five of the polls.
7. OLD SPICE CLASSIC, Nov. 22-25, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Field: Villanova, Central Florida, George Mason, Kansas State, N.C. State, Penn State, Rider, South Carolina
The deodorant/aftershave invitational does not have a real headliner, but some intruiging storylines may develop. There's a chance N.C. State could emerge looking like the favorite to finish second -- ahead of Duke, Virginia or Virginia Tech -- in the ACC. And this would also be a nice stage for South Carolina's backcourt transfer duo of Devan Downey (Cincinnati) and Zam Frederick (Georgia Tech) to remind the nation of their talents, and establish the Gamecocks as a darkhorse in the SEC.
8. HALL OF FAME CLASSIC, Dec. 1, Boston
Games: UConn vs. Gonzaga, Providence vs. Boston College
Gonzaga consistently has more cojones than any other team when it comes to non-conference scheduling, last year taking on Duke, Washington State, Texas and North Carolina out of conference, to name a few. Throttling UConn on the Huskies' home coast -- something the Zags are capable of doing with Josh Heytvelt in the lineup -- would go a long way in justifying their return to the top 25 after a turbulent down year.
THE REST
9. WOODEN TRADITION, Dec. 15, Indianapolis (Purdue vs. Louisville, Butler vs. Florida State)
10. PARADISE JAM, Nov. 16-19, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands (Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Illinois-Chicago, Charlotte, Winthrop, Baylor, Wichita State, Monmouth)
11. ANAHEIM CLASSIC, Nov. 22, 23, 25, Anaheim Convention Center (USC, San Diego, Mississippi State, UC Irvine, Southern Illinois, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Miami of Ohio, Southern Alabama)
12. SOUTH PADRE INVITATIONAL, Nov. 23-24 (Vanderbilt, Iowa, Austin Peay, Bradley, Valparaiso, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Florida Gulf Coast, Utah State)
13. TOP OF THE WORLD CLASSIC, Nov. 15-18, Fairbanks, Alaska (Alaska-Fairbanks, Akron, Colorado State, IUPUI, Oregon State, Tennessee State, South Carolina Uptate, Portland State)
Check back to see if these are worth roadtripping (or turning on the tube) for: BB&T CLASSIC (Maryland, George Washington, George Mason, plus three more TBA), WOODEN CLASSIC (UCLA vs. Davidson, other game TBA)
Labels: Duke, Illinois, Jimmy V, Kansas State, Memphis, Michigan State, NIT, UCLA, UConn, UNC, USC
8/17/2007 05:16:00 PM
Converging On The City
See if O.J. Mayo is all he's hyped up to be at the Jimmy V. Classic on Dec. 4 at Madison Square Garden.
New York is not necessarily the best place for a college basketball writer (like myself) to live during January, February and March. Given that none of the city-area teams (St. John's, Seton Hall, Columbia, Manhattan and even Rutgers) is particularly relevant on a national scale, everything requires travel. Trains to D.C. for Georgetown games. Flights to RDU for North Carolina and Duke. Five-hour, cross-country jaunts to LAX for UCLA and USC.
In November and December, however, a wonderful phenomenon occurs: the best of college hoops simply comes to us in Manhattan. I spent this morning -- once I finished my last college football preview piece, that is -- looking through hoops schedules with the intention of returning to regular blogging. And I've come to the pleasant realization that the top three early-season events are all at Madison Square Garden, just a short subway ride away. There's an absurd number of these tournaments/invites/classics in '07-08 -- 15, by my count, not including the Big Ten/ACC, SEC/Big East and Big 12/Pac-10 jamborees -- and I've ranked them in order of quality:
1. JIMMY V CLASSIC, Dec. 4, Madison Square Garden
Games: Kansas State vs. Notre Dame, USC vs. Memphis
This is the premier freshmen showcase -- basically, the '07-08 equivalent of putting Greg Oden, Kevin Durant and Brandan Wright on the same bill in the first month of the season. In forward Michael Beasley (of K-State), O.J. Mayo (of USC) and Derrick Rose (of Memphis), the Jimmy V will boast three top-five picks for '08. The headlining matchup between the Trojans and Tigers, who are both rather freewheeling on offense, could be one of the top games of the non-conference slate.
2. COACHES VS. CANCER CLASSIC, Nov. 15-16, Madison Square Garden
Final Four picks: Kentucky, Memphis, Oklahoma, UConn
The CvC is the closest thing we have to an opening day in college hoops. And this year it'll offer us a number of important, early looks at the following:
- Billy Gillispie's impact on UK, plus super-recruit Patrick Patterson
- Memphis' chances for a title run, as well as if Rose's skills live up to Joey Dorsey's billing
- Oklahoma's freshman savior, Blake (little bro of Tyler) Griffin- The progress of UConn center Hasheem Thabeet, who could be a lottery pick if he develops even a minimal offensive repertoire.
3. NIT SEASON TIP-OFF, Nov. 21 and 23, Madison Square Garden
Final Four picks: Syracuse, Ohio State, Washington, Texas A&M
The preseason NIT was memorable as the stage for Butler's coming-out party in '06. But this time around, rather than a mid-major surprise, we're more likely to get an idea of whether Syracuse, with its talented underclassmen trio of Johnny Flynn, Paul Harris and Donte Greene, is ready to contend in the Big East or is still another year away.
4. CBE CLASSIC, Nov. 19-20, Kansas City Sprint Center
Final Four picks: UCLA, Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri
At this summer's Pan American Games trials, I had hoped to see UCLA's Darren Collison square off against MSU's Drew Neitzel in a battle of All-America-caliber point guards. Alas, Neitzel was the only one of the two invited to camp, and he, Villanova's Scottie Reynolds and Washington State's Derrick Low handled floor-general duties in Brazil. We'll have to settle for a Darren-vs.-Drew battle in KC, with both teams likely ranked in the top 10 of the polls.
5. MAUI INVITATIONAL, Nov. 19-21, Lahaina Civic Center
Field: Arizona State, Duke, Illinois, LSU, Marquette, Oklahoma State, Princeton, Chaminade.
This is a far cry from the Maui field of 2005, which was won by a loaded UConn team and included an epic battle between Adam Morrison and Michigan State. While this Invitational could still provide a decent finale between the Dukies and Golden Eagles, it's tough to see anyone knocking off Marquette. The Blue Devils' perimeter posse of Greg Paulus, Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler will be decent -- but can they really play enough D to stop Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wes Matthews, who took down Coach K's boys last season in Kansas City?
6. LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL, Nov. 17-24, Las Vegas
Field: BYU, Hartford, Iona, Jackson State, Louisville, North Carolina, Old Dominion, South Carolina State
The overall strength (or lack thereof) of the Vegas field is irrelevant: the whole point is to generate a UNC-vs.-Louisville title game on Thanksgiving weekend.
Most of us pundits have been speculating, based on their late-season surge and near-upset of Texas A&M in the NCAA tournament, that Edgar Sosa and the Cards could be a Final Four team. But can they run with a Carolina squad that has all the pieces in place to win a national title? This could be a near-equivalent of the Florida-Kansas bout in Vegas last November -- and Louisville's prime opportunity to jump into the top five of the polls.
7. OLD SPICE CLASSIC, Nov. 22-25, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Field: Villanova, Central Florida, George Mason, Kansas State, N.C. State, Penn State, Rider, South Carolina
The deodorant/aftershave invitational does not have a real headliner, but some intruiging storylines may develop. There's a chance N.C. State could emerge looking like the favorite to finish second -- ahead of Duke, Virginia or Virginia Tech -- in the ACC. And this would also be a nice stage for South Carolina's backcourt transfer duo of Devan Downey (Cincinnati) and Zam Frederick (Georgia Tech) to remind the nation of their talents, and establish the Gamecocks as a darkhorse in the SEC.
8. HALL OF FAME CLASSIC, Dec. 1, Boston
Games: UConn vs. Gonzaga, Providence vs. Boston College
Gonzaga consistently has more cojones than any other team when it comes to non-conference scheduling, last year taking on Duke, Washington State, Texas and North Carolina out of conference, to name a few. Throttling UConn on the Huskies' home coast -- something the Zags are capable of doing with Josh Heytvelt in the lineup -- would go a long way in justifying their return to the top 25 after a turbulent down year.
THE REST
9. WOODEN TRADITION, Dec. 15, Indianapolis (Purdue vs. Louisville, Butler vs. Florida State)
10. PARADISE JAM, Nov. 16-19, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands (Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Illinois-Chicago, Charlotte, Winthrop, Baylor, Wichita State, Monmouth)
11. ANAHEIM CLASSIC, Nov. 22, 23, 25, Anaheim Convention Center (USC, San Diego, Mississippi State, UC Irvine, Southern Illinois, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Miami of Ohio, Southern Alabama)
12. SOUTH PADRE INVITATIONAL, Nov. 23-24 (Vanderbilt, Iowa, Austin Peay, Bradley, Valparaiso, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Florida Gulf Coast, Utah State)
13. TOP OF THE WORLD CLASSIC, Nov. 15-18, Fairbanks, Alaska (Alaska-Fairbanks, Akron, Colorado State, IUPUI, Oregon State, Tennessee State, South Carolina Uptate, Portland State)
Check back to see if these are worth roadtripping (or turning on the tube) for: BB&T CLASSIC (Maryland, George Washington, George Mason, plus three more TBA), WOODEN CLASSIC (UCLA vs. Davidson, other game TBA)
Labels: Duke, Illinois, Jimmy V, Kansas State, Memphis, Michigan State, NIT, UCLA, UConn, UNC, USC
FedEx Forum Reaching for Heights
Forum reaching for heights
Teams have lofty hopes for fans in upper deck
By David Williams, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Sunday, August 19, 2007
It's called the "terrace level," which is a fancy way of saying "rafters."
FedExForum is, after all, a pretty fancy place as basketball gyms go, with its luxury suites and fine dining.
But the rafters are, well, the rafters. They're far, far from the court. They're not particularly luxurious -- what, no cup holders? A fan can feel so removed from the game as to be forgotten.
The University of Memphis, in its push for a season-ticket sellout of the 18,400-seat building, is trying to change that. The Tigers are seriously courting upper-deck fans, with $100 season ticket packages and promises of nightly giveaways -- not just T-shirts but grander prizes, coach John Calipari said, such as flat-screen TVs.
"We want to tell them, 'We appreciate you,'" Calipari said. "We know there are people who have been moved up there. ... We've got to try to make that upper deck excited."
Angela McCarter, director of marketing and promotions in the athletic department, wouldn't confirm the plan to give away flat-screen TVs and other prizes to upper-deck fans. "That's a promotion we're working on with a national retailer," she said, adding that all details haven't been finalized.
But an announcement could come soon and will be testament to the Tigers' aggressive stance on a challenging issue -- selling upper-deck seats in a market that was spoiled by The Pyramid's much more spacious lower bowl.
The Pyramid's lower bowl held about 12,000, with some 7,000 seats upstairs.
FedExForum has about 9,700 seats on the lower levels and 8,700 on the terrace level.
"At The Pyramid, to be honest, there was one concourse," said Dennis O'Connor, vice president of ticket sales and service for the Grizzlies, who likewise are working to overcome the upper-deck challenge.
"So if you were sitting in the lower level or the upper level, there was the perception that everyone was the same."
FedExForum, however, was built with a serious nod -- if not a bow -- to the economic realities of major league sports, with luxury suites closer to the court than in The Pyramid.
As for the Forum's upper deck, well ...
"It's big," O'Connor said. "As much as we say there are great seats, it's still, 'Hey, but I'm upstairs.'"
The U of M has heard the same thing, especially from season ticket-holders who were downstairs at The Pyramid.
"I've actually sat in the upper deck, watching a game. I understand where the fans are coming from," McCarter said.
Thus, the Tigers are planning the Chuck Hutton Fun Patrol, a group of 10 students who will roam the upper deck, giving away T-shirts and other items.
"They'll take some band members and cheerleaders up there with them," McCarter said, "just to try to get the fans to feel like they're more into the excitement of the game."
Also planned is a youth-oriented upstairs concession initiative -- focusing on kid-friendly menu items and parent-friendly prices.
Along with the giveaways and a price that makes U of M games cheaper than a movie, the Tigers also have a loaded team considered by some experts as a preseason No. 1. As a result, sales have been strong -- only 900 to 1,000 season tickets remained as of Friday afternoon.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, have a tougher challenge. They're a rebuilding franchise coming off a season with the NBA's worst record.
"We have, over the years, done a lot of programs to either try to create excitement -- improve the atmosphere up there -- or sell it on affordability," O'Connor said. "We have full season ticket packs starting at $225, which is $5 a game. There's not a lot you can do in this day and age for $5."
The Grizzlies also try to woo fans upstairs with multigame power packs and specially priced individual-game family plans that offer tickets, hotdogs and drinks.
And once the fans are in the seats ...
"We do make a conscious effort to get the terrace level involved," O'Connor said. "We've done things starting in the pre-game, where we have our dance team up for photos and autographs. We have Grizz (the mascot) appearances. We've done player autographs up there. Sign-making, banner-making stations. We've had DJs.
"We've tried a lot of things, and we'll continue to do so."
The Grizzlies' upper-deck tickets range from $5 to $25 per game for season tickets, and $5 to $47 on a single-game only basis.
-- David Williams: 529-2310
Teams have lofty hopes for fans in upper deck
By David Williams, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Sunday, August 19, 2007
It's called the "terrace level," which is a fancy way of saying "rafters."
FedExForum is, after all, a pretty fancy place as basketball gyms go, with its luxury suites and fine dining.
But the rafters are, well, the rafters. They're far, far from the court. They're not particularly luxurious -- what, no cup holders? A fan can feel so removed from the game as to be forgotten.
The University of Memphis, in its push for a season-ticket sellout of the 18,400-seat building, is trying to change that. The Tigers are seriously courting upper-deck fans, with $100 season ticket packages and promises of nightly giveaways -- not just T-shirts but grander prizes, coach John Calipari said, such as flat-screen TVs.
"We want to tell them, 'We appreciate you,'" Calipari said. "We know there are people who have been moved up there. ... We've got to try to make that upper deck excited."
Angela McCarter, director of marketing and promotions in the athletic department, wouldn't confirm the plan to give away flat-screen TVs and other prizes to upper-deck fans. "That's a promotion we're working on with a national retailer," she said, adding that all details haven't been finalized.
But an announcement could come soon and will be testament to the Tigers' aggressive stance on a challenging issue -- selling upper-deck seats in a market that was spoiled by The Pyramid's much more spacious lower bowl.
The Pyramid's lower bowl held about 12,000, with some 7,000 seats upstairs.
FedExForum has about 9,700 seats on the lower levels and 8,700 on the terrace level.
"At The Pyramid, to be honest, there was one concourse," said Dennis O'Connor, vice president of ticket sales and service for the Grizzlies, who likewise are working to overcome the upper-deck challenge.
"So if you were sitting in the lower level or the upper level, there was the perception that everyone was the same."
FedExForum, however, was built with a serious nod -- if not a bow -- to the economic realities of major league sports, with luxury suites closer to the court than in The Pyramid.
As for the Forum's upper deck, well ...
"It's big," O'Connor said. "As much as we say there are great seats, it's still, 'Hey, but I'm upstairs.'"
The U of M has heard the same thing, especially from season ticket-holders who were downstairs at The Pyramid.
"I've actually sat in the upper deck, watching a game. I understand where the fans are coming from," McCarter said.
Thus, the Tigers are planning the Chuck Hutton Fun Patrol, a group of 10 students who will roam the upper deck, giving away T-shirts and other items.
"They'll take some band members and cheerleaders up there with them," McCarter said, "just to try to get the fans to feel like they're more into the excitement of the game."
Also planned is a youth-oriented upstairs concession initiative -- focusing on kid-friendly menu items and parent-friendly prices.
Along with the giveaways and a price that makes U of M games cheaper than a movie, the Tigers also have a loaded team considered by some experts as a preseason No. 1. As a result, sales have been strong -- only 900 to 1,000 season tickets remained as of Friday afternoon.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, have a tougher challenge. They're a rebuilding franchise coming off a season with the NBA's worst record.
"We have, over the years, done a lot of programs to either try to create excitement -- improve the atmosphere up there -- or sell it on affordability," O'Connor said. "We have full season ticket packs starting at $225, which is $5 a game. There's not a lot you can do in this day and age for $5."
The Grizzlies also try to woo fans upstairs with multigame power packs and specially priced individual-game family plans that offer tickets, hotdogs and drinks.
And once the fans are in the seats ...
"We do make a conscious effort to get the terrace level involved," O'Connor said. "We've done things starting in the pre-game, where we have our dance team up for photos and autographs. We have Grizz (the mascot) appearances. We've done player autographs up there. Sign-making, banner-making stations. We've had DJs.
"We've tried a lot of things, and we'll continue to do so."
The Grizzlies' upper-deck tickets range from $5 to $25 per game for season tickets, and $5 to $47 on a single-game only basis.
-- David Williams: 529-2310
Saturday, August 18, 2007
From the Sporting News "Five squads in position to win it all"
Thanks to reader "Southern" for the heads up on a story from Mike DeCourcy at the Sporting News (Depending on your age, you might remember that DeCourcy covered the Tigers as a beat writer for the Memphis Commercial Appeal before leaving for Cincinnati about ten years ago, ed.).
Five squads in position to win it all
Georgetown, Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, UCLA favorites for title
By Mike DeCourcy
Updated: 7:30 p.m. CT Aug 17, 2007
I know something you don't know.
I know the identity of Sporting News' preseason choice to win the NCAA championship.
And so, in the space of those two sentences, I progressed from kindergarten to college.
My inability to tell you which team we picked is not about playing school-kid games, but to keep intact the mystery that will be revealed when the Sporting News College Basketball yearbook arrives in October and Sportingnews.com rolls out its preview package.
However, I think it's fair to reveal our choice came from a short list of five candidates. Alphabetically: Georgetown, Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, UCLA. All of those teams have the goods to win the championship if they improve in certain areas, avoid injury, build momentum through their schedules and get the right breaks in the tournament draw.
There is another, shorter list, of teams that have championship ability but must make greater progress or overcome more significant obstacles: Louisville, Indiana and maybe (heavy on the maybe) Tennessee.
Here's what went into the decision:
Georgetown
Required NBA-type talent: C Roy Hibbert, SF DaJuan Summers, SG Austin Freeman, PG Chris Wright.
Perimeter shooting: Absolutely. For a big freshman, Summers did a nice job in this department. Jonathan Wallace is accurate and makes them under pressure. But no one else is a volume shooter.
Size and power: Starting with 7-2 Hibbert, maybe more than any other contender.
Breakdown scorer: Georgetown did not have this sort of player last year, although Jeff Green was very clever at creating opportunities because of his ballhandling skill. Freeman might be the guy.
Point guard play: Not a strength. The Hoyas rely a lot on the Princeton system, which does not demand the point guard be creative. But if Wright can squeeze into the lineup crowded with Wallace and Jessie Sapp, he might provide this kind of spark.
X-factor: Can you win a championship playing Princeton ball? Well, yeah, you can win the Ivy League. And Georgetown proved you can win the Big East. Can you win it all, though? Or does the system ultimately stifle the greatest talents?
Kansas
Required NBA-type talent: PF Darrell Arthur, SF Brandon Rush, SG Mario Chalmers, PG Sherron Collins.
Perimeter shooting: Rush and Chalmers both hit above 40 percent last year from 3-point range. Rush's percentages are so high -- 44.6 for his career -- it's still a wonder he doesn't take more threes.
Size and power: In addition to Arthur, the Jayhawks can rely on 7-footer Sasha Kaun and veteran Darnell Jackson.
Breakdown scorer: No team has more. Rush, Chalmers and Collins all can beat defenders to the lane.
Point guard play: This is the trickiest area for the Jayhawks. Russell Robinson has been sound and is a terrific defender, but he is not a natural at this spot. Collins can be incredibly dangerous attacking defenses, but only if he's in shape and at the top of his game.
X-factor: A lot of Jayhawks offseason improvement was lost to injuries. Arthur was doing great for the U.S. U-19 national team before being forced out with a stress fracture. Rush might not return until December because of knee surgery -- although he might not have been in the program if he hadn't gotten hurt while preparing for the NBA draft.
Memphis
Required NBA-type talent: SF Chris Douglas-Roberts, PF Robert Dozier, C Joey Dorsey, PG Derrick Rose, SG Antonio Anderson (perhaps?)
Perimeter shooting: This could be the Tigers' area of concern. They relied a lot on former wing Jeremy Hunt for big shots, especially in the NCAAs. Reserves Willie Kemp and Doneal Mack could fill that role if they prove worthy of the minutes. The best solution would be for Antonio Anderson to locate his wayward touch.
Size and power: Dorsey might be enough by himself, but the addition of Iowa State transfer Shawn Taggart provides another big option.
Breakdown scorer: That's like asking if Southern California has quarterbacks.
Point guard play: The Tigers already were in nice shape with Kemp, and yet he'll be lucky to get 10 point-guard minutes a game with Rose around. That's how good Rose can be.
X-factor: The Tigers have shown they can continue to improve against Conference USA competition that isn't stellar. However, just because the Tigers can improve while competing against C-USA opponents doesn't mean they will. They have to continue to concentrate even if games are getting out of hand. Remaining disciplined and committed will make the difference.
North Carolina
Required NBA-type talent: C Tyler Hansbrough, PF Deon Thompson, SG Wayne Ellington, PG Ty Lawson.
Perimeter shooting: Ellington has great potential as a shooter, but he has to be more aggressive and confident. Lawson could excel in this area. The Heels also need Danny Green to remember why UNC recruited him.
Size and power: The three-man rotation of Hansbrough, Thompson and Alex Stephenson can match just about anybody's.
Breakdown scorer: Ellington is not just a shooter. He can manufacture a shot. Lawson can get to the lane whenever he wants, although he could show more creativity when he gets there.
Point guard play: Lawson is a favorite of pro scouts because of his speed and strength. There was an element of his game that seemed to be missing during his freshman year, but that could have been a matter of him not feeling entirely in control of the team - something becoming a sophomore could cure.
X-factor: One problem with UNC's championship hunt last year was that using two low-post scorers in tandem stifled Hansbrough. He is best when overwhelming a single defender, and the second low-post scorer clogs up the lane. It might be up to Hansbrough to improve his face-up game enough to draw defenders away from Thompson.
UCLA
Required NBA-type talent: C Kevin Love, PG Darren Collison, SF Josh Shipp, SG Russell Westbrook, F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.
Perimeter shooting: The Bruins lost their primary force, Arron Afflalo. Shipp will have to be busier from long distance. It's great that Darren Collison can make a shot, but probably it'd misdirect the offense if he attempted more than the three per game he did last year.
Size and power: The Bruins don't have a traditional big, shot-blocking center, but Love gives them a wide presence in the post. He'll make them a better rebounding team, as well. Last year, Mbah a Moute's 7.4 per game made him the only UCLA player to average more than six.
Breakdown scorer: Shipp has done a nice job getting to the rim on bad hips. His second offseason surgery should help make him more of a threat to attack. Westbrook is a terrific athlete. Mbah a Moute is a strong ballhandler who could be more useful in this deparment.
Point guard play: Collison dazzled with speed, efficiency and shooting last year. Playing with Love, an astonishing outlet passer, could make Collison's wheels even more valuable. The Bruins still aren't in the best position for backups, though.
X-factor: UCLA might run the same offensive system, but everything really will be new. Installing Love down low changes everything -- creating more scoring opportunities inside and more open perimeter shots as defenses collapse to contend with him. But the Bruins will have to grow comfortable with playing a different type of game.
Love must handle the burden of being a revolutionary UCLA big man. He'll receive many comparisons to his predecessors. That's a lot to handle.
© 2007 The Sporting News
Five squads in position to win it all
Georgetown, Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, UCLA favorites for title
By Mike DeCourcy
Updated: 7:30 p.m. CT Aug 17, 2007
I know something you don't know.
I know the identity of Sporting News' preseason choice to win the NCAA championship.
And so, in the space of those two sentences, I progressed from kindergarten to college.
My inability to tell you which team we picked is not about playing school-kid games, but to keep intact the mystery that will be revealed when the Sporting News College Basketball yearbook arrives in October and Sportingnews.com rolls out its preview package.
However, I think it's fair to reveal our choice came from a short list of five candidates. Alphabetically: Georgetown, Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, UCLA. All of those teams have the goods to win the championship if they improve in certain areas, avoid injury, build momentum through their schedules and get the right breaks in the tournament draw.
There is another, shorter list, of teams that have championship ability but must make greater progress or overcome more significant obstacles: Louisville, Indiana and maybe (heavy on the maybe) Tennessee.
Here's what went into the decision:
Georgetown
Required NBA-type talent: C Roy Hibbert, SF DaJuan Summers, SG Austin Freeman, PG Chris Wright.
Perimeter shooting: Absolutely. For a big freshman, Summers did a nice job in this department. Jonathan Wallace is accurate and makes them under pressure. But no one else is a volume shooter.
Size and power: Starting with 7-2 Hibbert, maybe more than any other contender.
Breakdown scorer: Georgetown did not have this sort of player last year, although Jeff Green was very clever at creating opportunities because of his ballhandling skill. Freeman might be the guy.
Point guard play: Not a strength. The Hoyas rely a lot on the Princeton system, which does not demand the point guard be creative. But if Wright can squeeze into the lineup crowded with Wallace and Jessie Sapp, he might provide this kind of spark.
X-factor: Can you win a championship playing Princeton ball? Well, yeah, you can win the Ivy League. And Georgetown proved you can win the Big East. Can you win it all, though? Or does the system ultimately stifle the greatest talents?
Kansas
Required NBA-type talent: PF Darrell Arthur, SF Brandon Rush, SG Mario Chalmers, PG Sherron Collins.
Perimeter shooting: Rush and Chalmers both hit above 40 percent last year from 3-point range. Rush's percentages are so high -- 44.6 for his career -- it's still a wonder he doesn't take more threes.
Size and power: In addition to Arthur, the Jayhawks can rely on 7-footer Sasha Kaun and veteran Darnell Jackson.
Breakdown scorer: No team has more. Rush, Chalmers and Collins all can beat defenders to the lane.
Point guard play: This is the trickiest area for the Jayhawks. Russell Robinson has been sound and is a terrific defender, but he is not a natural at this spot. Collins can be incredibly dangerous attacking defenses, but only if he's in shape and at the top of his game.
X-factor: A lot of Jayhawks offseason improvement was lost to injuries. Arthur was doing great for the U.S. U-19 national team before being forced out with a stress fracture. Rush might not return until December because of knee surgery -- although he might not have been in the program if he hadn't gotten hurt while preparing for the NBA draft.
Memphis
Required NBA-type talent: SF Chris Douglas-Roberts, PF Robert Dozier, C Joey Dorsey, PG Derrick Rose, SG Antonio Anderson (perhaps?)
Perimeter shooting: This could be the Tigers' area of concern. They relied a lot on former wing Jeremy Hunt for big shots, especially in the NCAAs. Reserves Willie Kemp and Doneal Mack could fill that role if they prove worthy of the minutes. The best solution would be for Antonio Anderson to locate his wayward touch.
Size and power: Dorsey might be enough by himself, but the addition of Iowa State transfer Shawn Taggart provides another big option.
Breakdown scorer: That's like asking if Southern California has quarterbacks.
Point guard play: The Tigers already were in nice shape with Kemp, and yet he'll be lucky to get 10 point-guard minutes a game with Rose around. That's how good Rose can be.
X-factor: The Tigers have shown they can continue to improve against Conference USA competition that isn't stellar. However, just because the Tigers can improve while competing against C-USA opponents doesn't mean they will. They have to continue to concentrate even if games are getting out of hand. Remaining disciplined and committed will make the difference.
North Carolina
Required NBA-type talent: C Tyler Hansbrough, PF Deon Thompson, SG Wayne Ellington, PG Ty Lawson.
Perimeter shooting: Ellington has great potential as a shooter, but he has to be more aggressive and confident. Lawson could excel in this area. The Heels also need Danny Green to remember why UNC recruited him.
Size and power: The three-man rotation of Hansbrough, Thompson and Alex Stephenson can match just about anybody's.
Breakdown scorer: Ellington is not just a shooter. He can manufacture a shot. Lawson can get to the lane whenever he wants, although he could show more creativity when he gets there.
Point guard play: Lawson is a favorite of pro scouts because of his speed and strength. There was an element of his game that seemed to be missing during his freshman year, but that could have been a matter of him not feeling entirely in control of the team - something becoming a sophomore could cure.
X-factor: One problem with UNC's championship hunt last year was that using two low-post scorers in tandem stifled Hansbrough. He is best when overwhelming a single defender, and the second low-post scorer clogs up the lane. It might be up to Hansbrough to improve his face-up game enough to draw defenders away from Thompson.
UCLA
Required NBA-type talent: C Kevin Love, PG Darren Collison, SF Josh Shipp, SG Russell Westbrook, F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.
Perimeter shooting: The Bruins lost their primary force, Arron Afflalo. Shipp will have to be busier from long distance. It's great that Darren Collison can make a shot, but probably it'd misdirect the offense if he attempted more than the three per game he did last year.
Size and power: The Bruins don't have a traditional big, shot-blocking center, but Love gives them a wide presence in the post. He'll make them a better rebounding team, as well. Last year, Mbah a Moute's 7.4 per game made him the only UCLA player to average more than six.
Breakdown scorer: Shipp has done a nice job getting to the rim on bad hips. His second offseason surgery should help make him more of a threat to attack. Westbrook is a terrific athlete. Mbah a Moute is a strong ballhandler who could be more useful in this deparment.
Point guard play: Collison dazzled with speed, efficiency and shooting last year. Playing with Love, an astonishing outlet passer, could make Collison's wheels even more valuable. The Bruins still aren't in the best position for backups, though.
X-factor: UCLA might run the same offensive system, but everything really will be new. Installing Love down low changes everything -- creating more scoring opportunities inside and more open perimeter shots as defenses collapse to contend with him. But the Bruins will have to grow comfortable with playing a different type of game.
Love must handle the burden of being a revolutionary UCLA big man. He'll receive many comparisons to his predecessors. That's a lot to handle.
© 2007 The Sporting News
From the Birmingham News, "C-USA has how many teams?"
C-USA has how many teams?
The Conference USA men's basketball preseason guide arrived in the mail earlier this week. The entire cover was dedicated to Memphis. You have to flip over to the back to see small pictures of each of the other 11 C-USA teams.
You would be silly to argue against Memphis being the marquee men's basketball program in C-USA the last two years. Celebrating the Tigers' 16-0 C-USA mark and preseason No. 1 mention by some outlets make sense.
Conference officials have spent the past two seasons trying to send out the message that the newly-configured C-USA will consistently become a league that deserves more than one bid into the NCAA Tournament. But what does this cover suggest? Yep, it suggests that the only conference team that's worthy of mention is Memphis.
Some C-USA men's basketball coaches have suggested that Memphis gets preferential treatment. This seems like another example the opposing coaches can use in that argument.
Steve Irvine --
The Conference USA men's basketball preseason guide arrived in the mail earlier this week. The entire cover was dedicated to Memphis. You have to flip over to the back to see small pictures of each of the other 11 C-USA teams.
You would be silly to argue against Memphis being the marquee men's basketball program in C-USA the last two years. Celebrating the Tigers' 16-0 C-USA mark and preseason No. 1 mention by some outlets make sense.
Conference officials have spent the past two seasons trying to send out the message that the newly-configured C-USA will consistently become a league that deserves more than one bid into the NCAA Tournament. But what does this cover suggest? Yep, it suggests that the only conference team that's worthy of mention is Memphis.
Some C-USA men's basketball coaches have suggested that Memphis gets preferential treatment. This seems like another example the opposing coaches can use in that argument.
Steve Irvine --
Gene Bartow, Former Tiger Head Coach, Named President of Hoops LP, the Parent of the Memphis Grizzlies
Gene Bartow, a former coach at Memphis State and UCLA, was hired Thursday as president of Hoops LP, the company that operates the Memphis Grizzlies and their arena, the FedExForum. Bartow was chosen NCAA Coach of the Year in 1973 after leading the Tigers to the NCAA final against powerhouse UCLA. Memphis State is now called the University of Memphis. After a one-season stint at Illinois, Bartow succeeded John Wooden at UCLA, going 52-9 in two seasons and leading the Bruins to the Final Four in 1976. He then left to help found the athletic program at Alabama-Birmingham, serving as the school’s first head basketball coach and athletic director. He retired from UAB in 2000 and has been a special adviser to the Grizzlies since they relocated from Vancouver in 2001. He has helped the team scout and worked in the community to promote the team and sell tickets and sponsorships. Bartow also coached at Central Missouri and Valparaiso.
Friday, August 17, 2007
CSTV.com - Walberg's Changing It Up, Pepperdine Coach's Up-Tempo Style Has Captured Much Interest
Walberg's Changing It Up
Pepperdine coach's up-tempo style has captured much interest
Aug. 15, 2007
By Josh Herwitt
CSTV.com
Vance Walberg never even thought he'd be coaching college basketball some day. Not at a Division I school.
For Vance Walberg, just having an opportunity to coach basketball anywhere, at any level, would have been enough.
"All I ever wanted to be was a high school coach," he admitted.
Since his early years at Clovis West High in Fresno, Calif., Walberg has dedicated his coaching career to perfecting his Dribble Drive Motion Offense, an offensive system that thrives on transition and dribble penetration to create open opportunities inside and around the three-point line.
And for as many bumps in the road as Walberg came across last season in his first year as head coach at Pepperdine, it's the same system that produced a 133-11 overall record, four straight league titles and a California State Championship during his four-year stint at Fresno City College.
But most importantly, it's a system that Walberg can now call his own, something that not many college basketball coaches can say in this day and age with all the knowledge that's been passed down by legends like John Wooden, Pete Carril and Bob Knight.
So it may be a little flattering to Walberg when he sees Knight and Larry Brown next month endorsing his brand of basketball at the inaugural Adidas Mid South Coaches Clinic in Tunica, Miss.
They won't be the only ones, though. In fact, they're just one of many who have recently grown fond of Walberg's coaching philosophy.
Some of the game's newest teachers, from Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon and Texas coach Rick Barnes to recently-hired coaches Mark Turgeon (Texas A&M) and John Pelphrey (Arkansas), have adopted Walberg's run-and-gun style and will speak in front of the hundreds of high school coaches expected to attend the clinic from Sept. 14-16.
"You're gonna have this coach do it one way and that coach do it another way," Walberg said. "There's so many ways to do it. This is just a different way that people really haven't seen yet."
According to the second-year Pepperdine coach, the system has created so much buzz that he's receiving hundreds of voicemails, e-mails and text messages from high school coaches all over the country.
"Little by little it just keeps blowing up," the two-time California Junior College Coach of the Year explained. "The times of the game are changing. The players are so much more athletic than they used to be."
While Walberg says it's the simplicity of his system that continues to draw more and more followers, it's the increase in athletic ability on the hardwood that makes it even more attractive for college coaches to implement in their own game plans.
Athleticism isn't something that runs short on a team like Memphis, and it's certainly one of the reasons why John Calipari has been such an advocate of Walberg's methods from day one.
"It's changed me," said Calipari, who will also be speaking at the coaches clinic. "It's gotten me excited...I've gotten inspired by something different and it's awakened that fire in me. It's totally out of the box."
Coming from someone like Calipari -- who started his coaching career at UMass and propelled the Minutemen into the national spotlight before jumping to the NBA to coach the New Jersey Nets -- that sure is saying a lot.
Now the Tigers, who ran the table last season in Conference USA and reached the Elite Eight for the second straight year, are already being picked by many as the No. 1 team in the nation before the preseason polls launch at the beginning of November.
"We've been at bat the last two years and had a chance to win the whole thing," Calipari said. "We've been one of those teams that had a chance to win it all.
"One of those years you're gonna hit the ball out of the park, which is the ultimate goal for us."
That goal was lost the past two seasons at the hands of NCAA runner-ups UCLA and Ohio State, but one that will surely be restored by the time March rolls around next year.
And with a team that returns its entire starting five and adds three recruits, including highly-touted freshman Derrick Rose, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound point guard from Chicago with jet-like speed and an unselfish attitude, it's Calipari who is eager to finally take his trip around the bases in 2007-08.
"The synergy between the guys, even though they know each individual has something at stake, let's them put the team first, and that's so unusual in this day and age," the eighth-year coach added. "When we start this season, it's going to be our team and no individual player."
By the end of the season, it might be Calipari thanking Walberg with a national championship trophy in his grasp.
Pepperdine coach's up-tempo style has captured much interest
Aug. 15, 2007
By Josh Herwitt
CSTV.com
Vance Walberg never even thought he'd be coaching college basketball some day. Not at a Division I school.
For Vance Walberg, just having an opportunity to coach basketball anywhere, at any level, would have been enough.
"All I ever wanted to be was a high school coach," he admitted.
Since his early years at Clovis West High in Fresno, Calif., Walberg has dedicated his coaching career to perfecting his Dribble Drive Motion Offense, an offensive system that thrives on transition and dribble penetration to create open opportunities inside and around the three-point line.
And for as many bumps in the road as Walberg came across last season in his first year as head coach at Pepperdine, it's the same system that produced a 133-11 overall record, four straight league titles and a California State Championship during his four-year stint at Fresno City College.
But most importantly, it's a system that Walberg can now call his own, something that not many college basketball coaches can say in this day and age with all the knowledge that's been passed down by legends like John Wooden, Pete Carril and Bob Knight.
So it may be a little flattering to Walberg when he sees Knight and Larry Brown next month endorsing his brand of basketball at the inaugural Adidas Mid South Coaches Clinic in Tunica, Miss.
They won't be the only ones, though. In fact, they're just one of many who have recently grown fond of Walberg's coaching philosophy.
Some of the game's newest teachers, from Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon and Texas coach Rick Barnes to recently-hired coaches Mark Turgeon (Texas A&M) and John Pelphrey (Arkansas), have adopted Walberg's run-and-gun style and will speak in front of the hundreds of high school coaches expected to attend the clinic from Sept. 14-16.
"You're gonna have this coach do it one way and that coach do it another way," Walberg said. "There's so many ways to do it. This is just a different way that people really haven't seen yet."
According to the second-year Pepperdine coach, the system has created so much buzz that he's receiving hundreds of voicemails, e-mails and text messages from high school coaches all over the country.
"Little by little it just keeps blowing up," the two-time California Junior College Coach of the Year explained. "The times of the game are changing. The players are so much more athletic than they used to be."
While Walberg says it's the simplicity of his system that continues to draw more and more followers, it's the increase in athletic ability on the hardwood that makes it even more attractive for college coaches to implement in their own game plans.
Athleticism isn't something that runs short on a team like Memphis, and it's certainly one of the reasons why John Calipari has been such an advocate of Walberg's methods from day one.
"It's changed me," said Calipari, who will also be speaking at the coaches clinic. "It's gotten me excited...I've gotten inspired by something different and it's awakened that fire in me. It's totally out of the box."
Coming from someone like Calipari -- who started his coaching career at UMass and propelled the Minutemen into the national spotlight before jumping to the NBA to coach the New Jersey Nets -- that sure is saying a lot.
Now the Tigers, who ran the table last season in Conference USA and reached the Elite Eight for the second straight year, are already being picked by many as the No. 1 team in the nation before the preseason polls launch at the beginning of November.
"We've been at bat the last two years and had a chance to win the whole thing," Calipari said. "We've been one of those teams that had a chance to win it all.
"One of those years you're gonna hit the ball out of the park, which is the ultimate goal for us."
That goal was lost the past two seasons at the hands of NCAA runner-ups UCLA and Ohio State, but one that will surely be restored by the time March rolls around next year.
And with a team that returns its entire starting five and adds three recruits, including highly-touted freshman Derrick Rose, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound point guard from Chicago with jet-like speed and an unselfish attitude, it's Calipari who is eager to finally take his trip around the bases in 2007-08.
"The synergy between the guys, even though they know each individual has something at stake, let's them put the team first, and that's so unusual in this day and age," the eighth-year coach added. "When we start this season, it's going to be our team and no individual player."
By the end of the season, it might be Calipari thanking Walberg with a national championship trophy in his grasp.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Jeremy Hunt Video on YouTube
Jeremy Hunt Senior Video - Memphis Tigers Basketball
YouTube
http://youtube.com/watch?v=I7ZcLIOPD2Q
The news on Jeremy is that he left for Poland to play professional basketball this week. Of course, he took his #1 fan with him - his mom.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Season Sellout at FedEx Forum Seems Within Reach
Season sellout seems within reach
By Dan Wolken
August 12, 2007
When the summer began, University of Memphis coach John Calipari was determined to sell out every season ticket in FedExForum. With the help of the Rebounders club and new president Harold Byrd, that vision has a chance of becoming reality.
Charged with helping sell out the upper deck, the Rebounders are hosting a special fundraiser Sept. 10. Any fan making a $500 donation will receive an invitation to the "Hightops Party" at Calipari's home, membership in the Rebounders club and four of the $100 season tickets in the upper reaches of FedExForum.
"I think people get a real charge of going over to coach Calipari's house, and this event is such a great value," Byrd said. "It will be a great party. We'll have great music and great food, and for the $500, you become a member of the Rebounders and get four tickets to watch the No. 1 ranked team in the country. I think it's one of the most exciting things that has gone on in the city in a long time."
The response has already been strong. Even though this event has barely been publicized -- the process of mailing 10,000 invitations is just underway -- Byrd said word of mouth has brought in 100 donations. Byrd said he's hoping for at least 300 people to attend the event, meaning 1,200 season tickets sold.
The most interesting aspect of the party is the mix of people it should attract, from new season ticket holders to large donors who simply want to show up for the party.
For the latter group, Byrd is working with Ken Bennett, director of Streets Ministries, to receive tickets from fans who want to make a donation and attend the party but will not personally use the seats.
"I've been really surprised at the number of people who are keeping the tickets for themselves," Byrd said. "But at the same time, coach Calipari is real sensitive to the younger demographics in our city who can't afford to go to the games. If someone becomes a member of the Rebounders, they can donate to the Streets Ministries, and Ken is going to make sure these tickets are used, not just the kids within his ministry, but if there's a surplus he'll make sure there are people who can't afford to go to the games who will be in those seats."
Classic confrontation
Derrick Rose, Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier were among the elite college players who were in New Orleans last week as counselors for the five-day adidas Basketball Experience, a tournament for American and international high schoolers.
After the tournament games, the college players scrimmaged against each other, which at one point put Anderson and Rose against each other as opposing point guards.
"Everybody was waiting for that," Anderson said.
And could Anderson stay with the lightning-quick Rose?
"No, I backed off him," Anderson said, laughing.
Rose might be the only player Anderson is backing off these days. The 6-foot-6 guard has clearly added muscle to his already stout frame, and ESPN analyst Doug Gottlieb described Anderson as "a beast" in a column he penned after watching him in New Orleans.
Initially, Anderson was going to spend most of August at his home in the Boston area but decided to instead stay in Memphis and get some extra weeks of training before the school year starts at the end of the month.
Odds and ends
The basketball coaching staff, which has been working out of the Finch Center much of this summer due to renovations at the Athletic Office Building, is scheduled to move back into its updated offices this week. ... According to sources, St. George's guard Elliot Williams has scheduled an official visit to Memphis next month. Williams has spent a lot of time on the Memphis campus this summer already, playing pickup basketball with players on the current Tigers roster. Memphis could very well have word within the next two weeks from Puerto Rican power forward Angel Garcia, who is deciding between the Tigers, Indiana and Louisville. Garcia visited Memphis in June.
By Dan Wolken
August 12, 2007
When the summer began, University of Memphis coach John Calipari was determined to sell out every season ticket in FedExForum. With the help of the Rebounders club and new president Harold Byrd, that vision has a chance of becoming reality.
Charged with helping sell out the upper deck, the Rebounders are hosting a special fundraiser Sept. 10. Any fan making a $500 donation will receive an invitation to the "Hightops Party" at Calipari's home, membership in the Rebounders club and four of the $100 season tickets in the upper reaches of FedExForum.
"I think people get a real charge of going over to coach Calipari's house, and this event is such a great value," Byrd said. "It will be a great party. We'll have great music and great food, and for the $500, you become a member of the Rebounders and get four tickets to watch the No. 1 ranked team in the country. I think it's one of the most exciting things that has gone on in the city in a long time."
The response has already been strong. Even though this event has barely been publicized -- the process of mailing 10,000 invitations is just underway -- Byrd said word of mouth has brought in 100 donations. Byrd said he's hoping for at least 300 people to attend the event, meaning 1,200 season tickets sold.
The most interesting aspect of the party is the mix of people it should attract, from new season ticket holders to large donors who simply want to show up for the party.
For the latter group, Byrd is working with Ken Bennett, director of Streets Ministries, to receive tickets from fans who want to make a donation and attend the party but will not personally use the seats.
"I've been really surprised at the number of people who are keeping the tickets for themselves," Byrd said. "But at the same time, coach Calipari is real sensitive to the younger demographics in our city who can't afford to go to the games. If someone becomes a member of the Rebounders, they can donate to the Streets Ministries, and Ken is going to make sure these tickets are used, not just the kids within his ministry, but if there's a surplus he'll make sure there are people who can't afford to go to the games who will be in those seats."
Classic confrontation
Derrick Rose, Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier were among the elite college players who were in New Orleans last week as counselors for the five-day adidas Basketball Experience, a tournament for American and international high schoolers.
After the tournament games, the college players scrimmaged against each other, which at one point put Anderson and Rose against each other as opposing point guards.
"Everybody was waiting for that," Anderson said.
And could Anderson stay with the lightning-quick Rose?
"No, I backed off him," Anderson said, laughing.
Rose might be the only player Anderson is backing off these days. The 6-foot-6 guard has clearly added muscle to his already stout frame, and ESPN analyst Doug Gottlieb described Anderson as "a beast" in a column he penned after watching him in New Orleans.
Initially, Anderson was going to spend most of August at his home in the Boston area but decided to instead stay in Memphis and get some extra weeks of training before the school year starts at the end of the month.
Odds and ends
The basketball coaching staff, which has been working out of the Finch Center much of this summer due to renovations at the Athletic Office Building, is scheduled to move back into its updated offices this week. ... According to sources, St. George's guard Elliot Williams has scheduled an official visit to Memphis next month. Williams has spent a lot of time on the Memphis campus this summer already, playing pickup basketball with players on the current Tigers roster. Memphis could very well have word within the next two weeks from Puerto Rican power forward Angel Garcia, who is deciding between the Tigers, Indiana and Louisville. Garcia visited Memphis in June.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
SI.com "Peering Out of the Basement, East Carolina Revamping Program"
Peering out of the basement
East Carolina revamping program after Stokes
Posted: Friday August 10, 2007 9:30 AM
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- East Carolina has long languished in the shadows of the Atlantic Coast Conference while trying to fight its way out of the Conference USA basement.
Now the Pirates are trying to change years of feeble tradition by reorganizing a men's basketball program that has lost 44 of 58 games the past two seasons.
"There's no perfect solution to 14-44," athletic director Terry Holland said Thursday. "We can't just turn a switch and make that happen. But we can all work together to make that happen, and I think we're all in position to do that."
Earlier this week, the school said Ricky Stokes would become the associate athletic director for basketball after those two struggle-filled seasons as head coach. Assistant Mack McCarthy _ the former head coach at Chattanooga and Virginia Commonwealth _ will be the acting coach for the 2007-08 season, while assistant coach Chris Ferguson will become acting associate head coach.
The changes came after lengthy discussions between Holland and the coaching staff, beginning in the spring. Holland said he believed the staff deserved the chance to stay on and help the program improve, but that he and Stokes also agreed the pressure to win would be suffocating for the players.
Stokes -- a former player under Holland at Virginia and coach at Virginia Tech -- went 6-24 this past season, with three of those victories coming against Division II teams. It was just the latest chapter in a frustrating history for ECU that includes only two NCAA tournament appearances, the last in 1993.
Stokes will now focus on fundraising and fixing other weaknesses in the program. Chief among them is building a practice facility in the coming years for the men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball teams so that they don't have to fight for space in Minges Coliseum.
"I just thought it was best for the basketball program for me to go into athletic administration rather than to have the scrutiny and a referendum after each game: whether I'm going to get fired, my record from last year, how many games to win and to lose," Stokes said. "I felt that was too much pressure for the team. I felt it was too much pressure for me and my family. I've been through that before at Virginia Tech. Let me tell just tell you that it's no fun."
Still, that's exactly what awaits McCarthy.
The veteran coach quickly rattled off a list of improvements in the program, from renovations to the locker room and coaches' offices to enhancing the academic support program for the players. The challenge now is improving the won-loss record.
"If we're not playing better in January and February, then we haven't done our job," he said. "We're going to keep getting better and we're going to be demanding of them along the way, more demanding probably than they expect. We will give them all the support we can and we'll be patient with them. But along the way, we are going to get the most out of them."
Holland said McCarthy and the program would be evaluated after the season. And the Pirates would likely either end up negotiating a contract to keep McCarthy as the permanent coach or looking for a replacement.
Holland said every option to improve the program was considered during the meetings except one: his return to coaching after a career in which he led the Cavaliers to two Final Fours in the 1980s.
"Absolutely not," Holland said with a smile. "I've been away from it too long. ... We considered every other option except that particular one."
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
East Carolina revamping program after Stokes
Posted: Friday August 10, 2007 9:30 AM
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- East Carolina has long languished in the shadows of the Atlantic Coast Conference while trying to fight its way out of the Conference USA basement.
Now the Pirates are trying to change years of feeble tradition by reorganizing a men's basketball program that has lost 44 of 58 games the past two seasons.
"There's no perfect solution to 14-44," athletic director Terry Holland said Thursday. "We can't just turn a switch and make that happen. But we can all work together to make that happen, and I think we're all in position to do that."
Earlier this week, the school said Ricky Stokes would become the associate athletic director for basketball after those two struggle-filled seasons as head coach. Assistant Mack McCarthy _ the former head coach at Chattanooga and Virginia Commonwealth _ will be the acting coach for the 2007-08 season, while assistant coach Chris Ferguson will become acting associate head coach.
The changes came after lengthy discussions between Holland and the coaching staff, beginning in the spring. Holland said he believed the staff deserved the chance to stay on and help the program improve, but that he and Stokes also agreed the pressure to win would be suffocating for the players.
Stokes -- a former player under Holland at Virginia and coach at Virginia Tech -- went 6-24 this past season, with three of those victories coming against Division II teams. It was just the latest chapter in a frustrating history for ECU that includes only two NCAA tournament appearances, the last in 1993.
Stokes will now focus on fundraising and fixing other weaknesses in the program. Chief among them is building a practice facility in the coming years for the men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball teams so that they don't have to fight for space in Minges Coliseum.
"I just thought it was best for the basketball program for me to go into athletic administration rather than to have the scrutiny and a referendum after each game: whether I'm going to get fired, my record from last year, how many games to win and to lose," Stokes said. "I felt that was too much pressure for the team. I felt it was too much pressure for me and my family. I've been through that before at Virginia Tech. Let me tell just tell you that it's no fun."
Still, that's exactly what awaits McCarthy.
The veteran coach quickly rattled off a list of improvements in the program, from renovations to the locker room and coaches' offices to enhancing the academic support program for the players. The challenge now is improving the won-loss record.
"If we're not playing better in January and February, then we haven't done our job," he said. "We're going to keep getting better and we're going to be demanding of them along the way, more demanding probably than they expect. We will give them all the support we can and we'll be patient with them. But along the way, we are going to get the most out of them."
Holland said McCarthy and the program would be evaluated after the season. And the Pirates would likely either end up negotiating a contract to keep McCarthy as the permanent coach or looking for a replacement.
Holland said every option to improve the program was considered during the meetings except one: his return to coaching after a career in which he led the Cavaliers to two Final Fours in the 1980s.
"Absolutely not," Holland said with a smile. "I've been away from it too long. ... We considered every other option except that particular one."
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Memphis, UCLA and Kansas Will Take On Tough Nonconference Slates
Memphis, UCLA and Kansas will take on tough nonconference slates
By Andy Katz, ESPN.com
August 9, 2007
A few scheduling reflections of the nonconference schedules and games we know so far. The full schedules should be released by early September.
• Give UCLA some credit for playing Davidson in the Wooden Classic on Dec. 8. The Bruins are giving Davidson a West Coast/national platform. This will be one of the top games for the Bruins outside of the Pac-10. The Bruins do play in the CBE Classic in Kansas City with Michigan State, Missouri and Maryland. They will also host George Washington and Texas as well as take a road trip to Michigan. When John Beilein was coaching West Virginia the last two seasons, he beat UCLA twice. Now he's at Michigan.
• Davidson is stepping up to play a schedule that could earn the Wildcats an at-large berth. Coach Bob McKillop has his team playing UCLA, North Carolina, Duke and N.C. State.
• Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has played plenty of folks in neutral-court games but got away from true road games for a spell in recent years. Well, that will end next season with a trip to Virginia. So, there's no more need to squawk about leaving the comfy confines of the Carrier Dome.
• Southern Illinois couldn't get a big-time home-and-home series, but the Salukis do have Indiana coming to Carbondale and will likely play USC in an event in Anaheim. That should help with the team's power rating, despite SIU being unable to secure more marquee games.
• No top-10 team is playing more marquee games than Memphis. But the interesting thing about the Tigers' schedule is that they got so many of those big games at home. Memphis plays Gonzaga, Tennessee, Georgetown and Arizona at the FedEX Forum. The neutral-court games against Oklahoma, Connecticut and/or Kentucky in New York, as well as USC in the Jimmy V in New York too, gives Memphis a loaded slate. Their only true road game of note is at Cincinnati.
• Kansas has its fair share of tough games yet again, with Arizona in the Big 12/Pac-10 event, USC on the road, a dangerous game against Ohio in Kansas City, at Boston College and at Georgia Tech. Playing DePaul at home, a lower-tier Big East team, is still a solid opponent on this slate.
• No team in a non-football playing Division I conference can rake in the quality opponents like Gonzaga. The Zags will once again have one of the top schedules with games against Memphis on the road, Connecticut in Boston, Tennessee in Seattle, Georgia in the Spokane Arena and at Saint Joseph's. Gonzaga will also host in-state rival Washington State, which has evolved into a top 15 game with the Cougars' recent success.
• Texas coach Rick Barnes continues to play nearly all takers by going against Wisconsin, Michigan State and participating in the inaugural Legends event in Newark, N.J., which also includes Tennessee, West Virginia and New Mexico State. Oh, and the Longhorns play at UCLA in the Big 12/Pac-10 event.
• Providence in name only looks like it has a schedule worthy of helping it get to the NCAAs in a year when the Friars have the talent. But that means they need Boston College, Rhode Island, Florida State and South Carolina (they had no say in this one since it's a part of the Big East/SEC Challenge) to be postseason worthy. The Friars can't go into the Big East needing to do it all in the league to get a bid.
• Billy Gillispie left his usual slate of home games for Mark Turgeon at Texas A&M but the quality has risen. Alabama and LSU will head into College Station. The Aggies will also play a road game in the Big 12/Pac-10 Classic at Arizona (the Wildcats and Stanford will play twice in that series to offset the fact that the Big 12 has more teams), as well as potential NIT Season Tip-Off games in New York against Syracuse, Washington or Ohio State.
• Washington looks like a possible bubble team with four of five starters returning in a loaded Pac-10. So, that means the Huskies had to get some quality wins in nonconference. Pitt comes to Seattle, and Washington goes to Oklahoma State in the Big 12/Pac-10 event. Add in the NIT games in New York, as well as a road game at LSU, and the Huskies have enough.
• Conversely Cal could have done more. The Bears play at Nevada and at Kansas State in what should be their toughest game. Hosting Missouri in the Big 12/Pac-10 event is a battle of teams in the middle of their respective leagues. Cal will need to be successful in the Pac-10 even more than Washington with this slate.
• Michigan State coach Tom Izzo knows that he shouldn't load up too much in the nonconference anymore. So, playing Texas in Auburn Hills, N.C. State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, possibly Maryland, Missouri or UCLA in Kansas City in the CBE Classic and a dangerous pair of road games at Bradley and BYU in Salt Lake City (not in Provo) is enough.
• Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl gets plenty of credit for agreeing late to play Gonzaga in Seattle in a year where he's also going to Memphis.
• Pitt wanted to play Duke and got the Blue Devils in their second home court at Madison Square Garden. But for this to occur, Dayton had to agree to move a game at home against Pitt even though it wasn't on the same date (two days later). So, the credit goes to Brian Gregory of Dayton for doing; he didn't have to accommodate Pitt.
• It's too bad that Washington State's biggest nonconference game will be against Gonzaga. The Cougars deserved to get a marquee, televised quality game but couldn't land one.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
By Andy Katz, ESPN.com
August 9, 2007
A few scheduling reflections of the nonconference schedules and games we know so far. The full schedules should be released by early September.
• Give UCLA some credit for playing Davidson in the Wooden Classic on Dec. 8. The Bruins are giving Davidson a West Coast/national platform. This will be one of the top games for the Bruins outside of the Pac-10. The Bruins do play in the CBE Classic in Kansas City with Michigan State, Missouri and Maryland. They will also host George Washington and Texas as well as take a road trip to Michigan. When John Beilein was coaching West Virginia the last two seasons, he beat UCLA twice. Now he's at Michigan.
• Davidson is stepping up to play a schedule that could earn the Wildcats an at-large berth. Coach Bob McKillop has his team playing UCLA, North Carolina, Duke and N.C. State.
• Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has played plenty of folks in neutral-court games but got away from true road games for a spell in recent years. Well, that will end next season with a trip to Virginia. So, there's no more need to squawk about leaving the comfy confines of the Carrier Dome.
• Southern Illinois couldn't get a big-time home-and-home series, but the Salukis do have Indiana coming to Carbondale and will likely play USC in an event in Anaheim. That should help with the team's power rating, despite SIU being unable to secure more marquee games.
• No top-10 team is playing more marquee games than Memphis. But the interesting thing about the Tigers' schedule is that they got so many of those big games at home. Memphis plays Gonzaga, Tennessee, Georgetown and Arizona at the FedEX Forum. The neutral-court games against Oklahoma, Connecticut and/or Kentucky in New York, as well as USC in the Jimmy V in New York too, gives Memphis a loaded slate. Their only true road game of note is at Cincinnati.
• Kansas has its fair share of tough games yet again, with Arizona in the Big 12/Pac-10 event, USC on the road, a dangerous game against Ohio in Kansas City, at Boston College and at Georgia Tech. Playing DePaul at home, a lower-tier Big East team, is still a solid opponent on this slate.
• No team in a non-football playing Division I conference can rake in the quality opponents like Gonzaga. The Zags will once again have one of the top schedules with games against Memphis on the road, Connecticut in Boston, Tennessee in Seattle, Georgia in the Spokane Arena and at Saint Joseph's. Gonzaga will also host in-state rival Washington State, which has evolved into a top 15 game with the Cougars' recent success.
• Texas coach Rick Barnes continues to play nearly all takers by going against Wisconsin, Michigan State and participating in the inaugural Legends event in Newark, N.J., which also includes Tennessee, West Virginia and New Mexico State. Oh, and the Longhorns play at UCLA in the Big 12/Pac-10 event.
• Providence in name only looks like it has a schedule worthy of helping it get to the NCAAs in a year when the Friars have the talent. But that means they need Boston College, Rhode Island, Florida State and South Carolina (they had no say in this one since it's a part of the Big East/SEC Challenge) to be postseason worthy. The Friars can't go into the Big East needing to do it all in the league to get a bid.
• Billy Gillispie left his usual slate of home games for Mark Turgeon at Texas A&M but the quality has risen. Alabama and LSU will head into College Station. The Aggies will also play a road game in the Big 12/Pac-10 Classic at Arizona (the Wildcats and Stanford will play twice in that series to offset the fact that the Big 12 has more teams), as well as potential NIT Season Tip-Off games in New York against Syracuse, Washington or Ohio State.
• Washington looks like a possible bubble team with four of five starters returning in a loaded Pac-10. So, that means the Huskies had to get some quality wins in nonconference. Pitt comes to Seattle, and Washington goes to Oklahoma State in the Big 12/Pac-10 event. Add in the NIT games in New York, as well as a road game at LSU, and the Huskies have enough.
• Conversely Cal could have done more. The Bears play at Nevada and at Kansas State in what should be their toughest game. Hosting Missouri in the Big 12/Pac-10 event is a battle of teams in the middle of their respective leagues. Cal will need to be successful in the Pac-10 even more than Washington with this slate.
• Michigan State coach Tom Izzo knows that he shouldn't load up too much in the nonconference anymore. So, playing Texas in Auburn Hills, N.C. State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, possibly Maryland, Missouri or UCLA in Kansas City in the CBE Classic and a dangerous pair of road games at Bradley and BYU in Salt Lake City (not in Provo) is enough.
• Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl gets plenty of credit for agreeing late to play Gonzaga in Seattle in a year where he's also going to Memphis.
• Pitt wanted to play Duke and got the Blue Devils in their second home court at Madison Square Garden. But for this to occur, Dayton had to agree to move a game at home against Pitt even though it wasn't on the same date (two days later). So, the credit goes to Brian Gregory of Dayton for doing; he didn't have to accommodate Pitt.
• It's too bad that Washington State's biggest nonconference game will be against Gonzaga. The Cougars deserved to get a marquee, televised quality game but couldn't land one.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
Memphis To Play in Doubleheader in Sun Belt Classic
MTSU, WKU play host to Sun Belt Classic
By JOSH EZZELL, The Murfreesboro (TN) Post
Aug. 8, 2007 - 4:26 p.m.
NASHVILLE — MTSU and Western Kentucky are arch rivals, but to get what they want they have been forced to work together.
To enable the inaugural Sun Belt Classic at Sommet Center in Nashville to become a reality the Blue Raiders and Hilltoppers joined forces to set up a blockbuster doubleheader Dec. 15 in which MTSU will face Memphis at 6 p.m. on ESPN2 and WKU will battle Tennessee 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
“We wanted to create a great atmosphere,” MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro said at a press conference Wednesday at Sommet Center. “All said from the get-go we wanted to make it an NCAA tournament-like event.”
Tickets for the game will be $30 for low-level seats and $15 for upper-level seats. Tickets to the game will be included in the MTSU and WKU season-ticket packages. Top priority will go to season-ticket holders at both schools. Tickets go on sale on a date yet to be determined.
“Both sides (MTSU and WKU) were slated to play non-conference foes in Nashville,” WKU athletic director Wood Selig said. “We started talking about the unique part of putting two non-conference games in here. Our philosophy was let’s get it done. Tennessee and Memphis were agreeable. This is a blockbuster event.”
MTSU went 15-17 last season, while WKU was 22-11. Memphis and Tennessee each made the NCAA tournament last season and will be top-10 teams this season. Last season Memphis made the Elite Eight, while Tennessee fell to eventual national runner-up Ohio State in the Sweet 16.
“We know how hard it is in the South to get big home games in December,” MTSU men’s basketball coach Kermit Davis said. “That’s what we’ve got here.”
The game with Memphis is the last of a three-game deal with the Tigers in which MTSU visited the Bluff City twice. The game in Nashville counts as a home game for MTSU and Western Kentucky.
“The entire nation is going to be watching,” WKU head coach Darrin Horn said. “All four are NCAA possibilities. When you get this you create an NCAA tournament atmosphere.”
Tennessee and Memphis also think the doubleheader could benefit all four schools.
“It is going to be a great night of basketball for the state of Tennessee, having three of the state’s teams playing in the capital city of Nashville,” Memphis head coach John Calipari said in a press release. “It’s going to be a tremendous showcase for the state and its basketball talent with both contests of the doubleheader televised on one of the ESPN networks.”
Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl agrees.
“Almost all of the Division I programs in the state had great seasons (last season),” Pearl said in a press release. “When we have doubleheaders like this it will showcase the level of play in this area.”
MTSU’s season starts 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at home against San Jose State. The Blue Raiders visit Tennessee Nov. 20. MTSU visits Western Kentucky Jan. 3 and plays host to the Hilltoppers Feb. 16.
By JOSH EZZELL, The Murfreesboro (TN) Post
Aug. 8, 2007 - 4:26 p.m.
NASHVILLE — MTSU and Western Kentucky are arch rivals, but to get what they want they have been forced to work together.
To enable the inaugural Sun Belt Classic at Sommet Center in Nashville to become a reality the Blue Raiders and Hilltoppers joined forces to set up a blockbuster doubleheader Dec. 15 in which MTSU will face Memphis at 6 p.m. on ESPN2 and WKU will battle Tennessee 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
“We wanted to create a great atmosphere,” MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro said at a press conference Wednesday at Sommet Center. “All said from the get-go we wanted to make it an NCAA tournament-like event.”
Tickets for the game will be $30 for low-level seats and $15 for upper-level seats. Tickets to the game will be included in the MTSU and WKU season-ticket packages. Top priority will go to season-ticket holders at both schools. Tickets go on sale on a date yet to be determined.
“Both sides (MTSU and WKU) were slated to play non-conference foes in Nashville,” WKU athletic director Wood Selig said. “We started talking about the unique part of putting two non-conference games in here. Our philosophy was let’s get it done. Tennessee and Memphis were agreeable. This is a blockbuster event.”
MTSU went 15-17 last season, while WKU was 22-11. Memphis and Tennessee each made the NCAA tournament last season and will be top-10 teams this season. Last season Memphis made the Elite Eight, while Tennessee fell to eventual national runner-up Ohio State in the Sweet 16.
“We know how hard it is in the South to get big home games in December,” MTSU men’s basketball coach Kermit Davis said. “That’s what we’ve got here.”
The game with Memphis is the last of a three-game deal with the Tigers in which MTSU visited the Bluff City twice. The game in Nashville counts as a home game for MTSU and Western Kentucky.
“The entire nation is going to be watching,” WKU head coach Darrin Horn said. “All four are NCAA possibilities. When you get this you create an NCAA tournament atmosphere.”
Tennessee and Memphis also think the doubleheader could benefit all four schools.
“It is going to be a great night of basketball for the state of Tennessee, having three of the state’s teams playing in the capital city of Nashville,” Memphis head coach John Calipari said in a press release. “It’s going to be a tremendous showcase for the state and its basketball talent with both contests of the doubleheader televised on one of the ESPN networks.”
Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl agrees.
“Almost all of the Division I programs in the state had great seasons (last season),” Pearl said in a press release. “When we have doubleheaders like this it will showcase the level of play in this area.”
MTSU’s season starts 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at home against San Jose State. The Blue Raiders visit Tennessee Nov. 20. MTSU visits Western Kentucky Jan. 3 and plays host to the Hilltoppers Feb. 16.
MTSU v. Memphis, W. Kentucky v. Tennessee Doubleheader in Nashville
MTSU, W. Kentucky plan Memphis doubleheader
Posted: August 8, 2007
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky will play a doubleheader against Memphis and Tennessee on Dec. 15 in what school officials hope will be the first of many Sun Belt Classics.
"It's certainly a great opportunity for Western Kentucky and MTSU to play outstanding programs on a neutral floor and make a national statement," Western Kentucky athletic director Wood Selig said at a news conference Wednesday announcing the games.
Middle Tennessee will play Memphis in a game televised on ESPN2 followed by Western Kentucky and Tennessee on ESPNU. Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky already had the games scheduled with the opponents, but the four schools worked together to plan the doubleheader at the Sommet Center in downtown Nashville, where the NHL's Predators play.
Both Memphis and Tennessee reached the regional semifinals in the NCAA tournament last March and are expected to be ranked in the Top 10 this season.
Middle Tennessee athletic director Chris Massaro said tickets will cost $30 in the lower bowl, $15 in the upper bowl for the doubleheader. Season-ticket buyers for Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky will have first chance at prime seating.
"We want to have a sold-out event, and we want people scalping tickets outside," Massaro said.
Massaro said the advantage for Memphis and Tennessee is both coaches want to expand their teams' presence in Nashville, which is a three-hour drive from each campus. Neither Memphis coach John Calipari nor Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl attended Wednesday.
Calipari said he has wanted to play a neutral game in Nashville since coming to Memphis. Middle Tennessee lost 86-46 when visiting Memphis last season.
"For one thing or another, it didn't work out. I'm glad we helped make it happen this time, especially for our fans that live in the Nashville area who are unable to travel to Memphis for our home games," he said in a statement.
Pearl's Vols played three games in Nashville at the Sommet Center last season and won each of those.
"Some people think there is everything to lose and nothing to gain by playing games like this. I don't agree with that," Pearl said. "You run the risk of getting beat, but the risk is worth it."
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted: August 8, 2007
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky will play a doubleheader against Memphis and Tennessee on Dec. 15 in what school officials hope will be the first of many Sun Belt Classics.
"It's certainly a great opportunity for Western Kentucky and MTSU to play outstanding programs on a neutral floor and make a national statement," Western Kentucky athletic director Wood Selig said at a news conference Wednesday announcing the games.
Middle Tennessee will play Memphis in a game televised on ESPN2 followed by Western Kentucky and Tennessee on ESPNU. Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky already had the games scheduled with the opponents, but the four schools worked together to plan the doubleheader at the Sommet Center in downtown Nashville, where the NHL's Predators play.
Both Memphis and Tennessee reached the regional semifinals in the NCAA tournament last March and are expected to be ranked in the Top 10 this season.
Middle Tennessee athletic director Chris Massaro said tickets will cost $30 in the lower bowl, $15 in the upper bowl for the doubleheader. Season-ticket buyers for Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky will have first chance at prime seating.
"We want to have a sold-out event, and we want people scalping tickets outside," Massaro said.
Massaro said the advantage for Memphis and Tennessee is both coaches want to expand their teams' presence in Nashville, which is a three-hour drive from each campus. Neither Memphis coach John Calipari nor Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl attended Wednesday.
Calipari said he has wanted to play a neutral game in Nashville since coming to Memphis. Middle Tennessee lost 86-46 when visiting Memphis last season.
"For one thing or another, it didn't work out. I'm glad we helped make it happen this time, especially for our fans that live in the Nashville area who are unable to travel to Memphis for our home games," he said in a statement.
Pearl's Vols played three games in Nashville at the Sommet Center last season and won each of those.
"Some people think there is everything to lose and nothing to gain by playing games like this. I don't agree with that," Pearl said. "You run the risk of getting beat, but the risk is worth it."
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Not All Tiger Fans Leave Happy
Not all Tiger fans leave happy
By Dan Wolken
August 5, 2007
After the first few days of re-seating at FedExForum, when it became obvious that even people who increased their Tiger Scholarship Fund donations might not get the seats they desired, the University of Memphis decided to offer refunds to any ticket holders who weren't happy with the available selection.
Apparently, not many took the school up on that offer.
"We had four or five," associate athletic director Bill Lansden said Thursday, the day after his staff completed the re-seating. "They were people who came in at $2,500 and thought they would be in the lower levels. But it was just a handful of them."
And thus ended a three-week process in which Memphis sold every single seat in the lower and club levels and finished with less than 1,000 seats unsold in the upper deck.
Though the numbers are astounding, it was not easy to keep everyone happy. In fact, Lansden at one point had to improvise, selling 40 seats from the media overflow area on the club level and 64 seats on the front row of the Opus restaurant.
But at the end of the day, even the people who weren't necessarily pleased with their seat location did not want to miss out on the 2007-08 season, which the Tigers will likely enter ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in every poll.
"We've been through over 3,000 accounts, and most people are very understanding of the dynamics of the whole situation," Lansden said.
The biggest point of contention came from the $2,500 donors. Though the school originally projected that amount to be good enough for club level seats, "there was no guarantee," Lansden said.
The difference may have been in the $15,000 giving level, which was new for this re-seating. Originally, Memphis projected 30 donors at that level but ended up with 69, who were allowed to buy eight tickets each. That difference of 312 lower-level tickets pushed some of the $2,500 donors upstairs.
Ultimately, the bigger issue facing the Memphis athletic department is whether the fans who were not happy with the outcome will stay on board for the long term.
Bernard Lipsey, a longtime season-ticket holder from Memphis, said he was not happy with the way he was treated during the process. Lipsey, who has six lower-level season tickets, said he was not allowed to select two aisle seats as he had done in past years (even though some were available, he said).
"The process, the money didn't bother me as much as the attitude," Lipsey said. "I didn't ask for a whole lot of things. I asked for one simple thing. I asked to be treated with a little bit of respect. I have 30 years of season tickets, and they always won't have a Calipari out there, there always won't be a No. 1 rating, and they're going to be looking for all those fans they didn't treat right."
Checked out
When senior Joey Dorsey characterized the on-campus facility where the Tiger basketball team lives as "almost like a mansion" in an interview with SI.com's Luke Winn last month, pretty much everybody associated with the program cringed.
In a business where coaches and school officials accuse each other of impropriety at every opportunity, it was not the smartest choice of words. Though completely inadvertent on Dorsey's part, the mere suggestion that the Tigers live in a "mansion" apart from the rest of the student body set off plenty of Internet chatter on opposing schools' message boards accusing Memphis of breaking NCAA rules.
Though the basketball team does live together in a nicely appointed townhouse on the Carpenter Complex, school officials had previously ensured that everything about it was within NCAA guidelines.
Once Dorsey's comments appeared in print, however, coach John Calipari and athletic director R.C. Johnson sent the department's compliance staff to check it out again. The result?
"Everything's good," Johnson said.
The main issue, from an NCAA standpoint, is the 2002 rule that eliminated athletic dorms. As long as athletes make up just 49 percent of a facility, it is not considered an athletic dorm.
"The athletic dorm days are over, but as long as you have the appropriate (non-athlete) representation, there is no reason you can't do something nice," Johnson said.
Scheduling conflicts
With the NBA releasing the Grizzlies' schedule, it doesn't appear there will be many Tigers-Grizzlies doubleheaders at the FedExForum this season.
There are two certain doubleheaders; the Tigers' Dec. 22 game against Georgetown and Jan. 26 game against Gonzaga will be played in the afternoon before the Grizzlies play on those nights. Conference USA has not yet released the league schedule, but there are only three potential Saturdays in which the Tigers could be assigned a home game while the Grizzlies are in town: Feb. 2, March 1 and March 8.
That leaves seven potential Saturday nights for the Tigers this season. Memphis had the arena just once last season on a Saturday night and drew its largest crowd. Three games will certainly be Saturday nights: Dec. 29 against Arizona, Jan. 5 against Pepperdine and Feb. 23 against Tennessee. As of right now, Memphis could also host Saturday night C-USA games on Jan. 12, Jan. 19, Feb. 9 and Feb. 16.
Cal's camp
The John Calipari Basketball School added a final youth summer camp that will begin Monday. The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Wednesday at the Finch Center on Spottswood and Echles. The cost is $125; lunch is not provided.
To reach reporter Dan Wolken, call 529-2365
By Dan Wolken
August 5, 2007
After the first few days of re-seating at FedExForum, when it became obvious that even people who increased their Tiger Scholarship Fund donations might not get the seats they desired, the University of Memphis decided to offer refunds to any ticket holders who weren't happy with the available selection.
Apparently, not many took the school up on that offer.
"We had four or five," associate athletic director Bill Lansden said Thursday, the day after his staff completed the re-seating. "They were people who came in at $2,500 and thought they would be in the lower levels. But it was just a handful of them."
And thus ended a three-week process in which Memphis sold every single seat in the lower and club levels and finished with less than 1,000 seats unsold in the upper deck.
Though the numbers are astounding, it was not easy to keep everyone happy. In fact, Lansden at one point had to improvise, selling 40 seats from the media overflow area on the club level and 64 seats on the front row of the Opus restaurant.
But at the end of the day, even the people who weren't necessarily pleased with their seat location did not want to miss out on the 2007-08 season, which the Tigers will likely enter ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in every poll.
"We've been through over 3,000 accounts, and most people are very understanding of the dynamics of the whole situation," Lansden said.
The biggest point of contention came from the $2,500 donors. Though the school originally projected that amount to be good enough for club level seats, "there was no guarantee," Lansden said.
The difference may have been in the $15,000 giving level, which was new for this re-seating. Originally, Memphis projected 30 donors at that level but ended up with 69, who were allowed to buy eight tickets each. That difference of 312 lower-level tickets pushed some of the $2,500 donors upstairs.
Ultimately, the bigger issue facing the Memphis athletic department is whether the fans who were not happy with the outcome will stay on board for the long term.
Bernard Lipsey, a longtime season-ticket holder from Memphis, said he was not happy with the way he was treated during the process. Lipsey, who has six lower-level season tickets, said he was not allowed to select two aisle seats as he had done in past years (even though some were available, he said).
"The process, the money didn't bother me as much as the attitude," Lipsey said. "I didn't ask for a whole lot of things. I asked for one simple thing. I asked to be treated with a little bit of respect. I have 30 years of season tickets, and they always won't have a Calipari out there, there always won't be a No. 1 rating, and they're going to be looking for all those fans they didn't treat right."
Checked out
When senior Joey Dorsey characterized the on-campus facility where the Tiger basketball team lives as "almost like a mansion" in an interview with SI.com's Luke Winn last month, pretty much everybody associated with the program cringed.
In a business where coaches and school officials accuse each other of impropriety at every opportunity, it was not the smartest choice of words. Though completely inadvertent on Dorsey's part, the mere suggestion that the Tigers live in a "mansion" apart from the rest of the student body set off plenty of Internet chatter on opposing schools' message boards accusing Memphis of breaking NCAA rules.
Though the basketball team does live together in a nicely appointed townhouse on the Carpenter Complex, school officials had previously ensured that everything about it was within NCAA guidelines.
Once Dorsey's comments appeared in print, however, coach John Calipari and athletic director R.C. Johnson sent the department's compliance staff to check it out again. The result?
"Everything's good," Johnson said.
The main issue, from an NCAA standpoint, is the 2002 rule that eliminated athletic dorms. As long as athletes make up just 49 percent of a facility, it is not considered an athletic dorm.
"The athletic dorm days are over, but as long as you have the appropriate (non-athlete) representation, there is no reason you can't do something nice," Johnson said.
Scheduling conflicts
With the NBA releasing the Grizzlies' schedule, it doesn't appear there will be many Tigers-Grizzlies doubleheaders at the FedExForum this season.
There are two certain doubleheaders; the Tigers' Dec. 22 game against Georgetown and Jan. 26 game against Gonzaga will be played in the afternoon before the Grizzlies play on those nights. Conference USA has not yet released the league schedule, but there are only three potential Saturdays in which the Tigers could be assigned a home game while the Grizzlies are in town: Feb. 2, March 1 and March 8.
That leaves seven potential Saturday nights for the Tigers this season. Memphis had the arena just once last season on a Saturday night and drew its largest crowd. Three games will certainly be Saturday nights: Dec. 29 against Arizona, Jan. 5 against Pepperdine and Feb. 23 against Tennessee. As of right now, Memphis could also host Saturday night C-USA games on Jan. 12, Jan. 19, Feb. 9 and Feb. 16.
Cal's camp
The John Calipari Basketball School added a final youth summer camp that will begin Monday. The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Wednesday at the Finch Center on Spottswood and Echles. The cost is $125; lunch is not provided.
To reach reporter Dan Wolken, call 529-2365
Random Thoughts on AASAA Memphis Tigers
Random Thoughts on 2007-2008: The AASAA Memphis Tigers!
http://ncaahoopstoday.blogspot.com
In today's installment of Random Thoughts on the 2007-2008 season we will be looking at the AASAA Memphis Tigers.I hope it doesn't offend Memphis fans too much :)
The Calipari Experiment entered a new phase when Calipari embraced the AASAA offense designed by Vance Walberg (now the Pepperdine head coach). Being a high-major program in a mid-major conference was not enough for Calipari, especially after his high-profile friends schools left for BCS conferences (Pitino, Huggins, Tom Crean). So he had to come up with a new offensive wrinkle as well to separate himself from th other top 50 programs, and have one more reason to be in front of the camera :)
Calipari's return to college was similar in many ways to Pitino's return. Both of them underachieved in the NBA and came back trying to revive programs that were struggling to keep up with the past. Both of them went after high profile recruits and both of them got burned. Because of that, the return to the top did not come as fast as they would have liked and as fans would have expected. But the NBA came to the rescue. The one year limit means that they can now get the big-time lottery picks and have them for a year. So watch out! (more on this later on). But success did come: Pitino managed a surprise Final Four run, while Calipari managed two back-to-back Elite 8 runs. You can't fault them for losing to Greg Oden's Ohio State this year, but last year's offensive meltdown against UCLA in the Elite 8 was a disappointment for Memphis fans. Back to back Elite 8s are not an easy achievement. UCLA had back to back Final Fours but the UCLA team had a ceiling, they couldn't beat Florida. Memphis could have a chance to beat them each year (I'm not saying they would, but unlike UCLA, they had a chance)
So after all the (silly mumblings) the intro, let's look at the 2007-2008 season. Memphis will start the season as a high profile team with a target on their chest. Remember the NBA rule I mentioned above? Because of that, Calipari was able to beat out all the other colleges for the services of tall pure point guard Derrick Rose. A big recruiting win for Calipari and the University of Memphis. But that also increases the pressure to perform and deliver. The team will be a Final Four favorite, and should have another Elite 8 run at the worse. With Rose on the roster, more of their games will be on national TV. CSTV will probably run most of their games that are not on the bigger networks.
And before we get into the roster, there will be something very interesting to observe from an Xs and Os perspective. How does the AASAA offense perform with a premium point guard? And on the flip side, how is a premium point guard affected by the AASAA offense? This is something brand new, Vance Walberg did not have a player of the caliber of Derrick Rose, and neither did Calipari ever since he started incorporating AASAA principles in his o(a)ffense (homage to Majerus). Rose is not a score-first score-second Starbury-type point guard, he is more of the Jason Kidd variety of let's win together. So that will be something interesting to watch unfold and develop!
And now to the roster!. Two players transfered out of Memphis during the off-season. Tre'von Willis, an AAU scoring machine, was not able to find himself in the rotation last year, and decided to transfer to a place where he would get a lot of PT. I believe this a very the logical decision. Willis was 3rd in line behind Kemp and Allen last year. This year he would have been behind those and Derrick Rose. So a good decision imho... Kareem Cooper's career developed the wrong way. He had a promising freshman season peppered with upside. However some issues came up during his sophomore season and he fell behind, also out of the rotation. With Taggart coming in this year, Cooper probably figured he needed a fresh start elsewhere, and perhaps time to burn off those extra calories :)
Had those two players not transferred, Calipari would have had a full compliment of scholarships. The Morris twins committed for this year, but they were planning to go to prep school for a year and enroll in college in 2008-2009. But the prep school route was not for scholarship purposes, so it doesn't make sense to rush things and try to bring them in this year (this has been a recent trend with other schools).
Apart from Derrick Rose, two more new players will be on the roster this season. Touted top 100 east coast wing Jeff Robinson and Iowa State transfer Shawn Taggart. Gone is the redeemed Jeremy Hunt who exhausted his collegiate eligibility.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to assume that Derrick Rose will be the starting point guard. Will Kemp may put up a fight, but Rose is just too good. Calipari could experiment with a two point guard line-up, but he may have to have six players in the line-up to do that :) Kemp will be the back-up point, with Andre Allen being the 3rd string point guard, and perhaps becoming a special situations player (eg come in and provide lots and lots of energy both on defense and offense).
The wings feature the two established Laurenburg players, Buckets (aka CDR) and Antonio Anderson. Different type of players, CDR is a scorer, Anderson is more of a Do-It-All. D-Mack is the 3rd wing, with incoming freshman Jeff Robinson battling him for playing time. Robinson is too good to redshirt, plus Calipari may even be tempted to go to a four guard line-up during certain situations (eg have the best five players on the court). This gives Calipari flexibility on the wing as he can have two of these four, or even play Rose and Kemp together, perhaps when facing pressing teams or when the other players produce more turnovers than the local bakery.
Despite the loss of Cooper, Memphis has more flexibility upfront this season. Dozier is different from all the other forwards, and could even play at the #3 spot (had it not been so crowded already). They can play with a big line-up with Dozier as the third forward. Taggart also adds a new dimension as he is supposed to be able to score from outside the paint. Joey "Oden who?" Dorsey has another chance to get his act together and become the next Ben Wallace. His performance against Ohio State in the Elite 8 (and the comments he made before) should have been a very valuable lesson for him. He should be the starting center. Off the bench, the two space-eaters will have to fight for the #4 spot, both Pierre Niles and Hashim Bailey needed to lose some weight. Niles was the most touted offensively of the two, and he will have an opportunity to earn PT.
So to summarize, Memphis has a premium point guard in Derrick Rose, two back-up point guards, four interchangeable wings, and five diverse big men. This roster allows Calipari a lot of flexibility: he can play with two point guards, he can play small (four guards), he can play big (Dozier the small forward), he can play fast. My prediction? An Elite 8 for sure, and a good chance for a Final Four run. Whether they can win one or two games in the Final Four will probably depend on how fast Derrick Rose develops from a highly touted recruit into an efficient and effective PTP'er.
http://ncaahoopstoday.blogspot.com
In today's installment of Random Thoughts on the 2007-2008 season we will be looking at the AASAA Memphis Tigers.I hope it doesn't offend Memphis fans too much :)
The Calipari Experiment entered a new phase when Calipari embraced the AASAA offense designed by Vance Walberg (now the Pepperdine head coach). Being a high-major program in a mid-major conference was not enough for Calipari, especially after his high-profile friends schools left for BCS conferences (Pitino, Huggins, Tom Crean). So he had to come up with a new offensive wrinkle as well to separate himself from th other top 50 programs, and have one more reason to be in front of the camera :)
Calipari's return to college was similar in many ways to Pitino's return. Both of them underachieved in the NBA and came back trying to revive programs that were struggling to keep up with the past. Both of them went after high profile recruits and both of them got burned. Because of that, the return to the top did not come as fast as they would have liked and as fans would have expected. But the NBA came to the rescue. The one year limit means that they can now get the big-time lottery picks and have them for a year. So watch out! (more on this later on). But success did come: Pitino managed a surprise Final Four run, while Calipari managed two back-to-back Elite 8 runs. You can't fault them for losing to Greg Oden's Ohio State this year, but last year's offensive meltdown against UCLA in the Elite 8 was a disappointment for Memphis fans. Back to back Elite 8s are not an easy achievement. UCLA had back to back Final Fours but the UCLA team had a ceiling, they couldn't beat Florida. Memphis could have a chance to beat them each year (I'm not saying they would, but unlike UCLA, they had a chance)
So after all the (silly mumblings) the intro, let's look at the 2007-2008 season. Memphis will start the season as a high profile team with a target on their chest. Remember the NBA rule I mentioned above? Because of that, Calipari was able to beat out all the other colleges for the services of tall pure point guard Derrick Rose. A big recruiting win for Calipari and the University of Memphis. But that also increases the pressure to perform and deliver. The team will be a Final Four favorite, and should have another Elite 8 run at the worse. With Rose on the roster, more of their games will be on national TV. CSTV will probably run most of their games that are not on the bigger networks.
And before we get into the roster, there will be something very interesting to observe from an Xs and Os perspective. How does the AASAA offense perform with a premium point guard? And on the flip side, how is a premium point guard affected by the AASAA offense? This is something brand new, Vance Walberg did not have a player of the caliber of Derrick Rose, and neither did Calipari ever since he started incorporating AASAA principles in his o(a)ffense (homage to Majerus). Rose is not a score-first score-second Starbury-type point guard, he is more of the Jason Kidd variety of let's win together. So that will be something interesting to watch unfold and develop!
And now to the roster!. Two players transfered out of Memphis during the off-season. Tre'von Willis, an AAU scoring machine, was not able to find himself in the rotation last year, and decided to transfer to a place where he would get a lot of PT. I believe this a very the logical decision. Willis was 3rd in line behind Kemp and Allen last year. This year he would have been behind those and Derrick Rose. So a good decision imho... Kareem Cooper's career developed the wrong way. He had a promising freshman season peppered with upside. However some issues came up during his sophomore season and he fell behind, also out of the rotation. With Taggart coming in this year, Cooper probably figured he needed a fresh start elsewhere, and perhaps time to burn off those extra calories :)
Had those two players not transferred, Calipari would have had a full compliment of scholarships. The Morris twins committed for this year, but they were planning to go to prep school for a year and enroll in college in 2008-2009. But the prep school route was not for scholarship purposes, so it doesn't make sense to rush things and try to bring them in this year (this has been a recent trend with other schools).
Apart from Derrick Rose, two more new players will be on the roster this season. Touted top 100 east coast wing Jeff Robinson and Iowa State transfer Shawn Taggart. Gone is the redeemed Jeremy Hunt who exhausted his collegiate eligibility.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to assume that Derrick Rose will be the starting point guard. Will Kemp may put up a fight, but Rose is just too good. Calipari could experiment with a two point guard line-up, but he may have to have six players in the line-up to do that :) Kemp will be the back-up point, with Andre Allen being the 3rd string point guard, and perhaps becoming a special situations player (eg come in and provide lots and lots of energy both on defense and offense).
The wings feature the two established Laurenburg players, Buckets (aka CDR) and Antonio Anderson. Different type of players, CDR is a scorer, Anderson is more of a Do-It-All. D-Mack is the 3rd wing, with incoming freshman Jeff Robinson battling him for playing time. Robinson is too good to redshirt, plus Calipari may even be tempted to go to a four guard line-up during certain situations (eg have the best five players on the court). This gives Calipari flexibility on the wing as he can have two of these four, or even play Rose and Kemp together, perhaps when facing pressing teams or when the other players produce more turnovers than the local bakery.
Despite the loss of Cooper, Memphis has more flexibility upfront this season. Dozier is different from all the other forwards, and could even play at the #3 spot (had it not been so crowded already). They can play with a big line-up with Dozier as the third forward. Taggart also adds a new dimension as he is supposed to be able to score from outside the paint. Joey "Oden who?" Dorsey has another chance to get his act together and become the next Ben Wallace. His performance against Ohio State in the Elite 8 (and the comments he made before) should have been a very valuable lesson for him. He should be the starting center. Off the bench, the two space-eaters will have to fight for the #4 spot, both Pierre Niles and Hashim Bailey needed to lose some weight. Niles was the most touted offensively of the two, and he will have an opportunity to earn PT.
So to summarize, Memphis has a premium point guard in Derrick Rose, two back-up point guards, four interchangeable wings, and five diverse big men. This roster allows Calipari a lot of flexibility: he can play with two point guards, he can play small (four guards), he can play big (Dozier the small forward), he can play fast. My prediction? An Elite 8 for sure, and a good chance for a Final Four run. Whether they can win one or two games in the Final Four will probably depend on how fast Derrick Rose develops from a highly touted recruit into an efficient and effective PTP'er.
Middle Tennessee, Memphis to Battle In Hoops
MTSU, Memphis to battle in hoops
By ADAM SPARKS
sparks@dnj.com (Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, TN)
MTSU men's basketball will share the floor as part of an intriguing foursome this season.
The Blue Raiders and fellow Sun Belt Conference member Western Kentucky will join two of the top-ranked teams in the country, according to preseason polls, in a doubleheader on Saturday, Dec. 15 at Nashville's Sommet Center.
MTSU will play Memphis at 6 p.m. in a nationally televised game on ESPN2. Western Kentucky will face Tennessee in the nightcap, starting 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
Ticket arrangements have yet to be announced, but the game will count as an MTSU home game and be part of the season ticket package plan. A ticket to the Dec. 15 event is good for both games.
MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro and other sources close to the deal declined comment. The formal announcement will come Wednesday during a news conference at the Sommet Center.
Both Memphis and Tennessee are expected to be ranked among the top five or so teams in the country in preseason polls. Many pundits expect Memphis to be ranked No. 1 in some polls.
MTSU's contest against the Tigers is the last of a three-game contract, which began with two trips to Memphis over the last two seasons. The Blue Raiders lost at Memphis 86-46 on Dec. 23, 2006 and fell 83-50 to the Tigers on Jan. 4, 2006.
Memphis leads 23-15 in its series with MTSU, which began in 1930. MTSU has suffered 11 consecutive losses in the series, last defeating Memphis in the 1952-53 season.
MTSU went 15-17 last season for its first losing season in coach Kermit Davis' five-year tenure and lost in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinal. The Blue Raiders return eight of their top 10 players from last season and add six recruits.
Memphis went 33-4 last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight under coach John Calipari. Tennessee went 24-11 last season under coach Bruce Pearl and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen.
Both Memphis and Tennessee ended last season with losses to Ohio State.
Western Kentucky went 22-11 last season, falling in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals. The Vols defeated Western Kentucky 93-79 last December.
— Adam Sparks, (615) 278-5167
———
Men's basketball doubleheader
Saturday, Dec. 15
At Nashville's Sommet Center
Memphis vs. MTSU, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
Tennessee vs. Western Kentucky
By ADAM SPARKS
sparks@dnj.com (Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, TN)
MTSU men's basketball will share the floor as part of an intriguing foursome this season.
The Blue Raiders and fellow Sun Belt Conference member Western Kentucky will join two of the top-ranked teams in the country, according to preseason polls, in a doubleheader on Saturday, Dec. 15 at Nashville's Sommet Center.
MTSU will play Memphis at 6 p.m. in a nationally televised game on ESPN2. Western Kentucky will face Tennessee in the nightcap, starting 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
Ticket arrangements have yet to be announced, but the game will count as an MTSU home game and be part of the season ticket package plan. A ticket to the Dec. 15 event is good for both games.
MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro and other sources close to the deal declined comment. The formal announcement will come Wednesday during a news conference at the Sommet Center.
Both Memphis and Tennessee are expected to be ranked among the top five or so teams in the country in preseason polls. Many pundits expect Memphis to be ranked No. 1 in some polls.
MTSU's contest against the Tigers is the last of a three-game contract, which began with two trips to Memphis over the last two seasons. The Blue Raiders lost at Memphis 86-46 on Dec. 23, 2006 and fell 83-50 to the Tigers on Jan. 4, 2006.
Memphis leads 23-15 in its series with MTSU, which began in 1930. MTSU has suffered 11 consecutive losses in the series, last defeating Memphis in the 1952-53 season.
MTSU went 15-17 last season for its first losing season in coach Kermit Davis' five-year tenure and lost in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinal. The Blue Raiders return eight of their top 10 players from last season and add six recruits.
Memphis went 33-4 last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight under coach John Calipari. Tennessee went 24-11 last season under coach Bruce Pearl and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen.
Both Memphis and Tennessee ended last season with losses to Ohio State.
Western Kentucky went 22-11 last season, falling in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals. The Vols defeated Western Kentucky 93-79 last December.
— Adam Sparks, (615) 278-5167
———
Men's basketball doubleheader
Saturday, Dec. 15
At Nashville's Sommet Center
Memphis vs. MTSU, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
Tennessee vs. Western Kentucky
U of M Plays Up #1 Spot With New Billboards
U of M plays up No. 1 spot with new billboards
By David Williams
August 5, 2007
They are the signs of the heady times, billboards touting the University of Memphis basketball season with wit, attitude and a single red rose.
The city-wide campaign of 15 billboards with 12 designs featuring eight players was developed by local agency carpenter | sullivan | sossaman -- with an assist from Tigers coach (and former college marketing major) John Calipari.
"Cal had very definite opinions and ideas of what he wanted to see," said Rob Hoerter, cs2 account supervisor. "We were just coming off being ranked preseason No. 1 in two polls. He wanted to have an attitude out there. He didn't want to be ashamed."
In seasons past, a billboard campaign typically would feature a single design on four signs, starting in October.
"But this season, it's a little different -- it's special," said Angela McCarter, director of marketing for the athletic department. "We're preseason No. 1. It doesn't happen every year. We thought that we would play off the energy."
Said Calipari, "It's the first time that we've really said, 'Look, we've got to get after this. We've got to go out and be proactive and market our players.'"
And so, there's a billboard of a slam-dunking Joey Dorsey with a message -- "That's Mister Dorsey to You" -- that's already resonating well beyond the I-240 loop. ESPN.com senior college basketball writer Andy Katz referenced the billboard in a story about Dorsey's unique combination of brawn and brag.
Another billboard, featuring a stern-faced Pierre Niles, takes a just-the-facts approach, but brashly so: "2 Seasons. 66 Wins. Any questions?"
Others highlight the facets and feats of the individual -- the Andre Allen "All Aboard the A-Train" billboard and the "Remember the Alamodome" billboard with Antonio Anderson, hero of last season's NCAA tournament Sweet 16 victory in San Antonio. (The Alamodome, for those Tiger fans already making post-season travel plans, is the site of this season's Final Four.)
In a bottom corner of each billboard is the phone number for season tickets. This is, after all, a marketing campaign -- the athletic department is pushing $100 season tickets available in the upper deck at FedExForum.
"This is not business as usual -- waiting for people to call us, to sell tickets," Calipari said.
Oh, and there's that single red rose on every billboard -- tucked between "season tickets" and "678-2331" on most billboards, and in full flower on a sign that beckons, "Witness a Rare Fall Bloom."
The rose, of course, is a reference to freshman phenom Derrick Rose.
"I think that's so subtle, but so powerful," said cs2 principal Brian Sullivan.
It was Calipari's idea, sparked by a comment from assistant coach Derek Kellogg -- and a nifty way around the thorny issue of NCAA rules prohibiting the school from using an incoming player in advertising.
"Cal was all about the rose, from day one," Hoerter said. "Part of our job as an agency is to listen. Ideas come from anywhere."
Walter Rose, cs2 creative director, said Calipari "loves all this stuff," meaning marketing, selling, spreading the gospel of Tiger hoops. "He understands it and gets it like few people."
Sitting around a downstairs table last week at the firm's Union Avenue headquarter, cs2 staff joked and marveled at Calipari -- who has a degree in marketing from Clarion -- and his knack for promotion.
"When it comes to Cal, there's nothing completely out of the question," said Rose, imaging a conversation that hasn't happened -- yet.
Calipari: "We're going to dye the Mississippi River blue the first game."
Rose: "We're on it!"
But, of course, Calipari has a day job, and so other billboard designs were products of cs2 brainstorming -- which could otherwise be described as, two fans sitting around talking Tiger hoops.
"It's pretty much Troy and I sitting there, saying, 'What about this?'" Rose said, referring to associate creative director Troy McCall. "Then we'll talk about this team and how great it's going be, and say, 'Well, what about this?'"
Said McCall, "It's easy to buy into the hype and be excited about it."
Team marketing campaigns often focus on the team, especially at the college level. But the 2007-2008 Tigers, being a strong collection of personalities and styles with local-hero status, called for another approach. So Chris Douglas-Roberts, Robert Dozier, Willie Kemp and Doneal Mack also appear.
"You really can highlight the depth of the team, which is particularly strong," said cs2 principal Doug Carpenter.
Said Hoerter, "People know all the players who are playing. They're on a first-name basis with them. Everybody knows Joey."
That last sentence hung in the air like a perfectly lobbed pass.
Then Rose the creative director, with timing a leaping Tiger might envy, said, "That's Mr. Dorsey to you."
By David Williams
August 5, 2007
They are the signs of the heady times, billboards touting the University of Memphis basketball season with wit, attitude and a single red rose.
The city-wide campaign of 15 billboards with 12 designs featuring eight players was developed by local agency carpenter | sullivan | sossaman -- with an assist from Tigers coach (and former college marketing major) John Calipari.
"Cal had very definite opinions and ideas of what he wanted to see," said Rob Hoerter, cs2 account supervisor. "We were just coming off being ranked preseason No. 1 in two polls. He wanted to have an attitude out there. He didn't want to be ashamed."
In seasons past, a billboard campaign typically would feature a single design on four signs, starting in October.
"But this season, it's a little different -- it's special," said Angela McCarter, director of marketing for the athletic department. "We're preseason No. 1. It doesn't happen every year. We thought that we would play off the energy."
Said Calipari, "It's the first time that we've really said, 'Look, we've got to get after this. We've got to go out and be proactive and market our players.'"
And so, there's a billboard of a slam-dunking Joey Dorsey with a message -- "That's Mister Dorsey to You" -- that's already resonating well beyond the I-240 loop. ESPN.com senior college basketball writer Andy Katz referenced the billboard in a story about Dorsey's unique combination of brawn and brag.
Another billboard, featuring a stern-faced Pierre Niles, takes a just-the-facts approach, but brashly so: "2 Seasons. 66 Wins. Any questions?"
Others highlight the facets and feats of the individual -- the Andre Allen "All Aboard the A-Train" billboard and the "Remember the Alamodome" billboard with Antonio Anderson, hero of last season's NCAA tournament Sweet 16 victory in San Antonio. (The Alamodome, for those Tiger fans already making post-season travel plans, is the site of this season's Final Four.)
In a bottom corner of each billboard is the phone number for season tickets. This is, after all, a marketing campaign -- the athletic department is pushing $100 season tickets available in the upper deck at FedExForum.
"This is not business as usual -- waiting for people to call us, to sell tickets," Calipari said.
Oh, and there's that single red rose on every billboard -- tucked between "season tickets" and "678-2331" on most billboards, and in full flower on a sign that beckons, "Witness a Rare Fall Bloom."
The rose, of course, is a reference to freshman phenom Derrick Rose.
"I think that's so subtle, but so powerful," said cs2 principal Brian Sullivan.
It was Calipari's idea, sparked by a comment from assistant coach Derek Kellogg -- and a nifty way around the thorny issue of NCAA rules prohibiting the school from using an incoming player in advertising.
"Cal was all about the rose, from day one," Hoerter said. "Part of our job as an agency is to listen. Ideas come from anywhere."
Walter Rose, cs2 creative director, said Calipari "loves all this stuff," meaning marketing, selling, spreading the gospel of Tiger hoops. "He understands it and gets it like few people."
Sitting around a downstairs table last week at the firm's Union Avenue headquarter, cs2 staff joked and marveled at Calipari -- who has a degree in marketing from Clarion -- and his knack for promotion.
"When it comes to Cal, there's nothing completely out of the question," said Rose, imaging a conversation that hasn't happened -- yet.
Calipari: "We're going to dye the Mississippi River blue the first game."
Rose: "We're on it!"
But, of course, Calipari has a day job, and so other billboard designs were products of cs2 brainstorming -- which could otherwise be described as, two fans sitting around talking Tiger hoops.
"It's pretty much Troy and I sitting there, saying, 'What about this?'" Rose said, referring to associate creative director Troy McCall. "Then we'll talk about this team and how great it's going be, and say, 'Well, what about this?'"
Said McCall, "It's easy to buy into the hype and be excited about it."
Team marketing campaigns often focus on the team, especially at the college level. But the 2007-2008 Tigers, being a strong collection of personalities and styles with local-hero status, called for another approach. So Chris Douglas-Roberts, Robert Dozier, Willie Kemp and Doneal Mack also appear.
"You really can highlight the depth of the team, which is particularly strong," said cs2 principal Doug Carpenter.
Said Hoerter, "People know all the players who are playing. They're on a first-name basis with them. Everybody knows Joey."
That last sentence hung in the air like a perfectly lobbed pass.
Then Rose the creative director, with timing a leaping Tiger might envy, said, "That's Mr. Dorsey to you."
Friday, August 03, 2007
WPTY-TV Dismisses Gaston, Tiger Play-By-Play Man
WPTY dismisses Gaston
By Ron Higgins, Commercial Appeal
August 2, 2007
Greg Gaston, a sports anchor at WPTY-TV (Channel 24) since the station started a news department 12 years ago, has been fired.
Gaston, 45, who did his final telecasts on WPTY and WLMT (Channel 30) on Tuesday, confirmed that the station decided not to renew his contract.
"They told me last week it was a business decision, and I have no reason to believe otherwise," Gaston said. "We had a good parting of the ways."
Jim Turpin, the station's news director, did not return phone calls.
The stations were among those purchased in April by Providence Equity Partners of Providence, R.I., which agreed to buy all the TV stations owned by Clear Channel Communications and operate them under Newport Television LLC, a newly formed holding company.
Gaston also said WPTY gave him the option of continuing to host University of Memphis basketball coach John Calipari's weekly highlight show, as well the limited number of UofM basketball games televised by the stations. If Gaston finds a job with another station, however, that clause will be removed.
Gaston said his other job, as a co-host with Eli Savoie of a daily talk show on WHBQ-AM (560) 11 a.m.-1 p.m., will continue, as well as freelance work that Gaston does.
"I'm very proud of the work we did," said Gaston of his time at WPTY. "Our goal was to make the sports department the best part of the telecast, and I think we did."
Gaston's bio has already been removed from the station's Web site, which also lists 12 job openings, including 11 full-time spots. The only sports reporter remaining on the Web site is Rob Petrone, who did a video tribute to Gaston that's on the Web site (abc24.com).
"I guess I'm now a free agent," Gaston said. "I'd like to stay in Memphis at least for one more year until my daughter graduates from high school."
-- Ron Higgins: 529-2525
By Ron Higgins, Commercial Appeal
August 2, 2007
Greg Gaston, a sports anchor at WPTY-TV (Channel 24) since the station started a news department 12 years ago, has been fired.
Gaston, 45, who did his final telecasts on WPTY and WLMT (Channel 30) on Tuesday, confirmed that the station decided not to renew his contract.
"They told me last week it was a business decision, and I have no reason to believe otherwise," Gaston said. "We had a good parting of the ways."
Jim Turpin, the station's news director, did not return phone calls.
The stations were among those purchased in April by Providence Equity Partners of Providence, R.I., which agreed to buy all the TV stations owned by Clear Channel Communications and operate them under Newport Television LLC, a newly formed holding company.
Gaston also said WPTY gave him the option of continuing to host University of Memphis basketball coach John Calipari's weekly highlight show, as well the limited number of UofM basketball games televised by the stations. If Gaston finds a job with another station, however, that clause will be removed.
Gaston said his other job, as a co-host with Eli Savoie of a daily talk show on WHBQ-AM (560) 11 a.m.-1 p.m., will continue, as well as freelance work that Gaston does.
"I'm very proud of the work we did," said Gaston of his time at WPTY. "Our goal was to make the sports department the best part of the telecast, and I think we did."
Gaston's bio has already been removed from the station's Web site, which also lists 12 job openings, including 11 full-time spots. The only sports reporter remaining on the Web site is Rob Petrone, who did a video tribute to Gaston that's on the Web site (abc24.com).
"I guess I'm now a free agent," Gaston said. "I'd like to stay in Memphis at least for one more year until my daughter graduates from high school."
-- Ron Higgins: 529-2525
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Tulsa Extends Doug Wojcik's Contract Through 2013
Committed
Wojcik extends contract in Tulsa until at least 2013
Posted: Thursday August 2, 2007 12:05PM; Updated: Thursday August 2, 2007 12:05PM
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Tulsa extended the contract of coach Doug Wojcik by two years Thursday after he pulled the program out of a run of three straight losing seasons.
The extension will keep Wojcik with the Golden Hurricane for six more seasons, through the 2012-2013 season.
"I'm excited to receive a contract extension. It shows great commitment toward my staff and I," Wojcik said in a statement. "There are so many positive things taking place at TU and in the community that make it such an exciting time for my family and I to be in Tulsa."
Wojcik, who in 2005 took over a team that had back-to-back nine-wins seasons, has a 31-28 record in two seasons at Tulsa. Terms of his contract were not disclosed.
"Doug has done a tremendous job in his two seasons by inheriting a team with back-to-back nine win seasons and leading us to 20 victories in just his second year," athletic director Bubba Cunningham said. "We believe that Doug has injected into our program a passion for returning Golden Hurricane basketball to greatness and where Tulsa fans are used to seeing it."
Tulsa went to the NCAA tournament eight times between 1994 and 2003, advancing as far as the round of eight in 2000 under current Kansas coach Bill Self. The Golden Hurricane also won the NIT the following year.
That run of success faded in the final two years under John Phillips, and Wojcik was brought in after Alvin "Pooh" Williamson had replaced Phillips on an interim basis.
Wojcik, a former assistant to Tom Izzo at Michigan State, quickly revamped the roster, bringing in 13 of his own players prior to the start of his second season at Tulsa. The result was a 20-11 record last season.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Wojcik extends contract in Tulsa until at least 2013
Posted: Thursday August 2, 2007 12:05PM; Updated: Thursday August 2, 2007 12:05PM
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Tulsa extended the contract of coach Doug Wojcik by two years Thursday after he pulled the program out of a run of three straight losing seasons.
The extension will keep Wojcik with the Golden Hurricane for six more seasons, through the 2012-2013 season.
"I'm excited to receive a contract extension. It shows great commitment toward my staff and I," Wojcik said in a statement. "There are so many positive things taking place at TU and in the community that make it such an exciting time for my family and I to be in Tulsa."
Wojcik, who in 2005 took over a team that had back-to-back nine-wins seasons, has a 31-28 record in two seasons at Tulsa. Terms of his contract were not disclosed.
"Doug has done a tremendous job in his two seasons by inheriting a team with back-to-back nine win seasons and leading us to 20 victories in just his second year," athletic director Bubba Cunningham said. "We believe that Doug has injected into our program a passion for returning Golden Hurricane basketball to greatness and where Tulsa fans are used to seeing it."
Tulsa went to the NCAA tournament eight times between 1994 and 2003, advancing as far as the round of eight in 2000 under current Kansas coach Bill Self. The Golden Hurricane also won the NIT the following year.
That run of success faded in the final two years under John Phillips, and Wojcik was brought in after Alvin "Pooh" Williamson had replaced Phillips on an interim basis.
Wojcik, a former assistant to Tom Izzo at Michigan State, quickly revamped the roster, bringing in 13 of his own players prior to the start of his second season at Tulsa. The result was a 20-11 record last season.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Tiger Nicknames of the Past (In Honor of Former Tiger Tank Beavers Who Was Killed Last Year)
See following story (also see stories from December 19th, 2006)
Tiger Nicknames
Tanqueray "Tank" Beavers
Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway
Jimmie "Snap" Hunter
Sylvester "Deuce" Ford, Jr.
Larry "Special K" Kenon
Baskerville "Batman" Holmes
Arthur "O.G." Barclay
Elliott "Socks" Perry
Philip "Doom" Haynes
Andre "Turnover" Turner (but only his freshman year)
Cedric "Ced" Henderson
Rich "House" Jones
Darius "DWash" Washington, Jr.
Lorenzen "The Howl" Wright
Shyrone "Shy" Chatman
Shamel "Black" Jones
Marcus "Smooth" Moody
Leon "Le-Le" Mitchell
Anthony "Six" Douglas
Tony "Mad Dog" Madlock
Tiger Nicknames
Tanqueray "Tank" Beavers
Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway
Jimmie "Snap" Hunter
Sylvester "Deuce" Ford, Jr.
Larry "Special K" Kenon
Baskerville "Batman" Holmes
Arthur "O.G." Barclay
Elliott "Socks" Perry
Philip "Doom" Haynes
Andre "Turnover" Turner (but only his freshman year)
Cedric "Ced" Henderson
Rich "House" Jones
Darius "DWash" Washington, Jr.
Lorenzen "The Howl" Wright
Shyrone "Shy" Chatman
Shamel "Black" Jones
Marcus "Smooth" Moody
Leon "Le-Le" Mitchell
Anthony "Six" Douglas
Tony "Mad Dog" Madlock
Boys & Girls Club of Athens, Alabama to Honor Tank Beavers, Slain Basketball Star (and Former U of M Tiger)
Boys & Girls Club to honor slain basketball star
Thursday, August 02, 2007
By STEVE CAMPBELL, Huntsville (AL) Times Staff Writer
steve.campbell@htimes.com
Tank Beavers, who died last year, was club's first member
ATHENS - The Athens Boys & Girls Club has big plans Friday and Saturday to honor the late Tanqueray "Tank" Beavers, the Athens club's first member.
The activities begin at 10 a.m. Friday with a ribbon-cutting to dedicate a gym to Beavers, a scholarship luncheon, a sportsmanship clinic for kids and a two-day basketball tournament for adults.
Beavers, 21, was fatally shot with his cousin, Thurston Turner, 27, on Dec. 17 at T.G.I. Friday's restaurant in Huntsville.
Suzanne Rainey, director of the Athens club, said a mural of Beavers will be unveiled at the gym, where Beavers spent much of his childhood.
At noon, University of Memphis head basketball coach John Calipari is expected to speak at the "founding supporters" luncheon at Friendship United Methodist Church. Club members will ask for $1,000 donations toward a future scholarship.
Beavers, a former Athens High School basketball star, played at Memphis during the 2004-2005 season under Calipari.
Beavers returned home before the season's end for personal reasons. He visited his old club frequently, Rainey said.
At 2 p.m., kids ages 8-12 may participate in the Hendrix Sportsmanship Clinic. The clinic will teach sportsmanship, conflict resolution and teamwork, Rainey said.
The clinic is free for club members and $20 for non-members.
At 4 p.m., the adult basketball tournament will begin at the club and end Saturday. Admission to the tournament is $3 per person.
Greg Gaston (TV Play By Play for Tigers) Off the Air at Fox 24 WPTY Memphis
From http://joelarkins.wordpress.com/
Must Be Something in the Water…Another On-Air Person is OFF the Air in Memphis
Don’t things like this come in threes. First it was George Brown, now Greg Gaston is gone from WPTY. I’ve heard it was a contract dispute. No confirmation on that though. Gaston who has been in the market for about a dozen years has been the voice of the University of Memphis State University Tigers. They had a video send-off at the end of WPTY’s newscast. Not sure if he will continue to be the voice of the Tigers or if that will fall to whoever WPTY puts in his place.
Must Be Something in the Water…Another On-Air Person is OFF the Air in Memphis
Don’t things like this come in threes. First it was George Brown, now Greg Gaston is gone from WPTY. I’ve heard it was a contract dispute. No confirmation on that though. Gaston who has been in the market for about a dozen years has been the voice of the University of Memphis State University Tigers. They had a video send-off at the end of WPTY’s newscast. Not sure if he will continue to be the voice of the Tigers or if that will fall to whoever WPTY puts in his place.
From the Louisville Courier Journal "It's Basketball Scheduling Season"
Courier-Journal.com
The Courier Journal, Louisville, Kentucky
It's basketball scheduling season
If you want to e-mail me, I welcome the correspondence.
If you want to e-mail me just to ask if I’ve seen Florida’s basketball schedule, I can save you the keystrokes.
Yes, I’ve seen it.
No, it’s not impressive.
And no, seeing it wouldn’t have changed how I wrote my story earlier this week about the University of Kentucky’s schedule.
I still feel the same about UK’s after having seen Florida’s: That it’s a balance between pretty good teams and pretty bad ones, and that the bad ones are maybe a little worse than they’ve been in recent years.
(Frankly, I don’t agree with e-mailers who’ve said Sunday’s story was too harsh on UK. It’s not as if I wrote that Billy Gillispie has gone out of his way to soften the schedule. Other than dropping UMass in exchange for a game against Texas Southern, I don’t think UK’s is a bad one, given that I expect Louisville, North Carolina and Indiana to be Top 10-caliber teams. And that’s to say nothing of potential opponent Memphis, the likely preseason No. 1.)
For comparison’s sake, though, you should take a peek at Florida’s. As another writer said to me, this explains how Florida can win national titles and not sell out home games.
Florida’s non-con home schedule consists of North Dakota State, Tennessee Tech, UNC-Central, Rutgers, North Florida, Florida State, Stetson, Jacksonville, Florida A&M, Charleston Southern and High Point.
The Gators play three other games at “neutral” sites in Florida: Vermont in Tampa, Georgia Southern in Jacksonville and Temple in Sunrise.
There’s also one road game against Ohio State that, along with Florida State, gives the Gators two pretty appealing games.
If you want to see a dynamite non-con schedule, check out Memphis’. The Tigers can afford to go heavy early, since it’s smooth sailing in Conference USA, and John Calipari certainly is taking advantage.
Besides likely playing two of UK/Connecticut/Oklahoma in New York City at the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, the Tigers also will face Southern Cal in Madison Square Garden. Memphis has home games against Georgetown, Arizona, Gonzaga and Tennessee and a road game at Cincinnati.
Memphis’ schedule isn’t the norm, though.
Even Michigan State, once the kind of powerhouse nonconference schedules, has scaled back in recent years. Not that the Spartans are fleeing from good competition. They’ll play North Carolina State and Texas this season; they’re in the CBE Classic with Missouri, Maryland and UCLA; and a road game at Bradley is no pushover.
Tomorrow, I promise, we'll deal with football in this space, as we should in August.
Posted by Brett Dawson at 6:31 PM
The Courier Journal, Louisville, Kentucky
It's basketball scheduling season
If you want to e-mail me, I welcome the correspondence.
If you want to e-mail me just to ask if I’ve seen Florida’s basketball schedule, I can save you the keystrokes.
Yes, I’ve seen it.
No, it’s not impressive.
And no, seeing it wouldn’t have changed how I wrote my story earlier this week about the University of Kentucky’s schedule.
I still feel the same about UK’s after having seen Florida’s: That it’s a balance between pretty good teams and pretty bad ones, and that the bad ones are maybe a little worse than they’ve been in recent years.
(Frankly, I don’t agree with e-mailers who’ve said Sunday’s story was too harsh on UK. It’s not as if I wrote that Billy Gillispie has gone out of his way to soften the schedule. Other than dropping UMass in exchange for a game against Texas Southern, I don’t think UK’s is a bad one, given that I expect Louisville, North Carolina and Indiana to be Top 10-caliber teams. And that’s to say nothing of potential opponent Memphis, the likely preseason No. 1.)
For comparison’s sake, though, you should take a peek at Florida’s. As another writer said to me, this explains how Florida can win national titles and not sell out home games.
Florida’s non-con home schedule consists of North Dakota State, Tennessee Tech, UNC-Central, Rutgers, North Florida, Florida State, Stetson, Jacksonville, Florida A&M, Charleston Southern and High Point.
The Gators play three other games at “neutral” sites in Florida: Vermont in Tampa, Georgia Southern in Jacksonville and Temple in Sunrise.
There’s also one road game against Ohio State that, along with Florida State, gives the Gators two pretty appealing games.
If you want to see a dynamite non-con schedule, check out Memphis’. The Tigers can afford to go heavy early, since it’s smooth sailing in Conference USA, and John Calipari certainly is taking advantage.
Besides likely playing two of UK/Connecticut/Oklahoma in New York City at the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, the Tigers also will face Southern Cal in Madison Square Garden. Memphis has home games against Georgetown, Arizona, Gonzaga and Tennessee and a road game at Cincinnati.
Memphis’ schedule isn’t the norm, though.
Even Michigan State, once the kind of powerhouse nonconference schedules, has scaled back in recent years. Not that the Spartans are fleeing from good competition. They’ll play North Carolina State and Texas this season; they’re in the CBE Classic with Missouri, Maryland and UCLA; and a road game at Bradley is no pushover.
Tomorrow, I promise, we'll deal with football in this space, as we should in August.
Posted by Brett Dawson at 6:31 PM
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
More Tiger Trivia
Question:
Who were the six original members of the Metro Conference formed in 1975?
Answer:
Cincinnati (1975-91)
Georgia Tech (1975-78)
Louisville (1975-95)
Memphis State (1975-91)
Saint Louis (1975-82)
Tulane (1975-95)
And One for Grizzlies Fans: One-on-One with GM Chris Wallace
Grizzlies: One-on-One with GM Chris Wallace
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Bill Ingram
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Aug 1, 2007, 10:05
When former Celtics GM Chris Wallace decided it was time to leave the friendly confines of Boston he went looking for a team that had a great shot at being good right away. He didn't have to look far. The Memphis Grizzlies, looking to fill Jerry West's vacated GM spot, provided plenty for Wallace to get excited about.
"This is a very attractive position for a number of reasons," explains Wallace. "First of all, Jerry West left us a significant amount of young talent in the likes of Rudy Gay, Kyle Lowry, Hakim Warrick, and the older players who are some of the better players at their position in the NBA, like Pau Gasol and Mike Miller. It's an attractive roster that was left behind. This team had been in the playoffs three of the last four years before stepping out of the postseason last year. So this team can win, the talent is there to win, and when you add the arrival of Marc Iavaroni as head coach, that was very appealing to me, as well. I really am impressed with his background. He was on a championship team as a player, he played in Europe later on, he's been with Jerry Sloan and Karl Malone and John Stockton up in Utah as a player. As a coach he's worked on the collegiate level with the likes of Jim Larranaga, who led George Mason to that Cinderella run to the Final Four two years ago. Then in the NBA he's been with Mike Fratello, Pat Riley, and Mike D'Antoni. As a coach he's as well prepared as any assistant I've seen who's ascending to a head coaching position. He has significant experience on both sides of the ball from some of the best offensive and defensive coaches out there. He also has a great track record as a developer of young big men and as a developer of talent overall. That's a very attractive coaching package right there. When you add up the talent we have and the presence of Marc Iavaroni, it was an easy decision to come to Memphis."
One of the first issues Wallace had to address was the very public trade demand issued by All-Star power forward Pau Gasol. The Grizzlies refused to seriously entertain the notion, preferring instead to make all of the changes necessary to make Gasol happy.
"My conversations with Pau have been very positive," confirms Wallace. "He wants to win and being in that type of environment and we're going to provide him a winning environment. We think he's going to thrive in Marc's system because he's such a versatile and skilled offensive player. His talents are going to be accentuated to the highest degree. We're going to get up and down the court and everything we're going to do will feed into his strengths."
Two things that needed to happen for Gasol to change his tune were addressed right away by the Grizzlies' new GM. First, he drafted an outstanding floor general in Mike Conley, Jr. Second, he added a quality big man to play center next to Gasol. Conley has yet to prove he's ready to start, of course, but Wallace plans to give him plenty of time on the court regardless of his spot in the lineup.
"It's a little early here in late July to say who's going to start in any of these positions, but he's going to get an opportunity to play a great deal - as much as he can handle this year. Mike has tremendous speed and quickness and in today's NBA quickness and speed kill. It's so difficult to guard the real burners out on the perimeter with the defensive rules that have been in place now for a couple of seasons. You see what Tony Parker can do, for example, in San Antonio. Speed and quickness in the point guard position is imperative in this age and Mike has that in abundance. He also has decision-making and maturity on the floor that belies his youth. He conducts himself and makes decisions like a much older and more experienced player."
Now at center will be former number one draft pick Darko Milicic. He rode the bench in Detroit for three seasons, finally got a little playing time in Orlando, and will now get to show what he can do with a full-time starting role.
"I think having Conley, having Gasol, having all of our players is going to be very instrumental in getting Darko to go up a couple of notches and become the player that everyone's thought he could be for quite some time. Darko is going to be a great complement to Pau Gasol. He not only is the big body that Pau needed on the front line, but he is a player who has great versatility and skill in his own right. He can score on the block with either hand, he can go out and face the basket and hit the outside jumper, he passes the ball well, he's a good offside shot blocker, he's a decent rebounder - that's the area he needs to improve the most in. But we're very excited about getting him in here in September after his time with the Serbian national team is completed and really getting to work with Darko in bringing out these incredible talents that he possesses. Darko reminds me a little of Jermaine O'Neal in the sense that they both played for very strong teams, talented, veteran teams. Jermaine was in Portland and Darko in Detroit. They didn't get to play a great deal, but they went to practice on a daily basis against some of the best front court players in the NBA. Then he went off to Orlando and received more playing time and did some good things with that opportunity, particularly in the playoffs last year. He did well against his old Detroit Pistons team. Darko's got a huge carrot out in front of him, too. He's just 22 years old and at the completion of his contract he'll still just be 25. He can coveted by the rest of the NBA at the end of his contract if he performs here for the Grizzlies."
Last season the Grizzlies traded away Shane Battier to acquire Rudy Gay from the Houston Rockets. In his short time with the team Gay has already shown signs of becoming a rare and wonderful talent in the NBA. He had a remarkable summer league, scoring 18.2 points per game and putting on a show for the crowd at UNLV with his above-the-rim game.
"Rudy showed flashes of brilliance last year as a rookie, as he did during his two years at the University of Connecticut," says Wallace. "He has tremendous athleticism, I mean he can get in the lane and go over the top of basically anybody in the game to make that spectacular play at the basket. He has range on his shot, he just has to become a more consistent outside shooter. Rudy really has all of the skills and offensive talents necessary to eventually become a big time player in the NBA. He's going to fit in very well with Marc Iavaroni's system, and look for Rudy to also play some at the power forward spot, not just small forward. That will be in an effort to take advantage of his speed and quickness in some match-ups with power forwards."
Running next to Gay will be Hakim Warrick, who started coming into his own in 2006-07. He averaged 12.7 points per game and became a full-time starter for the Grizzlies.
"Hakim's also going to fit in very well in this new regime because this is going to be an up-tempo system and he's an up-tempo player," beams Wallace. "Hakim can get up and down the court, he has tremendous length and athleticism. Late last season he put several double-doubles together, I'm really excited about seeing him up close, now that I'm with the Grizzlies. I think he's going to thrive with Marc."
All of these changes and potential are great, but is this a playoff team in 2007-08? Chris Wallace gives us his take, starting with the health factor.
"I think, obviously, this is dependent on good health. Last year the team did not have an optimum season in terms of health for key individuals. For example, Gasol got hurt in the World Championships and was out until December. That was a lethal blow for the Grizzlies. Kyle Lowry only played in ten games and missed the final 72. You've got to have your health. If everyone's healthy I think we're going to be much-improved. Gasol now has someone to complement him on the front line in Darko Milicic. Our point guard position has been upgraded and is deeper now with the arrival of Mike Conley. Rudy Gay and Hakim Warrick and Kyle Lowry are all a year older. We've got outside shooting with Mike Miller, one of the best long-distance marksmen in the league. Casey Jacobsen, who we brought in, is also a big outside shooting threat. I think the big issues that the team faced heading into the draft were addressing the point guard situation, which we have with Conley, enhancing the front line to help Pau, which we got in Darko Milicic, and we also picked up Andre Brown, who's a hustling rebounder up front. He was one of the top players in the NBDL last year before he went to Seattle, where he stuck the remainder of the season. Then the outside shooting improved when we picked up Casey and also Darko is a considerable outside shooter. So we feel that we've addressed three of the biggest needs coming into the offseason. There's also been a great deal of excitement internally with this team with a new coach, a new system, we have a very hands-on player development coaching staff here, which is going to fit in well with the number of young players that we need to develop. We're well aware that the Western Conference is very strong, but at the same time we feel that this team has all of the ingredients necessary to turn things around very quickly."
It certainly seems as though the Grizzlies have made all of the moves necessary to put themselves in the thick of the Western Conference playoff chase - if not in the quest for home court advantage. There are a number of teams in the West that are on the bubble, and the Grizzlies would like to serve notice that they're ready and willing to break the bubble.
Bill Ingram is Executive Editor for Basketball News Services, powering HOOPSWORLD.COM, SWISH Magazine, and The Basketball News Report. He is a member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association and primarily covers the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Bill Ingram
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Aug 1, 2007, 10:05
When former Celtics GM Chris Wallace decided it was time to leave the friendly confines of Boston he went looking for a team that had a great shot at being good right away. He didn't have to look far. The Memphis Grizzlies, looking to fill Jerry West's vacated GM spot, provided plenty for Wallace to get excited about.
"This is a very attractive position for a number of reasons," explains Wallace. "First of all, Jerry West left us a significant amount of young talent in the likes of Rudy Gay, Kyle Lowry, Hakim Warrick, and the older players who are some of the better players at their position in the NBA, like Pau Gasol and Mike Miller. It's an attractive roster that was left behind. This team had been in the playoffs three of the last four years before stepping out of the postseason last year. So this team can win, the talent is there to win, and when you add the arrival of Marc Iavaroni as head coach, that was very appealing to me, as well. I really am impressed with his background. He was on a championship team as a player, he played in Europe later on, he's been with Jerry Sloan and Karl Malone and John Stockton up in Utah as a player. As a coach he's worked on the collegiate level with the likes of Jim Larranaga, who led George Mason to that Cinderella run to the Final Four two years ago. Then in the NBA he's been with Mike Fratello, Pat Riley, and Mike D'Antoni. As a coach he's as well prepared as any assistant I've seen who's ascending to a head coaching position. He has significant experience on both sides of the ball from some of the best offensive and defensive coaches out there. He also has a great track record as a developer of young big men and as a developer of talent overall. That's a very attractive coaching package right there. When you add up the talent we have and the presence of Marc Iavaroni, it was an easy decision to come to Memphis."
One of the first issues Wallace had to address was the very public trade demand issued by All-Star power forward Pau Gasol. The Grizzlies refused to seriously entertain the notion, preferring instead to make all of the changes necessary to make Gasol happy.
"My conversations with Pau have been very positive," confirms Wallace. "He wants to win and being in that type of environment and we're going to provide him a winning environment. We think he's going to thrive in Marc's system because he's such a versatile and skilled offensive player. His talents are going to be accentuated to the highest degree. We're going to get up and down the court and everything we're going to do will feed into his strengths."
Two things that needed to happen for Gasol to change his tune were addressed right away by the Grizzlies' new GM. First, he drafted an outstanding floor general in Mike Conley, Jr. Second, he added a quality big man to play center next to Gasol. Conley has yet to prove he's ready to start, of course, but Wallace plans to give him plenty of time on the court regardless of his spot in the lineup.
"It's a little early here in late July to say who's going to start in any of these positions, but he's going to get an opportunity to play a great deal - as much as he can handle this year. Mike has tremendous speed and quickness and in today's NBA quickness and speed kill. It's so difficult to guard the real burners out on the perimeter with the defensive rules that have been in place now for a couple of seasons. You see what Tony Parker can do, for example, in San Antonio. Speed and quickness in the point guard position is imperative in this age and Mike has that in abundance. He also has decision-making and maturity on the floor that belies his youth. He conducts himself and makes decisions like a much older and more experienced player."
Now at center will be former number one draft pick Darko Milicic. He rode the bench in Detroit for three seasons, finally got a little playing time in Orlando, and will now get to show what he can do with a full-time starting role.
"I think having Conley, having Gasol, having all of our players is going to be very instrumental in getting Darko to go up a couple of notches and become the player that everyone's thought he could be for quite some time. Darko is going to be a great complement to Pau Gasol. He not only is the big body that Pau needed on the front line, but he is a player who has great versatility and skill in his own right. He can score on the block with either hand, he can go out and face the basket and hit the outside jumper, he passes the ball well, he's a good offside shot blocker, he's a decent rebounder - that's the area he needs to improve the most in. But we're very excited about getting him in here in September after his time with the Serbian national team is completed and really getting to work with Darko in bringing out these incredible talents that he possesses. Darko reminds me a little of Jermaine O'Neal in the sense that they both played for very strong teams, talented, veteran teams. Jermaine was in Portland and Darko in Detroit. They didn't get to play a great deal, but they went to practice on a daily basis against some of the best front court players in the NBA. Then he went off to Orlando and received more playing time and did some good things with that opportunity, particularly in the playoffs last year. He did well against his old Detroit Pistons team. Darko's got a huge carrot out in front of him, too. He's just 22 years old and at the completion of his contract he'll still just be 25. He can coveted by the rest of the NBA at the end of his contract if he performs here for the Grizzlies."
Last season the Grizzlies traded away Shane Battier to acquire Rudy Gay from the Houston Rockets. In his short time with the team Gay has already shown signs of becoming a rare and wonderful talent in the NBA. He had a remarkable summer league, scoring 18.2 points per game and putting on a show for the crowd at UNLV with his above-the-rim game.
"Rudy showed flashes of brilliance last year as a rookie, as he did during his two years at the University of Connecticut," says Wallace. "He has tremendous athleticism, I mean he can get in the lane and go over the top of basically anybody in the game to make that spectacular play at the basket. He has range on his shot, he just has to become a more consistent outside shooter. Rudy really has all of the skills and offensive talents necessary to eventually become a big time player in the NBA. He's going to fit in very well with Marc Iavaroni's system, and look for Rudy to also play some at the power forward spot, not just small forward. That will be in an effort to take advantage of his speed and quickness in some match-ups with power forwards."
Running next to Gay will be Hakim Warrick, who started coming into his own in 2006-07. He averaged 12.7 points per game and became a full-time starter for the Grizzlies.
"Hakim's also going to fit in very well in this new regime because this is going to be an up-tempo system and he's an up-tempo player," beams Wallace. "Hakim can get up and down the court, he has tremendous length and athleticism. Late last season he put several double-doubles together, I'm really excited about seeing him up close, now that I'm with the Grizzlies. I think he's going to thrive with Marc."
All of these changes and potential are great, but is this a playoff team in 2007-08? Chris Wallace gives us his take, starting with the health factor.
"I think, obviously, this is dependent on good health. Last year the team did not have an optimum season in terms of health for key individuals. For example, Gasol got hurt in the World Championships and was out until December. That was a lethal blow for the Grizzlies. Kyle Lowry only played in ten games and missed the final 72. You've got to have your health. If everyone's healthy I think we're going to be much-improved. Gasol now has someone to complement him on the front line in Darko Milicic. Our point guard position has been upgraded and is deeper now with the arrival of Mike Conley. Rudy Gay and Hakim Warrick and Kyle Lowry are all a year older. We've got outside shooting with Mike Miller, one of the best long-distance marksmen in the league. Casey Jacobsen, who we brought in, is also a big outside shooting threat. I think the big issues that the team faced heading into the draft were addressing the point guard situation, which we have with Conley, enhancing the front line to help Pau, which we got in Darko Milicic, and we also picked up Andre Brown, who's a hustling rebounder up front. He was one of the top players in the NBDL last year before he went to Seattle, where he stuck the remainder of the season. Then the outside shooting improved when we picked up Casey and also Darko is a considerable outside shooter. So we feel that we've addressed three of the biggest needs coming into the offseason. There's also been a great deal of excitement internally with this team with a new coach, a new system, we have a very hands-on player development coaching staff here, which is going to fit in well with the number of young players that we need to develop. We're well aware that the Western Conference is very strong, but at the same time we feel that this team has all of the ingredients necessary to turn things around very quickly."
It certainly seems as though the Grizzlies have made all of the moves necessary to put themselves in the thick of the Western Conference playoff chase - if not in the quest for home court advantage. There are a number of teams in the West that are on the bubble, and the Grizzlies would like to serve notice that they're ready and willing to break the bubble.
Bill Ingram is Executive Editor for Basketball News Services, powering HOOPSWORLD.COM, SWISH Magazine, and The Basketball News Report. He is a member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association and primarily covers the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs.
Pan Am Post Mortem by CSTV
Pan Am Post Mortem
CSTV.com
By David Scott - July 29, 2007
Well, things could have gone a lot worse for Jay Wright's 2007 Pan Am Games squad that finished fifth at the Games with a 3-2 record. The reality of not medaling set in earlier in the week and the team showed some resiliency by winning it final three (seemingly meaningless) contests.
"This game was a real character game. I think it showed how much we've come together as a team," said Wright after his team's 77-74 payback win against Panama. "Obviously we're disappointed that we didn't play as well as would have looked to early. But what was left after those two games was to show what type of pride we had in representing the U.S. and what type of character we had in terms of our relationships with each other, and wanting to play with each other. I think winning these last three games lets these guys really feel good about each other. They just did whatever it took for each other for three games to finish in fifth place. It meant a lot to them I think they'll have memories for a lifetime. I know they had a great time, it was a privilege for them to play in the Pan Am Games and they're going to have friendships for a lifetime."
Undefeated Brazil (5-0) won the Gold with Uruguay and Puerto Rico taking home Silver and Bronze. The fourth-place finisher was 2-3 Argentina with Canada and the US Virgin Islands rounding out the 8-team field.
Some Pan Am Ponderings after the jump, keeping in mind that we witnessed none of the games (no ESPN Deportes on our system) but have read stats and results provided by Team USA and the Pan Am Game organizers. . .
The selection committee, headed by Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, said all throughout the trials that they were trying to build a team that would both be able to physcially handle older, professional players from the opposing elite countries AND be able to shoot straight.
They succeeded more on the first count than the second and that alone could explain Team USA's failure to medal. The U.S. finished seventh in 3-point accuracy at 29 percent (31 of 107). In the first, fourth and fifth games, Team USA was below 27 percent from beyond the arc. Shan Foster (Vanderbilt) proved to be the most consistent deep threat and Derrick Low (Washington State) was also confirmed as a good pick by the Committee.
. . . The same can not be said for the Jay Wright "binky" pick, Scottie Reynolds who started both of Team USA's losses and came off the bench for all three wins. He shot 4 of 19 from 3-point land, had eight assists and 15 turnovers and saw his minutes drop from a high of 29 in game 1 to just 5 in game 2.
Reynolds was, in our opinion, the shakiest pick of the 12-man squad but could not truly be argued with because part of the deal of coaching and dedicating time to USA Basketball as Wright has, is that when the time comes to field a team, your own guy is given the benefit of the doubt. In the long run, Reynolds and Wright will gain from the experience and that will help them during the Big East battles of February and March. For now though, the Coach knows that "his" guy didn't perform.
. . . If Reynolds was the Least Valuable Player, Indiana's DJ White was likely the MVP. After Game 4, Wright said, "D.J.'s probably played the most minutes of anybody and he's been our go-to guy. When it's tough and we need a basket, we go to D.J. and he's made the right play every time. He's doing a good job on the defensive end, too. I'm really impressed with him."
White never played fewer than 22 minutes and averaged 16.8 points and 8.6 rebounds for the Red, White and Blue. His tournament-nest outing came against the US Virgin Islands when he went for 22 and 13 in 24 minutes of play. "We started off 0-2 but we stuck together and that's the main point," White said. "We showed a lot of courage, this team has been together only two weeks so we feel pretty good about going 3-2. This was a fun experience playing against older, more experience guys, professionals. It was a good experience something I'll remember for a lifetime."
White needs to be given serious consideration for NCAA Player of the Honors if he continues to get after it the way he did the past few weeks for Team USA. He is easily the player who helped himself the most (by NBA standards) with the Pan Am experience.
. . . Wayne Ellington (North Carolina) missed all but the first game (where he played just ten minutes and had zero points) because of a sprained right shoulder, while Eric Maynor (Virginia Commonwealth) was unavailable to go for the final three games because of a right hip-pointer. With both guards being slight of build, it might lend some credence to the belief that Team USA needs to have some beefier, more physical guards in future International explorations.
. . . Georgetown big Man Roy Hibbert was up and down during his Rio stint, highlighted by a 19 point, nine rebound effort in Game 2 against Panama. But he also had three and four point outings. . . Michigan State's Drew Neitzel was steady for Wright, who also got nice bench minutes from Marrty Leunen (Oregon). . . Memphis's Joey Dorsey worked himself into the rotation after limited minutes in the first two outings. He had nine rebounds against the US Virgin Islands.
. . . The USA Women's team took home the Gold with a 79-66 win over host Brazil. The team was coached by Temple's Dawn Staley.
Posted by David Scott at 12:31 AM on July 29, 2007
CSTV.com
By David Scott - July 29, 2007
Well, things could have gone a lot worse for Jay Wright's 2007 Pan Am Games squad that finished fifth at the Games with a 3-2 record. The reality of not medaling set in earlier in the week and the team showed some resiliency by winning it final three (seemingly meaningless) contests.
"This game was a real character game. I think it showed how much we've come together as a team," said Wright after his team's 77-74 payback win against Panama. "Obviously we're disappointed that we didn't play as well as would have looked to early. But what was left after those two games was to show what type of pride we had in representing the U.S. and what type of character we had in terms of our relationships with each other, and wanting to play with each other. I think winning these last three games lets these guys really feel good about each other. They just did whatever it took for each other for three games to finish in fifth place. It meant a lot to them I think they'll have memories for a lifetime. I know they had a great time, it was a privilege for them to play in the Pan Am Games and they're going to have friendships for a lifetime."
Undefeated Brazil (5-0) won the Gold with Uruguay and Puerto Rico taking home Silver and Bronze. The fourth-place finisher was 2-3 Argentina with Canada and the US Virgin Islands rounding out the 8-team field.
Some Pan Am Ponderings after the jump, keeping in mind that we witnessed none of the games (no ESPN Deportes on our system) but have read stats and results provided by Team USA and the Pan Am Game organizers. . .
The selection committee, headed by Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, said all throughout the trials that they were trying to build a team that would both be able to physcially handle older, professional players from the opposing elite countries AND be able to shoot straight.
They succeeded more on the first count than the second and that alone could explain Team USA's failure to medal. The U.S. finished seventh in 3-point accuracy at 29 percent (31 of 107). In the first, fourth and fifth games, Team USA was below 27 percent from beyond the arc. Shan Foster (Vanderbilt) proved to be the most consistent deep threat and Derrick Low (Washington State) was also confirmed as a good pick by the Committee.
. . . The same can not be said for the Jay Wright "binky" pick, Scottie Reynolds who started both of Team USA's losses and came off the bench for all three wins. He shot 4 of 19 from 3-point land, had eight assists and 15 turnovers and saw his minutes drop from a high of 29 in game 1 to just 5 in game 2.
Reynolds was, in our opinion, the shakiest pick of the 12-man squad but could not truly be argued with because part of the deal of coaching and dedicating time to USA Basketball as Wright has, is that when the time comes to field a team, your own guy is given the benefit of the doubt. In the long run, Reynolds and Wright will gain from the experience and that will help them during the Big East battles of February and March. For now though, the Coach knows that "his" guy didn't perform.
. . . If Reynolds was the Least Valuable Player, Indiana's DJ White was likely the MVP. After Game 4, Wright said, "D.J.'s probably played the most minutes of anybody and he's been our go-to guy. When it's tough and we need a basket, we go to D.J. and he's made the right play every time. He's doing a good job on the defensive end, too. I'm really impressed with him."
White never played fewer than 22 minutes and averaged 16.8 points and 8.6 rebounds for the Red, White and Blue. His tournament-nest outing came against the US Virgin Islands when he went for 22 and 13 in 24 minutes of play. "We started off 0-2 but we stuck together and that's the main point," White said. "We showed a lot of courage, this team has been together only two weeks so we feel pretty good about going 3-2. This was a fun experience playing against older, more experience guys, professionals. It was a good experience something I'll remember for a lifetime."
White needs to be given serious consideration for NCAA Player of the Honors if he continues to get after it the way he did the past few weeks for Team USA. He is easily the player who helped himself the most (by NBA standards) with the Pan Am experience.
. . . Wayne Ellington (North Carolina) missed all but the first game (where he played just ten minutes and had zero points) because of a sprained right shoulder, while Eric Maynor (Virginia Commonwealth) was unavailable to go for the final three games because of a right hip-pointer. With both guards being slight of build, it might lend some credence to the belief that Team USA needs to have some beefier, more physical guards in future International explorations.
. . . Georgetown big Man Roy Hibbert was up and down during his Rio stint, highlighted by a 19 point, nine rebound effort in Game 2 against Panama. But he also had three and four point outings. . . Michigan State's Drew Neitzel was steady for Wright, who also got nice bench minutes from Marrty Leunen (Oregon). . . Memphis's Joey Dorsey worked himself into the rotation after limited minutes in the first two outings. He had nine rebounds against the US Virgin Islands.
. . . The USA Women's team took home the Gold with a 79-66 win over host Brazil. The team was coached by Temple's Dawn Staley.
Posted by David Scott at 12:31 AM on July 29, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)