In title chase, Dorsey has to play
By Geoff Calkins
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
It's been a busy year for Memphis forward Joey Dorsey, hasn't it?
On Oct. 14, he was arrested for driving with a suspended license.
On Oct. 18, Dorsey allegedly followed a female student, threatened her and poured a water bottle over her head.
On Feb. 4, according to a witness, Dorsey punched a customer at Club 152 on Beale Street.
On June 9, according to Beale Street landlord John Elkington, Dorsey "battered" a bouncer at the same club.
And Sunday morning, according to a police report, Dorsey may have been the instigator in the brawl on Beale that ended with the arrest of two Memphis players, Jeff Robinson and Shawn Taggart.
"Dorsey went behind the bar at 380 Beale at this time (the victim) asked the suspect to leave from behind the bar," the report said. "At this time suspect Dorsey jumped up on the bar and began throwing money to customers. (The victim) at this time jumped on the bar and asked suspect Dorsey to get down. Suspect Dorsey then pushed (the victim) off the bar and jumped down and began hitting (the victim)."
Makes you proud to be a Tiger, doesn't it? Dorsey on the bar, throwing money, like our very own Pacman Jones.
Then, apparently, hitting someone. The man likes hitting people way too much.
But if you think there's any chance Dorsey will be tossed off the Memphis basketball team, then you haven't seen the billboards around town.
There are 15 in all, a celebration of the glorious season to come. One says, simply: "That's Mr. Dorsey to You."
Dorsey is tough, see. The Tigers need that toughness if they want to compete for a national championship.
An actual post from a Memphis message board: "We are a national title contender, they can face the judge after the season is over."
Who cares if Dorsey is the sort of person who should be representing the university? There's a title to be won.
Former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne understands how this works better than most. In 1995, star tailback Lawrence Phillips was given probation for dragging his girlfriend down the stairs by her hair.
Osborne suspended Phillips during the regular season but brought him back in time for the national championship game. Phillips ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns as Nebraska rolled over Florida.
This is the essential trade-off of college sports. Even for a coach like Osborne, who had a golden-boy reputation to protect. Calipari has no such reputation. What's going to hold him back?
Dismissing Dorsey from the team wouldn't cause people outside the city to think any more of the University of Memphis. Keeping him around wouldn't cause people to think any less.
But Dorsey would be missed on the court. Which is why Calipari won't -- and, indeed, can't -- let him go.
Too much is riding on it. Too many season-tickets have been sold.
A marginal player like Simplice Njoya can be tossed for being difficult to coach. A significant player like Dorsey will survive anything short of a felony.
Calipari might suspend the guy for a stretch of time. He'll say the usual stuff. That he has to be firm and fair but, gee, young people make mistakes.
Never mind that, at 23, Dorsey is more than a year older than Grizzlies center Darko Milicic, who has already spent four years in the NBA. This is college sports we're talking about, where fans are so desperate to believe in the lies that the lies don't have to be particularly good.
The lie that Dorsey's a kid. The lie that players are student-athletes. The lie that winning isn't everything.
Winning is everything, especially when a team is as close to winning a title as the Tigers appear to be.
Oh, and by the way, Dorsey's most recent victim isn't expected to press charges.
Think he's seen the billboards, too?
To reach Geoff Calkins, call him at 529-2364 or e-mail calkins@commercialappeal.com
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Joey Dorsey May Have Triggered Bar Fracas
Tiger star may have triggered bar fracas
Starter named in police report; two other players plead innocent
By Christopher Conley
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
About 2:30 a.m. Sunday inside the Plush Club at 380 Beale, a very tall patron attacked two security guards.
But which tall patron?
First an accusing finger pointed in error to 6-11 University of Memphis basketball player Shawn Taggart, whose angry, foul-mouthed response helped get him arrested.
Now a more familiar name has emerged -- tall guy and U of M player Joey Dorsey. He has not been arrested but still could be.
The dustup that began with the confrontation between the tall guy and the guards eventually sent agitated patrons streaming out of the club, and when one patron flagged down two police officers, things got uglier.
Arriving at 2:51 a.m., officers Sean Fritz and Eric Fletcher ran into a hornet's nest, an angry crowd of more than 100.
One of the security guards pointed out Taggart as the one who started it, and the officers moved in to arrest him.
Ultimately it turned out Taggart was the wrong man, but as police tried to detain Taggart, he yelled obscenities at the police, causing the large crowd to become further agitated, according to the charges. The fearful officers called for as much backup as they could get. Twenty squad cars responded.
As they were trying to take Taggart into custody, another UofM player, Jeffrey Robinson, bore down on the cops, fists balled up, and berated the officers. Fletcher pepper-sprayed Robinson and eventually Robinson and Taggart were cuffed.
Meanwhile, someone else in the crowd, Marcus Hill, tried to open a door of one of the squad cars. When Lt. W. Cleveland stopped him, Hill began screaming at police, further inciting the crowd, the charges say.
After Fritz and Fletcher put him into one of the cars, he made threats, according to the charges. "Let me catch you (expletive) without your uniforms, and I'll whoop your ass," he is quoted as saying. "I'll have your (expletive) job. ... My family owns a bonding company, and I'll be out looking for y'all."
Hill had no identification and refused to identify himself, according to the charges. He was charged with assault and disorderly conduct.
Taggart was charged with disorderly conduct and inciting a riot, Robinson with assault, disorderly conduct and inciting a riot.
Inside the Plush Club, the officers began an investigation.
By 3:36 a.m. they were hearing that the 6-9, 260-pound Dorsey had started the melee by first going behind the bar, then jumping on the bar when security guard Christopher Shaw -- 5-9, 140 pounds, police said -- asked him to move from behind the bar.
When Dorsey began throwing money at the customers, the report said, Shaw, 23, jumped up on the bar and asked Dorsey to get down.
Dorsey pushed Shaw off the bar, jumped down and began punching him. Another club security guard, Marcus Walker, 29, was struck when he tried to restore order, police said.
Dorsey was not there when police arrived, so he has not been charged.
The guards will have to identify Dorsey as the attacker for charges to be brought, and they must be willing to prosecute, said Det. Monique Martin, police spokeswoman.
Taggart and Robinson pleaded not guilty Tuesday in General Sessions Court. They are due back in court Sept. 25.
Their attorney, Leslie Ballin, said he expects they will be exonerated. "These are two quality young men," he said. "They were at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Coach John Calipari on Sunday set a curfew -- he said he will choose between 11 p.m. or midnight -- and a no-nightclubs policy for the whole team to make sure his players aren't again at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Robinson, 19, is a 6-6 freshman shooting guard from Columbus, N.J. Taggart, 22, a forward from Richmond, Va., is a transfer from Iowa State.
Calipari said discipline for the two players, as well as other team members who were at the nightclub, would be determined after a police and school investigation.
-- Chris Conley: 529-2595
Reporter Lawrence Buser contributed to this story.
Starter named in police report; two other players plead innocent
By Christopher Conley
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
About 2:30 a.m. Sunday inside the Plush Club at 380 Beale, a very tall patron attacked two security guards.
But which tall patron?
First an accusing finger pointed in error to 6-11 University of Memphis basketball player Shawn Taggart, whose angry, foul-mouthed response helped get him arrested.
Now a more familiar name has emerged -- tall guy and U of M player Joey Dorsey. He has not been arrested but still could be.
The dustup that began with the confrontation between the tall guy and the guards eventually sent agitated patrons streaming out of the club, and when one patron flagged down two police officers, things got uglier.
Arriving at 2:51 a.m., officers Sean Fritz and Eric Fletcher ran into a hornet's nest, an angry crowd of more than 100.
One of the security guards pointed out Taggart as the one who started it, and the officers moved in to arrest him.
Ultimately it turned out Taggart was the wrong man, but as police tried to detain Taggart, he yelled obscenities at the police, causing the large crowd to become further agitated, according to the charges. The fearful officers called for as much backup as they could get. Twenty squad cars responded.
As they were trying to take Taggart into custody, another UofM player, Jeffrey Robinson, bore down on the cops, fists balled up, and berated the officers. Fletcher pepper-sprayed Robinson and eventually Robinson and Taggart were cuffed.
Meanwhile, someone else in the crowd, Marcus Hill, tried to open a door of one of the squad cars. When Lt. W. Cleveland stopped him, Hill began screaming at police, further inciting the crowd, the charges say.
After Fritz and Fletcher put him into one of the cars, he made threats, according to the charges. "Let me catch you (expletive) without your uniforms, and I'll whoop your ass," he is quoted as saying. "I'll have your (expletive) job. ... My family owns a bonding company, and I'll be out looking for y'all."
Hill had no identification and refused to identify himself, according to the charges. He was charged with assault and disorderly conduct.
Taggart was charged with disorderly conduct and inciting a riot, Robinson with assault, disorderly conduct and inciting a riot.
Inside the Plush Club, the officers began an investigation.
By 3:36 a.m. they were hearing that the 6-9, 260-pound Dorsey had started the melee by first going behind the bar, then jumping on the bar when security guard Christopher Shaw -- 5-9, 140 pounds, police said -- asked him to move from behind the bar.
When Dorsey began throwing money at the customers, the report said, Shaw, 23, jumped up on the bar and asked Dorsey to get down.
Dorsey pushed Shaw off the bar, jumped down and began punching him. Another club security guard, Marcus Walker, 29, was struck when he tried to restore order, police said.
Dorsey was not there when police arrived, so he has not been charged.
The guards will have to identify Dorsey as the attacker for charges to be brought, and they must be willing to prosecute, said Det. Monique Martin, police spokeswoman.
Taggart and Robinson pleaded not guilty Tuesday in General Sessions Court. They are due back in court Sept. 25.
Their attorney, Leslie Ballin, said he expects they will be exonerated. "These are two quality young men," he said. "They were at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Coach John Calipari on Sunday set a curfew -- he said he will choose between 11 p.m. or midnight -- and a no-nightclubs policy for the whole team to make sure his players aren't again at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Robinson, 19, is a 6-6 freshman shooting guard from Columbus, N.J. Taggart, 22, a forward from Richmond, Va., is a transfer from Iowa State.
Calipari said discipline for the two players, as well as other team members who were at the nightclub, would be determined after a police and school investigation.
-- Chris Conley: 529-2595
Reporter Lawrence Buser contributed to this story.
From Chicago Sun Times on Angel Garcia's Commitment
Garcia commits to Memphis
September 3, 2007
By Mike Hutton, Chicago Sun Times
In recent weeks, coaches from Kentucky, Arizona and Ohio State had called Angel Garcia, trying to get involved with the East Chicago Central star. Garcia, tired of the phone calls and the recruiting process, decided he had had enough over the weekend. So he called Memphis coach John Calipari and put and end to his recruitment. He’s going to wear blue next year and play for the Tigers.
“He just wanted to put all this behind him and concentrate on his academics and basketball,” Eric Cole, who coaches CAPS All-Stars, Garcia’s AAU team.
No team had recruited Garcia harder than Memphis. Calipari saw him in an open gym last October and offered him a scholarship immediately.
Recently, Garcia had whittled his choices down from Florida, Louisville, Indiana and Memphis to just Indiana and Memphis. Cole said the Hoosiers went after Garcia, who has yet to qualify academically, just as hard as Memphis. But he felt like he fit in better with the Tigers’ wide-open style.
They haven’t pegged Garcia as an inside or outside guy. At 6-10, Garcia distributes the ball like a point guard. He can also grab a rebound inside and whip it out to a streaking perimeter player like a power forward or center.
Garcia familiarized himself with the Tigers’ program last June when he spent three days down there at a an elite camp.
“They’re going to let him freelance,” Cole said.
Garcia, who is ranked as the 27th best player in the country by Rivals.com, scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds in East Chicago’s 87-83 win over Indianapolis North Central in the Class 4A state championship.
Contact Mike Hutton at 648-3139 or mhutton@post-trib.com
WHBQ Fox 13 Memephis Reports Tiger Players Enter 'Not Guilty' Pleas
Tiger Basketball Players Enter 'Not Guilty' Plea
Taggert, Robinson Hearing Reset to September 25th
Last Edited: Tuesday, 04 Sep 2007, 11:49 AM CDT
Created: Tuesday, 04 Sep 2007, 11:49 AM CDT
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WHBQ FOX13 myfoxmemphis.com) --
University of Memphis basketball players Sean Taggert and Jeff Robinson both entered pleas of 'not guilty' on various misdemeanor charges following their arrest Sunday at a downtown nightclub.
The two players were charged with disorderly conduct and inciting a riot around 3:00am Sunday after officers were called to a disturbance at the Plush Club on Beale Street. Robinson was also charged with assault after allegedly approaching an officer with his fists.
Memphis defense attorney Leslie Ballin is representing the two men, and is confident that his clients are innocent. According to Ballin, the two were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. "These are two quality young men… hopefully at the end of the day, the charges will be dismissed," said Ballin as he was leaving Tuesday morning's hearing.
Tigers Head Basketball Coach John Calipari has responded to the arrests with strict new rules for the entire team. All players now have a seven day-a-week curfew, and are banned from establishments that primarily serve alcohol.
Sean Taggert is a 6'10" forward, and a sophomore transfer from Iowa State. Freshman Jeff Robinson is a 6'5" guard from Columbus, New Jersey.
Both are scheduled to return to court September 25th.
Taggert, Robinson Hearing Reset to September 25th
Last Edited: Tuesday, 04 Sep 2007, 11:49 AM CDT
Created: Tuesday, 04 Sep 2007, 11:49 AM CDT
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WHBQ FOX13 myfoxmemphis.com) --
University of Memphis basketball players Sean Taggert and Jeff Robinson both entered pleas of 'not guilty' on various misdemeanor charges following their arrest Sunday at a downtown nightclub.
The two players were charged with disorderly conduct and inciting a riot around 3:00am Sunday after officers were called to a disturbance at the Plush Club on Beale Street. Robinson was also charged with assault after allegedly approaching an officer with his fists.
Memphis defense attorney Leslie Ballin is representing the two men, and is confident that his clients are innocent. According to Ballin, the two were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. "These are two quality young men… hopefully at the end of the day, the charges will be dismissed," said Ballin as he was leaving Tuesday morning's hearing.
Tigers Head Basketball Coach John Calipari has responded to the arrests with strict new rules for the entire team. All players now have a seven day-a-week curfew, and are banned from establishments that primarily serve alcohol.
Sean Taggert is a 6'10" forward, and a sophomore transfer from Iowa State. Freshman Jeff Robinson is a 6'5" guard from Columbus, New Jersey.
Both are scheduled to return to court September 25th.
ABC 24 Memphis Reports Additional Tiger Players May Face Charges
More Tiger Players May Face Charges
Reported by: Kevin Holmes
Email: kholmes@myeyewitnessnews.com
Last Update: 9/04 5:35 pm
Eyewitness News Everywhere uncovers more information on a nightclub fight that resulted in the arrests of two Tigers basketball players.
Sophomore Shawn Taggart and freshman Jeff Robinson appeared in court Tuesday morning and entered not guilty pleas on charges of disorderly conduct and inciting a riot. Robinson is also charged with assault with intent to do bodily harm. Their attorney, Leslie Ballin says he expects his clients will be cleared of all charges.
However, Taggart and Robinson may not be the only players to face charges. Eyewitness News Everywhere was able to obtain the police reports filed after the fight at the Plush Club early Sunday morning. According to a security guard, the fight began inside the club and may have been started by Tigers senior Joey Dorsey.
The report states that Dorsey jumped on the bar and began throwing money to customers. It says when he was asked to get down, he pushed the security guard and began hitting him. The report goes on to say that outside the club, Shawn Taggart began yelling obscenities at Memphis police officers and Jeff Robinson approached police with his hands curled into fists.
Taggart and Robinson were the only Tigers players arrested that night, but eyewitnesses say there were several other players inside the club. The Memphis police department says the fight is under investigation and it is possible other charges will come.
Plush club officials are not commenting on the fight at this time. Memphis police say they will have to contact the security guards who were present that night to see if the individuals named in the report can be identified as those who caused the disturbance.
Dorsey was not present at the Plush Club by the time police arrived. Police say if the security guard comes forward and makes a positive identification, then they will handle the matter accordingly.
Tigers basketball coach John Calipari says he will determine Robinson's and Taggart's punishments after the University of Memphis and Memphis police finish their separate investigations.
Reported by: Kevin Holmes
Email: kholmes@myeyewitnessnews.com
Last Update: 9/04 5:35 pm
Eyewitness News Everywhere uncovers more information on a nightclub fight that resulted in the arrests of two Tigers basketball players.
Sophomore Shawn Taggart and freshman Jeff Robinson appeared in court Tuesday morning and entered not guilty pleas on charges of disorderly conduct and inciting a riot. Robinson is also charged with assault with intent to do bodily harm. Their attorney, Leslie Ballin says he expects his clients will be cleared of all charges.
However, Taggart and Robinson may not be the only players to face charges. Eyewitness News Everywhere was able to obtain the police reports filed after the fight at the Plush Club early Sunday morning. According to a security guard, the fight began inside the club and may have been started by Tigers senior Joey Dorsey.
The report states that Dorsey jumped on the bar and began throwing money to customers. It says when he was asked to get down, he pushed the security guard and began hitting him. The report goes on to say that outside the club, Shawn Taggart began yelling obscenities at Memphis police officers and Jeff Robinson approached police with his hands curled into fists.
Taggart and Robinson were the only Tigers players arrested that night, but eyewitnesses say there were several other players inside the club. The Memphis police department says the fight is under investigation and it is possible other charges will come.
Plush club officials are not commenting on the fight at this time. Memphis police say they will have to contact the security guards who were present that night to see if the individuals named in the report can be identified as those who caused the disturbance.
Dorsey was not present at the Plush Club by the time police arrived. Police say if the security guard comes forward and makes a positive identification, then they will handle the matter accordingly.
Tigers basketball coach John Calipari says he will determine Robinson's and Taggart's punishments after the University of Memphis and Memphis police finish their separate investigations.
From mediaverse-memphis.blogspot.com - "On What Matters Now"
From Mediaverse-memphis.blogspot.com
Monday, September 3
On What Matters Now
At least, the police mugshots of Jeff Robinson and Shawn Taggert did not make the front page of the Commercial Appeal -- though their faces being connected to another story about Tiger Basketball players being arrested is perhaps the start of Coach John Calipari's idea of punishment.
An quote from Sunday's press conference:
"Obviously the two that have mug shots now in the newspaper, that’s the start of their punishment. Whatever they were involved in or did or didn’t do, it doesn’t matter now. They’ve got a mug shot that everybody’s publicly going to see. And I would imagine that it’s going to be on possibly the front page of the newspaper if not the front of sports. That’s the start of theirs. Until we get all the information out, the only thing I can tell you is that it’s going to be a firm hand."
To be sure, Calipari is in a difficult position. As he noted, families entrust him with the safety of their children. They are his responsibility, and, despite warnings to be careful, these kids did what kids do: they didn't listen. So, he came down with a hard hand: no more nightclubs and implemented a curfew. Oh, as CA's Geoff Calkins notes, he deputized an entire city to help keep his players honest.
After all, with the Tigers ranked as preseason No. 1 and possessing one of the deepest teams ever, a potential National Championship hangs in the balance.
That's the kind of thing that could not only change the University of Memphis but alter the fabric of the city itself.
And that's a message that Calipari is driving home to his players. Do they want to be seen as role models and revered men of lore -- or as just another athlete in a police mug shot? In Memphis, the latter takes on extra significance because they also become just another black athlete in a police mugshot. That's all the more reason to avoid any trouble. But I digress.
What really happened at the Plush Club?
According to the police account, officers responded at 3:36 a.m. to a "large disturbance" outside the Plush Club that had spilled out into the street. Taggart, a 6-11 forward from Richmond, Va., had been accused by club security of starting the original disturbance -- that accusation was proven false, according to the report -- and detained by police.
Taggart, 22, then began yelling obscenities, "causing the large crowd to get further agitated and (they) began closing in on officers, trying to pull (the) defendant away from officers, while yelling obscenities, causing the officers to fear for their safety," according to the report.
Robinson, 19, approached a police officer "with balled fists in an extremely aggressive manner, ignoring commands to stop and back up" while also yelling obscenities, according to the police account.
According to Calkins, the affidavit said Robinson yelled, "...'bleep the police, this is bleep, man.'" The police used a chemical agent to take Robinson down.
In my opinion, police reports -- especially those describing an officer's use of force -- are not reliable at all. It's quite possible that Taggert and Robinson were falsely accused of being involved in the disturbance and perhaps overreacted to those false accusations.
Police are naturally going to handle the biggest perceived threats first in order to gain control of the crowd. With that in mind, one can see how a police officer might have felt threatened, considering how muscular and tall Taggert and Robinson are.
As Calipari said, imagine being 6'8 (Taggert is 6'11) and trying to get out of that situation. Not gonna happen.
So, it's best to avoid it altogether.
Calipari is so right, which is why I'm not mad at him for jumping on the situation BEFORE he even talked to Taggart and Robinson or BEFORE any facts, including information that might exonerate the players, came to light. If he did throw these kids under a bus, then they should consider it a life-affirming lesson.
I'm just saying, one has to respect Calipari's decision not to shield those players from the harsh reaction to their own actions. People are now calling them "thugs" just like family members call an obese relative "fat." It's home-tested psychology to induce behavioral modification but name-calling only makes things worse.
Still, the tough-love paradox is understandable in order to put greater emphasis on what's at risk -- like healthy living, the prospect of death, or a National Championship -- if nothing changes.
Again, the Tigers are ranked No. 1. All eyes are upon them. Their every move will be scrutinized. Right or wrong. Get used to it, kiddos.
This is not high school.
This is one step away from the real world.
Most importantly, this is recognizing that athletes, especially African American male ones, can't afford to take any off-the-court risks that might eliminate their dreams (and those of others) in an instant.
Monday, September 3
On What Matters Now
At least, the police mugshots of Jeff Robinson and Shawn Taggert did not make the front page of the Commercial Appeal -- though their faces being connected to another story about Tiger Basketball players being arrested is perhaps the start of Coach John Calipari's idea of punishment.
An quote from Sunday's press conference:
"Obviously the two that have mug shots now in the newspaper, that’s the start of their punishment. Whatever they were involved in or did or didn’t do, it doesn’t matter now. They’ve got a mug shot that everybody’s publicly going to see. And I would imagine that it’s going to be on possibly the front page of the newspaper if not the front of sports. That’s the start of theirs. Until we get all the information out, the only thing I can tell you is that it’s going to be a firm hand."
To be sure, Calipari is in a difficult position. As he noted, families entrust him with the safety of their children. They are his responsibility, and, despite warnings to be careful, these kids did what kids do: they didn't listen. So, he came down with a hard hand: no more nightclubs and implemented a curfew. Oh, as CA's Geoff Calkins notes, he deputized an entire city to help keep his players honest.
After all, with the Tigers ranked as preseason No. 1 and possessing one of the deepest teams ever, a potential National Championship hangs in the balance.
That's the kind of thing that could not only change the University of Memphis but alter the fabric of the city itself.
And that's a message that Calipari is driving home to his players. Do they want to be seen as role models and revered men of lore -- or as just another athlete in a police mug shot? In Memphis, the latter takes on extra significance because they also become just another black athlete in a police mugshot. That's all the more reason to avoid any trouble. But I digress.
What really happened at the Plush Club?
According to the police account, officers responded at 3:36 a.m. to a "large disturbance" outside the Plush Club that had spilled out into the street. Taggart, a 6-11 forward from Richmond, Va., had been accused by club security of starting the original disturbance -- that accusation was proven false, according to the report -- and detained by police.
Taggart, 22, then began yelling obscenities, "causing the large crowd to get further agitated and (they) began closing in on officers, trying to pull (the) defendant away from officers, while yelling obscenities, causing the officers to fear for their safety," according to the report.
Robinson, 19, approached a police officer "with balled fists in an extremely aggressive manner, ignoring commands to stop and back up" while also yelling obscenities, according to the police account.
According to Calkins, the affidavit said Robinson yelled, "...'bleep the police, this is bleep, man.'" The police used a chemical agent to take Robinson down.
In my opinion, police reports -- especially those describing an officer's use of force -- are not reliable at all. It's quite possible that Taggert and Robinson were falsely accused of being involved in the disturbance and perhaps overreacted to those false accusations.
Police are naturally going to handle the biggest perceived threats first in order to gain control of the crowd. With that in mind, one can see how a police officer might have felt threatened, considering how muscular and tall Taggert and Robinson are.
As Calipari said, imagine being 6'8 (Taggert is 6'11) and trying to get out of that situation. Not gonna happen.
So, it's best to avoid it altogether.
Calipari is so right, which is why I'm not mad at him for jumping on the situation BEFORE he even talked to Taggart and Robinson or BEFORE any facts, including information that might exonerate the players, came to light. If he did throw these kids under a bus, then they should consider it a life-affirming lesson.
I'm just saying, one has to respect Calipari's decision not to shield those players from the harsh reaction to their own actions. People are now calling them "thugs" just like family members call an obese relative "fat." It's home-tested psychology to induce behavioral modification but name-calling only makes things worse.
Still, the tough-love paradox is understandable in order to put greater emphasis on what's at risk -- like healthy living, the prospect of death, or a National Championship -- if nothing changes.
Again, the Tigers are ranked No. 1. All eyes are upon them. Their every move will be scrutinized. Right or wrong. Get used to it, kiddos.
This is not high school.
This is one step away from the real world.
Most importantly, this is recognizing that athletes, especially African American male ones, can't afford to take any off-the-court risks that might eliminate their dreams (and those of others) in an instant.
From ABC 24 in Memphis - Tigers' Players Have Long History of Legal Trouble
Memphis Tigers' Players Have Long History Of Legal Trouble
Reported by: Sarah Buduson, Eyewitnessnews ABC 24, Memphis
Email: sbuduson@myeyewitnessnews.com
Last Update: 9/04 1:21 pm
Two Tiger Players In Court Tuesday, September 4th
Two Memphis Tigers basketball players arrested at the Plush Club on Beale Street. Two Memphis Tigers arrested on Beale Street early Sunday morning, September 2, 2007, are far from the first of the men’s basketball team to have trouble with the law. Shawn Taggart and Jeff Robinson were taken into custody after a fight at the Plush Club on Beale Street. Both players are charged with inciting a riot and disorderly conduct. Robinson is also charged with assault for inflicting bodily harm. Taggart and Robinson will face a judge in Shelby County Court Tuesday, September 4, 2007. Memphis Tigers’ Coach John Calipari says other Tigers’ players were also at the Plush Club on Saturday night, September 1st.
In October 2006, players Joey Dorsey and Hashim Bailey were accused of assault last October. Two women who attend the University of Memphis say the players threatened them and tried to run them over with a car. Earlier that year, former Memphis Tiger Kareem Cooper was arrested for marijuana possession.
The year before, current team member Andre Allen was arrested for soliciting a prostitute. Former star guard Jeremy Hunt was also arrested in 2005. He was accused of beating up his girlfriend. He was later kicked off the team for getting into a bar fight.
During a news conference Sunday, Tigers’ coach John Calipari said he was angry and disappointed by Sunday’s arrests. He has now banned his team from hanging out at nightclubs. He has also imposed a midnight curfew for its members. He says, “They're held to a higher standard. And either accept it or go somewhere else.”
Team boosters are supporting Calipari and the players. Harold Byrd is the president of The Rebounders. The group is the Memphis Tigers’ official booster team. He says he is disappointed by the players’ arrests, but believes Taggart and Robinson should get a second chance. He says, “These are 18,19, year old kids and kids do the darndest things.” Byrd also believes Coach Calipari has taken the appropriate steps to discipline his players following the arrests. Byrd adds, “So they were out too late, they were at the wrong place, but Coach Calipari has taken action quickly, he's put the players on notice that this is not going to be tolerated.”
Byrd hopes the players will follow the rules because the pay off could be a national title. He says, “If they do what they're supposed to do at the end of this year, then they're going to be smiling and congratulating each other and enjoying a national basketball championship.”
The upcoming season may be the best chance the Tigers have ever had at clawing their way to winning the NCAA championship. The team is ranked first in many preseason polls. The team has made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament for the last two years.
Reported by: Sarah Buduson, Eyewitnessnews ABC 24, Memphis
Email: sbuduson@myeyewitnessnews.com
Last Update: 9/04 1:21 pm
Two Tiger Players In Court Tuesday, September 4th
Two Memphis Tigers basketball players arrested at the Plush Club on Beale Street. Two Memphis Tigers arrested on Beale Street early Sunday morning, September 2, 2007, are far from the first of the men’s basketball team to have trouble with the law. Shawn Taggart and Jeff Robinson were taken into custody after a fight at the Plush Club on Beale Street. Both players are charged with inciting a riot and disorderly conduct. Robinson is also charged with assault for inflicting bodily harm. Taggart and Robinson will face a judge in Shelby County Court Tuesday, September 4, 2007. Memphis Tigers’ Coach John Calipari says other Tigers’ players were also at the Plush Club on Saturday night, September 1st.
In October 2006, players Joey Dorsey and Hashim Bailey were accused of assault last October. Two women who attend the University of Memphis say the players threatened them and tried to run them over with a car. Earlier that year, former Memphis Tiger Kareem Cooper was arrested for marijuana possession.
The year before, current team member Andre Allen was arrested for soliciting a prostitute. Former star guard Jeremy Hunt was also arrested in 2005. He was accused of beating up his girlfriend. He was later kicked off the team for getting into a bar fight.
During a news conference Sunday, Tigers’ coach John Calipari said he was angry and disappointed by Sunday’s arrests. He has now banned his team from hanging out at nightclubs. He has also imposed a midnight curfew for its members. He says, “They're held to a higher standard. And either accept it or go somewhere else.”
Team boosters are supporting Calipari and the players. Harold Byrd is the president of The Rebounders. The group is the Memphis Tigers’ official booster team. He says he is disappointed by the players’ arrests, but believes Taggart and Robinson should get a second chance. He says, “These are 18,19, year old kids and kids do the darndest things.” Byrd also believes Coach Calipari has taken the appropriate steps to discipline his players following the arrests. Byrd adds, “So they were out too late, they were at the wrong place, but Coach Calipari has taken action quickly, he's put the players on notice that this is not going to be tolerated.”
Byrd hopes the players will follow the rules because the pay off could be a national title. He says, “If they do what they're supposed to do at the end of this year, then they're going to be smiling and congratulating each other and enjoying a national basketball championship.”
The upcoming season may be the best chance the Tigers have ever had at clawing their way to winning the NCAA championship. The team is ranked first in many preseason polls. The team has made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament for the last two years.
Looking Past The Beale Street Incident, Angel Garcia Commits to Tigers
Power forward commits to U of M
Garcia adds perimeter game, size to frontcourt
By Dan Wolken
Monday, September 3, 2007
On an otherwise disappointing day for the University of Memphis basketball program, coach John Calipari did get some good news Sunday.
It almost seemed to be heaven sent.
Angel Garcia, a Puerto Rican power forward who has been one of the top targets of Memphis' recruiting efforts this summer, gave a commitment to the Tiger coaching staff, joining twin forwards Marcus and Markeiff Morris from Philadelphia in a suddenly stellar 2008 recruiting class.
"He's coming to Memphis," said Garcia's uncle, Israel Rodriguez, with whom the 6-10 forward lives in East Chicago, Ind. "He's looking forward to playing with the Morris twins, and I'm happy he made the decision. Coach Cal is a great coach, and he had a great time with the team when he was there."
Though Garcia committed with the intent of enrolling in 2008, he still has work to do. When Garcia moved to the U.S. last year from Puerto Rico, his English was limited and he was behind academically. But Rodriguez said Garcia is working hard to become eligible for college next year.
"That's what he's focusing on now, and he's doing pretty good," Rodriguez said
Garcia's commitment gives Memphis three players ranked in the top 100 for the class of 2008. Marcus Morris, a 6-7 wing, is ranked No. 37 overall by Rivals.com, while Markeiff Morris is a 6-8 post player ranked 74th.
Though Garcia is 6-10, 210 pounds, his strength is the perimeter game and ability to run the floor, which he displayed at Calipari's elite camp in June. Garcia is ranked 27th by Rivals.com, but many believe he would be a top 10 player if he had played the AAU circuit this summer rather than for the Puerto Rican national team.
Memphis envisions all three being able to play at the same time, giving the Tigers a big, athletic frontcourt for at least the next couple years.
The Tigers are still hoping to get a commitment from an elite guard, the top target being St. George's Elliot Williams, who is deciding between Memphis, Tennessee, Duke and Virginia.
Rodriguez said Memphis' diligence in the recruiting process was a big factor in Garcia choosing Memphis over Indiana. Tigers assistant Chuck Martin, for instance, traveled to Serbia this summer to watch Garcia play in the world under-19 championships.
"I think both are great schools, and they both were there from Day 1," Rodriguez said. "But at the end, he had to make the decision. It was what he wanted."
-- Dan Wolken: 529-2365
Garcia adds perimeter game, size to frontcourt
By Dan Wolken
Monday, September 3, 2007
On an otherwise disappointing day for the University of Memphis basketball program, coach John Calipari did get some good news Sunday.
It almost seemed to be heaven sent.
Angel Garcia, a Puerto Rican power forward who has been one of the top targets of Memphis' recruiting efforts this summer, gave a commitment to the Tiger coaching staff, joining twin forwards Marcus and Markeiff Morris from Philadelphia in a suddenly stellar 2008 recruiting class.
"He's coming to Memphis," said Garcia's uncle, Israel Rodriguez, with whom the 6-10 forward lives in East Chicago, Ind. "He's looking forward to playing with the Morris twins, and I'm happy he made the decision. Coach Cal is a great coach, and he had a great time with the team when he was there."
Though Garcia committed with the intent of enrolling in 2008, he still has work to do. When Garcia moved to the U.S. last year from Puerto Rico, his English was limited and he was behind academically. But Rodriguez said Garcia is working hard to become eligible for college next year.
"That's what he's focusing on now, and he's doing pretty good," Rodriguez said
Garcia's commitment gives Memphis three players ranked in the top 100 for the class of 2008. Marcus Morris, a 6-7 wing, is ranked No. 37 overall by Rivals.com, while Markeiff Morris is a 6-8 post player ranked 74th.
Though Garcia is 6-10, 210 pounds, his strength is the perimeter game and ability to run the floor, which he displayed at Calipari's elite camp in June. Garcia is ranked 27th by Rivals.com, but many believe he would be a top 10 player if he had played the AAU circuit this summer rather than for the Puerto Rican national team.
Memphis envisions all three being able to play at the same time, giving the Tigers a big, athletic frontcourt for at least the next couple years.
The Tigers are still hoping to get a commitment from an elite guard, the top target being St. George's Elliot Williams, who is deciding between Memphis, Tennessee, Duke and Virginia.
Rodriguez said Memphis' diligence in the recruiting process was a big factor in Garcia choosing Memphis over Indiana. Tigers assistant Chuck Martin, for instance, traveled to Serbia this summer to watch Garcia play in the world under-19 championships.
"I think both are great schools, and they both were there from Day 1," Rodriguez said. "But at the end, he had to make the decision. It was what he wanted."
-- Dan Wolken: 529-2365
From SI.com - Two Memphis Players Arrested, Cal Creates Curfew
Two Memphis players arrested
Calipari creates curfew after disturbance at nightclub
Posted: Monday September 3, 2007 3:59PM; Updated: Monday September 3, 2007 6:42PM
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Two Memphis basketball players were charged with misdemeanors after police said they were involved in a disturbance at a Beale Street nightclub, infuriating coach John Calipari.
Sophomore forward Shawn Taggart and freshman guard Jeff Robinson were arrested early Sunday morning and charged with disorderly conduct and inciting a riot.
Later in the day, Calipari announced a seven-day-a-week team curfew and a no-nightclub policy.
"I'm not happy," he said. "I know they're going to screw up. They're young kids, and they're going to do dumb things, like my own children.
"But how many times have I said, nothing good happens in a club after midnight? We'll deal with this; a lot of it will be in-house. Some of it's not going to be," Calipari said.
Robinson was also charged with misdemeanor assault and had to be subdued before he was taken into custody, according to the police affidavit.
Calipari said he would determine disciplinary action for the players after a police and school investigation was completed.
A Memphis Police Department spokeswoman did not immediately return a phone call to The Associated Press on Monday. A university spokesman confirmed the arrests, but said he had no new information.
Officers responded to a disturbance outside the Plush Club at 3:36 a.m. Taggart was detained by police after club security accused him of starting the disturbance, though police said they found that was not the case.
Taggart, 22, then began yelling obscenities, "causing the large crowd to get further agitated and (they) began closing in on officers, trying to pull (the) defendant away from officers, while yelling obscenities, causing the officers to fear for their safety," according to the report.
Robinson, 19, approached a police officer with his fists balled, acting aggressively, ignoring police commands and yelling obscenities, according to the police account.
Both players were released on bond and were scheduled to appear 9 a.m. Tuesday in Shelby County Criminal Court.
Neither Taggart nor Robinson has played a game yet for Memphis. Taggart sat out last season after transferring from Iowa State. Neither player was available for comment Sunday.
Calipari said he met with the team Sunday to express his anger and explain the new rules, which he said would be in place indefinitely.
"I'm furious, to be honest," Calipari said. "I want the city to know this: They're not to be in any clubs. None. I've asked the players, if anybody here doesn't think they can live with that, I need them to come and see me so we'll help them transfer."
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Calipari creates curfew after disturbance at nightclub
Posted: Monday September 3, 2007 3:59PM; Updated: Monday September 3, 2007 6:42PM
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Two Memphis basketball players were charged with misdemeanors after police said they were involved in a disturbance at a Beale Street nightclub, infuriating coach John Calipari.
Sophomore forward Shawn Taggart and freshman guard Jeff Robinson were arrested early Sunday morning and charged with disorderly conduct and inciting a riot.
Later in the day, Calipari announced a seven-day-a-week team curfew and a no-nightclub policy.
"I'm not happy," he said. "I know they're going to screw up. They're young kids, and they're going to do dumb things, like my own children.
"But how many times have I said, nothing good happens in a club after midnight? We'll deal with this; a lot of it will be in-house. Some of it's not going to be," Calipari said.
Robinson was also charged with misdemeanor assault and had to be subdued before he was taken into custody, according to the police affidavit.
Calipari said he would determine disciplinary action for the players after a police and school investigation was completed.
A Memphis Police Department spokeswoman did not immediately return a phone call to The Associated Press on Monday. A university spokesman confirmed the arrests, but said he had no new information.
Officers responded to a disturbance outside the Plush Club at 3:36 a.m. Taggart was detained by police after club security accused him of starting the disturbance, though police said they found that was not the case.
Taggart, 22, then began yelling obscenities, "causing the large crowd to get further agitated and (they) began closing in on officers, trying to pull (the) defendant away from officers, while yelling obscenities, causing the officers to fear for their safety," according to the report.
Robinson, 19, approached a police officer with his fists balled, acting aggressively, ignoring police commands and yelling obscenities, according to the police account.
Both players were released on bond and were scheduled to appear 9 a.m. Tuesday in Shelby County Criminal Court.
Neither Taggart nor Robinson has played a game yet for Memphis. Taggart sat out last season after transferring from Iowa State. Neither player was available for comment Sunday.
Calipari said he met with the team Sunday to express his anger and explain the new rules, which he said would be in place indefinitely.
"I'm furious, to be honest," Calipari said. "I want the city to know this: They're not to be in any clubs. None. I've asked the players, if anybody here doesn't think they can live with that, I need them to come and see me so we'll help them transfer."
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
From AOL Sports - Two Memphis Players Arrested After Fight; Calipari Mandates Bars/Clubs Off Limits
Two Memphis Hoops Players Arrested After Fight; Calipari Mandates: No Bars
Posted Sep 2nd 2007 4:40PM
by Michael David Smith, AOL Sports
Memphis is widely regarded as a favorite to reach the Final Four next March, but the school year is getting off to a bad start, as two Memphis basketball players were arrested early this morning after a fight outside a club.
Freshman Jeff Robinson and sophomore Shawn Taggart were booked shortly before 6 a.m., Gary Parrish of CBS Sports is reporting. Robinson was charged with inciting a riot, assault-bodily harm and disorderly conduct. Taggart was charged with inciting a riot and disorderly conduct.
Memphis coach John Calipari said he doesn't know what punishment he'll mete out to the two players, but that he had a meeting with the rest of the team this morning in which he told the players that bars and nightclubs are now off-limits to all Memphis players.
"I know they're going to screw up because they're young kids and they're going to do dumb things, like my own children," Calipari said. "But how many times have I said that nothing good happens in a club after midnight?"
Memphis returns seven of the top eight scorers from last season's Elite Eight team. Robinson and Taggart are expected to get significant minutes off the bench, but Memphis would still be a Final Four favorite if both players are booted off the team.
Posted Sep 2nd 2007 4:40PM
by Michael David Smith, AOL Sports
Memphis is widely regarded as a favorite to reach the Final Four next March, but the school year is getting off to a bad start, as two Memphis basketball players were arrested early this morning after a fight outside a club.
Freshman Jeff Robinson and sophomore Shawn Taggart were booked shortly before 6 a.m., Gary Parrish of CBS Sports is reporting. Robinson was charged with inciting a riot, assault-bodily harm and disorderly conduct. Taggart was charged with inciting a riot and disorderly conduct.
Memphis coach John Calipari said he doesn't know what punishment he'll mete out to the two players, but that he had a meeting with the rest of the team this morning in which he told the players that bars and nightclubs are now off-limits to all Memphis players.
"I know they're going to screw up because they're young kids and they're going to do dumb things, like my own children," Calipari said. "But how many times have I said that nothing good happens in a club after midnight?"
Memphis returns seven of the top eight scorers from last season's Elite Eight team. Robinson and Taggart are expected to get significant minutes off the bench, but Memphis would still be a Final Four favorite if both players are booted off the team.
ABC 24 In Memphis Reports Two Tiger Players Arrested on Beale Street
Two U of M Basketball Players Arrested
Last Update: 9/02 6:50 pm
Memphis Tigers head basketball coach John Calipari has said it before: "Nothing good happens after midnight." Unfortunately, Calipari had to say it again Sunday after learning two of his players, Shawn Taggart and Jeff Robinson, were arrested early Sunday morning.
Taggart and Robinson were involved in a fight outside a Beale Street nightclub. Both players were charged with inciting a riot and disorderly conduct. Robinson was additionally charged with assault-bodily harm. Taggart and Robinson are due in court Tuesday morning at 9 a.m.
Calipari addressed the media at 2 p.m. Sunday. As of that time, he had yet to speak with either Robinson or Taggart. Calipari said he was waiting to learn more information before deciding on disciplinary action.
Calipari did say he met with the rest of his team Sunday morning and informed them that there were now two new team rules: 1) Players are no longer allowed inside night clubs and, 2) There will be a daily curfew, between 11 p.m. and midnight.
Last Update: 9/02 6:50 pm
Memphis Tigers head basketball coach John Calipari has said it before: "Nothing good happens after midnight." Unfortunately, Calipari had to say it again Sunday after learning two of his players, Shawn Taggart and Jeff Robinson, were arrested early Sunday morning.
Taggart and Robinson were involved in a fight outside a Beale Street nightclub. Both players were charged with inciting a riot and disorderly conduct. Robinson was additionally charged with assault-bodily harm. Taggart and Robinson are due in court Tuesday morning at 9 a.m.
Calipari addressed the media at 2 p.m. Sunday. As of that time, he had yet to speak with either Robinson or Taggart. Calipari said he was waiting to learn more information before deciding on disciplinary action.
Calipari did say he met with the rest of his team Sunday morning and informed them that there were now two new team rules: 1) Players are no longer allowed inside night clubs and, 2) There will be a daily curfew, between 11 p.m. and midnight.
Commercial Appeal Reports 6-11 Angel Garcia Has Given A Verbal Commitment
Tigers get commitment from standout
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Puerto Rican forward Angel Garcia has given a verbal commitment to play basketball at the University of Memphis, sources with knowledge of the situation have told The Commercial Appeal.
Garcia was considered one of the Tigers' top targets, especially after the 6-foot-11 inch forward put on an awesome display of athleticism and skill at coach John Calipari's elite summer camp in June.
Garcia, ranked No. 27 overall in the class of 2008 by Rivals.com, chose Memphis over Indiana. Garcia moved to the U.S. last season and played at East Chicago (Ind.) Central High. He played this summer for the Puerto Rican National Team at the under-19 championships in Serbia, where Memphis assistant coach Chuck Martin traveled to watch him play.
Once Garcia signs a national letter of intent, he'll join twin forwards Marcus and Markieff Morris in the class of 2008, seemingly giving the Tigers a solid front line for the next few years. Memphis is still hoping to get a commitment from an elite guard, the No. 1 target being St. George's Elliot Williams.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Puerto Rican forward Angel Garcia has given a verbal commitment to play basketball at the University of Memphis, sources with knowledge of the situation have told The Commercial Appeal.
Garcia was considered one of the Tigers' top targets, especially after the 6-foot-11 inch forward put on an awesome display of athleticism and skill at coach John Calipari's elite summer camp in June.
Garcia, ranked No. 27 overall in the class of 2008 by Rivals.com, chose Memphis over Indiana. Garcia moved to the U.S. last season and played at East Chicago (Ind.) Central High. He played this summer for the Puerto Rican National Team at the under-19 championships in Serbia, where Memphis assistant coach Chuck Martin traveled to watch him play.
Once Garcia signs a national letter of intent, he'll join twin forwards Marcus and Markieff Morris in the class of 2008, seemingly giving the Tigers a solid front line for the next few years. Memphis is still hoping to get a commitment from an elite guard, the No. 1 target being St. George's Elliot Williams.
Andre Allen Finally Sheds Walk-On Label
Allen finally sheds walk-on label
Calipari awards point guard with scholarship for '07-'08
By Dan Wolken
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Though he had turned down scholarships elsewhere to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing basketball at the University of Memphis, the "walk-on" prefix never seemed to fit point guard Andre Allen.
Tigers coach John Calipari has awarded Allen one of Memphis' two open scholarships for the 2007-08 season, marking another significant career moment for a player who walked on as an academic non-qualifier and eventually became one of the most valuable members of two Tiger runs to the Elite Eight.
"There's no sense of pride, really. I know that I put in hard work," Allen said. "I always was a part of the family, a part of the team. I was treated like a scholarship player. So it's nothing different; I just get my books free.
"(Calipari) told me when I first came, if I wanted a scholarship, I had to show him what I could do. And I proved to him that I deserved a scholarship."
Few Memphians would disagree, especially after watching Allen's career path, going all the way back to when one publication ranked him the top eighth grader in the country. But even as he became a city legend at Booker T. Washington high school, Allen never grew past 5-foot-8, and academic problems compromised his opportunities to play college basketball.
After sitting out his first year at Memphis due to NCAA rules for non-qualifiers, Allen's relentless motor powered the Tigers to the brink of the Final Four in 2006. And though he didn't start once last season, Allen was Calipari's most trusted point guard, almost always on the floor in late-game situations.
Calipari said the decision to give Allen a scholarship was based as much on taking care of business away from basketball as it was about his value to the team. Allen's academics, for instance, are finally in order, and he'll almost certainly graduate this year, thus earning back the year of eligibility in 2008-09 that he had to sit out as a non-qualifier.
"Every time we were ready to scholarship him, he'd do something (wrong)," Calipari said. "And I'll be honest, if anything happened this summer, he wouldn't have been scholarship this year either. But it was a reward for him out there. This year, and hopefully the next two years, he'll stay on."
Though technically a walk-on, Allen's tuition had previously been paid for by Streets Ministries, which has awarded college scholarships dozens of inner-city Memphis youth.
Streets Ministries executive director Ken Bennett said earning a basketball scholarship was perhaps more important than Allen let on.
"Nobody thought of Andre as a walk-on, but he did," Bennett said. "I think it makes his mom proud, it makes the community proud and it certainly makes me proud. You step in as a walk-on, and you can have a big chip on your shoulder or you can take care of business. He took care of business."
Despite now occupying a scholarship, Allen can't afford to be satisfied. This season, Allen will not only have to share minutes with rapidly improving sophomore Willie Kemp but also freshman phenom Derrick Rose.
"We put it all in coach's hands," Allen said. "He knew what he was doing when he brought everybody in, so he knows there's enough playing time for everyone. This is just Memphis ball, period. Anybody who comes down here has to be competitive. Playing against me, they've gotta be a competitor."
-- Dan Wolken: 529-2365
Calipari awards point guard with scholarship for '07-'08
By Dan Wolken
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Though he had turned down scholarships elsewhere to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing basketball at the University of Memphis, the "walk-on" prefix never seemed to fit point guard Andre Allen.
Tigers coach John Calipari has awarded Allen one of Memphis' two open scholarships for the 2007-08 season, marking another significant career moment for a player who walked on as an academic non-qualifier and eventually became one of the most valuable members of two Tiger runs to the Elite Eight.
"There's no sense of pride, really. I know that I put in hard work," Allen said. "I always was a part of the family, a part of the team. I was treated like a scholarship player. So it's nothing different; I just get my books free.
"(Calipari) told me when I first came, if I wanted a scholarship, I had to show him what I could do. And I proved to him that I deserved a scholarship."
Few Memphians would disagree, especially after watching Allen's career path, going all the way back to when one publication ranked him the top eighth grader in the country. But even as he became a city legend at Booker T. Washington high school, Allen never grew past 5-foot-8, and academic problems compromised his opportunities to play college basketball.
After sitting out his first year at Memphis due to NCAA rules for non-qualifiers, Allen's relentless motor powered the Tigers to the brink of the Final Four in 2006. And though he didn't start once last season, Allen was Calipari's most trusted point guard, almost always on the floor in late-game situations.
Calipari said the decision to give Allen a scholarship was based as much on taking care of business away from basketball as it was about his value to the team. Allen's academics, for instance, are finally in order, and he'll almost certainly graduate this year, thus earning back the year of eligibility in 2008-09 that he had to sit out as a non-qualifier.
"Every time we were ready to scholarship him, he'd do something (wrong)," Calipari said. "And I'll be honest, if anything happened this summer, he wouldn't have been scholarship this year either. But it was a reward for him out there. This year, and hopefully the next two years, he'll stay on."
Though technically a walk-on, Allen's tuition had previously been paid for by Streets Ministries, which has awarded college scholarships dozens of inner-city Memphis youth.
Streets Ministries executive director Ken Bennett said earning a basketball scholarship was perhaps more important than Allen let on.
"Nobody thought of Andre as a walk-on, but he did," Bennett said. "I think it makes his mom proud, it makes the community proud and it certainly makes me proud. You step in as a walk-on, and you can have a big chip on your shoulder or you can take care of business. He took care of business."
Despite now occupying a scholarship, Allen can't afford to be satisfied. This season, Allen will not only have to share minutes with rapidly improving sophomore Willie Kemp but also freshman phenom Derrick Rose.
"We put it all in coach's hands," Allen said. "He knew what he was doing when he brought everybody in, so he knows there's enough playing time for everyone. This is just Memphis ball, period. Anybody who comes down here has to be competitive. Playing against me, they've gotta be a competitor."
-- Dan Wolken: 529-2365
Friday, August 31, 2007
Background Stories on Tyrone Weeks, New Tiger Assistant Coach (3 of 3 in Series)
Coaching:
Assistant Coach, St. Bonaventure, 1999-01
Assistant Coach, Rhode Island, 2001-present
Ty Weeks, who helped take Massachusetts (35-2) to a No. 1 ranking and its only Final Four as a player in 1996, begins his second season on the Rhode Island staff and his fourth overall under Jim Baron, including two highly successful years at St. Bonaventure (1999-01).
The 28-year-old Philadelphia native, who accompanied Baron to Rhode Island in March 2001, works with the Rams' big men, oversees the strength and conditioning program and is involved in recruiting.
In 1999-2000, Weeks' rookie season as a coach at any level, St. Bonaventure went 21-10, reached the title game of the Atlantic 10 tournament and earned its first NCAA tournament berth since 1978. In the opening round, the Bonnies scared the bluegrass off heavily favored Kentucky before bowing 95-90 in double overtime. It was déjà vu all over again for Weeks, whose top-ranked Massachusetts team fell to No. 2 Kentucky 81-74 in the NCAA semifinals in '96 in what was widely considered the unofficial championship game.
Weeks, a standout high school player at Philadelphia's Franklin Learning Center, played in four NCAA tournaments at Massachusetts (1994-98), the first three under coach John Calipari, the last under Bruiser Flint. A 6-7 power forward, he started and served as team captain in his final two years while earning a bachelor's degree in education a year early, in 1997. Weeks scored 12.6 points a game as a junior and 10.1 as a senior while leading the Minutemen in rebounding with 8.8 averages both years. He ranks 34th on the school's all-time list in points (1,013) and sixth in rebounds (858).
Beginning with his freshman year, Weeks helped Massachusetts ring up records of 29-5, 35-2, 19-14 and 21-11 for a combined mark of 104-32 (.765). The Minutemen went 7-4 in NCAA tournament games, reaching the Elite Eight in 1995 and the Final Four in '96 before losing in the first round the next two years. Weeks twice led Massachusetts in scoring in NCAA play, tossing in 16 points against Arkansas in a 1996 Sweet 16 win and knocking down another 16 in a 1997 first-round loss to Louisville. In his career finale, a first-round loss to Saint Louis in '98, he pulled down 16 rebounds to come within one of the school post-season record.
After leaving Massachusetts, Weeks played in the United States Basketball League (USBL) with the Camden (N.J.) Power and then with an Argentine team called Santa Rose La Pampa. For four years, he coached at the Rasheed Wallace Foundation summer camp in Philadelphia.
Weeks and his wife Kim have a son, Tyrone Jr.
Assistant Coach, St. Bonaventure, 1999-01
Assistant Coach, Rhode Island, 2001-present
Ty Weeks, who helped take Massachusetts (35-2) to a No. 1 ranking and its only Final Four as a player in 1996, begins his second season on the Rhode Island staff and his fourth overall under Jim Baron, including two highly successful years at St. Bonaventure (1999-01).
The 28-year-old Philadelphia native, who accompanied Baron to Rhode Island in March 2001, works with the Rams' big men, oversees the strength and conditioning program and is involved in recruiting.
In 1999-2000, Weeks' rookie season as a coach at any level, St. Bonaventure went 21-10, reached the title game of the Atlantic 10 tournament and earned its first NCAA tournament berth since 1978. In the opening round, the Bonnies scared the bluegrass off heavily favored Kentucky before bowing 95-90 in double overtime. It was déjà vu all over again for Weeks, whose top-ranked Massachusetts team fell to No. 2 Kentucky 81-74 in the NCAA semifinals in '96 in what was widely considered the unofficial championship game.
Weeks, a standout high school player at Philadelphia's Franklin Learning Center, played in four NCAA tournaments at Massachusetts (1994-98), the first three under coach John Calipari, the last under Bruiser Flint. A 6-7 power forward, he started and served as team captain in his final two years while earning a bachelor's degree in education a year early, in 1997. Weeks scored 12.6 points a game as a junior and 10.1 as a senior while leading the Minutemen in rebounding with 8.8 averages both years. He ranks 34th on the school's all-time list in points (1,013) and sixth in rebounds (858).
Beginning with his freshman year, Weeks helped Massachusetts ring up records of 29-5, 35-2, 19-14 and 21-11 for a combined mark of 104-32 (.765). The Minutemen went 7-4 in NCAA tournament games, reaching the Elite Eight in 1995 and the Final Four in '96 before losing in the first round the next two years. Weeks twice led Massachusetts in scoring in NCAA play, tossing in 16 points against Arkansas in a 1996 Sweet 16 win and knocking down another 16 in a 1997 first-round loss to Louisville. In his career finale, a first-round loss to Saint Louis in '98, he pulled down 16 rebounds to come within one of the school post-season record.
After leaving Massachusetts, Weeks played in the United States Basketball League (USBL) with the Camden (N.J.) Power and then with an Argentine team called Santa Rose La Pampa. For four years, he coached at the Rasheed Wallace Foundation summer camp in Philadelphia.
Weeks and his wife Kim have a son, Tyrone Jr.
Background Stories on Tyrone Weeks, New Tiger Assistant Coach (2 of 3 in Series)
Where Are They Now?
The 1996 Men's Basketball Team Grows Up
— Matt Vautour ’96
Ten years ago, the UMass men’s basketball took us all the way to the Final Four. The players remember that era and share news of their lives since.
IT'S DIFFICULT FOR UMASS AMHERST basketball fans to picture them as adults, pushing 30 years old, or in some cases already past that mark.
In the minds and hearts of their fans, members of 1995-96 UMass men’s basketball team will forever be the 18- to 22-year-old kids that went 35-2 and nearly knocked off Kentucky in the school’s only trip to the Final Four. They’ll always look like they did in the photos and newsclips that still hang in homes and restaurants from Palmer to Pittsfield. They’ll be forever young in the memories of the fans who hopped on for the ride.
Those boys are men now, coaches and fathers and fans. They sell stocks, cars, and real estate. They are adults with real jobs. But their memories are long. We caught up with the members of that team, 10 years after.
Dana Dingle ’96
Position: Forward
Points per game: 10.1
Rebounds per game: 7.4
Nobody in the history of the UMass basketball program has played more games than Dingle’s 137. He had a career of indispensable quiet efficiency.
During the 1995-96 season Dingle didn’t get as much attention as some of his teammates, but his rebounding, leadership, and defense were critical components in the Minutemen’s success. He is still the program’s No. 10 all-time rebounder and No. 30 all-time scorer.
Dingle’s professional career spanned four continents before he hung up his high tops. “I knew I was eventually going to have to get a regular job so I decided to start sooner than later,” he said. “If I’d waited, I’d be on the bottom of the barrel and never make any money.”
Dingle worked on Wall Street for a while before moving to Monroe Capital, a hedge fund on Long Island. He also coaches the AAU Long Island Lightning. - www.islandgarden.com/LIL/ -
People often ask him about his Minuteman days.
“I thought it’d be old by now. But people still remember. That team still stands out as far as UMass history goes,” Dingle said. “People are like ’Hey, I remember you guys. That was my team.’ For me, I’ve always been low-key and laid-back. I don’t really like the attention and all that stuff. But it’s cool. It’s better to be remembered than not.”
Dingle said new UMass coach Travis Ford has encouraged him to be part of the program again.
“The new staff has reached out,” Dingle said. “I told them I’d try to come up this year.”
Edgar Padilla ’97
Position: Guard
Points per game: 8.9
Rebounds per game: 6.7
Carmelo Travieso ’98
Position: Guard
Points per game: 12.6
Fewer duos in recent college basketball history are more closely associated with each other than the Minutemen’s Puerto Rican backcourt.
Friends, roommates, and countrymen, they seldom left one another’s side, and seldom left the floor during the 1995-96 season as both averaged more than 35 minutes per game. They were heroes on their island, helping spark increased interest in basketball in the United States’ Caribbean territory.
“It’s still the one thing that people remember, the Final Four year,” Padilla said. “It’s fun. You work so hard to get there. When you get there you don’t really understand what it means until years down the line. I would have never imagined that 10 years later it’s still considered something great.”
“I didn’t realize what an accomplishment it was at the time,” Travieso said. “We worked so hard, it became second nature. We worked hard enough to be able to do it.”
It will warm fans to know that the two guards are still close. They both live in Puerto Rico and are still playing professionally in the Superior League, Padilla for Arecibo and Travieso for Santurce. - www.bsnpr.com/ -
Padilla sells real estate and Travieso works at a financial consulting firm, and both also work with Giddel Padilla’s sports agency (Giddel is Edgar’s older brother).
Travieso plans to relocate back to Massachusetts sometime soon. “It’s hard to follow UMass down here,” Travieso said. “When I get back up there, I’d definitely like to go to some games.”
Several players said they’d like to see a reunion of that team. “We’re both looking forward to someday meeting with these guys and see how everybody is doing,” Padilla said. “See if they have kids or where they’re living at. It’d be great if everybody could go back there and meet.”
Giddel Padilla ’96
Position: Guard
Points per game: .7
Games played: 21
For most of his career at UMass, Giddel Padilla was known more for his younger brother than for his own basketball career. But in his final game, Padilla delivered a memorable effort. Rarely used during the regular season, coach John Calipari called on Padilla to play against Kentucky in the Final Four when Travieso got into foul trouble. He played only eight minutes, but during that stint the Minutemen cut into a considerable Wildcat advantage, leading to a close game down the stretch.
Today, Giddel, like his brother Edgar, lives in his native Puerto Rico, where he works as a sports agent.
Donta Bright ’96
Position: Forward
Points per game: 14.5
Rebounds per game: 5.8
The tough but smooth senior from Baltimore, Maryland, was the first McDonald’s All-American ever to sign with UMass. As a senior, Calipari called him the best finisher in the game. When Camby was out of the lineup, it was Bright that stepped forward to lead the Minutemen in scoring. At one point during the season he made 40 free throws without missing.
Bright’s playing career spanned Europe, South America, and stateside minor leagues. He stopped playing in 2002 and returned to his native Baltimore.
Charlton Clarke ’02
Position: Guard
Points per game: 1.4
Games played: 23
It would surprise very few people that Clarke ended up in sales. The ebullient Minuteman guard was a freshman on the 1995-96 squad. It was his early season foot injury that turned Padilla and Travieso into iron men.
While he was unremarkable on the court that season averaging just 8.9 minutes in 23 games, Clarke blossomed after that. Despite scoring just 32 points as a freshman, he finished his career as a member of the school’s 1,000-point club.
Clarke is back in his native Bronx, where he manages a car dealership. “You name it I got it,” Clarke said of his automotive offerings.
Clarke still plays, sometimes running in pickup games with his old roommate, Ross Burns ’99, up at Fordham University. He admitted he’s not as quick as he used to be, but said his offensive arsenal remains intact.
“The running one-hander still works; that floater still works. The jump shot works. The legs don’t hold up as well as they used to, but it’s fun to get out there and compete,” Clarke said. “I get in some local tournaments from time to time.”
Television often allows him to look back on his career. “Every now and then I can catch our old games on classic sports,” he said. “Plus I see a whole lot of people that we manhandled that are doing well in the NBA.”
Like his teammates, Clarke is stunned that the years have gone so fast. “I can’t believe it’s been 10 years,” he said. “That’s the way time flies.”
Andy Maclay ’99
Position: Guard
Games played: 18
Maclay wore the Minuteman colors for arguably the two greatest sporting events in UMass history. The walk-on guard’s regular gig was punting for the Minuteman football team, and he was a key member of UMass’s Division I-AA National Championship team in 1998. Maclay remains the school’s all-time leader in punt yardage with 12,278.
He’s currently working as an athletic director at a high school in New Jersey.
Ross Burns ’99
Position: Guard
Games played: 17
To most people it looked like Burns just had the best seat in the house for the greatest sports show UMass Amherst has ever seen.
He was a walk-on, the kid from Greenfield, whom the crowd loved. The team’s success earned him minutes in 17 games, but for the most part he was a practice body, used to push his more high-profile teammates.
But the fans who chanted his name late in big wins didn’t realize that Burns was soaking up as much basketball knowledge as he could. Even then assistant coach Bruiser Flint - www.coachbruiserflint.com - said he could see Burns someday becoming a coach.
He was right. Burns began his sixth season as a Division I assistant coach. He helped Dereck Whittenburg turn around Wagner’s previously moribund basketball program and is now at Fordham with Whittenburg.
Calipari’s and Flint’s influence still affects him. “I find myself reflecting on how they would deal with situations. I reflect on how they dealt with us,” Burns said. “Being around great coaches like that really rubbed off on me.”
Ted Cottrell ’96
Position: Forward
Points per game: .9
Rebounds per game: .9
Games played: 22
Cottrell will be most remembered for his high socks, classy attitude, and role as the team barber. On a team with a deep frontcourt, his time was limited. But like Burns, Cottrell got the most out of his time in practice and on the bench; he too has pursued a career in coaching.
Cottrell began working as an assistant coach at Palmer High School in Massachusetts, moved to Mount Holyoke College, and is now working with the men’s program at Emmanuel College - www.emmanuel.edu/athletics/basketball_men/default.asp - in Boston. “I enjoy basketball, and I enjoy helping others through basketball,” Cottrell said. “I’m hoping to move up in the business if the opportunity arises.”
Rigoberto Nuñez ’96
Position: Forward
Points per game: .5
Rebounds per game: 1
It’s impossible to quantify with numbers what Rigo Nuñez brought to the Minutemen during his four-year career. He wasn’t much of a scorer and his rebound numbers were negligible, but Calipari used him to provide a spark. When he entered the game, everybody’s energy level rose, from the players to the crowd.
The Lawrence native began his career as a walk-on but eventually earned a scholarship. He’s currently working as the assistant admissions director in the law school at Lewis and Clark College in Oregon.
Tyrone Weeks ’97
Position: Forward
Points per game: 5.8
Rebounds per game: 5.2
His Final Four ring always attracts attention.
“People think for football because of my size,” said the six-foot seven-inch, 250-pound former forward. “But then they see UMass, and they’re like ‘Oh yeah. I remember those teams.’”
Weeks was a pioneer in college basketball history. He was one of the nation’s first players to take advantage of a rule change that rewarded academic performance. Weeks was academically ineligible to play as a freshman, but earned his degree in four years, allowing him to make up his lost season as a fifth-year senior.
Weeks worked in coaching for six years with Jim Baron at Rhode Island and St. Bonaventure. He’s now in management at Stop & Shop in Rhode Island.
Marcus Camby ’96
Position: Center
Points per game: 20.5
Rebounds per game: 8.2
Blocks per game: 3.9
Before his junior season, Camby’s talent was obvious, but he lived in Lou Roe’s shadow. It was evident right away that Camby was ready for a larger role in 1995-96; he took command in UMass’s season-opening upset of No. 1 Kentucky.
That game launched a season that saw Camby dominate en route to earning National Player of the Year honors. To no one’s surprise, Camby entered the NBA draft after the season and was selected by the Toronto Raptors as the No. 2 overall pick.
In nine NBA seasons with the Raptors, the New York Knicks, and the Denver Nuggets, - www.nba.com/nuggets/ - Camby has averaged 10.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game.
Camby, who tutored South Hadley students during his UMass Amherst days, has been active in charities throughout his career. He recently toured Africa with Basketball Without Borders.
Inus Norville
Position: Forward, Center
Points per game: 2.4
Rebounds per game: 2.1
Norville was a reserve big man on the 1995-96 team. At 6-foot-8, 225 pounds, he provided size off the bench.
Norville transferred to Wright State in Dayton, Ohio, where he played for former UMass Amherst assistant coach Ed Schilling as a senior.
Norville’s professional career has taken him to several spots in Europe and the Dominican Republic. He played last year in Sweden and is on the roster of Keravnos Strovolou in Cyprus, Greece, - www.eurobasket.com/cyp/nt.asp - this season.
1995-96: A Year Without Peer
Some said that the Minutemen’s 1994-95 year would be the one to remember; UMass had claimed the No. 1 spot in the AP poll, becoming the first New England team ever to do so. That spring, the team lost three senior starters, including Lou Roe, the top rebounder and second-leading scorer in school history. Hopes for the 95-96 season were tempered by the reality of the lineup, and when the team lost its final preseason match to a motley outfit called the Converse All-Stars, it seemed clear the program had indeed peaked a year before.
The history books tell a different story: A 35-2 record, best among Division 1 teams; 10 weeks at No. 1 in the AP poll; a fifth consecutive A-10 regular season championship, coupled with a fifth consecutive A-10 tournament title, the first time in 45 years that a team from any league accomplished this feat; two National Coach of the Year honors for Calipari; and a sweep of all the important National Player of the Year awards for Marcus Camby.
But the numbers don’t tell the real story, of a team that won the hearts of the public. They were a team in the truest sense, possessing an old-fashioned blend of selflessness and effort. They were not the most talented, but pushed by Calipari, they added up to far more than the sum of their parts.
A Few Highlights:
November 28, 1995
UMass stuns No. 1 Kentucky, 92-82.
Dec. 9, 1995
A full house of 18,974 fills the Fleet Center and watches UMass hold off rival Boston College, 65-57.
Dec. 22, 1995
UMass takes the No. 1 spot in the AP poll after beating Georgia Tech 75-67.
Jan. 14, 1996
Marcus Camby, star of the team, loses consciousness on the court for 10 minutes. Calipari accompanies him to the hospital while the team wins one for its fallen comrade against St. Bonaventure. Camby’s best friend, Tyrone Weeks, plays the best game of his collegiate career.
Jan. 27, 1995
Camby returns to the court, and in a perfect twist, helps beat St. Bonaventure—again.
Feb. 14, 1996
National attention heats up as pundits begin comparing UMass to other great teams in basketball history and talk about the 20-year drought for an undefeated team…
Feb. 24, 1996
…but UMass won’t break that record. They fall to George Washington, 86-76…
March 8, 1996
…but they must have learned something in that game: UMass takes GW, 74-65.
March 20, 1996
How sweet it is: UMass advances to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament. People wonder if it’s an omen that, at a press conference, Carmelo Travieso falls five feet off the stage, twisting his back. Instead, Travieso sparks a winning momentum as the Minutemen take down Arkansas and Georgetown and are ushered into the Final Four.
March 30, 1996
The Minutemen fall behind by 15 points early in the second half, then shave the gap down to three. Kentucky proves too much in the end, besting UMass 81-74. Kentucky coach Rick Pitino ’74, who took his team to the national title two nights later, said it best in his post-game commentary: “I’m proud of our ball club, but as an alumnus of [UMass], why, I can’t say enough of that team.”
The 1996 Men's Basketball Team Grows Up
— Matt Vautour ’96
Ten years ago, the UMass men’s basketball took us all the way to the Final Four. The players remember that era and share news of their lives since.
IT'S DIFFICULT FOR UMASS AMHERST basketball fans to picture them as adults, pushing 30 years old, or in some cases already past that mark.
In the minds and hearts of their fans, members of 1995-96 UMass men’s basketball team will forever be the 18- to 22-year-old kids that went 35-2 and nearly knocked off Kentucky in the school’s only trip to the Final Four. They’ll always look like they did in the photos and newsclips that still hang in homes and restaurants from Palmer to Pittsfield. They’ll be forever young in the memories of the fans who hopped on for the ride.
Those boys are men now, coaches and fathers and fans. They sell stocks, cars, and real estate. They are adults with real jobs. But their memories are long. We caught up with the members of that team, 10 years after.
Dana Dingle ’96
Position: Forward
Points per game: 10.1
Rebounds per game: 7.4
Nobody in the history of the UMass basketball program has played more games than Dingle’s 137. He had a career of indispensable quiet efficiency.
During the 1995-96 season Dingle didn’t get as much attention as some of his teammates, but his rebounding, leadership, and defense were critical components in the Minutemen’s success. He is still the program’s No. 10 all-time rebounder and No. 30 all-time scorer.
Dingle’s professional career spanned four continents before he hung up his high tops. “I knew I was eventually going to have to get a regular job so I decided to start sooner than later,” he said. “If I’d waited, I’d be on the bottom of the barrel and never make any money.”
Dingle worked on Wall Street for a while before moving to Monroe Capital, a hedge fund on Long Island. He also coaches the AAU Long Island Lightning. - www.islandgarden.com/LIL/ -
People often ask him about his Minuteman days.
“I thought it’d be old by now. But people still remember. That team still stands out as far as UMass history goes,” Dingle said. “People are like ’Hey, I remember you guys. That was my team.’ For me, I’ve always been low-key and laid-back. I don’t really like the attention and all that stuff. But it’s cool. It’s better to be remembered than not.”
Dingle said new UMass coach Travis Ford has encouraged him to be part of the program again.
“The new staff has reached out,” Dingle said. “I told them I’d try to come up this year.”
Edgar Padilla ’97
Position: Guard
Points per game: 8.9
Rebounds per game: 6.7
Carmelo Travieso ’98
Position: Guard
Points per game: 12.6
Fewer duos in recent college basketball history are more closely associated with each other than the Minutemen’s Puerto Rican backcourt.
Friends, roommates, and countrymen, they seldom left one another’s side, and seldom left the floor during the 1995-96 season as both averaged more than 35 minutes per game. They were heroes on their island, helping spark increased interest in basketball in the United States’ Caribbean territory.
“It’s still the one thing that people remember, the Final Four year,” Padilla said. “It’s fun. You work so hard to get there. When you get there you don’t really understand what it means until years down the line. I would have never imagined that 10 years later it’s still considered something great.”
“I didn’t realize what an accomplishment it was at the time,” Travieso said. “We worked so hard, it became second nature. We worked hard enough to be able to do it.”
It will warm fans to know that the two guards are still close. They both live in Puerto Rico and are still playing professionally in the Superior League, Padilla for Arecibo and Travieso for Santurce. - www.bsnpr.com/ -
Padilla sells real estate and Travieso works at a financial consulting firm, and both also work with Giddel Padilla’s sports agency (Giddel is Edgar’s older brother).
Travieso plans to relocate back to Massachusetts sometime soon. “It’s hard to follow UMass down here,” Travieso said. “When I get back up there, I’d definitely like to go to some games.”
Several players said they’d like to see a reunion of that team. “We’re both looking forward to someday meeting with these guys and see how everybody is doing,” Padilla said. “See if they have kids or where they’re living at. It’d be great if everybody could go back there and meet.”
Giddel Padilla ’96
Position: Guard
Points per game: .7
Games played: 21
For most of his career at UMass, Giddel Padilla was known more for his younger brother than for his own basketball career. But in his final game, Padilla delivered a memorable effort. Rarely used during the regular season, coach John Calipari called on Padilla to play against Kentucky in the Final Four when Travieso got into foul trouble. He played only eight minutes, but during that stint the Minutemen cut into a considerable Wildcat advantage, leading to a close game down the stretch.
Today, Giddel, like his brother Edgar, lives in his native Puerto Rico, where he works as a sports agent.
Donta Bright ’96
Position: Forward
Points per game: 14.5
Rebounds per game: 5.8
The tough but smooth senior from Baltimore, Maryland, was the first McDonald’s All-American ever to sign with UMass. As a senior, Calipari called him the best finisher in the game. When Camby was out of the lineup, it was Bright that stepped forward to lead the Minutemen in scoring. At one point during the season he made 40 free throws without missing.
Bright’s playing career spanned Europe, South America, and stateside minor leagues. He stopped playing in 2002 and returned to his native Baltimore.
Charlton Clarke ’02
Position: Guard
Points per game: 1.4
Games played: 23
It would surprise very few people that Clarke ended up in sales. The ebullient Minuteman guard was a freshman on the 1995-96 squad. It was his early season foot injury that turned Padilla and Travieso into iron men.
While he was unremarkable on the court that season averaging just 8.9 minutes in 23 games, Clarke blossomed after that. Despite scoring just 32 points as a freshman, he finished his career as a member of the school’s 1,000-point club.
Clarke is back in his native Bronx, where he manages a car dealership. “You name it I got it,” Clarke said of his automotive offerings.
Clarke still plays, sometimes running in pickup games with his old roommate, Ross Burns ’99, up at Fordham University. He admitted he’s not as quick as he used to be, but said his offensive arsenal remains intact.
“The running one-hander still works; that floater still works. The jump shot works. The legs don’t hold up as well as they used to, but it’s fun to get out there and compete,” Clarke said. “I get in some local tournaments from time to time.”
Television often allows him to look back on his career. “Every now and then I can catch our old games on classic sports,” he said. “Plus I see a whole lot of people that we manhandled that are doing well in the NBA.”
Like his teammates, Clarke is stunned that the years have gone so fast. “I can’t believe it’s been 10 years,” he said. “That’s the way time flies.”
Andy Maclay ’99
Position: Guard
Games played: 18
Maclay wore the Minuteman colors for arguably the two greatest sporting events in UMass history. The walk-on guard’s regular gig was punting for the Minuteman football team, and he was a key member of UMass’s Division I-AA National Championship team in 1998. Maclay remains the school’s all-time leader in punt yardage with 12,278.
He’s currently working as an athletic director at a high school in New Jersey.
Ross Burns ’99
Position: Guard
Games played: 17
To most people it looked like Burns just had the best seat in the house for the greatest sports show UMass Amherst has ever seen.
He was a walk-on, the kid from Greenfield, whom the crowd loved. The team’s success earned him minutes in 17 games, but for the most part he was a practice body, used to push his more high-profile teammates.
But the fans who chanted his name late in big wins didn’t realize that Burns was soaking up as much basketball knowledge as he could. Even then assistant coach Bruiser Flint - www.coachbruiserflint.com - said he could see Burns someday becoming a coach.
He was right. Burns began his sixth season as a Division I assistant coach. He helped Dereck Whittenburg turn around Wagner’s previously moribund basketball program and is now at Fordham with Whittenburg.
Calipari’s and Flint’s influence still affects him. “I find myself reflecting on how they would deal with situations. I reflect on how they dealt with us,” Burns said. “Being around great coaches like that really rubbed off on me.”
Ted Cottrell ’96
Position: Forward
Points per game: .9
Rebounds per game: .9
Games played: 22
Cottrell will be most remembered for his high socks, classy attitude, and role as the team barber. On a team with a deep frontcourt, his time was limited. But like Burns, Cottrell got the most out of his time in practice and on the bench; he too has pursued a career in coaching.
Cottrell began working as an assistant coach at Palmer High School in Massachusetts, moved to Mount Holyoke College, and is now working with the men’s program at Emmanuel College - www.emmanuel.edu/athletics/basketball_men/default.asp - in Boston. “I enjoy basketball, and I enjoy helping others through basketball,” Cottrell said. “I’m hoping to move up in the business if the opportunity arises.”
Rigoberto Nuñez ’96
Position: Forward
Points per game: .5
Rebounds per game: 1
It’s impossible to quantify with numbers what Rigo Nuñez brought to the Minutemen during his four-year career. He wasn’t much of a scorer and his rebound numbers were negligible, but Calipari used him to provide a spark. When he entered the game, everybody’s energy level rose, from the players to the crowd.
The Lawrence native began his career as a walk-on but eventually earned a scholarship. He’s currently working as the assistant admissions director in the law school at Lewis and Clark College in Oregon.
Tyrone Weeks ’97
Position: Forward
Points per game: 5.8
Rebounds per game: 5.2
His Final Four ring always attracts attention.
“People think for football because of my size,” said the six-foot seven-inch, 250-pound former forward. “But then they see UMass, and they’re like ‘Oh yeah. I remember those teams.’”
Weeks was a pioneer in college basketball history. He was one of the nation’s first players to take advantage of a rule change that rewarded academic performance. Weeks was academically ineligible to play as a freshman, but earned his degree in four years, allowing him to make up his lost season as a fifth-year senior.
Weeks worked in coaching for six years with Jim Baron at Rhode Island and St. Bonaventure. He’s now in management at Stop & Shop in Rhode Island.
Marcus Camby ’96
Position: Center
Points per game: 20.5
Rebounds per game: 8.2
Blocks per game: 3.9
Before his junior season, Camby’s talent was obvious, but he lived in Lou Roe’s shadow. It was evident right away that Camby was ready for a larger role in 1995-96; he took command in UMass’s season-opening upset of No. 1 Kentucky.
That game launched a season that saw Camby dominate en route to earning National Player of the Year honors. To no one’s surprise, Camby entered the NBA draft after the season and was selected by the Toronto Raptors as the No. 2 overall pick.
In nine NBA seasons with the Raptors, the New York Knicks, and the Denver Nuggets, - www.nba.com/nuggets/ - Camby has averaged 10.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game.
Camby, who tutored South Hadley students during his UMass Amherst days, has been active in charities throughout his career. He recently toured Africa with Basketball Without Borders.
Inus Norville
Position: Forward, Center
Points per game: 2.4
Rebounds per game: 2.1
Norville was a reserve big man on the 1995-96 team. At 6-foot-8, 225 pounds, he provided size off the bench.
Norville transferred to Wright State in Dayton, Ohio, where he played for former UMass Amherst assistant coach Ed Schilling as a senior.
Norville’s professional career has taken him to several spots in Europe and the Dominican Republic. He played last year in Sweden and is on the roster of Keravnos Strovolou in Cyprus, Greece, - www.eurobasket.com/cyp/nt.asp - this season.
1995-96: A Year Without Peer
Some said that the Minutemen’s 1994-95 year would be the one to remember; UMass had claimed the No. 1 spot in the AP poll, becoming the first New England team ever to do so. That spring, the team lost three senior starters, including Lou Roe, the top rebounder and second-leading scorer in school history. Hopes for the 95-96 season were tempered by the reality of the lineup, and when the team lost its final preseason match to a motley outfit called the Converse All-Stars, it seemed clear the program had indeed peaked a year before.
The history books tell a different story: A 35-2 record, best among Division 1 teams; 10 weeks at No. 1 in the AP poll; a fifth consecutive A-10 regular season championship, coupled with a fifth consecutive A-10 tournament title, the first time in 45 years that a team from any league accomplished this feat; two National Coach of the Year honors for Calipari; and a sweep of all the important National Player of the Year awards for Marcus Camby.
But the numbers don’t tell the real story, of a team that won the hearts of the public. They were a team in the truest sense, possessing an old-fashioned blend of selflessness and effort. They were not the most talented, but pushed by Calipari, they added up to far more than the sum of their parts.
A Few Highlights:
November 28, 1995
UMass stuns No. 1 Kentucky, 92-82.
Dec. 9, 1995
A full house of 18,974 fills the Fleet Center and watches UMass hold off rival Boston College, 65-57.
Dec. 22, 1995
UMass takes the No. 1 spot in the AP poll after beating Georgia Tech 75-67.
Jan. 14, 1996
Marcus Camby, star of the team, loses consciousness on the court for 10 minutes. Calipari accompanies him to the hospital while the team wins one for its fallen comrade against St. Bonaventure. Camby’s best friend, Tyrone Weeks, plays the best game of his collegiate career.
Jan. 27, 1995
Camby returns to the court, and in a perfect twist, helps beat St. Bonaventure—again.
Feb. 14, 1996
National attention heats up as pundits begin comparing UMass to other great teams in basketball history and talk about the 20-year drought for an undefeated team…
Feb. 24, 1996
…but UMass won’t break that record. They fall to George Washington, 86-76…
March 8, 1996
…but they must have learned something in that game: UMass takes GW, 74-65.
March 20, 1996
How sweet it is: UMass advances to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament. People wonder if it’s an omen that, at a press conference, Carmelo Travieso falls five feet off the stage, twisting his back. Instead, Travieso sparks a winning momentum as the Minutemen take down Arkansas and Georgetown and are ushered into the Final Four.
March 30, 1996
The Minutemen fall behind by 15 points early in the second half, then shave the gap down to three. Kentucky proves too much in the end, besting UMass 81-74. Kentucky coach Rick Pitino ’74, who took his team to the national title two nights later, said it best in his post-game commentary: “I’m proud of our ball club, but as an alumnus of [UMass], why, I can’t say enough of that team.”
Background Stories on Tyrone Weeks, New Tiger Assistant Coach (1 of 3 in Series)
Tyrone Weeks,
Massachusetts
Class: Senior Position: Forward
Height: 6'7" Weight: 258
DOB: April 30, 1974
Hometown: Philadelphia
High School: Franklin Learning Center
Vital Stats: 10.3 points per game, 8.6 rebounds
by Chad Millman
As a misdirected high schooler in North Philadelphia, UMass forward Tyrone Weeks was a basketball prodigy who once missed 30 consecutive days of school. Five years later he's a scholar with little hope of an NBA career. Because of that, years after he has played his last game and decades after his contributions on the basketball court have been forgotten, Weeks will be remembered as a pioneer.
As a freshman in 1993-94, Weeks was a Proposition 48 casualty, unable to play for the Minutemen that season because he failed to meet minimum academic standards during his senior year at Philadelphia's Franklin Learning Center. Embarrassed by this shortcoming, Weeks dedicated himself to his education. During his sophomore year he made the dean's list with a 3.5 GPA.
With Weeks in mind, UMass administrators petitioned the NCAA to grant a fourth season of eligibility to Prop 48 candidates who complete their degree in four years. The NCAA passed what became known as Proposition 68, and Weeks became the first former Prop 48 student to take advantage of the rule.
"When I recruited him," says UMass coach Bruiser Flint, "there were people in Philadelphia who told me he'd never make it in college. There were times when he struggled, but he worked hard and turned himself around."
Weeks has been primarily responsible for the Minutemen's turnaround the last year and a half. After coach John Calipari left for the NBA, UMass lost nine of its first 15 games of the '96-97 season. Since that point, the team is 34-14. Weeks, in his second year as team captain, has averaged 11.3 and 8.7 rebounds over those two seasons.
Weeks graduated with a degree in education in 1997. So, with his extra year of eligibility, he has completed a second undergraduate degree in African-American studies. Because chronic heel and ankle injuries limit his mobility, he knows a career in the pros is unlikely. Instead Weeks has his sights set on becoming a teacher. He'll spend the rest of his life in school, making up for lost time.
"I'm doing some positive things in my life," says Weeks. "It's been special just to show people how grown up I've become. I can't stop smiling."
Massachusetts
Class: Senior Position: Forward
Height: 6'7" Weight: 258
DOB: April 30, 1974
Hometown: Philadelphia
High School: Franklin Learning Center
Vital Stats: 10.3 points per game, 8.6 rebounds
by Chad Millman
As a misdirected high schooler in North Philadelphia, UMass forward Tyrone Weeks was a basketball prodigy who once missed 30 consecutive days of school. Five years later he's a scholar with little hope of an NBA career. Because of that, years after he has played his last game and decades after his contributions on the basketball court have been forgotten, Weeks will be remembered as a pioneer.
As a freshman in 1993-94, Weeks was a Proposition 48 casualty, unable to play for the Minutemen that season because he failed to meet minimum academic standards during his senior year at Philadelphia's Franklin Learning Center. Embarrassed by this shortcoming, Weeks dedicated himself to his education. During his sophomore year he made the dean's list with a 3.5 GPA.
With Weeks in mind, UMass administrators petitioned the NCAA to grant a fourth season of eligibility to Prop 48 candidates who complete their degree in four years. The NCAA passed what became known as Proposition 68, and Weeks became the first former Prop 48 student to take advantage of the rule.
"When I recruited him," says UMass coach Bruiser Flint, "there were people in Philadelphia who told me he'd never make it in college. There were times when he struggled, but he worked hard and turned himself around."
Weeks has been primarily responsible for the Minutemen's turnaround the last year and a half. After coach John Calipari left for the NBA, UMass lost nine of its first 15 games of the '96-97 season. Since that point, the team is 34-14. Weeks, in his second year as team captain, has averaged 11.3 and 8.7 rebounds over those two seasons.
Weeks graduated with a degree in education in 1997. So, with his extra year of eligibility, he has completed a second undergraduate degree in African-American studies. Because chronic heel and ankle injuries limit his mobility, he knows a career in the pros is unlikely. Instead Weeks has his sights set on becoming a teacher. He'll spend the rest of his life in school, making up for lost time.
"I'm doing some positive things in my life," says Weeks. "It's been special just to show people how grown up I've become. I can't stop smiling."
Former U of Mass Minuteman Tyrone Weeks Joins Tiger Coaching Staff
Cal's staff will have new look
Former Minuteman Weeks joining Tigers
By Dan Wolken
Friday, August 31, 2007
The University of Memphis has hired Tyrone Weeks as its director of basketball operations and moved Andy Allison, who worked in that position last year, to a newly created job on the coaching staff.
Weeks, 33, played on John Calipari's Final Four team at UMass and was an assistant coach at St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island for six seasons. He is returning to basketball after working two years in private business.
"I missed the game," Weeks said. "I missed working with the players. I've been involved in basketball my whole life, and I wanted to get back involved.
"These guys did a good job in recruiting, bringing in great players, and these players have done a great job to establish themselves as one of the top teams in the nation, and I knew this was a great spot to come to."
Calipari said he nearly hired Weeks to his first staff at Memphis, but Weeks went to Rhode Island to coach under Jim Baron instead.
With Weeks taking over as director of basketball operations (the job formerly held by Milt Wagner), Allison will move to a new position coordinating Calipari's camps and clinics. He will also be responsible for Calipari's Web site, which Calipari said had been woefully neglected for the past couple years.
"It's where everybody goes now, and it's going to be one guy's responsibility, and it gives (Allison) a chance to work at it, make the clinics better and make the camps better," Calipari said.
Weeks' addition means Memphis now has 10 full-time members of its basketball staff.
Also on Thursday, Memphis released the dates of its Conference USA games in 2007-08. Game times and television arrangements are still pending. The Tigers' 16-game league schedule begins Jan. 9 with a home date against East Carolina and ends March 8 at FedExForum against UAB.
Memphis plays four of its first six conference games on the road, but then will play four straight at home in February.
"What I like is, the first game is at home and the last game is at home. But it doesn't matter," Calipari said. "The thing that happens with us, all the accolades (we're getting) are driving the other teams. If it doesn't drive us, we've got a problem. UAB is way better, Houston is way better, UTEP is way better. We're lucky to beat Southern Miss any time we play them. It's going to be a tough road."
-- Dan Wolken: 529-2365
Former Minuteman Weeks joining Tigers
By Dan Wolken
Friday, August 31, 2007
The University of Memphis has hired Tyrone Weeks as its director of basketball operations and moved Andy Allison, who worked in that position last year, to a newly created job on the coaching staff.
Weeks, 33, played on John Calipari's Final Four team at UMass and was an assistant coach at St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island for six seasons. He is returning to basketball after working two years in private business.
"I missed the game," Weeks said. "I missed working with the players. I've been involved in basketball my whole life, and I wanted to get back involved.
"These guys did a good job in recruiting, bringing in great players, and these players have done a great job to establish themselves as one of the top teams in the nation, and I knew this was a great spot to come to."
Calipari said he nearly hired Weeks to his first staff at Memphis, but Weeks went to Rhode Island to coach under Jim Baron instead.
With Weeks taking over as director of basketball operations (the job formerly held by Milt Wagner), Allison will move to a new position coordinating Calipari's camps and clinics. He will also be responsible for Calipari's Web site, which Calipari said had been woefully neglected for the past couple years.
"It's where everybody goes now, and it's going to be one guy's responsibility, and it gives (Allison) a chance to work at it, make the clinics better and make the camps better," Calipari said.
Weeks' addition means Memphis now has 10 full-time members of its basketball staff.
Also on Thursday, Memphis released the dates of its Conference USA games in 2007-08. Game times and television arrangements are still pending. The Tigers' 16-game league schedule begins Jan. 9 with a home date against East Carolina and ends March 8 at FedExForum against UAB.
Memphis plays four of its first six conference games on the road, but then will play four straight at home in February.
"What I like is, the first game is at home and the last game is at home. But it doesn't matter," Calipari said. "The thing that happens with us, all the accolades (we're getting) are driving the other teams. If it doesn't drive us, we've got a problem. UAB is way better, Houston is way better, UTEP is way better. We're lucky to beat Southern Miss any time we play them. It's going to be a tough road."
-- Dan Wolken: 529-2365
From AOL.com Sports "The Latest New Thing In Offense"
The Latest New Thing in Offense
Posted Aug 30th 2007 3:33PM
by Charles Rich, AOL.com Sports
A new approach on offense or defense is a gimmick until there is regular success with it, and perhaps more importantly, others adopt or emulate it. At that point, it becomes an innovative and ingenious.
Vance Walberg, a California basketball coach and coach junkie, had developed his own offensive strategy he called AASAA -- Attack Attack Skip Attack Attack. He had great success with it as a Junior College at Fresno City College. It wasn't, however, until Memphis Coach John Calipari adopted the style (and renamed it the "dribble-drive motion") of offense and went to two straight Elite Eights that it started attracting real attention.
The success of the offense led to two things. Vance Walberg became the coach at Pepperdine after the 2006 season and other coaches are trying to learn and utilize the principles. To that end, Calipari and Walberg put on a coaches clinic to help explain (July 23 entry) the principles.
One reason, (obviously) to make some money and generate more publicity, but also because so many coaches had been contacting them to learn about it and pick their brains on the matter.
So it may be a little flattering to Walberg when he sees [Bobby] 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.
Coaches like Dixon, Pelphrey and Turgeon who emphasize strong defenses are integrating the principles of the offense. That's quite an endorsement for the offensive style.
One of the attractions for some coaches is that it utilizes the players athleticism and since it allows them to attack the basket. The approach not only generates more points and is an attacking offense, but it attracts top players who envision playing in that offense as a way to showcase their abilities for NBA scouts.
Posted Aug 30th 2007 3:33PM
by Charles Rich, AOL.com Sports
A new approach on offense or defense is a gimmick until there is regular success with it, and perhaps more importantly, others adopt or emulate it. At that point, it becomes an innovative and ingenious.
Vance Walberg, a California basketball coach and coach junkie, had developed his own offensive strategy he called AASAA -- Attack Attack Skip Attack Attack. He had great success with it as a Junior College at Fresno City College. It wasn't, however, until Memphis Coach John Calipari adopted the style (and renamed it the "dribble-drive motion") of offense and went to two straight Elite Eights that it started attracting real attention.
The success of the offense led to two things. Vance Walberg became the coach at Pepperdine after the 2006 season and other coaches are trying to learn and utilize the principles. To that end, Calipari and Walberg put on a coaches clinic to help explain (July 23 entry) the principles.
One reason, (obviously) to make some money and generate more publicity, but also because so many coaches had been contacting them to learn about it and pick their brains on the matter.
So it may be a little flattering to Walberg when he sees [Bobby] 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.
Coaches like Dixon, Pelphrey and Turgeon who emphasize strong defenses are integrating the principles of the offense. That's quite an endorsement for the offensive style.
One of the attractions for some coaches is that it utilizes the players athleticism and since it allows them to attack the basket. The approach not only generates more points and is an attacking offense, but it attracts top players who envision playing in that offense as a way to showcase their abilities for NBA scouts.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
My Response to www.insidethehall.com (Indiana Univ. Basketball Blog) on Memphis' National Television Exposure
Hoosiers,
While very few Memphis fans would put Memphis on scale with Indiana's tradition, the fact remains that Memphis is on Cloud Nine at the moment following back-to-back Elite Eight finishes and a #1 preseason ranking by several polls (including ESPN). Calipari has done an excellent job recruiting during his tenure including several top 10 classes.
Believe it or not, Cal also is excellent with the media and get Memphis on national television a lot. While I'm not surprised you might not realize it, Memphis was on national television 16 times last year NOT counting the C-USA Conference Final and the NCAA tournament (of which the Texas A&M and Ohio State games were national).
Memphis played on CBS once v. Houston. Memphis played on ESPN 10 times in the regular season - vs. Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Tennessee, Cincinnati, SMU, UAB, Gonzaga, Rice and UTEP. They also played once on Fox Sports Network (national) vs. Arizona and four times on CSTV (vs. UAB, East Carolina, Tulsa and SMU.
CSTV is widely available on cable systems across the country, including Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Cablevision, Charter, Insight, Bright House Networks, Mediacom, Insight, RCN, Advanced Cable and Bresnan. It is also available on DIRECTV's Total Choice Premier Package Channel 610 and DISH Network's America's Top 120 Package Channel 152.
In addition, Memphis also played another eight times on Comcast/Charter Southeast - a regional broadcast reaching 5.8 million households across 12 states.
And, the rest of their games in the regular season were shown locally in the Memphis metropolitan area.
Expect a similar breakdown in 2007-2008.
While very few Memphis fans would put Memphis on scale with Indiana's tradition, the fact remains that Memphis is on Cloud Nine at the moment following back-to-back Elite Eight finishes and a #1 preseason ranking by several polls (including ESPN). Calipari has done an excellent job recruiting during his tenure including several top 10 classes.
Believe it or not, Cal also is excellent with the media and get Memphis on national television a lot. While I'm not surprised you might not realize it, Memphis was on national television 16 times last year NOT counting the C-USA Conference Final and the NCAA tournament (of which the Texas A&M and Ohio State games were national).
Memphis played on CBS once v. Houston. Memphis played on ESPN 10 times in the regular season - vs. Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Tennessee, Cincinnati, SMU, UAB, Gonzaga, Rice and UTEP. They also played once on Fox Sports Network (national) vs. Arizona and four times on CSTV (vs. UAB, East Carolina, Tulsa and SMU.
CSTV is widely available on cable systems across the country, including Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Cablevision, Charter, Insight, Bright House Networks, Mediacom, Insight, RCN, Advanced Cable and Bresnan. It is also available on DIRECTV's Total Choice Premier Package Channel 610 and DISH Network's America's Top 120 Package Channel 152.
In addition, Memphis also played another eight times on Comcast/Charter Southeast - a regional broadcast reaching 5.8 million households across 12 states.
And, the rest of their games in the regular season were shown locally in the Memphis metropolitan area.
Expect a similar breakdown in 2007-2008.
More Comments From Indiana Univ. B-Ball Blog Regarding Angel Garcia and Comments From the Commercial Appeal
By Big A
www.insidethehall.com
August 27, 2007
Kelin, an avid reader of Inside the Hall, shot an e-mail over to Dan Wolken regarding his story where he predicted East Chicago Central’s Angel Garcia will attend Memphis.
He’s been kind enough to share his e-mail and the response he received from Wolken with all of the readers, so thanks are in order for that.
First, here’s what Kelin sent over to Wolken:
Dan-
As an Indiana guy I think you are way off on the Garcia prediction. IU has no one at his position after this year and the style of play will vastly change given the type of players we have in this year’s class and next year. With Eric Gordon, Jamarcus Ellis and other “transition type” players, the days of the motion offense are gone. Yes Calipari produces NBA guys…lets not forget Dajuan Wagner! I think Memphis has a shot but the reasons you are stating really don’t hold the weight. I am for certain Indiana will receive far more national exposure than Memphis over the next few years, including this year. Being an Indiana kid, I think Angel knows that.
And here’s the response Wolken gave with his rationale:
Thanks for your note.
Every fan of every school thinks every recruit should come there and can give a list of reasons why, and I’m fine with that. I’m not a fan, so I base all my commentary on what I observe and what I’m told from my sources. I based my prediction about Garcia on the following factors:
1) Calipari has gotten many players from Puerto Rico over the years, both at UMass and Memphis. This is not a coincidence. If Garcia comes to Memphis, he’ll also be playing for an assistant coach who is Puerto Rican.
2) There is a pretty stark difference between Memphis and Indiana in style of play. Memphis is selling that hard.
3) Whether you think it’s true or not, Calipari is perceived in the basketball/recruiting world as a coach who gets players ready to go to the NBA.
4) Angel isn’t an Indiana kid. He’s from Puerto Rico.
5) Memphis is on ESPN/ESPN2/CBS 10-15 times per year, which is about as many as any program outside of Duke. They’re No. 1 or No. 2 this year in every preseason poll. Outside of Duke, Carolina, Kentucky, UCLA and Florida, Memphis gets about as much national exposure as any.
Like I said yesterday, I’m thinking this could go either way. With Garcia, Tyler Zeller and Kevin Jones all still possibilities for this class, you can’t say enough about the recruiting job that Coach Sampson and staff have done. It’s been nothing short of remarkable. If one of these kids come to IU, we’re looking at another top five class. If two of them come, you’re probably looking at a top two or three class.
By the way, I haven’t forgotten about the All-Big Ten preview. That’ll be back next week as I’ll reveal the fourth player on the first team as well as my pick for player of the year.
3 Responses to “Writer expands on his Garcia to Memphis prediction”
Cat Says:
August 28th, 2007 at 12:26 am
Seems like two solid arguments. But what Wolken still fails to understand is that Garcia is playing basketball in Indiana NOW. Puerto Rican or not, he is experiencing the atmosphere of Indiana basketball and absorbing the rich tradition of it. He also fails to realize that Indiana’s tradition is deeper and they are on TV about as often (aren’t we going to be on some variety of ESPN or CBS about 11 times this year?) and get just as much publicity or more as Memphis. I agree with you; the kid could go either way. I hope he realizes just how much we need him at his position and how much he can do for a legendary program when he arrives.
Chadwig Says:
August 28th, 2007 at 9:12 am
Memphis has as much national exposure as those schools??? Get real!!!!!!!!!
kelin Says:
August 28th, 2007 at 9:58 am
I think this guy is a fan…cause I cannot remember Memphis being on TV a whole lot last year and to say they get national exposure similar to the NC, Duke,Ky…you have to be kidding me.
www.insidethehall.com
August 27, 2007
Kelin, an avid reader of Inside the Hall, shot an e-mail over to Dan Wolken regarding his story where he predicted East Chicago Central’s Angel Garcia will attend Memphis.
He’s been kind enough to share his e-mail and the response he received from Wolken with all of the readers, so thanks are in order for that.
First, here’s what Kelin sent over to Wolken:
Dan-
As an Indiana guy I think you are way off on the Garcia prediction. IU has no one at his position after this year and the style of play will vastly change given the type of players we have in this year’s class and next year. With Eric Gordon, Jamarcus Ellis and other “transition type” players, the days of the motion offense are gone. Yes Calipari produces NBA guys…lets not forget Dajuan Wagner! I think Memphis has a shot but the reasons you are stating really don’t hold the weight. I am for certain Indiana will receive far more national exposure than Memphis over the next few years, including this year. Being an Indiana kid, I think Angel knows that.
And here’s the response Wolken gave with his rationale:
Thanks for your note.
Every fan of every school thinks every recruit should come there and can give a list of reasons why, and I’m fine with that. I’m not a fan, so I base all my commentary on what I observe and what I’m told from my sources. I based my prediction about Garcia on the following factors:
1) Calipari has gotten many players from Puerto Rico over the years, both at UMass and Memphis. This is not a coincidence. If Garcia comes to Memphis, he’ll also be playing for an assistant coach who is Puerto Rican.
2) There is a pretty stark difference between Memphis and Indiana in style of play. Memphis is selling that hard.
3) Whether you think it’s true or not, Calipari is perceived in the basketball/recruiting world as a coach who gets players ready to go to the NBA.
4) Angel isn’t an Indiana kid. He’s from Puerto Rico.
5) Memphis is on ESPN/ESPN2/CBS 10-15 times per year, which is about as many as any program outside of Duke. They’re No. 1 or No. 2 this year in every preseason poll. Outside of Duke, Carolina, Kentucky, UCLA and Florida, Memphis gets about as much national exposure as any.
Like I said yesterday, I’m thinking this could go either way. With Garcia, Tyler Zeller and Kevin Jones all still possibilities for this class, you can’t say enough about the recruiting job that Coach Sampson and staff have done. It’s been nothing short of remarkable. If one of these kids come to IU, we’re looking at another top five class. If two of them come, you’re probably looking at a top two or three class.
By the way, I haven’t forgotten about the All-Big Ten preview. That’ll be back next week as I’ll reveal the fourth player on the first team as well as my pick for player of the year.
3 Responses to “Writer expands on his Garcia to Memphis prediction”
Cat Says:
August 28th, 2007 at 12:26 am
Seems like two solid arguments. But what Wolken still fails to understand is that Garcia is playing basketball in Indiana NOW. Puerto Rican or not, he is experiencing the atmosphere of Indiana basketball and absorbing the rich tradition of it. He also fails to realize that Indiana’s tradition is deeper and they are on TV about as often (aren’t we going to be on some variety of ESPN or CBS about 11 times this year?) and get just as much publicity or more as Memphis. I agree with you; the kid could go either way. I hope he realizes just how much we need him at his position and how much he can do for a legendary program when he arrives.
Chadwig Says:
August 28th, 2007 at 9:12 am
Memphis has as much national exposure as those schools??? Get real!!!!!!!!!
kelin Says:
August 28th, 2007 at 9:58 am
I think this guy is a fan…cause I cannot remember Memphis being on TV a whole lot last year and to say they get national exposure similar to the NC, Duke,Ky…you have to be kidding me.
Response to Commercial Appeal's Comments on Angel Garcia From Indiana Univ. B-Ball Blog
By Big A
www.insidethehall.com (Indiana Univ. Basketball Blog)
August 26, 2007
Dan Wolken, the Memphis beat writer for the Commercial Appeal, looked into his “crystal ball” with seven fearless predictions for the upcoming hoops season. The first item, in particular, caught my eye:
1. Forward Angel Garcia will commit to Memphis in the next few weeks: The talented 6-11 Puerto Rican told Rivals.com is deciding between the Tigers and Indiana. That’s very good news for Memphis, which badly wants Garcia to go along with already committed twins Marcus and Markieff Morris from Philadelphia. The Tigers are a better fit for Garcia’s style of play — similar to Shawne Williams — and have a big edge due to John Calipari’s history of developing players for the NBA. It also helps that assistant coach Chuck Martin is of Puerto Rican descent.
Mr. Wolken may end up being correct, but at this point, I’d say it’s a total crap shoot on where Garcia ends up. I’ve always heard that he likes Indiana first and foremost, but I wouldn’t count out John Calipari and his hair gel.
And I don’t buy the fact that having an assistant coach with Puerto Rican descent will end up making much of a difference, but hey, I could be totally off base. By my estimation it comes down to the tradition of the program, the coach, the facilities, the atmosphere around the campus and the style of play. What Memphis and IU have to offer are both very different.
It’ll be interesting to watch Garcia’s recruitment unfold over the next couple of weeks.
www.insidethehall.com (Indiana Univ. Basketball Blog)
August 26, 2007
Dan Wolken, the Memphis beat writer for the Commercial Appeal, looked into his “crystal ball” with seven fearless predictions for the upcoming hoops season. The first item, in particular, caught my eye:
1. Forward Angel Garcia will commit to Memphis in the next few weeks: The talented 6-11 Puerto Rican told Rivals.com is deciding between the Tigers and Indiana. That’s very good news for Memphis, which badly wants Garcia to go along with already committed twins Marcus and Markieff Morris from Philadelphia. The Tigers are a better fit for Garcia’s style of play — similar to Shawne Williams — and have a big edge due to John Calipari’s history of developing players for the NBA. It also helps that assistant coach Chuck Martin is of Puerto Rican descent.
Mr. Wolken may end up being correct, but at this point, I’d say it’s a total crap shoot on where Garcia ends up. I’ve always heard that he likes Indiana first and foremost, but I wouldn’t count out John Calipari and his hair gel.
And I don’t buy the fact that having an assistant coach with Puerto Rican descent will end up making much of a difference, but hey, I could be totally off base. By my estimation it comes down to the tradition of the program, the coach, the facilities, the atmosphere around the campus and the style of play. What Memphis and IU have to offer are both very different.
It’ll be interesting to watch Garcia’s recruitment unfold over the next couple of weeks.
Looking Into Tigers' Crystal Ball
Looking into Tigers' crystal ball
Year will feature lots to talk about
By Dan Wolken
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Classes at the University of Memphis begin on Monday, and college football starts Thursday, which means both more regular coverage of Tiger basketball and the end of this column for the summer.
To wrap things up, here are seven fearless predictions for the upcoming season, in honor of the seven weeks until Memphis Madness:
Expect a big season from Chris Douglas-Roberts this year. But it might also be the last for the Tigers' go-to guy.
1. Forward Angel Garcia will commit to Memphis in the next few weeks: The talented 6-11 Puerto Rican told Rivals.com is deciding between the Tigers and Indiana. That's very good news for Memphis, which badly wants Garcia to go along with already committed twins Marcus and Markieff Morris from Philadelphia. The Tigers are a better fit for Garcia's style of play -- similar to Shawne Williams -- and have a big edge due to John Calipari's history of developing players for the NBA. It also helps that assistant coach Chuck Martin is of Puerto Rican descent.
2. Joey Dorsey will be the star of Conference USA Media Day: After barely speaking publicly until last season's NCAA Tournament, Dorsey has proven quite quotable lately (for better or worse). The truth is, Dorsey is engaging and funny, and you never know what he'll say next. Hopefully Dorsey will stay that way, though Calipari would probably prefer he not make the kind of incendiary comments that made national headlines last season before his matchup with Greg Oden and Ohio State.
3. Memphis will lose a game at some point and drop from its No. 1 ranking, prompting Tiger fans to whine about a "lack of respect": Maybe in the past, this was a legitimate gripe. Not anymore. The Tigers are ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in nearly every preseason poll. No team in the country has gotten more positive ink this summer than Memphis. Put away the lack of respect card, please. It's tired.
4. Chris Douglas-Roberts will be a first-team all-American: Though he probably won't be among the nation's leading scorers, who would you rather have with the ball in his hand when you need a bucket? CDR was as impressive as ever early this summer in pickup games at the Finch Center and reportedly got to the rim at will during the Nike/LeBron James Camp in Akron. This will be a huge -- and probably final -- year at Memphis for CDR.
5. The Tigers will go 14-2 in Conference USA: Wouldn't it be ironic if Memphis' best team lost more games in C-USA than the 2006 and 2007 versions combined? But unlike the last two seasons, C-USA has three potential NCAA teams besides Memphis (Houston, UAB, Southern Miss), and the Tigers will have to play road games against all three. From a quality standpoint, 14-2 this season would probably be about equal to last year's 16-0 record.
6. Despite the loss of Jeremy Hunt, Memphis will be a better 3-point shooting team this season: As a team, Memphis made a very respectable 35.1 percent last year from the 3-point line, and it wasn't all Hunt. Willie Kemp connected on 38.6 percent, and Doneal Mack actually led the team at 40.5 percent (he was 50 percent from Jan. 1 to the end of the year). It's reasonable to expect Antonio Anderson to shoot better than 24.5 percent, and newcomers Shawn Taggart and Jeff Robinson can both shoot the three.
7. Memphis will open the 2008 NCAA Tournament in North Little Rock: That's right, 18,000-seat Alltel Arena is a host site for first- and second-round games next March. Assuming Memphis is one of the top four seeds, the Tigers (and their fans) likely won't have to travel more than two hours by bus to open what could be a long NCAA run. Fans might want to go ahead and look into accommodations. Tickets are sold out for the March 21 and 23 games, and I'm told hotel rooms for that weekend in Little Rock are already hard to come by.
Changes afoot
Over the three seasons Memphis has shared FedExForum with the Grizzlies, actual attendance for Tiger games has been determined by arena officials counting torn ticket stubs by hand.
That fact caused some controversy last season when The Commercial Appeal learned that Memphis had some surprisingly low crowds and didn't average the 10,000 in attendance necessary to trigger a $100,000 payment from the Grizzlies.
Counting stubs, however, may not be necessary in the near future. Paciolan Systems, which handles ticketing for the UofM (and a number of other colleges), is in the process of being acquired by Ticketmaster, which has a contract with FedExForum for all other events.
In other words, if the merger goes through, tickets to Tiger games could soon include bar codes compatible with the scanning equipment already used at FedExForum for Grizzlies games.
Not only would that make attendance counts easier and more accurate, it would allow Memphis to track which season ticket holders are actually using their tickets.
"A lot of our problems would go away," associate athletic director Bill Lofton said. "It would certainly be great for us and our fans and the people that operate the different facilities. We would love to be in that position where the tickets that we sell both on a season basis and individual game basis would be compatible with the equipment down there. It's my understanding that Ticketmaster owns that equipment, so hopefully there will be a smooth, seamless transition."
Because the sale probably won't be finalized until after this basketball season begins, it's unlikely Memphis' ticketing system will change until 2008-09.
To reach reporter Dan Wolken, call 529-2365; e-mail: wolken@commercialappeal.com
Year will feature lots to talk about
By Dan Wolken
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Classes at the University of Memphis begin on Monday, and college football starts Thursday, which means both more regular coverage of Tiger basketball and the end of this column for the summer.
To wrap things up, here are seven fearless predictions for the upcoming season, in honor of the seven weeks until Memphis Madness:
Expect a big season from Chris Douglas-Roberts this year. But it might also be the last for the Tigers' go-to guy.
1. Forward Angel Garcia will commit to Memphis in the next few weeks: The talented 6-11 Puerto Rican told Rivals.com is deciding between the Tigers and Indiana. That's very good news for Memphis, which badly wants Garcia to go along with already committed twins Marcus and Markieff Morris from Philadelphia. The Tigers are a better fit for Garcia's style of play -- similar to Shawne Williams -- and have a big edge due to John Calipari's history of developing players for the NBA. It also helps that assistant coach Chuck Martin is of Puerto Rican descent.
2. Joey Dorsey will be the star of Conference USA Media Day: After barely speaking publicly until last season's NCAA Tournament, Dorsey has proven quite quotable lately (for better or worse). The truth is, Dorsey is engaging and funny, and you never know what he'll say next. Hopefully Dorsey will stay that way, though Calipari would probably prefer he not make the kind of incendiary comments that made national headlines last season before his matchup with Greg Oden and Ohio State.
3. Memphis will lose a game at some point and drop from its No. 1 ranking, prompting Tiger fans to whine about a "lack of respect": Maybe in the past, this was a legitimate gripe. Not anymore. The Tigers are ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in nearly every preseason poll. No team in the country has gotten more positive ink this summer than Memphis. Put away the lack of respect card, please. It's tired.
4. Chris Douglas-Roberts will be a first-team all-American: Though he probably won't be among the nation's leading scorers, who would you rather have with the ball in his hand when you need a bucket? CDR was as impressive as ever early this summer in pickup games at the Finch Center and reportedly got to the rim at will during the Nike/LeBron James Camp in Akron. This will be a huge -- and probably final -- year at Memphis for CDR.
5. The Tigers will go 14-2 in Conference USA: Wouldn't it be ironic if Memphis' best team lost more games in C-USA than the 2006 and 2007 versions combined? But unlike the last two seasons, C-USA has three potential NCAA teams besides Memphis (Houston, UAB, Southern Miss), and the Tigers will have to play road games against all three. From a quality standpoint, 14-2 this season would probably be about equal to last year's 16-0 record.
6. Despite the loss of Jeremy Hunt, Memphis will be a better 3-point shooting team this season: As a team, Memphis made a very respectable 35.1 percent last year from the 3-point line, and it wasn't all Hunt. Willie Kemp connected on 38.6 percent, and Doneal Mack actually led the team at 40.5 percent (he was 50 percent from Jan. 1 to the end of the year). It's reasonable to expect Antonio Anderson to shoot better than 24.5 percent, and newcomers Shawn Taggart and Jeff Robinson can both shoot the three.
7. Memphis will open the 2008 NCAA Tournament in North Little Rock: That's right, 18,000-seat Alltel Arena is a host site for first- and second-round games next March. Assuming Memphis is one of the top four seeds, the Tigers (and their fans) likely won't have to travel more than two hours by bus to open what could be a long NCAA run. Fans might want to go ahead and look into accommodations. Tickets are sold out for the March 21 and 23 games, and I'm told hotel rooms for that weekend in Little Rock are already hard to come by.
Changes afoot
Over the three seasons Memphis has shared FedExForum with the Grizzlies, actual attendance for Tiger games has been determined by arena officials counting torn ticket stubs by hand.
That fact caused some controversy last season when The Commercial Appeal learned that Memphis had some surprisingly low crowds and didn't average the 10,000 in attendance necessary to trigger a $100,000 payment from the Grizzlies.
Counting stubs, however, may not be necessary in the near future. Paciolan Systems, which handles ticketing for the UofM (and a number of other colleges), is in the process of being acquired by Ticketmaster, which has a contract with FedExForum for all other events.
In other words, if the merger goes through, tickets to Tiger games could soon include bar codes compatible with the scanning equipment already used at FedExForum for Grizzlies games.
Not only would that make attendance counts easier and more accurate, it would allow Memphis to track which season ticket holders are actually using their tickets.
"A lot of our problems would go away," associate athletic director Bill Lofton said. "It would certainly be great for us and our fans and the people that operate the different facilities. We would love to be in that position where the tickets that we sell both on a season basis and individual game basis would be compatible with the equipment down there. It's my understanding that Ticketmaster owns that equipment, so hopefully there will be a smooth, seamless transition."
Because the sale probably won't be finalized until after this basketball season begins, it's unlikely Memphis' ticketing system will change until 2008-09.
To reach reporter Dan Wolken, call 529-2365; e-mail: wolken@commercialappeal.com
Monday, August 27, 2007
From the Columbus (OH) Dispatch "Bob Hunter's Commentary: Rumblings"
Bob Hunter commentary: Rumblings
Friday, August 24, 2007 3:27 AM
By BOB HUNTER
THE COLUMBUS (OH) DISPATCH
North Carolina and Florida will cycle off the Ohio State men's basketball schedule after this season. So what marquee opponents is coach Thad Matta lining up to whet ticket buyers' appetites for the nonconference portion of the schedule in 2008-09?
Maybe Memphis, according to The Sporting News. It says Memphis coach John Calipari is scheduling high-profile opponents several years down the road to burnish his team's power ranking while it continues to shine in the low-voltage Conference USA. Besides the Buckeyes, Calipari reportedly also is after Syracuse, Texas and West Virginia.
Ohio State and Memphis met in an NCAA regional final last season in San Antonio. The Buckeyes won 92-76.
Friday, August 24, 2007 3:27 AM
By BOB HUNTER
THE COLUMBUS (OH) DISPATCH
North Carolina and Florida will cycle off the Ohio State men's basketball schedule after this season. So what marquee opponents is coach Thad Matta lining up to whet ticket buyers' appetites for the nonconference portion of the schedule in 2008-09?
Maybe Memphis, according to The Sporting News. It says Memphis coach John Calipari is scheduling high-profile opponents several years down the road to burnish his team's power ranking while it continues to shine in the low-voltage Conference USA. Besides the Buckeyes, Calipari reportedly also is after Syracuse, Texas and West Virginia.
Ohio State and Memphis met in an NCAA regional final last season in San Antonio. The Buckeyes won 92-76.
CSTV.com "Gearing Up For 2007-08"
Gearing Up For 2007-08
Memphis, USC headline some of the best early-season matchups next season
Aug. 23, 2007
By Josh Herwitt
CSTV.com
A little less than three months still stand between now and the start of the college basketball season, but as students return to campus over the next few weeks, the preseason buzz will be back in the air, especially by the start of November when the polls come out and the preseason tournaments start just before Turkey Day.
And while many schools have yet to finalize their 2007-08 schedules, there are already several non-conference meetings that stand out before the New Year even arrives.
With that being said, here are some of the real eye-catchers early on that highlight the upcoming season.
Nov. 12-23: NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament
After watching A.J. Graves lead mighty Butler past the likes of Notre Dame, Indiana, Tennessee and Gonzaga in last year's tournament, the 2007 field features 16 teams from across the board, starting in the East Regional with Syracuse meeting Siena and St. Joseph's facing Fairleigh Dickinson. Out West, Washington will host New Jersey Institute of Technology while the second game pits Utah against High Point. Action in the Midwest Regional hits the Ohio State campus with the Buckeyes taking on Wisconsin-Green Bay and Ivy League foe Columbia butting heads with Delaware State. Meanwhile down South, Mid-Continent champion Oral Roberts, now playing in the Summit League without the low-post presence of three-time Mid-Con Player of the Year Caleb Green, visits Big 12 contender Texas A&M, and UTEP, after ending its season in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament, wrestles with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in College Station.
Nov. 19-21: EA Sports Maui Invitational
Now in its 24th year, the Maui Invitational returns to the Lahaina Civic Center as one of college basketball's premiere preseason tournaments with three teams from last year's NCAA Tournament field. First-round action tips off with Chaminade taking on a Marquette team that brings back All-American point man Dominic James (14.9 ppg and 4.9 apg in 2006) and Second Team All-Big East honoree Jerel McNeal (14.7 ppg and 4.8 rpg) after last season's first-round tournament blunder to Michigan State. LSU vs. Oklahoma State will follow that opening game, while three-time champion Duke, who remains a perfect 9-0 at the Maui Invitational, returns to face Princeton in the evening session and will play either Arizona State or Illinois in the following round.
Nov. 21-24: Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout
The Great Alaska Shootout will be making its 30th appearance at Alaska Anchorage's Sullivan Arena over the Thanksgiving weekend as the eight-team bracket features four schools that reached the NCAA Tournament last season, including Sweet 16 participant Butler. All-American sweet-shooting point guard A.J. Graves leads the Bulldogs after a junior campaign that produced 16.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists during a breakout season for the Indianapolis school. Meanwhile, another pack of Bulldogs will be hitting the hardwood there as well, but these hounds will be coming from Spokane, Wash., where Gonzaga coach Mark Few has molded a once-Cinderella school into a NCAA Tournament lock the past nine seasons. With Butler and Gonzaga representing two of the better teams in the tournament, it will be interesting to see how these former mid-majors fair against BCS-conference schools Michigan, Texas Tech and Virginia Tech that will also be in attendance.
Nov. 27: Wisconsin at Duke (Big Ten-ACC Challenge)
If you like watching two great coaches hard at work, then this is the game for you. After last season's disappointing finish in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against VCU, Mike Krzyzewski will have the Blue Devils back up to speed with guards DeMarcus Nelson and Gerald Henderson returning and a talented freshman trio in Taylor King, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith ready to spark an offense that vanished at times last season. On the other end of the court, Wisconsin's Bo Ryan is as good as any coach in the country in getting more out of less. And while both teams will be missing some key components with Big Ten Player of the Year Alando Tucker and All-American center Josh McRoberts now in the NBA, the Badgers and Blue Devils are sure to compete for their respective conference titles, so don't think the Cameron crazies won't be excited when the two schools tip off on Coach K Court.
Dec. 1: North Carolina at Kentucky
If Billy Gillispie was hoping to return Kentucky back to national prominence after a 2006 campaign that ended with a loss to Kansas in the NCAA Tournament second round, the former Texas A&M coach couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. Although the Tar Heels won't be able to rely on the services of Brandan Wright anymore, Roy Williams will be able to take comfort in the fact that he has a Player of the Year candidate in junior forward Tyler Hansbrough along with sophomore floor leader Ty Lawson and emerging forward Deon Thompson, who spent the summer leading the U.S. U19 World Championship Team to a silver medal at the FIBA U19 World Championships in Serbia. With North Carolina as a likely pick to stand atop the preseason polls, all of Lexington would love nothing more than to see the Wildcats score a major upset over the Tar Heels at Rupp Arena.
Dec. 2: Kansas at USC (Pac-10/Big 12 Hardwood Series)
The Jayhawks are coming off a season that saw them capture a Big 12 championship and reach the Elite Eight before falling to Pac-10 champ UCLA, but if Bill Self hopes to see his team take that next step toward an appearance Final Four, there's no better way than to start the season than against two dangerous Pac-10 contenders in Arizona (Nov. 25 in Lawrence) and USC. The Wildcats, with a big shot-maker in super sophomore Chase Budinger, are hungry to prove that they were better than last season's first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament, though it may be USC who will provide the Jayhawks with an even better test in the inaugural Pac-10/Big 12 Hardwood Series. With Self bringing back arguably the deepest and most talented team in Player of the Year candidate Brandon Rush, Russell Robinson, Sherron Collins and Mario Chalmers, the Trojans will have all they can handle. But with a talent like O.J. Mayo starring in front of a sold-out Galen Center -- something that doesn't happen too often at a national football power like USC -- Trojans fans might be thinking it's like every other Saturday at the L.A. Coliseum.
Dec. 4: Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden
Game 1: Kansas State vs. Notre Dame
Viewers will get an early look at Michael Beasley, who has rivaled both UCLA's Kevin Love and USC's O.J. Mayo for the most recruiting press coming into the 2007-08 season. Now with Billy Walker returning to play along side the Upper Marlboro, Md. native, the Wildcats have one of the best young scoring duos in the country. That should provide a daunting challenge for Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, and coming off a loss to No. 11 seed Winthrop in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the Fighting Irish will certainly have their work cut out for them this season.
Game 2: USC vs. Memphis
Less than 48 hours after the Trojans face off against Kansas in sunny Southern California, the cameras will be flashing under the bright New York City lights as O.J. Mayo makes his first appearance in the Big Apple against a Memphis team stacked from top to bottom. And if Mayo thought Kansas was a tough matchup, just wait until he meets the Tigers in front of packed house at Madison Square Garden. Following a perfect 16-0 finish in conference play last season and two straight Eight Elite finishes, Memphis coach John Calipari now has all the pieces in place, including a 2007-08 non-conference schedule loaded with big game after big game, to make a legitimate run at the national championship in March.
Dec. 8: Kentucky at Indiana
Two traditional blue bloods meet in the heart of America's basketball state for a non-conference bout that is sure to have Assembly Hall electric and filled to the brim. But for as much veteran talent as both teams have in D.J. White and Joe Crawford, this one could be more about showcasing the youth that each the Wildcats and Hoosiers possess coming into the season. After all, Eric Gordon, with his ability to shoot the ball from anywhere on the court, should provide a major boost for Hoosier coach Kelvin Sampson, while Patrick Patterson, who played his high school ball in Huntington, W. Va. with O.J. Mayo, could prove to be a low-post force with an aggressive game and big frame. And if Kentucky doesn't happen to score an upset over North Carolina the previous weekend, the Wildcats will want to salvage a quality win on the road against a highly-ranked opponent in Indiana.
Dec. 22: Georgetown at Memphis
If all goes according to plan, both teams could be undefeated by the time the two meet in Memphis for this much-anticipated showdown. Seven-foot-3 center Roy Hibbert returns to Georgetown for his senior campaign after testing the NBA draft market and many believe he'll be even better than he was in 2006 when he finished second on the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game and pulled down a team-high 6.9 rebounds. While he struggled at times last season to assert himself into John Thompson III's Princeton-style offense, Hibbert will have to play a physical, bump-and-grind game against the Tigers if he hopes to go toe to toe with Memphis' Joey Dorsey. But it would be a mistake for Memphis to forget about Georgetown's underrated supporting cast, as Jonathan Wallace, Jessie Sapp and DaJuan Summers make the Hoyas a viable Final Four contender once again in 2007-08.
Dec. 29: Tennessee vs. Gonzaga at Key Arena
After a season that saw the Vols almost knock off NCAA runner-up Ohio State twice, Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl will venture far away from home for an early-season test in Seattle when Tennessee meets perennial West Coast Conference favorite Gonzaga. The Bulldogs won't have Derek Raivio in the backcourt running the offense, but Mark Few has to like seeing Josh Heytvelt back in the middle of the paint after the Bulldogs' leading scorer was forced to leave the team midway through conference play last year for a felony drug possession charge. If All-American senior Chris Lofton struggles to find his rhythm early on, it could be a long day for UT with Jeremy Pargo, Matt Bouldin and Micah Downs all expected to play bigger roles for the Zags.
Other matchups to watch in 2007-08: Arizona at Kansas, Nov. 25; Oregon at Kansas State, Nov. 29; Texas A&M at Arizona, Dec. 2; Texas at UCLA, Dec. 2; Texas at Michigan State, Dec. 22; Tennessee at Xavier, Dec. 22; Arizona at Memphis, Dec. 29; Gonzaga at Memphis, Jan. 26; UConn at Indiana, Jan. 26; Tennessee at Memphis, Feb. 23.
Memphis, USC headline some of the best early-season matchups next season
Aug. 23, 2007
By Josh Herwitt
CSTV.com
A little less than three months still stand between now and the start of the college basketball season, but as students return to campus over the next few weeks, the preseason buzz will be back in the air, especially by the start of November when the polls come out and the preseason tournaments start just before Turkey Day.
And while many schools have yet to finalize their 2007-08 schedules, there are already several non-conference meetings that stand out before the New Year even arrives.
With that being said, here are some of the real eye-catchers early on that highlight the upcoming season.
Nov. 12-23: NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament
After watching A.J. Graves lead mighty Butler past the likes of Notre Dame, Indiana, Tennessee and Gonzaga in last year's tournament, the 2007 field features 16 teams from across the board, starting in the East Regional with Syracuse meeting Siena and St. Joseph's facing Fairleigh Dickinson. Out West, Washington will host New Jersey Institute of Technology while the second game pits Utah against High Point. Action in the Midwest Regional hits the Ohio State campus with the Buckeyes taking on Wisconsin-Green Bay and Ivy League foe Columbia butting heads with Delaware State. Meanwhile down South, Mid-Continent champion Oral Roberts, now playing in the Summit League without the low-post presence of three-time Mid-Con Player of the Year Caleb Green, visits Big 12 contender Texas A&M, and UTEP, after ending its season in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament, wrestles with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in College Station.
Nov. 19-21: EA Sports Maui Invitational
Now in its 24th year, the Maui Invitational returns to the Lahaina Civic Center as one of college basketball's premiere preseason tournaments with three teams from last year's NCAA Tournament field. First-round action tips off with Chaminade taking on a Marquette team that brings back All-American point man Dominic James (14.9 ppg and 4.9 apg in 2006) and Second Team All-Big East honoree Jerel McNeal (14.7 ppg and 4.8 rpg) after last season's first-round tournament blunder to Michigan State. LSU vs. Oklahoma State will follow that opening game, while three-time champion Duke, who remains a perfect 9-0 at the Maui Invitational, returns to face Princeton in the evening session and will play either Arizona State or Illinois in the following round.
Nov. 21-24: Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout
The Great Alaska Shootout will be making its 30th appearance at Alaska Anchorage's Sullivan Arena over the Thanksgiving weekend as the eight-team bracket features four schools that reached the NCAA Tournament last season, including Sweet 16 participant Butler. All-American sweet-shooting point guard A.J. Graves leads the Bulldogs after a junior campaign that produced 16.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists during a breakout season for the Indianapolis school. Meanwhile, another pack of Bulldogs will be hitting the hardwood there as well, but these hounds will be coming from Spokane, Wash., where Gonzaga coach Mark Few has molded a once-Cinderella school into a NCAA Tournament lock the past nine seasons. With Butler and Gonzaga representing two of the better teams in the tournament, it will be interesting to see how these former mid-majors fair against BCS-conference schools Michigan, Texas Tech and Virginia Tech that will also be in attendance.
Nov. 27: Wisconsin at Duke (Big Ten-ACC Challenge)
If you like watching two great coaches hard at work, then this is the game for you. After last season's disappointing finish in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against VCU, Mike Krzyzewski will have the Blue Devils back up to speed with guards DeMarcus Nelson and Gerald Henderson returning and a talented freshman trio in Taylor King, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith ready to spark an offense that vanished at times last season. On the other end of the court, Wisconsin's Bo Ryan is as good as any coach in the country in getting more out of less. And while both teams will be missing some key components with Big Ten Player of the Year Alando Tucker and All-American center Josh McRoberts now in the NBA, the Badgers and Blue Devils are sure to compete for their respective conference titles, so don't think the Cameron crazies won't be excited when the two schools tip off on Coach K Court.
Dec. 1: North Carolina at Kentucky
If Billy Gillispie was hoping to return Kentucky back to national prominence after a 2006 campaign that ended with a loss to Kansas in the NCAA Tournament second round, the former Texas A&M coach couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. Although the Tar Heels won't be able to rely on the services of Brandan Wright anymore, Roy Williams will be able to take comfort in the fact that he has a Player of the Year candidate in junior forward Tyler Hansbrough along with sophomore floor leader Ty Lawson and emerging forward Deon Thompson, who spent the summer leading the U.S. U19 World Championship Team to a silver medal at the FIBA U19 World Championships in Serbia. With North Carolina as a likely pick to stand atop the preseason polls, all of Lexington would love nothing more than to see the Wildcats score a major upset over the Tar Heels at Rupp Arena.
Dec. 2: Kansas at USC (Pac-10/Big 12 Hardwood Series)
The Jayhawks are coming off a season that saw them capture a Big 12 championship and reach the Elite Eight before falling to Pac-10 champ UCLA, but if Bill Self hopes to see his team take that next step toward an appearance Final Four, there's no better way than to start the season than against two dangerous Pac-10 contenders in Arizona (Nov. 25 in Lawrence) and USC. The Wildcats, with a big shot-maker in super sophomore Chase Budinger, are hungry to prove that they were better than last season's first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament, though it may be USC who will provide the Jayhawks with an even better test in the inaugural Pac-10/Big 12 Hardwood Series. With Self bringing back arguably the deepest and most talented team in Player of the Year candidate Brandon Rush, Russell Robinson, Sherron Collins and Mario Chalmers, the Trojans will have all they can handle. But with a talent like O.J. Mayo starring in front of a sold-out Galen Center -- something that doesn't happen too often at a national football power like USC -- Trojans fans might be thinking it's like every other Saturday at the L.A. Coliseum.
Dec. 4: Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden
Game 1: Kansas State vs. Notre Dame
Viewers will get an early look at Michael Beasley, who has rivaled both UCLA's Kevin Love and USC's O.J. Mayo for the most recruiting press coming into the 2007-08 season. Now with Billy Walker returning to play along side the Upper Marlboro, Md. native, the Wildcats have one of the best young scoring duos in the country. That should provide a daunting challenge for Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, and coming off a loss to No. 11 seed Winthrop in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the Fighting Irish will certainly have their work cut out for them this season.
Game 2: USC vs. Memphis
Less than 48 hours after the Trojans face off against Kansas in sunny Southern California, the cameras will be flashing under the bright New York City lights as O.J. Mayo makes his first appearance in the Big Apple against a Memphis team stacked from top to bottom. And if Mayo thought Kansas was a tough matchup, just wait until he meets the Tigers in front of packed house at Madison Square Garden. Following a perfect 16-0 finish in conference play last season and two straight Eight Elite finishes, Memphis coach John Calipari now has all the pieces in place, including a 2007-08 non-conference schedule loaded with big game after big game, to make a legitimate run at the national championship in March.
Dec. 8: Kentucky at Indiana
Two traditional blue bloods meet in the heart of America's basketball state for a non-conference bout that is sure to have Assembly Hall electric and filled to the brim. But for as much veteran talent as both teams have in D.J. White and Joe Crawford, this one could be more about showcasing the youth that each the Wildcats and Hoosiers possess coming into the season. After all, Eric Gordon, with his ability to shoot the ball from anywhere on the court, should provide a major boost for Hoosier coach Kelvin Sampson, while Patrick Patterson, who played his high school ball in Huntington, W. Va. with O.J. Mayo, could prove to be a low-post force with an aggressive game and big frame. And if Kentucky doesn't happen to score an upset over North Carolina the previous weekend, the Wildcats will want to salvage a quality win on the road against a highly-ranked opponent in Indiana.
Dec. 22: Georgetown at Memphis
If all goes according to plan, both teams could be undefeated by the time the two meet in Memphis for this much-anticipated showdown. Seven-foot-3 center Roy Hibbert returns to Georgetown for his senior campaign after testing the NBA draft market and many believe he'll be even better than he was in 2006 when he finished second on the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game and pulled down a team-high 6.9 rebounds. While he struggled at times last season to assert himself into John Thompson III's Princeton-style offense, Hibbert will have to play a physical, bump-and-grind game against the Tigers if he hopes to go toe to toe with Memphis' Joey Dorsey. But it would be a mistake for Memphis to forget about Georgetown's underrated supporting cast, as Jonathan Wallace, Jessie Sapp and DaJuan Summers make the Hoyas a viable Final Four contender once again in 2007-08.
Dec. 29: Tennessee vs. Gonzaga at Key Arena
After a season that saw the Vols almost knock off NCAA runner-up Ohio State twice, Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl will venture far away from home for an early-season test in Seattle when Tennessee meets perennial West Coast Conference favorite Gonzaga. The Bulldogs won't have Derek Raivio in the backcourt running the offense, but Mark Few has to like seeing Josh Heytvelt back in the middle of the paint after the Bulldogs' leading scorer was forced to leave the team midway through conference play last year for a felony drug possession charge. If All-American senior Chris Lofton struggles to find his rhythm early on, it could be a long day for UT with Jeremy Pargo, Matt Bouldin and Micah Downs all expected to play bigger roles for the Zags.
Other matchups to watch in 2007-08: Arizona at Kansas, Nov. 25; Oregon at Kansas State, Nov. 29; Texas A&M at Arizona, Dec. 2; Texas at UCLA, Dec. 2; Texas at Michigan State, Dec. 22; Tennessee at Xavier, Dec. 22; Arizona at Memphis, Dec. 29; Gonzaga at Memphis, Jan. 26; UConn at Indiana, Jan. 26; Tennessee at Memphis, Feb. 23.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
From CollegeHoops.net "Impact Freshman Review:Part One"
Impact Freshman Review: Part One
August 22nd, 2007
Memphis, UCLA, USC, 2007-08 Preview
By Jason Brubaker, CollegeHoops.net
With a loaded incoming freshmen class, and with the success of one-and-done stars in the 2006 class like Kevin Durant, Greg Oden and Brandan Wright, the pressure is on for some of the biggest names in recent high school basketball history. O.J. Mayo, Michael Beasley, and Kevin Love are just a few of the kids who will enter campus this fall, trying to prove they can live up to the hype.
However, no one said it is going to be easy. While Love (UCLA) and Derrick Rose (Memphis) will join loaded squads with their sights set on a national title, others like Beasley (Kansas State) will join squads with more than a few holes to plug.
Here's a breakdown of the situations that some of the country's top freshmen will be entering, and whether that could hurt or help their success.
Kevin Love - F - UCLA
As noted above, Love joins a loaded Bruins squad that will be looking for a third consecutive Final Four and more. With guards Darren Collison and Josh Shipp returning, as well as forwards Alfred Aboya and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Love should be able to make a smooth transition as he adjusts to the college game. Love's toughness down low will be a big boost for the team, who had been pushed around the last two years by Florida in the NCAA Tournament. On a squad with so much experienced talent, Love might not post incredible numbers, but he will no doubt be a big part of the Bruins' success. He is a terrific rebounder, and his passing ability will fit well in UCLA's ball-controlled offense. He also possesses a strong work ethic that should endear him to Coach Ben Howland from the first day.
O.J. Mayo - G - USC
USC returns two key pieces from last year's Sweet Sixteen team in guard Daniel Hackett and forward Taj Gibson. However, most people will be surprised if this doesn't turn into the Mayo Show as soon as they roll out the balls this fall. Mayo is a supremely talented guard who is capable of playing either backcourt position. He is a fantastic athlete with good range and Coach TIm Floyd will likely give him the green light when he's on the floor. However, his decision-making and shot selection can be questionable, and his lack of experience is sure to show throughout the season. Mayo will likely end up putting up solid numbers, and will make his share of highlight reels in what promises to be his only year on campus, but USC will be hard-pressed to advance further than they did last year.
Michael Beasley - F - Kansas State
Beasley, a high-flying lefty who makes the game look downright easy, is another likely one-and-done candidate. He'll join former prep star Bill Walker and senior guard David Hoskins on a team that will fill up the highlight reels, but may not top last year's win total of 23. Beasley has the ability to dominate games but he's just as likely to coast when things don't go his way. New Coach Frank Martin definitely has a talented player in Beasley; the only question will be getting him to harness that talent. He'll get his share of shots, and he should still find himself as a high lottery pick if he chooses to enter the 2008 draft. However, his stock could drop if he doesn't show improved maturity and decision-making, especially as he battles older, more experienced players.
Derrick Rose - G - Memphis
Rose, like Love, is coming into a great situation at Memphis, where the Tigers return nearly everyone from last year's Elite Eight squad. Rose will have a plethora of weapons to get the ball to, including wings Chris Douglas-Roberts and Antonio Anderson, as well as forwards Joey Dorsey and Robert Dozier. Rose is a terrific playmaker who has great vision and a high basketball IQ. He's a great athlete who can score when necessary, but he also understands that he's not going to be asked to carry the team. With Coach John Calipari looking to push the tempo, Rose should be able to show the skills that have him pegged as a potential top-3 pick in the 2008 draft. Look for plenty of running-and-gunning as the Tigers should cruise easily through C-USA again and make a deep tournament run.
Part Two Tomorrow: Gordon, Green, Jordan, and Singler
August 22nd, 2007
Memphis, UCLA, USC, 2007-08 Preview
By Jason Brubaker, CollegeHoops.net
With a loaded incoming freshmen class, and with the success of one-and-done stars in the 2006 class like Kevin Durant, Greg Oden and Brandan Wright, the pressure is on for some of the biggest names in recent high school basketball history. O.J. Mayo, Michael Beasley, and Kevin Love are just a few of the kids who will enter campus this fall, trying to prove they can live up to the hype.
However, no one said it is going to be easy. While Love (UCLA) and Derrick Rose (Memphis) will join loaded squads with their sights set on a national title, others like Beasley (Kansas State) will join squads with more than a few holes to plug.
Here's a breakdown of the situations that some of the country's top freshmen will be entering, and whether that could hurt or help their success.
Kevin Love - F - UCLA
As noted above, Love joins a loaded Bruins squad that will be looking for a third consecutive Final Four and more. With guards Darren Collison and Josh Shipp returning, as well as forwards Alfred Aboya and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Love should be able to make a smooth transition as he adjusts to the college game. Love's toughness down low will be a big boost for the team, who had been pushed around the last two years by Florida in the NCAA Tournament. On a squad with so much experienced talent, Love might not post incredible numbers, but he will no doubt be a big part of the Bruins' success. He is a terrific rebounder, and his passing ability will fit well in UCLA's ball-controlled offense. He also possesses a strong work ethic that should endear him to Coach Ben Howland from the first day.
O.J. Mayo - G - USC
USC returns two key pieces from last year's Sweet Sixteen team in guard Daniel Hackett and forward Taj Gibson. However, most people will be surprised if this doesn't turn into the Mayo Show as soon as they roll out the balls this fall. Mayo is a supremely talented guard who is capable of playing either backcourt position. He is a fantastic athlete with good range and Coach TIm Floyd will likely give him the green light when he's on the floor. However, his decision-making and shot selection can be questionable, and his lack of experience is sure to show throughout the season. Mayo will likely end up putting up solid numbers, and will make his share of highlight reels in what promises to be his only year on campus, but USC will be hard-pressed to advance further than they did last year.
Michael Beasley - F - Kansas State
Beasley, a high-flying lefty who makes the game look downright easy, is another likely one-and-done candidate. He'll join former prep star Bill Walker and senior guard David Hoskins on a team that will fill up the highlight reels, but may not top last year's win total of 23. Beasley has the ability to dominate games but he's just as likely to coast when things don't go his way. New Coach Frank Martin definitely has a talented player in Beasley; the only question will be getting him to harness that talent. He'll get his share of shots, and he should still find himself as a high lottery pick if he chooses to enter the 2008 draft. However, his stock could drop if he doesn't show improved maturity and decision-making, especially as he battles older, more experienced players.
Derrick Rose - G - Memphis
Rose, like Love, is coming into a great situation at Memphis, where the Tigers return nearly everyone from last year's Elite Eight squad. Rose will have a plethora of weapons to get the ball to, including wings Chris Douglas-Roberts and Antonio Anderson, as well as forwards Joey Dorsey and Robert Dozier. Rose is a terrific playmaker who has great vision and a high basketball IQ. He's a great athlete who can score when necessary, but he also understands that he's not going to be asked to carry the team. With Coach John Calipari looking to push the tempo, Rose should be able to show the skills that have him pegged as a potential top-3 pick in the 2008 draft. Look for plenty of running-and-gunning as the Tigers should cruise easily through C-USA again and make a deep tournament run.
Part Two Tomorrow: Gordon, Green, Jordan, and Singler
Morris Twins Set on College, Unsettled on Prep School
Twins set on college, unsettled on prep school
By Jeff McLane, Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer
With their college futures set - at least for now - the Morris twins, Marcus and Markieff, still haven't decided on a prep school for the fall semester.
In need of NCAA-qualifying SAT scores, the Memphis-committed Morrises are shopping around for a prep school closer than the IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla.
Last month, when they briefly de-committed from Memphis, the touted basketball recruits out of Prep Charter had said they were most likely headed to IMG, the training ground for many sports prodigies. That is no longer the case.
"We're not going there," Marcus said Saturday at the Future Stars Basketball Tournament at Villanova. "It's going to be either MCI or Brewster."
Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield has housed several future Division I players in need of higher test scores. Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., has the same basketball/academic pedigree.
Each school, however, is very expensive for the student in need of boarding, especially if there are two. According to their Web sites, MCI costs $32,000 a year for room, board and tuition for a residential student; Brewster costs $38,385.
Marcus said he and Markieff visited Brewster last month and expect to travel to New England again this week.
"I heard it gets cold there in the winter," he said.
As long as they re-sign with Memphis in November, the Morrises won't have to worry about New England-like weather in the foreseeable future.
In November, the twins signed letters of intent to Memphis. However, because they will attend a prep school as non-qualifiers, the letters are nonbinding. With that in mind, the Morrises opened their recruitment in July - for less than a week.
"We just wanted to be 100 percent sure that Memphis was the right school for us," Marcus said. "So we considered looking at some other schools. Actually, we wanted to give them the opportunity to look at us."
Before it got that far, Tigers coach John Calipari and assistant Derek Kellogg flew to the Morrises' home in North Philadelphia.
"He asked what the problem was," Marcus said, "and we said we weren't feeling the love, or something like that. So he said it was his fault."
Fences were mended and the twins recommitted. Marcus said their pledge was now "100 percent." They just have to find a prep school for a year, one preferably far from home.
"There's too much violence in Philly," Marcus said. "We don't want to be around here anymore."
By Jeff McLane, Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer
With their college futures set - at least for now - the Morris twins, Marcus and Markieff, still haven't decided on a prep school for the fall semester.
In need of NCAA-qualifying SAT scores, the Memphis-committed Morrises are shopping around for a prep school closer than the IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla.
Last month, when they briefly de-committed from Memphis, the touted basketball recruits out of Prep Charter had said they were most likely headed to IMG, the training ground for many sports prodigies. That is no longer the case.
"We're not going there," Marcus said Saturday at the Future Stars Basketball Tournament at Villanova. "It's going to be either MCI or Brewster."
Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield has housed several future Division I players in need of higher test scores. Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., has the same basketball/academic pedigree.
Each school, however, is very expensive for the student in need of boarding, especially if there are two. According to their Web sites, MCI costs $32,000 a year for room, board and tuition for a residential student; Brewster costs $38,385.
Marcus said he and Markieff visited Brewster last month and expect to travel to New England again this week.
"I heard it gets cold there in the winter," he said.
As long as they re-sign with Memphis in November, the Morrises won't have to worry about New England-like weather in the foreseeable future.
In November, the twins signed letters of intent to Memphis. However, because they will attend a prep school as non-qualifiers, the letters are nonbinding. With that in mind, the Morrises opened their recruitment in July - for less than a week.
"We just wanted to be 100 percent sure that Memphis was the right school for us," Marcus said. "So we considered looking at some other schools. Actually, we wanted to give them the opportunity to look at us."
Before it got that far, Tigers coach John Calipari and assistant Derek Kellogg flew to the Morrises' home in North Philadelphia.
"He asked what the problem was," Marcus said, "and we said we weren't feeling the love, or something like that. So he said it was his fault."
Fences were mended and the twins recommitted. Marcus said their pledge was now "100 percent." They just have to find a prep school for a year, one preferably far from home.
"There's too much violence in Philly," Marcus said. "We don't want to be around here anymore."
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
From the Sporting News "Pepperdine's Offense is a Recruiting Tool, Too
Mike DeCourcy's SportingBlog
Pepperdine's offense is a recruiting tool, too
August 20, 2007
Pepperdine's Vance Walberg can't talk about the recruits, because that would be against NCAA rules. He is allowed to talk about recruiting, of course, though not without an unnecessary display of modesty.
First, he gives credit to his assistant coaches "doing a great job." Fair enough. There's almost always a terrific assistant coach behind a big recruiting win.
Then he starts talking about Pepperdine's beautiful campus and directly asks, "Have you ever been out here?" Indeed, the campus is so spectacular it ought to sell itself. But if it did, the otherwise capable Paul Westphal wouldn't have failed with the Waves and Walberg still might be coaching junior college in Fresno.
Foremost, Walberg is getting players such as elite 2008 wing Brad Tinsley and underexposed point guard prospect Paul McCoy because of the promise of the system he labels AASAA: Attack, Attack, Skip, Attack, Attack.
We can only hope it becomes more famous and popular than the Princeton offense.
"If I'm a kid, do I want to pass-pass-pass?" Walberg said. "I think the style that we play is a recruiting tool."
The AASAA offense -- I won't call it an "attack," because that would be redundant -- is mostly about driving the ball into the defense and kicking it back out to open 3-point shooters. Or, if the defense is uncommonly cooperative, driving the ball into the defense and all the way to the rim. The way Walberg prefers it -- combining it with fullcourt pressure defense the way he did it at California's Clovis West High and Fresno City College -- things happen so quickly opponents can't manage to catch their breath.
He needs players to make it work, though, and last season just didn't have enough to get it going. Pepperdine added three key recruits for 2008, including 6-6 forward Mychel Thompson (son of former Minnesota great Mychal Thompson) and 6-6 forward Tyrone Shelley. Tinsley and McCoy will take the talent up another couple notches, and it'll get even better if the Waves land either 6-7 Klay Thompson or 6-8 Renaldo Woolridge (son of former Notre Dame great Orlando Woolridge) for this class.
By the time Pepperdine fields the sort of team Walberg imagines, we'll have seen Memphis play three seasons with this offense and pursue the 2008 NCAA championship. Memphis doesn't move quite as fast with its version, but the Tigers certainly are playing at a tempo most teams find discomfiting.
John Calipari very openly borrowed the AASAA from Walberg when he was ringing up 100-point games at Fresno City College and probably helped get him noticed for the Pepperdine job. Now, when Calipari watches typical low-post entry type offenses he finds himself itching for more action on the court. He also has a different name for his scheme: the Dribble Drive Motion offense. It's catchier, which is no surprise, because Calipari is a born promoter.
Calipari and Walberg met when Walberg was making his annual preseason trip to scout other coaches' practices. When he was at Clovis High, Walberg hit on the idea to visit one great coach annually for a week of observation. He'd take time off from teaching and pay for the trips himself and go get a look at Bob Knight at work, or Rick Pitino, or Denny Crum. Year after year. A few years back, he was in Memphis to watch the Grizzlies and was introduced to Calipari, and soon enough Cal was rearranging his entire approach to the game of basketball. It worked well enough to get the Tigers to the Elite Eight in consecutive seasons, and perhaps will push them even farther this year.
Calipari and Walberg will work together for one weekend, presenting a clinic focused on the AASAA offense at the Grand Casino Resort in Tunica, Miss., which is near Memphis. So this time, Walberg will be the coach others are coming to see. The guy who used to go and watch all the gurus of the game has become one. But not like all the others.
"I know when I first started coaching, I used to call a play every time down the court," Walberg said. "Now, I don't want them looking at me. I want them playing."
Pepperdine's offense is a recruiting tool, too
August 20, 2007
Pepperdine's Vance Walberg can't talk about the recruits, because that would be against NCAA rules. He is allowed to talk about recruiting, of course, though not without an unnecessary display of modesty.
First, he gives credit to his assistant coaches "doing a great job." Fair enough. There's almost always a terrific assistant coach behind a big recruiting win.
Then he starts talking about Pepperdine's beautiful campus and directly asks, "Have you ever been out here?" Indeed, the campus is so spectacular it ought to sell itself. But if it did, the otherwise capable Paul Westphal wouldn't have failed with the Waves and Walberg still might be coaching junior college in Fresno.
Foremost, Walberg is getting players such as elite 2008 wing Brad Tinsley and underexposed point guard prospect Paul McCoy because of the promise of the system he labels AASAA: Attack, Attack, Skip, Attack, Attack.
We can only hope it becomes more famous and popular than the Princeton offense.
"If I'm a kid, do I want to pass-pass-pass?" Walberg said. "I think the style that we play is a recruiting tool."
The AASAA offense -- I won't call it an "attack," because that would be redundant -- is mostly about driving the ball into the defense and kicking it back out to open 3-point shooters. Or, if the defense is uncommonly cooperative, driving the ball into the defense and all the way to the rim. The way Walberg prefers it -- combining it with fullcourt pressure defense the way he did it at California's Clovis West High and Fresno City College -- things happen so quickly opponents can't manage to catch their breath.
He needs players to make it work, though, and last season just didn't have enough to get it going. Pepperdine added three key recruits for 2008, including 6-6 forward Mychel Thompson (son of former Minnesota great Mychal Thompson) and 6-6 forward Tyrone Shelley. Tinsley and McCoy will take the talent up another couple notches, and it'll get even better if the Waves land either 6-7 Klay Thompson or 6-8 Renaldo Woolridge (son of former Notre Dame great Orlando Woolridge) for this class.
By the time Pepperdine fields the sort of team Walberg imagines, we'll have seen Memphis play three seasons with this offense and pursue the 2008 NCAA championship. Memphis doesn't move quite as fast with its version, but the Tigers certainly are playing at a tempo most teams find discomfiting.
John Calipari very openly borrowed the AASAA from Walberg when he was ringing up 100-point games at Fresno City College and probably helped get him noticed for the Pepperdine job. Now, when Calipari watches typical low-post entry type offenses he finds himself itching for more action on the court. He also has a different name for his scheme: the Dribble Drive Motion offense. It's catchier, which is no surprise, because Calipari is a born promoter.
Calipari and Walberg met when Walberg was making his annual preseason trip to scout other coaches' practices. When he was at Clovis High, Walberg hit on the idea to visit one great coach annually for a week of observation. He'd take time off from teaching and pay for the trips himself and go get a look at Bob Knight at work, or Rick Pitino, or Denny Crum. Year after year. A few years back, he was in Memphis to watch the Grizzlies and was introduced to Calipari, and soon enough Cal was rearranging his entire approach to the game of basketball. It worked well enough to get the Tigers to the Elite Eight in consecutive seasons, and perhaps will push them even farther this year.
Calipari and Walberg will work together for one weekend, presenting a clinic focused on the AASAA offense at the Grand Casino Resort in Tunica, Miss., which is near Memphis. So this time, Walberg will be the coach others are coming to see. The guy who used to go and watch all the gurus of the game has become one. But not like all the others.
"I know when I first started coaching, I used to call a play every time down the court," Walberg said. "Now, I don't want them looking at me. I want them playing."
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