| Memphis Tigers News Archives |
| June 2008 |
| 06/30/08 | |
Witherspoon To Start Trials For USA Basketball's U18 National Team Tuesday -- Trials to be held in Washington, D.C., this week (GoTigersGo.com) |
| WASHINGTON, D.C. - Wesley Witherspoon, an incoming freshman for the University of Memphis men's basketball team, begins his quest Tuesday to become a member of the USA Basketball's U18 National Team. The trials start Tuesday, July 1 and run through July 3 at the Verizon Center, home of the NBA's Washington Wizards. A Lilburn, Ga., native, Witherspoon inked with the Tiger program in the late signing period. Last season, the 6-foot-8 forward/guard averaged 18.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists in helping lead Berkmar High School to a 23-6 record and an appearance in the Georgia Class AAAAA Tournament Sweet 16. The Sweet 16 appearance was the school's deepest state tournament run since 2001. Following the season, Witherspoon was named to the 2008 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Georgia All-State Class AAAAA first team. He was also selected to play in the 2008 Jordan Brand All-American Game at Madison Square Garden in New York City in April. In that contest, Witherspoon scored 13 points and added four rebounds and a team-best three steals for the winning Blue squad (124-114 victory). Witherspoon was a consensus top-60 recruit, as he was rated No. 27 by RiseMag.com, No. 34 by Rivals.com, No. 48 by ESPN.com and No. 56 by Scouthoops.com. He was also rated as one of the top 15 small forwards in the country by Rivals.com (No. 5), ESPN.com (No. 9) and Scouthoops.com (No. 12). The trials' 20 invitees will compete for 12 roster spots. Following the trials, the 12-member U18 roster, plus alternates, will be announced. The finalists will remain in Washington for training camp July 4-10, before departing for the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championships for Men July 14-18 in Formosa, Argentina. Davidson College head coach Bob McKillop will serve as Team USA U18 squad's head coach. VCU head coach Anthony Grant and Georgetown head coach John Thompson III will serve as the team's assistant coaches. |
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| 06/30/08 | |
Team Penny wins charity event with help of Young (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Jason Smith (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Monday, June 30, 2008 As he exploded into the air on his way to the rim Sunday at Elma Roane Field House, Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young was met in the lane by former Fairley High standout Willie Jenkins. Jenkins, a lanky 6-6 forward who played college ball at UMass and Tennessee Tech, was looking to draw a charge against the former Mitchell High and Georgia Tech star in the championship game of the "It's All Good Memphis Showdown." Instead, Jenkins was called for a blocking foul as he and Young tumbled in a heap of arms, elbows and legs to the floor. Young's father, Felton, held his breath from his seat in the stands. "I'm not trying to keep him from playing and everything," Felton said, "but I tell him, 'Just be careful because (basketball) is your livelihood now, and this out here, this is just for fun.' "But he knows what to do and what not to. ... He's always aware of the situation." Indeed, Young, now a year into his NBA career following a debut season in which he was named All-Rookie second team, knows full well there's far more at risk for himself these days than for the other 75 or so former high-school and college standouts who participated in the charity tournament. That's one reason he's spent the summer bulking up his 6-8, 220-pound frame and working with professional trainer Scotty Mason. "It's definitely my job now, so I've got to be careful about some of the things I do," Young said. "But I'm allowed to do these types of things. It won't hurt me. "I mean, this was a big charity event, and we were just out here trying to help them out." Young, who will depart for Las Vegas later this week to participate in the NBA's summer league, finished with a team-high 23 points Sunday to lead Team Penny Hardaway past Team Anthony Rice, 71-63, in the tourney's title game. Hardaway, a four-time NBA All-Star, added 20 points and former Wooddale High standout Tayloe Taylor had 21 for Team Penny, which rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit, much to the dismay of Rice, the former University of Memphis shooting guard. "I mean, I knew going into the game they were going to get the calls (from the referees) since they were the crowd favorite or what-not," joked Rice, who's currently out of basketball and working for an ice sculpture company in Atlanta. "If we could have had five more calls, maybe we would've had a better chance." Rice, now 25, finished with 17 points, most of them coming from beyond the arc, as was his modus operandi at Memphis, where he ranks second all-time in career 3-pointers (242) behind Rodney Carney. "This was all about the fans, really. ... It was another reason for me to get away from Atlanta, too." The tournament, benefiting the China Earthquake Relief Fund and the Memphis Lady Elite AAU team, featured several other former Tiger greats, including Bobby Parks, Andre Turner, Cedric Henderson, Lorenzen Wright and Antonio Burks. "It's a fundraiser and for charity, but it's kind of competitive at the same time," Henderson said. "So it's good to come here and help raise a little money and have fun at the same time." Tournament organizer Scott Robinson, a graduate assistant coach at Memphis, said he hoped to make the Showdown an annual event, one that next year he hoped would include former Tiger point guard Derrick Rose, who earlier this week was selected No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. "We couldn't have asked for a better turnout," said Robinson, who organized the tournament as a tribute to Cui Wanjun, the Chinese coach who observed the Tigers last season as an intern. "Next year we want to reach out to everybody that played at Memphis. We want everybody to come." |
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| 06/29/08 |  |
Athletic Training Seminar Offered on U of M Campus (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, TENN. - The University of Memphis Athletic Training staff, in conjunction with Walters Inc, is offering a one-day athletic training seminar on July 16 at the Murphy Athletic Complex on the U of M's Park Avenue campus. The seminar is free and includes lunch. Registration is at 8:15 a.m., with the lectures to run from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Participants will earn seven BOC CEU units. A wide range of topics will be covered such as emergency action plans, AED compliance, orthopaedic bracing, cervical spine injuries, heat illness prevention and injury software usage to name a few. The event is headed by Rod Walters, who has 28 years of experience directing health care on the collegiate level. Click Here to Go To Registration Page. |
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| 06/29/08 |  |
Tommy West Featured Speaker At July Event (GoTigersGo.com) |
| Memphis, Tenn. - Head football coach Tommy West will be the featured speaker at a Tiger Scholarship Fund luncheon at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn on Tuesday, July 29, from 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. The event is $15 per person for fans who register prior to July 23, and $20 per person after the deadline. Fans must RSVP to Donna LaRiviere at 901-678-2334 or by email at dlarivir@memphis.edu. Payment is by check or credit card only. |
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| 06/29/08 | |
U of M Legends bounce back to win charity game -- 'A bunch of talent' in the spotlight (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Jason Smith (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Sunday, June 29, 2008 Sensing that his more-veteran Team Legends charity basketball team might be a bit winded entering the second half Saturday, NFL veteran Mike McKenzie made his way to the scorer's table at Elma Roane Field House and offered a suggestion. "We need more timeouts," pleaded McKenzie, a former University of Memphis defensive back now with the New Orleans Saints in his 11th NFL season. "You see we've got old guys!" McKenzie's Legends team, which included former Tiger basketball stars Bobby Parks and Lorenzen Wright and Memphis assistant coaches Rod Strickland and Orlando Antigua, was certainly one of the more "mature" squads in the tournament's eight-team field. Yet despite its collective age, Team Legends managed to squeeze out a 68-66 victory over an athletic Team Dion Berry thanks to a pair of clutch free throws in the closing seconds from Strickland, a 17-year NBA veteran who finished with a team-high 22 points. "I'm getting ready to go in the whirlpool or something," 41-year-old Strickland joked. "Any time I can get in some kind of shape and get some running in, it's a good thing. Plus it's for charity, which is always a good thing." The tourney, benefiting the China Earthquake Relief Fund and the Memphis Lady Elite AAU team, continues today at 9 a.m., with a championship game scheduled for 3:15 p.m. A crowd of around 400 gathered Saturday to watch a virtual Who's Who of former Tiger stars, including Penny Hardaway, Andre Turner, Jimmie "Snap" Hunter, Jeremy Hunt and Anthony Rice, get after it for charity. Hardaway's Team Penny got a game-high 33 points from former Mitchell High star and current Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young in a 76-45 first-round victory. Young, who averaged 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds as a rookie starter last season in Philadelphia's first-round playoff series against Detroit, raised plenty of eyebrows Saturday by scoring Team Penny's first 17 points. "That's our go-to guy. That's our man," Hardaway said of the 20-year-old Young. "We're not dumb. We're going to feed him until the well goes dry." Hardaway, a former Treadwell High star who added seven points in the victory, said he was impressed by the competitiveness in the double-elimination tournament. "There's a bunch of talent in this tournament, and hopefully this will be a yearly thing," he said. "Most of us play together like four or five times a week anyway. We compete, and it's the same way in here." Parks' entrance off the bench for Team Legends early in the first half drew one of the loudest ovations from the crowd. Parks' son, Ray, is a rising 6-3 sophomore standout at St. George's. "It felt great to be back in the Field House because this is where we used to practice every day," Parks said. "It's kind of like a reunion. "We need to do this kind of thing because a lot of us now have kids who are in high school and we've been trying to have them see us all -- like Penny and Andre -- get back together." Turner's Team Hunt was eliminated from championship contention Saturday by Team Antonio Burks, which featured the speedy former Tiger point guard and Tennessee-Martin senior-to-be Lester Hudson, the 2007-08 Ohio Valley Conference Male Athlete of the Year. Despite the loss, Turner, 44, who recently returned to the U.S. after a 16-year professional career overseas, called the experience memorable. "It was good," he said. "It's always good to be a part of something that gives back." 'It's all good' Memphis showdown What: Eight-team, double-elimination tournament featuring prominent former University of Memphis basketball players and other athletes. Where: Elma Roane Field House, 495 Zach Curlin St. on UofM campus When: Games start at 9 a.m. today, with the championship scheduled for 3:15 p.m Admission: $5 |
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| 06/29/08 | |
Tiger Basketball Notebook (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Dan Wolken (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Sunday, June 29, 2008 Evans getting big-screen play PHILADELPHIA --Two years ago, a film crew stopped by Tyreke Evans' neighborhood in nearby Chester and spent the day around some of the basketball courts he grew up playing on. For Evans, who has done TV interviews and been on magazine covers since he was 14, it didn't seem too unusual. In fact, he had kind of put it in the back of his mind, unaware what would ultimately become of the footage. On Friday, the University of Memphis prize freshman guard officially added "movie star" to his list of accomplishments when "Gunnin' For That #1 Spot" -- the documentary film based in part on those interviews -- opened in selected theaters. A wider release is scheduled for July. Evans, who will arrive in Memphis on July 15 to begin summer school, was one of 24 players invited to New York's famed Rucker Park to play in the inaugural Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic two years ago. The film, directed by Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys fame, highlights the varied backgrounds of eight participants in the game and follows them on their journey to New York. Evans is one of the eight, along with Michael Beasley, Kevin Love, Kyle Singler, Jerryd Bayless, Donte Greene, Lance Stephenson and Brandon Jennings. Evans' segment includes a decent amount of biographical information and includes interviews with his brother Eric "Pooh" Evans, his trainer Lamont Peterson and some other members of his inner-circle. "They actually didn't know it was going to be a movie," Evans said. "They told me at the game they were going to make it into a movie, but me and my friends, we just happened to be together that day chilling out and they said they were going to come by and film us. "The Rucker is one of the best places to play outdoors," Evans said. "Dr. J and Kobe Bryant played there, and it's a great feeling. When I first got out there I was a little nervous, but after a while I got used to it. It was pretty fun." Once the game starts, Evans more or less disappears from the screen in favor of Beasley, who trash-talked his way through the movie. Had the film crew come back for last year's game, Evans would have played a much bigger role, as he won the MVP award. Robinson's eager Tigers sophomore Jeff Robinson didn't have to wait until Friday to see his future teammate on the big screen. He came down from Trenton, N.J., to take in a preview of the film on Tuesday in Philadelphia. Robinson said he's spent most of his time since returning from China gaining back the weight he lost -- "I just ate rice," he said -- and working on his skills. "Shooting, one dribble and pull up, ballhandling, getting to the basket," he said. Understandably, Robinson wishes he would have played more as a freshman last season, but the 6-5 guard-forward got caught up in a numbers game and appeared in just 28 of the Tigers' 40 games. He said that Memphis fans haven't yet seen the full range of what he can do, and he's hoping he'll have more opportunities to make an impact this season. "I can't wait," Robinson said. Respect for C-USA From the take-it-with-a-grain-of-salt department, ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi has projected three Conference USA teams in next year's NCAA Tournament with a fourth on the "bubble." Lunardi, who predicts the NCAA field throughout the season, released his first bracket of 2008-09 after the deadline passed for underclassmen to pull out of the NBA Draft. Lunardi pegs Memphis as a No. 1 seed in the West region, UAB as a No. 7 seed and UTEP as a No. 12 seed. He also listed Tulsa among the eight teams just missing the tournament. Given that Memphis was the league's only representative in 2007 and '08, it's a pretty big leap to three or four teams next season. But given that those four teams return most of their key players -- as does Southern Miss -- perhaps the league is ready to turn a corner. The perception of the league as a whole has been colored by the Tigers' dominance, going undefeated in consecutive years. C-USA coaches, however, have always promoted the idea that the league wasn't bad, rather that Memphis was overwhelmingly good. Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik, whose team won the College Basketball Invitational after losing to Memphis in the C-USA championship game, felt validated in that belief watching the Tigers roll to the NCAA final. A former assistant at Michigan State, Wojcik gained a lot of empathy for his old boss, Tom Izzo, after the Tigers blew out the Spartans in the Sweet Sixteen. "I love him, but I'm sitting there watching in my living room thinking, 'Now he knows,'" Wojcik said. "We held them to their lowest point total of the year (56, on Jan. 23). They had 50 on Michigan State in the first half. I don't want a medal for that, but I think the league's pretty good. I feel like we're on the verge of having a season in Conference USA like the Atlantic 10 had last year or what the Missouri Valley had a couple years ago where it jumped from one team to three." No mistake by CDR Though it would be easy, in retrospect, to say that Chris Douglas-Roberts made a mistake by entering the NBA Draft a year early, he made the right decision based on the information he had at the time. Nobody could have anticipated that he'd fall all the way to 40th based on mediocre workouts. When the Tigers' season ended, scouts were talking about Douglas-Roberts as a potential top-10 pick. The good news for CDR is that the New Jersey Nets are not stocked with wings -- their roster includes just Vince Carter, Maurice Ager, Bobby Simmons and Trenton Hassell -- so he should get a contract. |
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| 06/29/08 | |
Soaring energy prices forcing new travel plans on college athletic directors (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Jim Masilak (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Sunday, June 29, 2008 R.C. Johnson has a foolproof plan for dealing with the rising costs associated with intercollegiate athletic travel. "My solution is very simple," the University of Memphis athletic director said. "I've decided that all of our athletic contests next year will be home games." Johnson was kidding. Sort of. With fuel prices soaring, the costs of charter buses and flights rising apace and the specter of baggage surcharges now an expensive reality for those flying commercial, athletic departments large and small are facing up to new financial realities. "Everybody's going to be affected," Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone said. "We have a $45 million budget this year and we're trying to do everything we can to save on fuel. ... We're trying to be more prudent." In an ominous sign of the times, Arizona State recently cut funding for three men's programs -- swimming, tennis and wrestling -- due to what athletic director Lisa Love described as "economic realities." While ASU has $30 million in debt service on facilities and staffing to deal with, Love told the East Valley Tribune that "what sideswiped a lot of people here is what has happened with the national and local economies. Think of what it costs to move a team across the country. The cost escalation was not something anyone could have anticipated." Though there's no indication that any area schools will have to follow suit, Johnson says the UofM will almost certainly cut back on unsubsidized long-distance travel, play more regional opponents and even "look at what hotels we stay in" to save money. Having made strides in recent years toward its goal of financial self-sufficiency, the UofM athletic department now faces an additional hurdle in the form of increased travel costs. "We absolutely are concerned about it. We've had a couple meetings about it. ... We're going to have to adjust and make the best of it," Johnson said. "Nobody has an unlimited budget. I think you'll see more regional contests. The cross-country trips, you're not going to see as many of those as you used to. We're not going to be sending our teams to Hawaii again unless the trips are paid for." While tournaments such as the Maui Invitational will gladly pick up the tab to bring John Calipari's high-profile basketball team to the islands, such arrangements are less common in nonrevenue sports. To make matters even more difficult for Johnson, the school is bracing for a $500,000 budget hit as a result of statewide cuts in education spending. "We're not the only ones; it's everywhere," Johnson said. "We're just going to have to digest it and make the best of it." In some cases, athletic departments don't yet know what to expect come fall. Boone, who anticipates a 20-percent across-the-board increase in associated travel costs during the 2008-09 school year at Ole Miss, is worried that $4-per-gallon gas prices could increase significantly in the coming months. "Fuel, food, lodging -- they're all going up," Boone said. "With charter flights, for instance, they give us a base price, but we have a fuel surcharge and we don't know what that will be yet." Smaller schools such as Christian Brothers University and Rhodes College, meanwhile, must also face up to the rising costs of transporting their teams. CBU athletic director Joe Nadicksbernd said his teams will either have to go without certain perks, such as new uniforms; play fewer games during the season; or make up any increase in costs through fundraising. "There's really not much we can do about it," Nadicksbernd said. "What happens is you try to cut in other areas of your budget to make up for it." CBU, which competes at the NCAA Division 2 level, has always been creative in financing its travels. The Bucs' cross country team used proceeds from the annual Twilight Classic at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex to help fund last year's trip to the Pepperdine Invitational in Malibu, Calif. "It's pretty simple," Nadicksbernd said. "If you want to go, raise the money." As a member of the NCAA Division 3 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, a nonscholarship alliance that stretches from Colorado to Georgia, Rhodes and its athletic director, Mike Clary, find travel a major issue. Clary anticipates that the same trips the Lynx made last year will cost them an additional $20,000 this year. Staying closer to home isn't always an option if Rhodes wants to compete against peer institutions. "The difficult part for a small school, we may have to compete against schools that do not share your same mission or divisional standards," Clary said. "Instead of playing Division 3 teams in New York, we may have to stay closer to home and play (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) teams who give scholarships." At a recent SCAC meeting, Clary said he and his fellow ADs pleaded with conference officials to provide some relief from the travel burden. "We challenged them to look at different types of scheduling models within the league that would reduce travel costs but keep us whole as a league," said Clary, who is already getting creative with his school's travel arrangements. In October, Rhodes is flying its football team to San Antonio to face league rival Trinity. It won't be a cheap trip. Clary booked the 62-member traveling party on an AirTran flight through Atlanta that he says will cost $60-$70 more per person than it did two years ago. To limit expenses, Rhodes will not let its players check baggage on that trip. Whatever can't be carried will be shipped with team equipment by rental truck to Texas. Clary estimates the school will save $2,100 as a result. "That's a set of volleyball uniforms," he said. And that's a big deal for a school on a shoestring budget compared to its more well-heeled Division 1 counterparts. "It used to take $60 to fill up the van with gas. Now it costs $110," Nadicksbernd said. "We raise money for scholarships so we can put players on the field. We'll just have to increase our efforts and try to raise even more money now." |
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| 06/28/08 | |
Houston high on Dorsey -- Former Tiger will add a strong defensive presence to new club (Commercial Appeal) |
| The Commercial Appeal Saturday, June 28, 2008 Joey Dorsey won't get to team up in Portland with former nemesis Greg Oden after all as the former University of Memphis bruiser was traded late Thursday to the Houston Rockets after being drafted by the Blazers with the third pick of the NBA draft's second round. Houston traded the rights to French guard Nicolas Batum, their first-round pick (25th overall), to Portland for the rights to Dorsey and first-round pick Darrell Arthur, a forward from Kansas who was picked 27th and later sent to the Grizzlies for Syracuse forward Donte Greene. Memphis had selected Greene with the 28th pick in Thursday's draft. "We think Joey Dorsey was the best defensive player on the best defensive team in the country this year at Memphis," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told the Houston Chronicle. "We think he plays much bigger than his 6-7 height with the size of his body and his aggressiveness." Dorsey, a two-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, said Friday at a news conference in Houston that he can contribute on offense as well. "I worked all summer on my offense," Dorsey said. "I was trying to show people that I could score the ball. "But I think my defense is gonna be great for this team. I'm a defensive specialist. I'll come here right away playing that defense with energy." |
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| 06/28/08 | |
Editorial: Memphis sports in the spotlight -- NBA draft night news provided a boost for the city's morale and, possibly, an assist for the bottom line (Commercial Appeal) |
| Saturday, June 28, 2008 "With the first pick in the 2008 NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls select Derrick Rose from the University of Memphis." David Stern's words Thursday night focused a flattering light on Memphis, which was, for a shining moment, the center of the college basketball world. When the former Tigers' star player outshone all the others on NBA draft night, he created a moment of pride for the city and a reflection of the lofty status coach John Calipari, athletic director R.C. Johnson, the staff and the players have achieved. The team's run in the NCAA postseason tournament fell just short of a championship, but it capped an incredibly successful season. A team composed primarily of Memphis players and coached by Calipari also played three exhibition games against the Chinese national team this spring as part of a five-year agreement with the Chinese Basketball Association that should bring a lot of positive attention to the program. The optimism all this has engendered has led the university to go after an all-sports agreement with an athletic apparel company -- the kind of deal that is rarely experienced by a school outside the elite college circle that participates in the Bowl Championship Series. Successful seasons for the Tigers and the Memphis Grizzlies are important for those of us who are interested in the local sports scene and those who aren't. Retiring the debt on the Downtown FedExForum, where the Tigers and Grizzlies play their home games, largely depends on sales tax revenue generated at the site. The Grizzlies left the impression that they're trying to help in that endeavor with a late-night trade Thursday for the rights to University of Southern California standout O.J. Mayo. If the potential all-star winds up in a Grizzlies uniform, it could help offset some of the ill will and the ticket sales slump generated by the Grizzlies' midseason fire sale that sent Pau Gasol to Los Angeles. Thursday's complex, multiplayer deal by contrast portrayed Grizzlies ownership and management as active and interested in turning around a franchise that has finished with 22 wins and 60 defeats each of the past two seasons. The FedExForum welcome should be tumultuous when Rose returns with his new Chicago Bulls teammates. He's the most exciting sports star to entertain the locals since Penny Hardaway, who played for the Tigers 15 years ago. And he was part of a program that is bringing in big-time players and attracting big crowds -- something to look forward to for years to come. |
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| 06/28/08 | |
Former Tigers set for charity tourney -- Area stars round out 'It's All Good' rosters (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Jason Smith (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Saturday, June 28, 2008 Penny Hardaway was attempting to stack the deck in his favor in anticipation of this weekend's "It's All Good Memphis Showdown" at Elma Roane Field House. Hardaway, the former University of Memphis basketball star, wanted a fellow former Tiger, Cedric Henderson, to play for Team Penny in the eight-team event, which begins this morning at 9 and concludes with Sunday's 3:15 p.m. championship game. "Penny called up Cedric to put him on his team, and Cedric said, 'No. I'm playing for Jeremy Hunt,' said Memphis graduate assistant coach Bryan Settle, who, along with fellow Tiger graduate assistant Scott Robinson, organized the two-day event. The double-elimination tournament, benefiting the China Earthquake Relief Fund and the Memphis Lady Elite AAU team, is set to feature Hardaway, Henderson and a host of other former Tigers, including Andre Turner, Dajuan Wagner, Antonio Burks, Anthony Rice, Jimmie 'Snap' Hunter and Scooter McFadgon. Also expected to participate are former Mitchell High star and Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young, former Carver High standout Qyntel Woods and former Tiger defensive back and NFL veteran Mike McKenzie. Admission each day is $5. "We just started this a month ago, and we didn't think it would blow up like this," Settle said. "All the Tigers wanted to play in it. This is going to be the real deal. It's going to be very competitive." Eight games are scheduled for today. Hardaway's Team Penny, which is expected to include Young, will take the court around 11:30 a.m. The tournament resumes Sunday at 9 a.m. "There's so many names that are coming, it's honestly ridiculous," Robinson said. "It's turned out to be a lot bigger than what I thought it would be." 'It's all good' Memphis showdown What: An eight-team double elimination tournament featuring many prominent former University of Memphis basketball players, including Penny Hardaway, Dajuan Wagner and Andre Turner Where: Elma Roane Field House, 495 Zach Curlin St. on UofM campus When: Games start at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, with the championship scheduled for 3:15 p.m. Sunday Admission: $5 per day |
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| 06/27/08 | |
Joey Dorsey will start NBA career in Houston -- Ex-Tiger dealt traded late Thursday (Commercial Appeal) |
| The Commercial Appeal Friday, June 27, 2008 Joey Dorsey won't get to team up in Portland with former nemesis Greg Oden after all, as the former University of Memphis bruiser was traded late Thursday to the Houston Rockets after being drafted by the Blazers with the third pick of the NBA draft's second round. Houston traded the rights to French guard Nicolas Batum, their first-round pick (25th overall), to Portland for the rights to Dorsey and first-round pick Darrell Arthur, a forward from Kansas who was picked 27th and later sent to the Grizzlies for Syracuse forward Donte Greene. Memphis had selected Greene with the 28th pick in Thursday's draft. "We think Joey Dorsey was the best defensive player on the best defensive team in the country this year at Memphis," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told the Houston Chronicle. "We think he plays much bigger than his 6-7 height with the size of his body and his aggressiveness." |
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| 06/27/08 | |
Tigers' Rose picked first in NBA Draft by Bulls (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Dan Wolken (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Thursday, June 26, 2008 NEW YORK -- NBA commissioner David Stern strode toward the podium, the room got quiet, and Derrick Rose stared down at the black tablecloth in front of him. "Yeah," he said later, "I was nervous a little bit." As University of Memphis fans learned over the past eight months, Rose's range of facial expressions between nervousness and jubilation is remarkably narrow. So when Stern announced that the Chicago Bulls had made Rose the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, it was no surprise that he remained almost unresponsive. He kissed his mother, Brenda, and hugged his brother, Reggie. Memphis coach John Calipari got up from his seat and wrapped Rose in an embrace, then sent him on to the stage. Though Rose kept his poker face, it was only later that he revealed what he was feeling Thursday night at Madison Square Garden's WaMu Theater. "Man, I couldn't believe it," Rose said. "It took me a couple seconds to realize he called my name. This is the highest level of basketball, and being the No. 1 pick gets me excited already. I didn't want to get on the bloopers. That's the only thing I was thinking about. I kept my cool." Though Rose's night was Chicago's night, permanently linking him with the city where he grew up and will now play professionally, it was also Memphis' night. Fifteen years ago, the Tigers' basketball program reached its high-water mark on this stage when Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway was taken No. 3 by Golden State. On Thursday, Rose became the 11th Memphis player to be drafted in the first round but the first to be selected No. 1 overall. Hours before the draft began, Calipari sat with Rose and talked about the Tigers' season, which vaulted Rose from one of many elite players in his class to a clear-cut top-two player in this draft. Calipari said he asked Rose how much he thought about the Tigers' loss to Kansas in the NCAA championship game, when Rose missed a free throw with 10 seconds left that would have likely secured the victory. "He said, 'You know, people bring it up but not really. We had a great year, 38-2; just a couple plays here and there,'" Calipari said. "I said, 'No, neither do I,' and we laughed and gave each other high-fives." Later, they were giving each other hugs, as Calipari soaked in yet another achievement for his program. "What a great thing," he said. "I just told him, 'I'm proud of you, and I love you.'" Rose wasn't used to losing at Memphis, and by joining the Bulls, he might not have to get used to it at the NBA level. Chicago was one of the league's promising young teams two years ago, finishing with a 49-33 record, but inexplicably slid backwards last season and missed the playoffs despite no significant personnel losses. After finishing 33-49, the Bulls had just a 1.7 percent chance to get the No. 1 pick but won the lottery and the chance to draft Rose. General manager John Paxson said during an ESPN interview Thursday night that Rose was a "perfect fit" to go alongside their established young players like Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni. "In this league, point guards are really hard to find," Paxson said. "He's got a strength about him that most guards don't have." Rose said he was fortunate to go to a team on the verge of contention rather than a complete rebuilding project. "It feels great, knowing we can go in and compete," he said. "I'm just blessed to be in this position right now because a lot of people aren't, and just knowing we're a few pieces away from really contending like other teams makes me happy. Rose should also feel comfortable in his new surroundings, which aren't particularly new. Though he grew up in an impoverished area of Chicago's South Side -- a long way from the life of riches he'll now be living -- it's still his hometown, which will offer both challenges and opportunities. Rose said he wasn't concerned about the pressures of playing at home, or the number of people who will want to be a part of his life. Growing up, Rose was sheltered from the disruptive forces by his brothers, who will likely function the same way now that he's a pro. "My situation is different," he said. "I have a small circle. I have five people that I really hang with. It's going to be real tough for people to try to get a hold of me." |
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| 06/27/08 | |
Chris Douglas-Roberts tumbles to second round -- Nets draft former Tiger; Dorsey chosen by Blazers (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Scott Cacciola (Contact) and Dan Wolken (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Friday, June 27, 2008 Chris Douglas-Roberts stayed away from the NBA Draft. In fact, he stayed about as far away as he could get. He booked an early-evening flight from Memphis to his hometown of Detroit, the idea being that he would be somewhere in the North American stratosphere when NBA commissioner David Stern announced his name at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. That did not happen. Stern kept strolling to the podium and reading other names. J.J. Hickson to the Cavaliers at No. 19. Serge Ibaka to the Sonics at No. 24. George Hill -- yes, George Hill from basketball powerhouse IUPUI -- to the Spurs at No. 26. The first round came and went, and Stern eventually handed the microphone to deputy commissioner Adam Silver. After nine more selections, which included former University of Memphis teammate Joey Dorsey going to the Trail Blazers at No. 33, Douglas-Roberts finally, mercifully, went off the board. In one of the more surprising -- and, at least according to many Memphians, unpleasant -- developments of the night, Douglas-Roberts tumbled into the second round, where he was selected by the New Jersey Nets with the 40th overall pick. "I'm stunned," Memphis coach John Calipari said. "I don't know what else to say but New Jersey got a good player." Nobody expected Dorsey to go ahead of Douglas-Roberts, a junior all-American who chose to forgo his senior season with the full expectation that he would be selected in the first round, where contracts are guaranteed. Instead, Douglas-Roberts will have to earn a deal. Most, if not all, draftniks projected him to go in the first round. "He's going to be the guy from the second round this year," said Leon Rose, Douglas-Roberts' agent. "He's going to be that guy. He's done it his whole life. His whole life he's been second-guessed." On the flip side, Dorsey was ecstatic with his position in the draft. A bruising power forward, he led Conference USA in rebounding (9.5 per game) as a senior. "It's a dream come true, getting picked by an NBA team," said Dorsey, who attended the draft in New York City. "This is a special time for me. I'm going to live it up for a minute." He said he was particularly excited about teaming up with center Greg Oden in Portland's frontcourt. "This is crazy," he said. "Me and Greg are going to be playing with each other. It's an exciting team and a young team." Sonny Weems, the West Memphis product and former Arkansas standout, went one pick ahead of Douglas-Roberts, at No. 39 to the Chicago Bulls. Douglas-Roberts, C-USA's Player of the Year after averaging 18.1 points and 4.1 rebounds, spent Thursday morning on familiar ground, helping out at the John Calipari Basketball School. He was surrounded at the Finch Center by 200-odd campers, many of whom barely reached his waist. He wore sandals, baggy shorts and an Indiana Pacers T-shirt, and when he took questions at lunchtime -- Can you dunk? How tall are you? How old is Joey Dorsey? -- one of the kids touched on his wardrobe: Did that mean he was going to play for the Pacers? Douglas-Roberts smiled and shook his head. No, it was just one of many T-shirts he had picked up over the past three weeks. He had no idea where he would wind up in the draft, but he said he was "relaxed" and "confident." Calipari indicated that he had been getting plenty of phone calls from teams who owned the 19th through 22nd picks, though he said that Douglas-Roberts could go anywhere from 15 to 30. But on Thursday night, Douglas-Roberts kept slipping. "It's inexplicable," ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said. |
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| 06/27/08 |  |
Tigers release women's golf coach Bruun (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Phil Stukenborg (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Friday, June 27, 2008 University of Memphis women's golf coach Jenny Bruun, who directed the Lady Tigers to an NCAA Regional appearance in 2007, will not return for the 2008-09 season. Tiger athletic director R.C. Johnson said Thursday Bruun's contract would not be renewed. Bruun, the Conference USA coach of the year in 2007, recently completed her fourth season as Lady Tiger coach. The UofM finished fifth in C-USA this season. Bruun declined comment when reached by phone Thursday. Johnson said the change was made because "we have decided to move the program in another direction." "With the construction of the Frank Flautt Golf Center at our Park Avenue Campus, we feel that all the pieces are in place for a nationally ranked golf program at the University of Memphis." Since the 2000-01 season, the Lady Tiger golf program has struggled to find stability with its head coach. During that seven-year stretch there have been five coaches, including two -- Donna Noonan (2003-04) and Katie Rump (2001-02) -- who served on an interim basis. Sheryl Maize coached the Lady Tigers in 2002-03 but was forced to leave after one season because of a family illness. She led the Lady Tigers to three top-five finishes in the fall of 2002. Debby King spent six seasons at the UofM (1995-96 through 2000-01) and directed the program to five NCAA Regional appearances before accepting the head coaching job at Notre Dame. A search for Bruun's replacement will begin immediately. Associate athletic director Bob Winn will be chairman of the search committee. |
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| 06/27/08 | |
After a long hiatus, I’m back with draft thoughts (Memphis Edge) |
| Posted by John Stacy, Tiger fan blogger I’ve enjoyed a long summer vacation. I hope you missed me. I was going to wait until football started but I’m so angry right now I had to write something. I wrote a blog immediately after CDR declared annotating five reasons he should have stayed at Memphis. I said that he would lose millions of dollars because next year he would have been a lottery pick because this season was stocked full of freshmen. The NBA historically drafted on “potential” and this class is long on “potential.” Now as I watch the NBA draft and have yet to hear CDR’s name. Chris said he had nothing left to prove in college. I think the NBA scouts have shown they think otherwise. I don’t know who was advising him but he got some really bad advice. Now he doesn’t have a guaranteed deal. He doesn’t get those “millions of reasons” to leave school that some of you were quick to point out. It simply was NOT the year to come out early. He was drafted after dozens of players he out-played in college but that doesn’t matter to NBA scouts. He was bypassed by guys who will play in Europe for a couple of years. It has been simply heartbreaking to watch this because you know the kid is in agony and I’m pretty sure he’s filled with regret. Now he’s a 40th pick in the NBA draft and will have to work his way into a job. The millions won’t come for a few years. I think he’ll eventually get them but coming out a year early has cost Buckets 10’s of millions. I truly feel bad for the kid. But he should have returned after “testing the waters.” They were cool towards him but he went too far into the deep end and couldn’t get out of the pool in time. I was right but it pains me to say it. I felt more excited for Joey getting drafted than I did Derrick. He’s a gem of a guy and did it the right way. He got better every year. He worked his butt off. I think Portland will be happy with him in the long run. And if you ever met Joey Dorsey, you know why I feel that way. Derrick Rose’s spot was a shoo-in for the last month. For that matter it was a shoo-in in my my mind when the Bulls were awarded the number 1 pick. It was really good to see Memphis all over the place. I think he’s the first of other Memphis players that will be number 1 overall picks with Cal doing the recruiting. Rose is a 1st class player with 1st class character so it only made sense that he was the 1st pick in my mind. In the end, it’s a good feeling that three Tigers got their names called tonight. But quite honestly, I wish it had only been two and we had another senior leader on the floor next year. |
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| 06/27/08 | |
Bulls take Rose with No. 1 pick in NBA Draft (Jackson Sun) |
| By BRIAN MAHONEY The Associated Press June 27, 2008 NEW YORK - Derrick Rose is going home, and a record crowd of freshmen are following him to the NBA. The Chicago Bulls selected Rose, who grew up on the city's South Side, with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft Thursday night, choosing the Memphis guard over Kansas State forward Michael Beasley. With Beasley going second to Miami and Minnesota picking O.J. Mayo at No. 3, college freshmen made up the first three picks for the first time in draft history. "We actually talked about this earlier," Beasley said. "We all grew up together and we all grew up playing against each other and we all made a pact together that we would all be here. Just to see it all fall into place and see it all happen is kind of crazy." Five of the first seven players selected were freshmen, also an NBA record. It was also a big night for the Pac-10 Conference, which had five of the first 11 picks. Rose led the Tigers to the national championship game in his lone college season. The Bulls opted for the point guard's playmaking ability over the scoring and rebounding of Beasley, who ranked in the top three in the nation in both categories. Rose is the Bulls' first No. 1 overall selection since they grabbed Elton Brand in 1999. He's the second straight freshman taken with the top pick, following Portland's Greg Oden last year. The 6-foot-3 guard put on a red Bulls cap, hugged some supporters, including Memphis coach John Calipari, and shook hands with Beasley, seated at a nearby table, before walking onto the stage to meet NBA commissioner David Stern. "I was a little nervous when they came back out, but I always had that in mind that I want to be No. 1," Rose said. "So it was great hearing my name and being the No. 1 pick." Rose should be an upgrade over Kirk Hinrich, who now could be traded, and gives the Bulls another option if they don't re-sign guard Ben Gordon. Expected to contend for a division title, the Bulls instead stumbled to a 33-49 record and eventually replaced two coaches. But with just a 1.7 percent chance, they won last month's draft lottery, giving them a chance to quickly return to the playoffs. "It feels great to go in and compete," Rose said. "I'm just blessed to be in that position right now, because a lot of people aren't. And just knowing that we are a few pieces away from really contending as a team, it just makes me happy." Miami settled for Beasley at No. 2, even though he wasn't sure if the Heat would go for Mayo instead. Beasley averaged 26.2 points, third in the nation, and topped Division I with 12.4 rebounds per game. But with questions about his size - he may be 2 inches shorter than the 6-foot-10 he's listed at - the Bulls may not have believed he could play the 4 spot in the NBA. After Mayo's selection, UCLA guard Russell Westbrook was the first non-freshmen taken, going fourth to the Seattle SuperSonics - with new teammate and reigning Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant standing and applauding the pick from the back. Kevin Love gave UCLA consecutive picks, going to Memphis at No. 5. The New York Knicks followed with Italian forward Danilo Gallinari, whose father played with new coach Mike D'Antoni overseas. Fans in Madison Square Garden weren't impressed, booing loudly. "It's part of the game, all the players have got to hear this," Gallinari said. "Not every time can you hear good things. It's normal." Indiana guard Eric Gordon became the fifth freshman taken, going to the Los Angeles Clippers at No. 7. West Virginia's Joe Alexander, whose stock began to rise after a strong run at Madison Square Garden in the Big East tournament, went to Milwaukee with the next pick. Charlotte gave new coach Larry Brown a point guard, taking D.J. Augustin of Texas with the ninth pick. New Jersey took Stanford center Brook Lopez at No. 10, and Arizona's Jerryd Bayless joined fellow Pac-10 guards Mayo and Westbrook by going 11th to Indiana. Bayless' rights were later traded to Portland along with Ike Diogu for the rights to Brandon Rush, the No. 13 pick from national champion Kansas, Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts. Rush's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told The Associated Press about the deal shortly after Rush was taken. The Pacers also had a proposed trade with the Toronto Raptors. Indiana would send six-time All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto for T.J. Ford, center Rasho Nesterovic, the 17th pick in the draft and a player to be determined. Sacramento pulled a surprise at No. 12 with Rider forward Jason Thompson, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference player of the year and the first senior taken. Golden State grabbed LSU forward Anthony Randolph - yet another freshman - with the 14th and final lottery pick. Robin Lopez joined twin brother Brook in the NBA when Phoenix chose him at No. 15. That started a run of big men in which Philadelphia took Florida's Marreese Speights, Toronto picked Roy Hibbert of Georgetown at No. 17, and Washington drafted Nevada 7-footer JaVale McGee with the 18th pick. After taking guards earlier, Seattle and Charlotte both went big with their second first-round picks. The Bobcats selected French center Alexis Aninca at No. 20 and the Sonics took Congo's Serge Ibaka four picks later. Darrell Arthur of Kansas was the final player in the green room, lasting until the 27th spot, where New Orleans grabbed him. The Hornets already agreed to send his rights to Portland for cash in a deal that is awaiting league approval. NBA champion Boston chose J.R. Giddens of New Mexico with the 30th and final pick of the first round. |
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| 06/27/08 | |
Bulls pick Rose at No.1 -- Chicago is a homecoming for former Memphis star (Nashville Tennessean) |
| By BRIAN MAHONEY Associated Press June 27, 2008 NEW YORK —Derrick Rose is going home, and a record crowd of freshmen are following him to the NBA. The Chicago Bulls selected Rose, who grew up on the city's South Side, with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday, choosing the Memphis guard over Kansas State forward Michael Beasley. With Beasley going second to Miami and Minnesota picking O.J. Mayo at No. 3, college freshmen made up the first three picks for the first time in draft history. "We actually talked about this earlier," Beasley said. "We all grew up together and we all grew up playing against each other and we all made a pact together that we would all be here. Just to see it all fall into place and see it all happen is kind of crazy." Mayo was later traded to Memphis for UCLA's Kevin Love, their top pick, along with others in the eight-player swap. Five of the first seven players selected were freshmen, also an NBA record. Western Kentucky's Courtney Lee was the only other area player taken in the first round. He went to Orlando with the No. 22 pick and is the first Hilltopper chosen in the first round since 1987. Vanderbilt's Shan Foster was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the No. 51 pick. UT's Chris Lofton and former Glencliff star Jamont Gordon of Mississippi State went undrafted. Chris Douglas-Roberts of Memphis was taken 40th by the New Jersey Nets. Rose led the Tigers to the national championship game in his lone college season. The Bulls opted for the point guard's playmaking ability over the scoring and rebounding of Beasley, who ranked in the top three in the nation in both categories. Rose is the Bulls' first No. 1 overall selection since they grabbed Elton Brand in 1999. He's the second straight freshman taken with the top pick, following Portland's Greg Oden last year. The 6-foot-3 guard put on a red Bulls cap, hugged some supporters, including Memphis Coach John Calipari, and shook hands with Beasley before walking onto the stage to meet NBA Commissioner David Stern. "I was a little nervous when they came back out, but I always had that in mind that I want to be No. 1," Rose said. "So it was great hearing my name and being the No. 1 pick." Rose will be an upgrade over Kirk Hinrich, who now may be traded, and gives the Bulls another option if they don't re-sign guard Ben Gordon. Expected to contend for a division title, the Bulls instead stumbled to a 33-49 record and eventually replaced two coaches. But with just a 1.7 percent chance, they won last month's draft lottery, giving them a chance to quickly return to the playoffs. "It feels great to go in and compete," Rose said. "I'm just blessed to be in that position right now, because a lot of people aren't. And just knowing that we are a few pieces away from really contending as a team, it just makes me happy." General Manager John Paxson said the Bulls will try to bring him along slowly, but Rose says he's a quick study. "I think I'll come in and lead the team," Rose, 19, said. "That's how I feel." Can a rookie do that? "I think I can be a leader on the court and off the court," Rose said. "Age doesn't really matter. It's about how effective you are, and I think I'm getting better with my leadership skills." Miami settled for Beasley at No. 2, even though he wasn't sure if the Heat would go for Mayo instead. After Mayo's selection, UCLA guard Russell Westbrook was the first non-freshmen taken, going fourth to the Seattle SuperSonics. Kevin Love gave the Bruins consecutive picks, going to Memphis at No. 5. He was later traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for O.J. Mayo in an eight-player deal. The New York Knicks followed with Italian forward Danilo Gallinari, whose father played with new Coach Mike D'Antoni overseas. Fans in Madison Square Garden were booing loudly. Indiana guard Eric Gordon became the fifth freshman taken, going to the Los Angeles Clippers at No. 7. West Virginia's Joe Alexander went to Milwaukee with the next pick. Charlotte gave new Coach Larry Brown a point guard, taking D.J. Augustin of Texas with the ninth pick. New Jersey took Stanford center Brook Lopez to round out the top 10. Arizona's Jerryd Bayless joined fellow Pac-10 guards Mayo and Westbrook by going 11th to Indiana. Bayless' rights were later traded to Portland for the rights to Brandon Rush, the No. 13 pick from national champion Kansas, Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts. Rush's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told The Associated Press about the deal shortly after Rush was taken. The Pacers also had a proposed trade with the Toronto Raptors. Indiana would send six-time All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto for T.J. Ford, center Rasho Nesterovic, the 17th pick in the draft and a player to be determined. Sacramento pulled a surprise at No. 12 with Rider forward Jason Thompson, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference player of the year and the first senior taken. Golden State grabbed LSU forward Anthony Randolph — yet another freshman — with the 14th and final lottery pick. Robin Lopez joined twin brother Brook in the NBA when Phoenix chose him at No. 15. That started a run of big men in which Philadelphia took Florida's Marreese Speights, Toronto picked Roy Hibbert of Georgetown at No. 17, and Washington drafted Nevada 7-footer JaVale McGee with the 18th pick. |
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| 06/26/08 | |
Tiger legends hit the court for quake relief (Daily Helmsman) |
| By: Joseph Russell Issue date: 6/26/08 From "Penny" to "The Little General," this weekend's charity basketball tournament at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse will be full of former NBA players and Tiger greats that Memphians will always remember. Scott Robinson and Bryan Settle, graduate assistant coaches with the men's basketball team, have organized an 8-team double-elimination basketball tournament. The "It's All Good Memphis Showdown," sponsored by Mark Goodfellow's It's All Good Auto Sales, will take place June 28-29. Games will begin at 9 a.m. both days, with the championship game tipping off at 3:15 p.m. Sunday. Tickets will be $5, with proceeds going to the Chinese Earthquake Relief Fund. The tournament will feature four amateur teams from the city and four teams made up of former Tiger basketball players. Captains for the U of M teams are Jeremy Hunt, Antonio Burks, Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, and Cedric Henderson. Joining Henderson will be Chris Garner, Lorenzen Wright and Jimmie "Snap" Hunter. It will be a reunion for Henderson, Garner and Wright, who played together during the Tigers' Sweet Sixteen run in the mid-90s. "It was a no-brainer, having the chance to go back and see all of the guys," said Garner, who was point guard for the Tigers from 1993-97 and still plays internationally. "Anything I can do for The University is a good opportunity." Other players expected to attend include Earl Barron, Bobby Parks, Shyrone Chatman, Leon Mitchell, Clyde Wade, John Grice, Dajuan Wagner, Andre Turner, Qyntel Woods, who originally signed with Memphis but turned pro, and Rodney Newsom. Even current assistant coaches Josh Pastner, Orlando Antigua and Rod Strickland are expected to play. "Coach Antigua can still dunk, no problem. They'll have to watch out for him," Robinson said with a laugh. Robinson said the idea for a charity tournament came to him after spending last season with Cui Wunjun, the coach who spent the season with the team as an intern from China. "I can't even imagine being over there when the earthquake happened. Almost 70,000 people died," Robinson said. "This is our way that we can help out." Robinson developed a friendship with Cui during the Tigers' run to the national championship game last season, and this was a way Cui could help his people overseas. "The tournament was just thrown together this past month or so. I wasn't even sure it was going to happen," Robinson said. He started getting in touch with former players and the whole event "steamrolled" from there. Newsom, who now works with after-school programs in the Memphis City School system, was a forward for the Tigers from 1992-96. "It's good for us and the community to come back and play, especially with the success from this past season," he said. "I'm a Memphian. I try to give back any way that I can." While the tournament was created for a serious matter, it also was to give people a fun time and a good show over the weekend, said Robinson. Even though Newsom only plays once every two or three months, he says there will be plenty of trash talking on the court this weekend. Garner agreed. "When you lose a little bit physically, you need every bit of the psychological advantage," Garner said. "But of course, my team's going to win. Every time we hit the floor as Tigers, we planned on winning. This weekend won't be any different." If the event goes as planned and everybody has a good time, Robinson doesn't see any reason why it couldn't become an annual event with more players coming back each year. "Most of these guys are from Memphis," Robinson said. "What would be better than have these Memphis guys come back to the city they love? This could be something the city could back and get involved with for years to come." Next year Robinson plans to get Rodney Carney, Jared Sandridge, and possibly Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Joey Dorsey. |
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| 06/26/08 | |
Tigers’ draft wrapup (Memphis Edge) |
| Posted by Dan Wolken NEW YORK — When David Stern went to the podium to announce the Memphis Grizzlies’ 28th pick, John Calipari sat in the green room clinching his left fist and yelled out, “C’mon Memphis!” It was not hard to figure out what Calipari was rooting for. Clearly, the Tigers’ coach was hoping the Grizzlies would take Chris Douglas-Roberts, who worked out with them yesterday and would have clearly been the best PR pick available. When he declared after the Tigers’ season ended, CDR was projected to be anywhere from 10-25 and suddenly here he was in the Grizzlies’ lap if they wanted him. Even after the Grizzlies passed on him, however, Calipari felt that he might go to Boston at No. 30. After they picked J.R. Giddens, it was not a lot of fun watching Calipari mill around for the next several minutes, typing furiously on his Blackberry while Leon Rose, CDR’s agent, was working the phones and likewise looking a bit nervous. After CDR finally got taken by the Nets at 40, Calipari and Rose left Madison Square Garden pretty quickly, obviously disappointed at how the night unfolded. The question that will now be asked for a long time to come is whether Douglas-Roberts made a mistake by leaving Memphis a year early. I find it hard to second-guess him, since every single person in the basketball business felt his stock was at its peak coming off a season in which he was a first-team All American and led the Tigers to the NCAA title game. The only reason to stay is that next year’s draft would have been weaker, but there didn’t seem to be much risk that he would slip out of the first round. It seemed like a safe move. The reality is, Chris just didn’t perform well in workouts, and obviously teams put a lot of stock into those workouts. I find it remarkable that a player like J.R. Giddens, with a spotty personal history and only one effective season at the college level, would be selected ahead of CDR. I find it even more remarkable that Walter Sharpe, a complete head case who washed out of Mississippi State and UAB, would go ahead of CDR and Joey Dorsey. CDR won’t get the guaranteed money, but he’ll have a chance to make a team. Time will tell whether the NBA executives who passed on him were right or wrong. |
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| 06/26/08 | |
Memphis' Derrick Rose Selected No. 1 In 2008 NBA Draft By Chicago Bulls -- Dorsey, Douglas-Roberts picked in NBA Draft second round (GoTigersGo.com) |
| NEW YORK, N.Y. - Well, after a season of since thens and firsts in 2007-08, the University of Memphis men's basketball program made more history Thursday night when freshman guard Derrick Rose was selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft in New York City. The Chicago Bulls, who owned the No. 1 pick, drafted the Tigers' point guard, making it the first time in school history that a Memphis player went No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft. Later in the NBA Draft's second round, Joey Dorsey was the No. 33 pick by the Portland Trailblazers and Chris Douglas-Roberts was the No. 40 selection by the New Jersey Nets. It is the third time in Memphis hoops history that three Tigers were taken in the same draft. Memphis also had three players selected in the 1973 (Larry Kenon, Ronnie Robinson, Larry Finch) and 1986 (William Bedford, Baskerville Holmes, Andre Turner) NBA Drafts. Like this year's Tiger players, the 1973 and 1986 Memphis draftees all played in the NCAA Final Four (1973 NCAA title game, 1985 NCAA Final Four). As for the Rose selection, the previous highest Tiger player drafted was Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway in 1993 when he was the No. 3 overall pick by the Golden State Warriors. Hardaway was later traded on draft night to the Orlando Magic. Overall, Rose is the 11th Tiger selected in the NBA Draft first round, joining Win Wilfong (1957), Wayne Yates (1961), Keith Lee (1985), William Bedford (1986), Hardaway (1993), David Vaughn (1995), Lorenzen Wright (1996), Dajuan Wagner (2002), Rodney Carney (2006) and Shawne Williams (2006). Rose is only the second guard selected with the No. 1 overall pick since the NBA Draft lottery began in 1985. Allen Iverson was the other guard taken with the first overall selection in 1996 by the Philadelphia 76ers. Rose is also only the second Conference USA player to be a No. 1 overall pick, as New Jersey selected Kenyon Martin No. 1 in the 2000 NBA Draft. Rose, a Chicago, Ill., native, is the third NBA Draft lottery pick for head coach John Calipari. In the 1996 draft, Marcus Camby (UMass) was the No. 2 overall selection, and Wagner (Memphis) was the No. 6 pick in the 2002 draft. The Tigers' 6-foot-3 guard was the team's second-leading scorer at 14.9 ppg, and also averaged 4.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He shot 47.7 percent from the field and 71.2 percent from the free throw line. A consensus All-America Freshman Team pick, Rose was an Associated Press All-America third team selection and a Bob Cousy Award finalist. He also was selected to the All-Conference USA first team and was the league's Freshman of the Year. Dorsey finished his four-year Memphis career as the program's winningest player with 126 wins, which is also the 10th-best, four-year mark in NCAA history. The two-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, the 6-foot-9 forward is the No. 2 rebounder and No. 2 shot blocker in Tiger basketball history. Dorsey is the No. 1 rebounder in Conference USA history. As a senior in 2007-08, Dorsey averaged 6.9 points and 9.5 rebounds while blocking 74 shots. Douglas-Roberts, a 2007-08 consensus All-America first team pick, led Memphis in scoring with an 18.1 average. The 2007-08 Conference USA Player of the Year, the 6-foot-7 guard was a finalist for three National Player of the Year awards (Wooden, Naismith, Robertson) and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. Douglas-Roberts, who became the 43rd Tiger in school history to score 1,000 points last season, shot 54.1 percent from the field and 71.2 percent from the foul line. The Detroit, Mich., native was a part of the Tigers' junior class that won an NCAA record-tying 104 games the past three years (104-10 mark). This past season, Rose, Dorsey and Douglas-Roberts helped lead the Tigers to the program's best campaign in school history. Memphis won an NCAA record 38 games (38-2 record) and advanced to the NCAA title game. The Tigers, who spent a school-record five-straight weeks in the No. 1 spot in both national polls, won the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles and the NCAA Tournament South Region crown en route to the NCAA championship game. |
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| 06/26/08 | |
Bruun Contract Not Renewed at Memphis (GoTigersGo.com) |
| The University of Memphis Athletic Director R.C. Johnson announced today that the contract of women's golf coach Jenny Bruun would not be renewed for the 2008-09 season. "We have decided to move the program in another direction," said Johnson. "With the construction of the Frank Flautt Golf Center at our Park Avenue Campus, we feel that all the pieces are in place for a nationally-ranked golf program at the University of Memphis." A search for a new head coach will begin immediately with Associate Athletic Director Bob Winn serving as the chair of the search committee. |
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| 06/26/08 | |
Derrick Rose set to make history as Tigers' first No. 1 draft pick (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Dan Wolken (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Thursday, June 26, 2008 NEW YORK — On the morning of March 30, with the University of Memphis just 40minutes of basketball from the Final Four, a realization hit freshman point guard Derrick Rose. Until that moment, he said Wednesday, he had been "kind of iffy" about whether he would leave Memphis after just one year. Rose awoke that morning, however, not only with a sense that the Tigers would beat Texas, but that doing so would be a watershed moment in his personal journey toward the NBA. "I knew I was going to have a great performance," Rose said. "Before the game, I was feeling good about myself and the team, and I just knew that if I played well and performed well, I had to leave." Eight days after the Tigers' season ended with a loss to Kansas in the national championship game, Rose announced he would enter the NBA Draft. The decision was clearly a good one since Rose is a heavy favorite to be chosen No. 1 overall by his hometown Chicago Bulls tonight at Madison Square Garden, making him the first top pick to play at the U of M. "I'm excited," he said. "It's getting to me a little bit right now but not that much. It would mean a lot; it would mean that my hard work has finally paid off." Though Rose was raised in Chicago and will likely begin his pro career there, his nine-month excursion in Memphis will not be forgotten any time soon. That's why Tigers coach John Calipari said Wednesday the school is hoping to commemorate his achievement by putting up billboards around town. The school will also try to organize an event for Rose the first time he comes to town as an NBA player, whether it's with Chicago or the Miami Heat, which holds the No. 2 pick. Either way, he'll be the highest draft pick from Memphis since Penny Hardaway went third overall to Golden State in 1993. Rose, who has not been back to Memphis since leaving school, said playing in FedExForum as a professional will be a moving experience. "Really, I might tear up or something," he said. "I haven't seen (Calipari's wife, Ellen) or (his son, Bradley), nobody, and just seeing them again is going to be emotional." Calipari said he expects Rose to sustain a connection to the program and proudly carry the mantle of being Memphis' first No. 1 pick. "Marcus Camby, to this day, if he sees me will say, 'Coach I love you, I love you coach,'" Calipari said, referring to the player who went No. 2 overall in 1996 out of Massachusetts. "I think Derrick Rose will be the same way because they appreciate what you're doing for them, no question." A potential clue about how Rose will represent Memphis came Wednesday, when he showed up for a media session wearing a blue-and-gray suit. He was also wearing a large diamond-encrusted watch on his left wrist, a mere token of the riches he is about to encounter. After growing up in the crime-ridden Englewood neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Rose stands to make $4,019,000 in guaranteed salary next season if he's the first pick and $3,595,800 if he goes No. 2. That doesn't include the millions of dollars in endorsements he'll receive, numbers that still seem a bit surreal. "I'm just happy; all the stuff is overwhelming," Rose said. "It's a real long (road), knowing I wanted to play in the NBA ever since I was in the fourth and fifth grade. It's going to be emotional; my mother's going to be crying. I know that for sure. I'm going to try not to look at her that much so I don't tear up." Though Rose would likely have been one of the top picks straight out of high school, he's one example of a player who has benefited greatly by the NBA's age limit. "It was incredible," Calipari said. "When he was in high school, (his family) never let him deal with the media. He never had that experience, and now he does, and look at him. He's off the chain; he's grown up. He needed another year to mature and grow." NBA Draft When, where: 6-11 p.m., CDT, today in New York TV: ESPN Grizzlies' picks: No. 5 and 28 overall. |
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| 06/26/08 | |
Grizzlies last team to evaluate weary Douglas-Roberts (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Scott Cacciola (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Wednesday, June 25, 2008 Forget about attending the NBA Draft at Madison Square Garden. Forget about even watching it unfold on television. No, Chris Douglas-Roberts plans to be cruising at 30,000 feet when his name gets called tonight. He made sure to book a flight home to Detroit during the draft. Not before. Not after. During. "It'll drive me crazy," Douglas-Roberts said. "It'll drive me crazy. I can't watch. I can't watch people get picked in front of me and then wait. I just can't. It'll drive me crazy." These were the angst-ridden words of a young man who had just finished his 11th and final pre-draft audition, an hourlong session with the Grizzlies on Wednesday morning. Douglas-Roberts, the former University of Memphis standout, said he had been on the road for 22 straight days, and ending the process back in Memphis seemed fitting. He chose to forgo his senior season after helping lead the Tigers to the national championship game in April, and now he found himself on the cusp of joining the NBA. "I mean, this is a dream come true," said Douglas-Roberts, a 6-7 wing projected to go in the first round. "People don't understand, this really is a dream come true. This is doing what you love doing for a living. No matter what the situation is, I'm going to make it work." Douglas-Roberts has picked up several new tattoos since the end of the college basketball season -- a large map of Michigan now occupies some prime real estate on his upper left arm -- but he has the same old-school, spin-to-the-basket game, one with which Grizzlies officials are well acquainted. Tony Barone Sr., the team's director of player personnel, said he knows Douglas-Roberts and did not necessarily need to see him in this sort of setting. But he was useful as a "measuring stick" to help evaluate three other prospects: Jamont Gordon, a point guard who passed up his senior season at Mississippi State; Sonny Weems, a defensive-minded forward from West Memphis via the University of Arkansas; and Deron Washington, a raw but athletic forward from Virginia Tech. The Grizzlies own the fifth and 28th picks, and Gordon was particularly impressive. He made 8-of-10 3-pointers during one stretch, and his size and strength -- 6-3 and 225 pounds -- appeals to NBA types. Most pundits have him going early in the second round. "Jamont Gordon is going to play in this league," Barone said. "He's a physical, tough, hard-nosed guy who defensively probably doesn't have the quickness that you would like, but his physicality eliminates some of those shortcomings." Gordon spent Monday in Boston and Tuesday in Milwaukee before making the trip to Memphis, and he openly campaigned for the Grizzlies to select him. He grew up in Nashville, has a young daughter and said he loves the area. He sees himself as an underdog. "All the politics and stuff, some of the guys get evaluated because of the school they went to and they've had the hype since high school," said Gordon, who averaged 17.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists as a junior. "But I really think I'm a first-round guy. I can play multiple positions. I'm not one-dimensional. I can play defense." He also showed he can score, driving past Douglas-Roberts during a 1-on-1 drill and drawing Barone's attention: "That's (expletive) defense, CDR!" Douglas-Roberts had his moments, displaying a deft shooting touch and using all his trademark up-and-under moves to get to the basket. But he looked tired and acknowledged as much. He said all the flights were exhausting. "He's beat down right now," said UofM coach John Calipari, who watched the workout. "Anybody who's still working out at this time, who's done as many workouts as him, they're beat down. So I would tell you that his statement has been made all year. He is not a snapshot." Douglas-Roberts, a first-team All-American who averaged 18.1 points and 4.1 rebounds, has been sliding up and down various mock drafts over the past two months. For a time, he appeared to be flirting with the back edge of the lottery before drifting back into the 20s. The most recent rumor mill had him going to New Orleans at No. 27. Then, on Wednesday, the Hornets shipped that pick to Portland for cash. Douglas-Roberts was coy when asked if he knew where he might land tonight -- besides Detroit Metro Airport, that is. "We'll see," he said with that familiar grin. "I have an idea, but I don't want to leak that out." |
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| 06/26/08 | |
University of Memphis hopes to land all-sports athletic outfitter deal (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Jim Masilak (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Thursday, June 26, 2008 One constant during John Calipari's eight-year tenure as the University of Memphis men's basketball coach has been his relationship with adidas. In addition to outfitting his team, which advanced to the NCAA title game last season, the athletic apparel giant pays Calipari about $225,000 per year to be associated with him. It's been a pretty sweet arrangement, but it's one Calipari said he's willing to give up if Memphis is successful in landing its first all-sports apparel deal. Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson said Wednesday that the school is sending requests for proposals this week to companies including adidas/Taylormade, Nike and Under Armour in the hope of achieving uniformity in its athletic apparel. "For them to have the opportunity to go out there and do this, it would be big," said Calipari, whose four-year deal with adidas is expiring. "What non-BCS team has an all-sports deal? None. To have something this significant for the university and athletic department, I'm all for it." If all goes well, Johnson said, a deal to outfit the school's varsity teams under one brand name could be in place by the end of July. "We thought that now is the time to try for an all-sports deal. We're having a lot of success with our sports and there seems to be interest in us," Johnson said. "We've never had an all-sports deal, but we're going to take a run at it and see what happens. "Hopefully we'll have people bidding on it," he said. "Hopefully we'll get multiple bids." At the moment, the U of M has a hodgepodge of deals in place for various sports. While adidas sponsors the men's basketball team, the football team is outfitted by Nike and the golf teams have a deal with Bridgestone. Under Armour is involved with various programs. The potential benefits of consolidating those deals under one supplier are many. Teams that currently lack apparel contracts would no longer have to dip into their own travel and recruiting budgets to buy uniforms and equipment. The prestige of such a deal would put Memphis on a higher plane than most of its non-Bowl Championship Series brethren. And for an athletic department facing an estimated $500,000 budget cut as a result of decreased state spending on higher education, the money and sponsorships that could come with an all-sports apparel deal are extremely attractive. "It's kind of like when FedEx got the postal deal," said Calipari, referring to a 2001 agreement with the U.S. Postal Service that allowed FedEx to begin hauling some of its mail. "This, for us, is like the postal deal. It's found money." While Johnson stressed that Calipari would "be taken care of" in any new apparel deal, he is willing to stick with individual deals if an acceptable bid is not forthcoming. If a deal is struck, Johnson said it would take effect "as soon as possible" even though some fall sports programs already have made orders for the upcoming season. "We talked to John and (head football coach Tommy West) and (new women's basketball coach Melissa McFerrin) and they're on board with this," Johnson said. "We're trying to move as quickly as we can. ... It's a good time to throw it out there in the water and hopefully we get a big old whale that latches onto it." |
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| 06/26/08 |  |
NBA Draft: Rose, Beasley set to lead 2008 class (Jackson Sun) |
| By BRIAN MAHONEY The Associated Press June 26, 2008 NEW YORK - Michael Beasley strolled into a hotel ballroom Wednesday, spotted the swarm of cameras surrounding his table, and jokingly asked Brandon Rush if he wanted to switch spots. The guy Beasley really may want to swap with is Derrick Rose. Rose is Beasley's competition for the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, and the winner will be announced tonight when NBA commissioner David Stern announces the selection shortly after 7 p.m. The Chicago Bulls own the pick, and Rose would love to play for his hometown team. When the Bulls won the lottery despite only a 1.7 percent chance, Rose immediately thought of LeBron James, the Akron, Ohio kid picked first in 2003 by nearby Cleveland. "I thought that LeBron James was the luckiest person because he got to play in his hometown," Rose said. Rose, the point guard from Memphis, and Beasley, the Kansas State power forward, sit atop a deep freshmen class that could gobble up most of the spots in the top 10. O.J. Mayo of Southern California, UCLA's Kevin Love, Arizona's Jerryd Bayless, and Indiana guard Eric Gordon are among the other first-year stars who might already be earning NBA paychecks if not for the age requirement forcing American-born players to be at least 19 years old and a year out of high school. "We can have possibly eight players from our class in the lottery, so just hearing that I feel like we have a lot of star power in this class," Love said. "We're a pretty deep class as well, and I feel like hopefully we'll be able to step up our games and impact the NBA." Beasley had the best individual year, leading the nation with 12.4 rebounds per game and ranking third with his average of 26.2 points. But if the Bulls opt for Rose, Beasley isn't even guaranteed to go second, with Miami possibly more interested in trading the pick and grabbing a guard to pair in the backcourt with Dwyane Wade. "One, 2, 3, 78, I just want to get there," Beasley said. Hurting Beasley's chances of going first are questions about his height. The draft media guide lists him at 6-foot-10, and he said a doctor measured him at 6-8 3/4 in bare feet. Still, there are some concerns he may be smaller - perhaps too small to play the 4 spot in the NBA. "I didn't know there was a height requirement in the NBA," Beasley said. The Bulls haven't revealed publicly which way they are leaning, but Rush, sitting at the next table, said Beasley was the "best player I've seen in college, since I've been in college." His Kansas team faced Beasley in Big 12 play, then beat Rose and Memphis in the national championship game. "I would go with Beasley because he makes things look so much easier," Rush said. "He just looks effortless out there. He had 39 on us in our own house." Having played three seasons for the Jayhawks, Rush was one of the old-timers in the room. He may have to wait until after the kids have had their fun tonight. |
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| 06/25/08 | |
U of M notes: Track, Football, Baseball (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Phil Stukenborg (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Wednesday, June 25, 2008 King set for Olympic Trials -- Lady Tiger shot putter also honored as C-USA's best Susan King, a University of Memphis senior shot put champion, will have something to pack in her luggage when she leaves for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials next week in Eugene, Ore. King has been named Conference USA's Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year. A native of League City, Texas, King is earning multiple honors as her college career ends. She claimed All-America distinction in the shot put at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships earlier this month in Des Moines, Iowa. At the NCAA Mideast Regionals, she won the shot put competition as she did in the C-USA Track and Field Championships. At the C-USA Championships, King was named the Outdoor High Point Scorer of the Meet with 26 points. She also earned Performance of the Meet honors after winning the shot put. She holds the school record in the shot with a throw of 59 feet, 43/4 inches and also owns the discus record. ''She did a phenomenal job at the NCAAs,'' said Tiger track coach Kevin Robinson, a former UofM shot put champion. ''She finished second, but she fouled all three of her final-round throws. Two of the three were 591/2 - to 60-foot throws, which were far enough to win the meet.'' Robinson said King is a legitimate threat to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. ''She competed with everything she had (at the NCAAs),'' he said. ''She competed with a lot of heart. She's been training well and she is focused on the Trials. I think she's going to do a great job.'' The U.S. Olympic Team Trials begin Friday, but qualifying for the shot put doesn't start until July 3. She'll be joined in the event by former Tiger Gail Lee, an assistant to Robinson on the Tiger track team. In other UofM track developments, junior men's thrower Seth Major was named C-USA men's track and field newcomer of the year after an impressive performance at the C-USA Championships. A transfer from Rend Lake College in Illinois, Major finished second in the discus and third in the shot and shared newcomer honors with UTEP's Aggrey Chirchir. Malouf to Samford Former U o fM quarterback Matt Malouf, who played in 12 games as a freshman reserve last fall for the Tigers and announced he was leaving the program last month, has transferred to Division 1-AA Samford in Birmingham. Malouf, who left the UofM for personal reasons, will be eligible to play immediately. Had he signed with another 1-A program, he would have been required to sit out the 2008 season. At Samford, which went 4-7 last year, Malouf will play for former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Pat Sullivan. Sullivan, in his second year as head coach at Samford, will be seeking a replacement for the team's starting quarterback from 2007. Malouf, 6-3 and 210 pounds, rushed for 166 yards and three touchdowns last fall and completed 7-of-12 passes for 46 yards and two touchdowns. Baseball signs pitcher Brandon Showmar, a standout pitcher for Little Rock Central, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the U o fM, adding depth to a staff depleted by the major league baseball draft earlier this month. The Tigers had four pitchers -- including Scott McGregor, Will Hudgens and Neil Schenk and -- taken in the draft. Showmar, a dual-position player for Little Rock Central, compares favorably to ''a young McGregor'' according to UofM coach Daron Schoenrock. A 6-3 righthander, Showmar overpowered hitters his senior season, striking out 53 in 50 innings and finishing with a 1.28 earned-run average in 13 appearances. "He has a tremendous amount of upside and a great work ethic,'' Schoenrock said. ''I'm excited because it gets us into the Little Rock area, which has been a good baseball area." Odds and ends The Highland Hundred football booster group is organizing a bus trip to Marshall in Huntington, W. Va., for the Tigers' Sept. 13 game against the Thundering Herd. There is a July 1 deadline for those interested in the two-night trip. For more information, call Charlie Smithers at 634-8447 or contact him at smithersc@bellsouth.net. ... Tiger reserve quarterback Will Hudgens, drafted by the Cincinnati Reds earlier this month, won his pro baseball debut with the short-season Class A Billings Mustangs last week by pitching three shutout innings in relief. ...The UofM football program has added late signee Lavaris Edwards, a 5-10, 185-pound defensive back from Miami Bay Point. Edwards won the state 100-meter title as a freshman and ran a 4.4 40-yard dash in the Miami Hurricanes' camp before his senior season. |
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| 06/25/08 | |
Paxson: Wait for draft (Jackson Sun) |
| DEERFIELD, Ill. - Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley? Chicago Bulls general manager John Paxson wasn't about to announce a decision on Tuesday, though he might have hinted at his intentions for the No. 1 pick despite his best effort to hide them. Surveying the microphones and notepads, he grinned and said, "If anybody thinks I'm going to give something away today, I'm not." The Bulls have the top pick in the NBA draft on Thursday and a big decision to make, and Paxson said he's thinking about the long term. Considering he believes Beasley will have a more immediate impact, that could be an indication he's leaning toward Rose. "I know we can't go wrong either way," he said. "Every team would like to think when they have a bad year, they can turn it around overnight. But we sit here and we have to look a few years down the road and how we're going to be better then to establish something." The Beasley-Rose debate began in Chicago when the Bulls defied 1.7 percent odds and won the lottery. Do they go with Rose, who grew up on the city's South Side and played at Simeon High School before leading Memphis to a record 38 wins and the NCAA finals in his lone season? Or Beasley, who delivered one of the best seasons ever by a college freshman? Rose averaged 14.9 points and 4.7 assists and was better in the postseason when his scoring jumped to 20.8 per game before things ended on a sour note. He missed one of two free throws with 10.8 seconds left in regulation, and Kansas' Mario Chalmers took advantage, hitting a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime and, ultimately, the Jayhawks to the championship. Then there's Beasley. He became the third freshman in NCAA history to lead the nation in rebounds at 12.4 per game while averaging 26.2 points. He had the second-most rebounds and third-most points by a freshman in NCAA history, helping Kansas State to its first NCAA tournament victory in 20 years. Paxson said he will keep the pick unless "somebody calls and wants to offer the best player in the game," and there are no indications that LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are being shopped. That leaves Chicago in a situation similar to Portland's last year. The Trail Blazers were also a long shot to get the first pick, and they had to decide between a potentially dominant big man (Greg Oden) and perimeter player (Kevin Durant). Unlike Chicago, Portland did not have the added bonus of a coaching search. "Thank God," Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said. Trying to pick the cornerstone of the franchise was difficult enough. The Blazers ultimately drafted Oden, who had microfracture surgery on his right knee and missed his rookie year. Pritchard said deciding between two players posed "a lot more challenges than you expect. But it allows you to get very deep into two players." Pritchard told his staff last year to "keep an open mind until right before the draft." He gave Paxson this advice a few weeks ago: "Relax, you got two good guys to look at. Have fun with it." Paxson said, "I don't think we've had as much fun as they might have. I'm a little more uptight than that." He has reason to be following a difficult season. After three straight playoff appearances, the Bulls expected to contend in the Eastern Conference but went 33-49 instead. Coach Scott Skiles got fired in December, and interim coach Jim Boylan was let go after the season. They ended a drawn-out search by hiring Vinny Del Negro after high-profile courtship's with Mike D'Antoni and Doug Collins fell through. The Bulls did catch a big break when they won the lottery. Now, they need to capitalize. If they go with Rose, the Bulls would have a crowded backcourt with Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes and Thabo Sefolosha even if restricted free agent Ben Gordon leaves. There would be a similar scenario up front if Chicago drafts Beasley, with Drew Gooden, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas in place along with restricted free agent Luol Deng. Either way, the Bulls would need to make a trade, right? "That would be the quick reaction," Paxson said. "But it's not a given. It really isn't. We haven't had one guy who has distinguished himself as the real leader on our floor. And we have to be real careful to make any snap decisions. ... You don't want to jump into something, making a move, and then a year from now if something doesn't work out, you don't have a roster." |
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| 06/24/08 |  |
Baseball Lands Little Rock Central Pitcher Brandon Showmar -- Schoenrock continues to rebuild pitching staff after 2008 MLB Draft (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, Tenn. - University of Memphis Head baseball coach Daron Schoenrock continued his efforts to rebuild a Tiger pitching staff, which lost four of its top hurlers in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, by signing Little Rock Central's Brandon Showmar to a National Letter of Intent it was announced today. "We are extremely excited about Brandon's decision to be a Tiger," said Schoenrock. "He is a very projectable pitcher and he brings a great work ethic to our program. We expect that he will have a brilliant future at Memphis." A dual-position player for Head Coach Mike Johnson at Little Rock Central, Showmar saw time at shortstop as well as on the hill. However, it was his dominance on the mound that caught the eye of the Memphis coaching staff. In 39 career outings, the Tiger's ace posted a 1.44 ERA with 135 strikeouts in 127 innings. He limited opponents to a lowly .189 batting average. As a senior, Showmar dominated opposing hitters, striking out 53 in 50 innings of work. The 6-3 righthander hauled in 2008 Pro-Day Baseball High School All-American honors after posting a stifling 1.28 ERA in 13 appearances (nine starts). Showmar started in 15 of his 20 appearances as a junior in 2007. He tossed five complete games and finished the year with 74 strikeouts and a 2.43 ERA in 75 innings. |
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| 06/24/08 |  |
Seth Major Named C-USA Men's Track and Field Newcomer of the Year -- Earns individual honor from league (GoTigersGo.com) |
| IRVING, Texas - - Junior men's thrower Seth Major was named the Conference USA men's track and field newcomer of the year by the league office, Monday. Major was an all-conference honoree in the shot put and discus throws at the C-USA Championship meet in May. He finished second in the discus and third in the shot at the event. A transfer from Rend Lake College in Illinois, Major also qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regionals in both the shot and discus in his first year as a Tiger. A native of Decatur, Ill., Major shares the newcomer award with UTEP's Aggrey Chirchir. |
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| 06/24/08 | |
Susan King Named C-USA's Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year -- Senior thrower adds to her individual honors (GoTigersGo.com) |
| IRVING, Texas - Memphis senior women's track and field athlete Susan King was named the C-USA Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year it was announced by the league office Monday. The honor helps cap an outstanding career for King at the University of Memphis, after she captured a silver medal and All-America honors in the shot put at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships earlier this month. The senior also won the shot put at the NCAA Mideast Regionals and the Conference USA Championships and was named the 2008 C-USA Outdoor High Point Scorer of the Meet with 26 points. She was also earned Performance of the Meet after winning the shot put crown at the league championships. A native of League City, Texas, King wrapped up her Tiger career with school records in both the shot put (18.10 meters) and the discus (51.23 meter) and will be competing in the USA Olympic Trials, which begin Friday, June 27th in Eugene, Ore. Women's qualifying for the shot put will be held on July 3rd, beginning at 9:20 p.m. (PT). She will be joined in that competition by former Tiger and current assistant coach Gail Lee. |
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| 06/22/08 | |
Expectations for basketball Tigers fluctuating (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Dan Wolken (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Sunday, June 22, 2008 A year ago, there wasn't much debate about the University of Memphis' expectations heading into the 2007-08 season: Final Four or bust. Setting the bar this time around, however, will be a bit trickier. In some quarters, the Tigers will not be considered Final Four contenders because of their significant and well-chronicled personnel losses in Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Joey Dorsey, Andre Allen and Doneal Mack. Others will see another long NCAA Tournament run behind star freshman Tyreke Evans and veterans like Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier, both of whom came back for their senior seasons. Many prognosticators will be in between, preferring to proceed cautiously until key questions are answered like whether Shawn Taggart can give the Tigers some physical presence inside or whether junior college transfer Roburt Sallie is a starter-quality guard. Joe Lunardi's first edition of "Bracketology" on ESPN.com this week gave the Tigers a No. 1 seed. Meanwhile, commentator Doug Gottlieb wondered whether Memphis should even be considered the favorite to win Conference USA. To begin the discussion on where Memphis' expectations should be, I turned to four of the best college basketball writers in the country. Here's what they e-mailed me last week when I asked why Memphis will be or won't be a top-level team once again: Gary Parrish, CBSSports.com: "Robert Dozier, Antonio Anderson, Willie Kemp and Shawn Taggart provide an experienced nucleus, and there's no reason to think Tyreke Evans won't be an elite-level scorer from the start. So if John Calipari can count on that and then get anything from the rest of the recruiting class, what he'll have is a team that WILL win Conference USA, SHOULD go to the Sweet 16, COULD make an Elite Eight for the fourth straight season and just MIGHT crash the Final Four again, if everything breaks beautifully. Far as rebuilding years go, that's not bad." Mike DeCourcy, The Sporting News: "In following college basketball, I've always been a huge believer that it's of no consequence who a team loses -- it's all about what players a team has in place. So many analysts will dismiss a team that loses such gifted players as Rose and CDR, but there still are good pieces here, certainly enough for a top-10 type of finish. "The two problem areas are a lack of physical force and the uncertainty at point guard. There's no question in my mind that Pierre Niles could help with the muscle if he'd lose a lot of weight. It's up to him whether he wants to make a difference. The point guard thing might come down to Willie Kemp fitting into the offense. It's obvious it hasn't suited him to this point. Antonio Anderson and Tyreke Evans can initiate offense, but I don't think either is best suited to handling the basketball full-time. Willie needs to become more confident, comfortable and alert. I think he has it in him." Pat Forde, ESPN.com: "Having spent the spring covering horse racing and golf, I am not fully equipped to presage the Memphis 2008-09 basketball season, but I'd expect it to be somewhere between Big Brown's Belmont and Tiger Woods' U.S. Open. There will be a precipitous drop in prowess, a la Big Brown going from the Derby-Preakness double to the Belmont flop. But as we learned at Torrey Pines, never write off wounded Tigers. I don't expect Memphis to have another fourth straight 30-win season or reach a regional final. Not after losing its three most important players from last year in Rose, Douglas-Roberts and Dorsey, plus a shuffling of the coaching staff. The freshmen are talented (caveat: Tyreke Evans is no Derrick Rose). Getting Robert Dozier to return is big. Antonio Anderson seems like a very solid leader. This is a Top 25 team, maybe better. But like (Big Brown trainer) Rick Dutrow, it's time for Memphians to reacquaint themselves with a little humility." Luke Winn, SI.com: "I fully expect Memphis to rise into the top five of the polls at some point during the C-USA season. This team is still deep enough to dominate its league and -- in a best-case scenario -- earn a (No. 2) or (No. 3) seed in the NCAA Tournament. The difference between them being good and great will be 3-point shooting. That's been the annoying, unoriginal knock on the Tigers for years, but it's actually valid this time. "The line is moving back one foot, and the Tigers just lost two of their best long-range guys in CDR and Doneal Mack. Their offense requires spacing and some semblance of a 3-point threat to thrive, and I'm not sure if Antonio Anderson, who's an average-at-best shooter, or recruits Tyreke Evans and Roburt Sallie, who are both strong scorers off the dribble but not pure shooters, can provide that threat. The onus will be on Willie Kemp and Wesley Witherspoon to knock down treys with regularity; otherwise they're going to see some heavily sagging defenses." Change of venue Next weekend's "It's All Good Memphis Showdown" has been moved from Streets Ministries to Elma Roane Fieldhouse on campus due to scheduling conflicts. The eight-team adult tournament will feature several former Tigers, including Jeremy Hunt, Cedric Henderson, Andre Turner and many others. Members of the Memphis coaching staff, including Josh Pastner, Orlando Antigua and Rod Strickland, will also be playing. The tournament is the brainchild of Bryan Settle and Scott Robinson, graduate assistant coaches on the Tigers' staff. Tickets are $5, and the proceeds will benefit the China Earthquake Relief Fund and a local girls' basketball program. The championship game will be held at 3:15 p.m. Sunday, June 29. Games will be taking place all day Saturday and Sunday. Etc. For the second straight year, The Racquet Club of Memphis will host an "Italian Night for John Calipari" on Tuesday, hosted by Tony Barrasso and Bobby Byrd. Tickets are $50 per person, including dinner, wine and taxes. |
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| 06/21/08 | |
Whetstone Leaps to a Seventh Place Finish at Junior Nationals (GoTigersGo.com) |
| COLUMBUS, Ohio - University of Memphis track star Aaron Whetstone competed at the 2008 USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships today. Whetstone earned a seventh place finish in the triple jump. Whetstone finished the meet with a final mark of 15.39 meters (50-06.00). He fouled his last two jumps to finish the competition. He will be back in action in two weeks as he will compete at the Olympic Trials in the triple. The 2008 Olympic Trials will be held from June 27-July 6 in Eugene, Oregon. Along with Whetstone will be Susan King and Gail Lee both competing in the shot put vying for a spot on the Olympic team. |
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| 06/20/08 | |
NBA Draft: Memphis' Rose could be top pick (Jackson Sun) |
| By ANDREW SELIGMAN The Associated Press June 20, 2008 DEERFIELD, Ill. - Derrick Rose's response was as direct as one of his passes. The best player in the draft? He reiterated it's Michael Beasley. "Hands down he is," Rose said after working out with the Chicago Bulls on Thursday. The No. 1 pick? It could be Rose. While he was quick to praise Beasley again, just as he did at the NBA's pre-draft camp, Rose also made it clear he would love to play for his hometown team. The Chicago Bulls have the top pick in the draft next week and an important decision to make. Do they go with Beasley, the forward from Kansas State who would give them a scoring presence? Or Rose, the point guard from Chicago who led Memphis to the NCAA championship game? While Beasley indicated earlier in the week that he would visit Miami, which has the No. 2 pick, Rose had no other trips planned. The workout on Thursday was his first - and perhaps only - one. "Right now, he's not scheduled to work out with the Heat," said Reggie Rose, his older brother. "This might be the last stop, I hope." Reggie Rose said they are willing to visit Miami, but, "This might be it." If the Bulls are it, that would be just fine with Derrick Rose, who grew up on the city's South Side and played at Simeon High School before leading Memphis to the NCAA final in his lone season with the Tigers. Rose averaged 14.9 points and 4.7 assists while leading Memphis to an NCAA Division I record 38 victories and was particularly good during the NCAA tournament. He averaged 20.8 points and dominated Kansas in the championship game until the final seconds of regulation. Memphis was leading by two when Rose stepped to the line with 10.8 seconds left and a chance to seal the victory. Instead of making it a two-possession game, he made one of two free throws. That gave Kansas a chance to tie it and the Jayhawks' Mario Chalmers did just that after Memphis couldn't foul, sending the game into overtime with a 3-pointer that crushed the Tigers. "It was real tough knowing that I was one of the reasons we lost, not hitting a free throw," Rose said. Now, he could be the man who helps the Bulls rebound from their most disappointing season in years. Expected to contend in the Eastern Conference after three straight playoff appearances, Chicago lost 49 games as players bickered with each other and their coaches. Scott Skiles was fired in December, and interim coach Jim Boylan lost his job at the end of the season. The Bulls finally hired Vinny Del Negro after a two-month coaching search in which they seemed ready to go with Mike D'Antoni and then Doug Collins. Along the way, Chicago's luck took a turn for the better when it defied 1.7-percent odds and won the lottery. "When I signed with (agent) Arn Tellem, we were in a room," Rose said. "He was like, 'Which team do you want to play for?' And he was like, 'I know your hometown.' Everybody in the room started laughing because we thought it was impossible. That night when the Bulls got the No. 1 pick, I was looking at the TV like this can't be true." |
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| 06/19/08 | |
Andy Smith Receives 2008 C-USA Sportsmanship Award -- Four-year Tiger football letterwinner one of three recipients (GoTigersGo.com) |
| IRVING, Texas - Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky announced today that University of Memphis football player Andy Smith is one of three student-athletes who were selected as recipients of the 2008 C-USA Sportsmanship Award. The conference sportsmanship awards are presented to student-athletes, coaches or teams that perform an individual act of sporting behavior or generally conduct themselves with a high degree of good sportsmanship. It is the second-straight year one of the C-USA Sportsmanship recipients has come from the Memphis football team. Last year, former deep snapper Rusty Clayton was one of five student-athletes to receive the award. Along with Smith, Geoffrey Handsfield of East Carolina University and Tara Watts of Rice University were recognized for the 2007-08 season. Smith is a veteran offensive lineman for the Tigers football team who completed his playing eligibility during the 2007 season. He helped anchor the offense and is one of the vocal leaders on the squad. Smith also leads by example on and off the field and takes his role as a leader very seriously. The senior has participated in various community service events, including speaking to elementary school children and working youth football camps. On Martin Luther King Day, he joined several other Tiger athletes in volunteering at the National Civil Rights Museum and he often speaks to students at Sea Isle Elementary School. Most recently, Smith helped raise money for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital through the University of Memphis' Up `Til Dawn promotion. Handsfield has participated in the championship final in all three of his individual events at the last four C-USA Championship Invitationals. He was voted captain of the team as a sophomore and has held that distinction for the last three seasons. The senior holds a 3.97 GPA in physics and has been on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee the last two years. The Morehead City, N.C. native is in charge of all the swim team's community service activities, including working with the Pitt County Latino students, Project ARISE, Pitt County Humane Society, the Special Olympics and the ALS Walk. Watts just concluded her second season with the Rice women's basketball team. The sophomore serves at a tutor and has volunteered her time to local elementary schools by reading to younger children and speaking to them about being a student-athlete. The British Columbia native has also done similar activities with the local Children's Hospitals. Rice associate head coach Carlos Quintero added "Tara is a positive force to her teammates with both encouraging words and her relentless hard work. She truly cares about everyone just as much as she cares about herself." |
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| 06/19/08 |  |
Women's Basketball Adds University of Georgia Transfer -- Brittany Carter will be eligible to play for the Memphis roster for the 2009-2010 season (GoTigersGo.com) |
| The University of Memphis women's basketball team filled another open scholarship Monday with the addition of University of Georgia transfer Brittany Carter (Covington, Ga./Newton County HS). A 5-9 guard, Carter played one season at Georgia. Following her prep career, Carter was the No. 21 ranked prospect in the country by the All-Star Girls Report. She was also ranked No. 27 in the country by hoopgurlz.com and No. 39 by scout.com. Blue Star Basketball had Carter ranked as the No. 105th player in the country. "Brittany is a player that believes in our vision to become the class of Conference USA. She believes that she is a player that can help us get back to the NCAA tournament and advance," McFerrin said. "She is an athlete that wants to play in a fast-breaking, fast-tempo style. She will fit in perfectly in that regard, and she is motivated to be a builder in this program and wants to make her mark. She wants to be able to look back four years from now and say that she has helped build Memphis women's basketball back to prominence in our conference, regionally and nationally." Carter played last season at Georgia, appearing in 14 games and averaging 3.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. She will sit out the 2008-09 season per NCAA transfer rules and will have three years of eligibility remaining beginning with the 2009-2010 season at Memphis. She is already somewhat familiar with the women's program at Memphis as she is a former AAU teammate of rising sophomore guard Alex Winchell. Both Carter and Winchell played AAU basketball for the Georgia Nike Elite team. Carter played her prep ball at Newton County High School. There, the high-flying guard was a three-year starter after transferring from Redan following her freshman season. An honorable mention All-America by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, Carter averaged 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game as a junior at Newton County for head coach Angela Holley. Her 2004 team reached the quarterfinals of the Georgia Class 5A state tournament, but ankle injuries sidelined Carter for large portions of her sophomore and senior seasons. Also a letterwinner in volleyball and track and field as a freshman at Redan, Carter was voted "Most Athletic" in her senior class. The daughter of Daisey Carter, Brittany is also the niece of former Georgia Bulldog basketball player Charles Carter. She plans on majoring in Exercise and Sport Science or Sports Administration. |
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| 06/19/08 | |
Thomas and Whetstone Set to Compete at Junior Nationals -- Two freshmen will represent Memphis over the weekend (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's and women's track and field teams will have two of its freshmen competing in the 2008 USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The championships will be held from June 20-22 in Columbus, Ohio hosted by Ohio State University. Holland Thomas will be competing on Saturday, June 21 in the 400 meter hurdles. The event is set to start at about 6:05 p.m. Thomas had a season best time of 1:03.08 in the event. Aaron Whetstone will compete in the triple jump that has an approximate starting time of 6:10 p.m. on Saturday. Whetstone has one of the top jumps in the nation with a mark of 16.26 meters, with hopes of improving his Olympic Trial provisional qualifying mark. The top nine in the event will advance to the finals. |
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| 06/18/08 |  |
Memphis Youth Soccer Camp Big Success (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS,Tenn. - Head men's soccer coach Richie Grant hosted the 2nd Annual Youth Soccer Camp at the U of M's South Campus. The camp was held in a two part session from May 27-30 and June 2-6, everyday from 9 a.m. - noon, for boys and girls ages 5-14. In just its second year, the camp brought in about 100 campers and tons of energetic young soccer players. The camp taught players the fundamentals of soccer including passing, receiving, dribbling, shooting, and heading, while also giving emphasis on player development. "I think the camp was a big success. The amount of young kids in the community that came out was remarkable. We're starting to notice a big increase in the quality of the players. It was a very enjoyable couple of weeks and the staff was very excited about the growth of the camp", said Grant. The Tiger coaching staff will conduct the annual Richie Grant Soccer Camp on July 6-10 at Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn. The five-day camp held for males and females ages 5-18 has become well known for its instructional demonstrations, which use quality collegiate players from the U of M and other programs to support its lead staff. Campers ages 12-18 can enroll in the camp for $340, which also covers the cost of staying in the campus dorms and all meals. The fee for those wishing to commute is $290. The children's camp for ages 5-11 is $85 and runs July 6-10 from 8:45-11:30 a.m. For more information contact Jodi Grant at 901-678-2598. A camp brochure and application can be found on the men's soccer page at www.GoTigersGo.com. |
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| 06/18/08 | |
Women's Basketball Adds Bahamas Booster Package -- Fans can join the team in the Bahamas this December (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, Tenn. - - The University of Memphis women's basketball team will participate in the Bahamas Sunsplash Shootout in Nassau, Bahamas, Dec. 19-20th and the tour's organizer, Sport Tours International, has a Booster Package available for fans that would like to watch the women's basketball team play. The Booster Package is for Dec. 17-21, 2008, and includes four-star hotel accommodations for four nights at the Sheraton Cable Beach, all-inclusive three meals daily, roundtrip game transfers to/from the game venue, discounted game tickets for $5.00 per day, and hotel taxes and service charges. Additional nights can be purchased at $150 per person/double and $250 per person/single. The double room package is $695.00 per person, while the single room rate is $1175.00 per person. A $200 nonrefundable deposit is required and final payment is due November 1, 2008. Price does not include airline tickets, airport transfers, baggage trip cancellation and interruption, medical emergency evacuation, excess baggage charges on flights, personal items, laundry and telephone/fax services. Memphis is one of four teams participating in the Bahamas Sunsplash Shootout. The Tigers will be joined by Florida Atlantic, Mercer and UT-Arlington in the two-game tournament. For more information, contact Bret Seymour at Sport Tours International at 414-228-7337 or via email at info@sporttours.net. A brochure for the package is available at www.gotigersgo.com on the women's basketball page in the right hand column. |
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| 06/18/08 | |
Where Are They Now? -- Catching up with former Lady Tiger golfer Stacey Tate (GoTigersGo.com) |
| Stacey Tate (Auckland, New Zealand) graduated from the University of Memphis in May of 2007 after helping the Lady Tigers to the 2007 Conference USA Golf Championship, where she finished second. She turned pro in November of 2007 and has been competing on the Duramed FUTURES Tour since March. She has made the cut in five of seven events and currently ranks 79th on the money list and 18th on the Rookie of the Year chart. She is getting ready to compete in the next tour stop, the Duramed Championship in Mason, Ohio, June 20th-22nd.
So far on tour, she has a career-best finish of tied for 53rd (for which she won $515). Last week she finished tied for 67th in the Michelob ULTRA stop in Decatur, Ill., earning her biggest check of the season at $650. In that tournament, she carded her first sub-par round, opening with a 69 in the first round.
Below is a quick Q&A with Stacey. Q1. Talk about how your early professional golf career is going...what's surprised you on and off the course and what do you think are some of your highlights so far. So far my career is going pretty well, I feel at home on Tour and feel like I can really compete against these girls. What's surprised me the most is how friendly everybody is, my fellow competitors and officials, and how helpful everybody can be. I feel like we aren't competing against one another, but rather competing against the golf course. Everybody roots for one another, it's great. Highlights so far include my first round under par at last week's major event in Decatur, IL. Q2. Are you still based out of Memphis and what do you do to get ready for each tournament when you are here in town? I'm still living in the Memphis area, I like to call Memphis home away from home. I have already made a major move in my life from New Zealand to America, and I have made too many friends in Memphis to want to move anywhere else at this stage. As my career progresses, we will see what happens. To get ready for tournaments while I am in town I practice out at Greens of Irene, and work out several times a week at Germantown Golf Fitness with Judi and Larry Davis (my American parents!). They work with T.P.I (Titleist Performance Institute) to help improve golfer's fitness regime. Check them out at www.fitgolfers.com. Q3. What is life like on the Duramed Futures Tour? Expensive!!! Management skills have to be immaculate. I travel to tournaments by car because the cost of flights and rental cars is insane, especially since I am under the age of 25. My current residency visa doesn't allow me to have a part-time job, so I rely on my own performance to be paid to live. Luckily we are able to get private housing on tour, so that keeps the cost down a little bit, but with the rising cost of gas, its making it tougher and tougher. I have not been able to find sponsors yet to help with my funding. Q4. Have you had the chance to go home to New Zealand since turning pro? I turned Pro at last year's Qualifying School in November. I went back to New Zealand for Christmas and spent 3 blessed weeks with my family. We spent most of those 3 weeks at the beach, just our typical New Zealand summer! It was wonderful. Q5. What are your goals for the remainder of the season? My goal is to have a Top 10 finish. I think that is very attainable. I'm still not sure about trying to qualify for the LPGA yet, I will see how my season finishes up. Qualifying school has a hefty price tag included. My main goal with my golf is to make it onto the LPGA, I believe I am ready for the big league. I just really need the help of sponsors to make it there, I can't do it on my own right now. |
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| 06/18/08 |  |
Memphis Volleyball Announces 2008 Schedule -- Tigers set for tougher 2008 slate (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis volleyball program announced its 2008 schedule today. First-year Head Coach April Jauregui and her Tigers will host 17 home matches as well as two preseason tournaments and the 2008 Conference USA Championships in November. For the first time since hosting the Great Midwest Conference tournament in 1991, championship volleyball returns to Memphis. Conference USA's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament will be determined in the 12-team, 2008 C-USA Championships, November 20-23. "We are fortunate to be hosting 2 home tournaments and of course the C-USA tournament," Jauregui said. "We are looking forward to giving our fans and community a strong home schedule and the chance to participate in the first C-USA volleyball championship hosted at Memphis." Jauregui's first season at the helm of Tiger volleyball will be a challenging one as the Tigers will play 12 teams that posted winning records in 2007, two squads that advanced to the 2007 NCAA Tournament and six that won 20 or more games a year ago. "The 2008 season will give our squad an array of competitive experience," said Jauregui. "Our goal is to play a variety of teams in preparation for the C-USA regular season." Memphis's 30-match schedule will begin with consecutive home preseason tournaments. The Tigers will get the 2008 year underway on August 29 in the Memphis Invitational when they take on Alabama A&M--one of its two '08 opponents to advance to the 2007 NCAA Tournament--in the season-opener. Memphis will also play McNeese State and UALR in the opening weekend. The Tigers will host Iona (Sept. 5), IUPUI (Sept. 5), Indiana State (Sept. 6) and Troy (Sept. 6) in the Tiger Invitational, before hitting the road for the first time at Mississippi State's MSU Invitational. The U of M will see formidable opposition as they take on a Central Arkansas team that won 24 matches a year ago, along with host institution Mississippi State. C-USA play begins on Sept. 18 with a battle against rival UAB in Birmingham, Ala. Memphis will remain in "The Magic City" to play in the UAB/Samford Invitational, Sept. 19-20. The Tigers will take on co-host Samford at 1 p.m. on Sept. 19. They will wrap up non-conference play against Florida International and UT-Chattanooga in a doubleheader on Sat., Sept. 20. Memphis's final 15 regular season matches will all be league games, beginning with the tough weekend trip to Marshall (Sept. 26) and East Carolina (Sept. 28). The will split the next two weekends, hosting Tulane (Oct. 3) and UTEP (Oct. 5) prior to making a trip to Orlando to face UCF (Oct. 10) and Hattiesburg for a matchup with Southern Miss (Oct. 12). The U of M will then return home for a three week, six-match homestand. In that stretch, Memphis will play SMU (Oct. 17), defending C-USA champs Tulsa (Oct. 19), UCF (Oct. 24), Southern Miss (Oct. 26), Marshall (Oct. 31) and ECU (Nov. 2). The Tigers will hit the road for a final time in '08 for a pair of matches in Houston. They will battle Houston on Nov. 7 and Rice on Nov. 9. Memphis will wrap up the C-USA regular season the same way it started it, facing off against UAB on Nov. 16. |
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| 06/18/08 | |
In the news: Backup QB leaves Memphis (Commercial Appeal) |
| From Our Press Services Wednesday, June 18, 2008 Redshirt freshman quarterback Dallas Walker has left the University of Memphis and will not return. Tiger coach Tommy West confirmed Walker's departure Tuesday. Walker, who attended Madison Ridgeland Academy in Ridgeland, Miss., sat out the 2007 season as a redshirt. He worked at quarterback in the spring behind junior college transfer Arkelon Hall and rising sophomore Matt Malouf, who left the program last month for personal reasons. Repeated attempts to reach Walker for comment were unsuccessful. Walker, 6-5 and 215 pounds, passed for 1,505 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior in leading Madison Ridgeland to the Class 3A title game. In the UofM spring game in April, Walker completed 6-of-11 passes for 78 yards with one interception. Walker's father, Jeff, was an offensive lineman at the UofM from 1982 to '85. With Malouf and Walker departing, the Tigers have Hall, Will Hudgens and Brett Toney as their top three quarterbacks entering the fall. Hudgens, who passed for 587 yards and five touchdowns last season, was taken in this month's major league baseball draft by the Cincinnati Reds, but is scheduled to return for his senior football season after playing in the Reds' minor league system this summer. |
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| 06/17/08 | |
Former Tigers Set for Professional Debuts -- Three former U of M baseball players ready for Opening Day in Rookie ball (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, Tenn. - MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- June 17 marks Opening Day of the 2008 professional baseball season for Major League Draft picks and rookie free agent signees. It also represents the beginning a new journey for a trio of former University of Memphis baseball players. Tiger record holder Adam Amar, Will Hudgens and Neil Schenk will all be suited up as their respective teams get the season underway tonight. Adam Amar • 36 • Auburn Doubledays (Class A Short-Season/Toronto Blue Jays) League: New York-Penn Opening Day: June 17, 2008 • 7:05 p.m. EST • vs. Batavia Muckdogs (St. Louis Cardinals) "I'm excited to get the opportunity to play professional baseball," Amar said. "It's a dream come true. I'm going to love every minute of it and won't take anything for granted." After a record-setting career as a Tiger from 2004-07, Amar bounced around in the in the ranks of Independent baseball last summer. Success in Independent ball earned him an invitation to participate in 2008 spring training workouts with the Toronto Blue Jays. Amar, who is Memphis' all-time record holder in games played, hits and RBI, had a stellar summer, feasting on Independent League pitching for the Rome Coppers (New York State League) and the Reno Silver Sox (Golden Baseball League). While with Rome, Amar hit .385 with two homers, nine doubles and 12 RBI. He was selected to participate in, and won a Home Run Derby against a select player from the Syracuse Chiefs (AAA affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays) roster. Amar was named to the New York State League's All-Star team and was touted as the League's MVP. However, after 10 games and a month of action, the New York State League folded, forcing him to look elsewhere to continue his baseball career. The Lake Mary, Fla., native worked out for Batavia, before landing a spot on the Reno roster in August. Amar swung a hot bat for manager and former big leaguer Les Lancaster in Reno. In 24 games he hit .354, with 19 RBI, 11 doubles and pounded out five home runs--three of which came in a career night against Orange County on Aug. 24. Will Hudgens • 51 • Billings Mustangs (Rookie/Cincinnati Reds) League: Pioneer League (North Division) Opening Day: June 17, 2008 • 7:05 p.m. MT • @ Missoula Osprey (Arizona Diamondbacks) Hudgens was drafted by the Reds in the 23rd round (689th overall pick) of the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft on June 6. As a member of the Mustangs pitching staff, Hudgens will be coached by former Cincinnati Reds great and 1991 MLB All-Star pitcher Tom Browning. Billings will be playing its first game in the newly constructed Dehler Stadium. Neil Schenk • 27 • Hudson Valley Renegades (Class A Short-Season/Tampa Bay Rays) League: New York-Penn Opening Day: June 17, 2008 • 7:05 p.m. EST • vs. Aberdeen Ironbirds (Baltimore Orioles) Schenk, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 23rd round (683rd overall pick) of the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft on June 6, joins Amar in the New York-Penn League. Ironically, June 17th is not only Schenk's first pro game, but it is also the southpaw's 22nd birthday. He is joined on the Renegades roster by Mike Ross, who signed with Memphis, but was drafted in the 2007 Draft, and former Tulane Green Wave Anthony Scelfo. Chris Kirkland • 27 • ASL Mariners (Rookie/Seattle Mariners) League: Arizona Opening Day: June 22, 2008 • 10:30 a.m. MT • vs. AZL Padres (San Diego Padres) Tiger catcher-turned-pitcher Kirkland, who drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 36th round, is playing for the Arizona League Mariners. They get the 2008 season underway on June 22 at 10:30 a.m. versus the Arizona League Padres. Scott McGregor The St. Louis Cardinals 15th round pick, McGregor, has yet to sign. |
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| 06/17/08 | |
Several Tigers Receiving National Recognition (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, TENN. - Several Tiger football players have been selected to various honors teams by national publications this summer. Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook listed wide receiver Duke Calhoun and offensive lineman Brandon Pearce on its preseason All-Conference USA Team. Pearce was part of a Tiger offensive line that led C-USA and ranked 10th nationally last season in sack denial. Calhoun, who was named to both the C-USA Coaches and Media All-Conference teams in 2007, led the Tigers with 890 yards on 62 receptions. He enters the 2008 season with an active 24-game receiving streak Defensive lineman Clinton McDonald was a first-team pick on Phil Steele's Preseason All-C-USA Team. McDonald started all 13 games on the defensive front last season and led the Tigers in TFL with 9.5 for minus 31 yards. He closed out the season ranked fifth on the squad in total tackles with 55. Four other Tiger defenders were selected by Steele, including Tony Bell who was on the second team, and Freddie Barnett, Greg Terrell and Greg Jackson who were all listed on the third team. Offensively, Calhoun was picked to Steele's second team; Carlos Singleton and Pearce were tabbed to the third team; and Malcom Rawls was an honorable mention pick. Michael Grandberry was also an honorable mention selection at kick returner. Memphis also has two players currently listed on award watch lists, including center Philip Beliles and quarterback Will Hudgens. Earlier in the spring, Beliles was placed on the Rimington Award watch list, which honors the top center in the country. Beliles took over the center position in 2007 and started all 13 games for the Tigers. He worked 92 percent of the team's offensive plays and was instrumental in Memphis ranking 13th nationally in passing and 23rd in total offense. Hudgens, who did not participate during spring workouts to play for the Tiger baseball team, was announced as one of the 26 players noted on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list. In addition to success on the field, the award considers character, citizenship, scholastic achievement and strong leadership qualities. Hudgens started both the Marshall and Middle Tennessee games last season and finished the year with 52 completions for 587 yards and five touchdowns. He threw for a career-high 346 yards on 30 completions in the win over Marshall. Hudgens was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 23rd round on June 6, and is currently in Billings, Montana, where he is pitching for the Billings Mustangs, which is the Rookie affiliate of the Reds. Memphis' Tiger Football FanFest is slated for August 23 from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m., at the Murphy Athletic Complex on football practice field 1. Players and coaches will be available for photos and autographs and there will be events for the kids. The Tigers will open the 2008 season the following Saturday at Ole Miss. Game time on Aug. 30 is set for 5 p.m. |
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| 06/17/08 | |
Dozier drops out of draft; Sallie commits to Tigers (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Dan Wolken (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Monday, June 16, 2008 In one of the most uplifting two-hour periods for the University of Memphis basketball program since losing in the national championship game, John Calipari secured the services of two players Monday that will help his program remain nationally competitive next season. First, forward Robert Dozier announced he would pull out of the NBA Draft and return to Memphis for his senior season, a move that had been expected for the past week. Soon after, the Tigers got some unexpected good news when junior college guard Roburt Sallie verbally committed and cancelled his upcoming visit to Kentucky. Both developments are huge for the Tigers, who just recently were staring at the possibility of losing all five starters and going into next season shorthanded and a bit inexperienced. Instead, both guard Antonio Anderson and Dozier will return as seniors and team up with Sallie, reuniting three major components of a team that went undefeated at Laurinburg Prep in North Carolina. "Me and Antonio and Rob experienced that 40-0, and that's what Cal is definitely shooting for," Sallie said. "We experienced that; for us to be reunited again, I'm very excited. Those guys are ecstatic." Though it was expected that Dozier would return since he had almost no chance of being a first-round pick, Calipari had warned him not to come back unless he wanted to commit himself this summer. In a statement released by the university, Dozier said he was coming back "with the mindset that next year's team can be even better than what we were a year ago, knowing a lot of that will fall on my shoulders." Calipari said Monday he was satisfied with the response from the 6-9 Dozier, who averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 rebounds last season. "The great thing for him, his stock went up 100 times by going through the process," Calipari said. "Everywhere he went (to work out), they told me the same thing. They were surprised at his aggressiveness, and they were surprised at how hard he played. And then lastly, they said if he comes back to school, if he'll work this summer, there's no reason he shouldn't be a lottery pick next year." While Dozier gives the Tigers a much-needed interior presence, Sallie should be a significant addition to the backcourt, where they were also a bit shorthanded after Doneal Mack decided last week to transfer. Sallie averaged 17 points per game last season for City College of San Francisco and was named California's junior college player of the year. A 6-5 combo guard who can play some point, Sallie should also bring some toughness and experience to the lineup that Memphis would not necessarily get from a true freshman. "Rob's a winner," said John Parker, who coached Sallie and several other Tigers at Laurinburg. "Of all the kids that I've ever coached in prep school, he's the most competitive and the most complete player I ever coached. He is an absolute winner ... he's going to come in and fit in and he's just got that swagger, that 'it.' The city of Memphis will be blown away by this kid." Getting a player of Sallie's quality so late in the recruiting season was a big bonus for Memphis, especially considering that he was committed to Nebraska just a few weeks ago. Sallie was set to go to Nebraska out of prep school but had to go to junior college when he failed to qualify. He kept his commitment, but because he had already been enrolled there once before, a Big 12 rule technicality prevented him from enrolling a second time within the same 18-month window. Kentucky, Cincinnati and Memphis all jumped in on Sallie, but he was ready to commit after spending Sunday and Monday with Calipari's staff. "I didn't think I was going to commit on the trip, but I'm ready to get rolling now," he said. "We're going to try to do some special things here. Cal is very, very special. He's one of a kind. He cares about his players. Every guy I spoke to who is a former player just said Cal will look after you after you're done. That's something big with me. This is bigger than basketball. (Knowing that) makes you play harder, and Memphis is a great community. I love Memphis and how (the fans) support basketball. It's unreal up here." Sallie was scheduled to visit Kentucky next week, but Parker said he already called coach Billy Gillispie to cancel. It's a reversal of a recruiting situation from last summer, when Kentucky got point guard DeAndre Liggins to commit during a campus visit right before he was set to look at Memphis. Sallie said he was looking forward to moving to Memphis next month and immersing himself in the weight room. "The kind of offense that Cal has put in, you have to beat your man off the dribble and get it to the cup," he said. "I think that fits my game, and it's going to be fun." |
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| 06/17/08 | |
New Lady Tiger basketball coach staying busy -- With staff complete, McFerrin ready to roll (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Phil Stukenborg (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Tuesday, June 17, 2008 Her first two months on the job have been hectic, as one might expect, but new University of Memphis women's basketball coach Melissa McFerrin is beginning to experience a relative calm. McFerrin might not have a home -- she's been living in an east Memphis hotel since being hired in mid-April -- but at least she has her first U of M staff in place. Monday night at the school's Athletic Office Building, McFerrin introduced her assistants to a gathering of the program's booster group, the Fastbreak Club, and several former players, including Linda Street, the fourth-leading scorer in U of M history. McFerrin spoke glowingly of the staff she's assembled and expressed a renewed enthusiasm about returning the UofM to the NCAA Tournament and becoming the class of Conference USA. ''Now that we have a full staff, our efficiency level will quadruple,'' McFerrin said. ''Working hands, active hands, is what I call it. We're beginning to put all those things in place that a staff needs to do be efficient.'' McFerrin was hired April 19 to replace Blair Savage-Lansden, who went 30-88 in four years, and resigned in March. The UofM has not had a winning season since 2003-04 and has not played in the NCAA Tournament since making an East Regional appearance in 1998. ''I think people are anxious for the University of Memphis to be successful,'' McFerrin said. ''I've had to let people process about what's not been done well in the past. But that's really of no interest to me. ''We're proud to be the University of Memphis. We are going to sell our story. We are going to sell our vision. And, right now, we are finding we are able to get some kids' and high school coaches' attention. Now we've got to follow through on what we've said we're going to do.'' McFerrin, a starting point guard at the University of Missouri in the early 1980s, spent the past four seasons as head coach of American University in Washington. She was named the 2008 Patriot League Coach of the Year and led American to its first postseason appearance in 10 years. She used Monday's meeting to introduce Danielle O'Banion, Tempie Brown, Michael Wholey and Tony Martin to the gathering. O'Banion, who along with McFerrin were assistants on the same Minnesota staff, will serve as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator. ''The opportunity to work with Melissa was a big draw for me,'' O'Banion said. ''She is very clear about her vision for the program. This was a tremendous opportunity for me personally and professionally.'' A former Michigan player, Brown joins the U of M after four seasons as an assistant at Northwestern University in Chicago. Wholey follows McFerrin from American University. ''Melissa is thrilled with the staff she has put together,'' said associate athletic director Lynn Parkes, who also attended the gathering. ''It is as good as I've seen in a long time. All of them are on the same page and it's a very experienced staff.'' Parkes said she was impressed with McFerrin's ability to entice O'Banion from her job as the assistant director of admissions at a prestigious high school in Virginia near her parents' home. ''(O'Banion) said there was probably only one person that could get her back into coaching,'' Parkes said. ''There's just a tremendous amount of respect for (McFerrin).'' McFerrin said O'Banion, a former Boston College player, is an exceptional coach with an extensive recruiting background. She played on two NCAA Tournament teams. ''You won't meet a more put-together young coach in America,'' McFerrin said. ''Y'all are going to have to help me keep her here.'' McFerrin said her staff will prepare for a busy summer recruiting schedule, which begins next month. ''You know that 30-60-90 plan we all put together,'' she said. ''We're tracking on it pretty hard. Obviously our staff is in place and I'm really excited about them. Recruiting, and getting to know people in the community, is at the forefront right now. ''There's a list of 65 things to do every day and we're only getting through 42 and the list keeps getting longer every day. But recruiting has been at the forefront, as well as me just meeting some community people and boosters.'' |
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| 06/17/08 | |
College basketball: Memphis' Dozier stays in school (Jackson Sun) |
| The Associated Press June 17, 2008 MEMPHIS - Junior Robert Dozier has withdrawn his name from the NBA Draft and will return to Memphis for a team he thinks can be even better than the group that played for the national championship in April. Advertisement Dozier had been testing his draft status, and said in a statement Monday that he loved the process and the honesty he found. But he now joins Antonio Anderson in pulling his name from draft consideration to return to a team that went 38-2 last season. "I'm coming back with the mind-set that next year's team can be even better than what we were a year ago, knowing a lot of that will fall on my shoulders," Dozier said. With Anderson and Chance McGrady, Dozier could be a part of the winningest four-year class in Division I history. The record for most wins in four years is 133 by Duke between 1998 and 2001. Dozier's class goes into next season with 104 wins. The Tigers already had lost freshman guard Derrick Rose and junior All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts to the draft, but both are expected to be taken in the first round. Joey Dorsey finished his career with 126 wins in his four seasons. Dozier, from Lithonia, Ga., was the Tigers' third-leading scorer with 9.2 points per game. He was the second-leading rebounder and second-best shot blocker. He shot 44 percent from the floor and had 41 steals. "I want Robert to come back with two things in mind: to help the team win a national championship and become the player of the year in college basketball," Memphis coach John Calipari said. |
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| 06/16/08 | |
Neil Schenk Earns C-USA Postgraduate Scholarship Award -- Schenk earns fourth academic honor this year (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Just 10 days after being drafted by the Tampa Bays Rays in the 23rd round of the 2008 MLB First-Year Players Draft, the academic accolades continue to roll in for former Tiger pitcher Neil Schenk. The Memphis native was named by Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky as one of 11 C-USA recipients of the Postgraduate Scholarship Awards today.
The conference annually presents the $4,000 Postgraduate Scholarship awards to graduates as selected by the Faculty Athletics Representatives and approved by the Board of Directors. Schenk was the league's recipient for baseball.
A Spanish major, Schenk was a four-time C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll and Academic Medal selection. Schenk plans to apply to medical school.
Schenk's fourth academic honor this season, he adds the Postgraduate Scholarship to a solid collection. He was tabbed an ESPN The Magazine /CoSIDA Academic All-District IV First Team selection and earned 2008 C-USA All-Academic team recognition. Schenk was also tabbed the University of Memphis Male Scholar Athlete of the 2007-08 school year.
Schenk led the Tiger pitching staff with a 3.40 ERA in a staff-high 19 appearances as the club's top relief option out of the bullpen in 2008. He fanned 42 in 39.2 innings of work and held opposing hitters to a staff-low .219 batting average.
The Briarcrest High School alum made 17 starts in 64 career appearances and wrapped up his collegiate career with seven wins. He collected 135 strikeouts in 172.1 innings and a posted a 6.59 ERA.
The following is a list of the 2008 C-USA Postgraduate Award Recipients: 2007-08 POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS: Geoffrey Handsfield, East Carolina, Men's Swimming Britani Keeney, Marshall, Women's Track & Field Neil Schenk, Memphis, Baseball Marissa Daniels, Rice, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field Andrea Kvetova, SMU, Women's Track & Field Cornelius Duncan, Southern Miss, Men's Track & Field Megan Weinlein, Tulane, Women's Soccer Lindsey Tower, Tulsa, Softball Jill Porto, UAB, Women's Soccer Shelly Frick, UCF, Softball Jami Tullius, UTEP, Women's Soccer |
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| 06/16/08 | |
Dozier To Return To Memphis For Final Season Of Eligibility In 2008-09 -- Tiger forward needs only 97 points to reach 1,000-point milestone for career (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, Tenn. - University of Memphis junior Robert Dozier announced Monday that he withdrew his name from the 2008 NBA Draft and is returning to school for his final season of eligibility in 2008-09. The 6-foot-9 forward had officially entered his name in the NBA Draft in late April. "I appreciate the opportunity to go through the process," said Dozier. "I loved the workouts, and I truly appreciate the honesty of all parties involved, especially the NBA personnel. "I'm coming back with the mind-set that next year's team can be even better than what we were a year ago, knowing a lot of that will fall on my shoulders." In returning for his final season in the Blue and Gray, Dozier has the opportunity to be a part of the winningest four-year class in NCAA Division I history, along with fellow rising seniors Antonio Anderson and Chance McGrady. The NCAA Division I record for most wins in a four-year span is 133 by Duke from 1998-2001. Dozier's class enters the 2008-09 campaign with 104 victories, which is the most wins in a three-year period in NCAA Division I history. Former Tiger teammate Joey Dorsey finished his career with 126 wins, the 10th-most for a four-year class in NCAA Division I history. "I want Robert to come back with two things in mind - to help the team win a national championship and become the player of the year in college basketball," said Memphis head coach John Calipari. The Lithonia, Ga., native enters his final year with 903 career points, needing only 97 to become the 44th player in Tiger basketball history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. Dozier also has 167 blocked shots (No. 7 on Memphis career list) and 684 rebounds (No. 11 on career list). On his pace of 56 blocks and 228 boards per year, he could climb as high as the No. 6 spot on both blocked shots and rebounding charts. This past season, Dozier was the team's third-leading scorer at 9.2 ppg. He was the squad's second-leading rebounder (6.8 rpg) and second-leading shot blocker (68 swats). Dozier finished the season shooting 44 percent from the field and 67.5 percent from the free throw line. He also had 41 steals last year. Memphis finished the 2007-08 campaign with an NCAA record 38 wins (38-2 record) and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament championship game. The Tigers, ranked No. 1 in both national polls for a school-record five-straight weeks during the season, swept the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles for a third-straight year. |
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| 06/16/08 | |
Tigers' Dozier withdraws name from NBA draft (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Dan Wolken (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Monday, June 16, 2008 As expected, forward Robert Dozier withdrew his name from the NBA Draft on Monday and announced he would return to the University of Memphis for his senior season. The 6-9 forward averaged 9.2 points per game last season during the Tigers' run to the Final Four. His return - along with guard Antonio Anderson, who also tested the draft process before pulling out - ensures Memphis will return as Conference USA favorites next season. "I appreciate the opportunity to go through the process," Dozier said in a university release. "I loved the workouts, and I truly appreciate the honesty of all parties involved, especially the NBA personnel. I'm coming back with the mindset that next year's team can be even better than what we were a year ago, knowing a lot of that will fall on my shoulders." |
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| 06/16/08 | |
JC guard Sallie's 'high on Memphis' -- Prospect wants to end recruitment quickly (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Dan Wolken (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Monday, June 16, 2008 During the University of Memphis' run to the national championship game, Roburt Sallie often exchanged text messages with Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier, his former teammates at Laurinburg Prep in North Carolina. Though Sallie was happy for his friends' success with the Tigers, he also watched their NCAA Tournament run with a sense of frustration that he hadn't gotten the same opportunity. "I hadn't played in a college game yet," Sallie said. "It kind of made me wonder how good I would have been and how good my team would have been if I had been in college." Sallie, a 6-5 guard from City College of San Francisco, will indeed play his first NCAA basketball game next season. Within the next week or so, he'll know where. Sallie arrived in Memphis on Saturday night for his official visit and said Sunday he will take a trip to Kentucky next week before making a decision. Cincinnati, Maryland and Oregon State have also been mentioned prominently in his recruitment. "I don't want to prolong this," Sallie said. "I need to get into a school and get down there as soon as possible so I can get with a team, get familiar with a team. The summer is a big part of creating team bonds and players knowing their roles. It's very important." Sallie, who describes himself as a combo guard/playmaker, was involved with Memphis during the 2005-06 recruiting cycle but ended up signing with Nebraska. He didn't get through the NCAA clearinghouse and went the junior college route, where he was named the California player of the year last season. Sallie kept his commitment to Nebraska, but he discovered just last month that he couldn't re-enroll there because of a Big 12 rule technicality related to his previous attempt to get through the clearinghouse. As one opportunity closed, however, several others have opened for Sallie, including the chance to play for coach John Calipari, whose team suddenly needs another guard after Doneal Mack's decision last week to transfer. "It's been frustrating, but a lot of people can't go through what I've been through to do something they love," Sallie said. "It just comes from the way I was raised, very determined. Cal's high on me right now. They need another guard to come in there, and I'm high on Memphis, so we'll wait and see what happens in the next few days." If Sallie comes to Memphis, he might also have an opportunity to start alongside Anderson and Dozier, who is expected to pull his name out of the NBA Draft by today's 3 p.m. deadline. That would reunite three members of the Laurinburg team that went 40-0 and also included former Tigers Shawne Williams and Kareem Cooper. It goes without saying that Anderson and Dozier have been working on Sallie to join them next season, and he said Sunday he's enjoyed his visit to Memphis, especially FedExForum. "Playing in that arena every game is an unbelievable opportunity to prepare yourself for the next level," he said. "When I walked in there, I kind of had chills. The size of it is just huge ... I want to be in the gym all day and the city, all that other stuff is just a plus. It comes down to the relationship with Coach Cal and those guys on the team and going from there. I want to go to a program that's a proven winner." |
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| 06/15/08 | |
Tigers' top prospect weighing all options (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Dan Wolken (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Sunday, June 15, 2008 Xavier Henry looked down at the machine pumping cold pressure to his right foot Saturday morning and learned he couldn't go anywhere for 24 minutes. Henry, the smooth 6-foot-6 guard from Oklahoma City, leaned back against a wall at the Finch Center and just smiled, displaying the same patience and disposition that has characterized his entire recruiting process to this point. Despite being hounded by questions for at least two years about where he plans on playing college basketball, the easy-going lefty said Saturday he's in no hurry to make a decision, which will have a massive impact on the 2009 recruiting efforts of several schools, including the University of Memphis. In fact, despite several unofficial visits to both Memphis and Kansas -- Henry's top two choices to this point -- he said he plans on taking all five of his official visits before making a decision in the fall. "I'm going to take them even if I don't need them," said Henry, ranked No. 2 among rising high school seniors by Rivals.com. "It's a way to get out there and see what's going down everywhere else." Though the pursuit of Henry may last longer than Tigers coach John Calipari would prefer, he appears more than willing to ride it out. For the last year, Henry has been the focal point of Memphis' 2009 recruiting efforts, in much the same way Derrick Rose was in the summer of 2006. The difference is that while Rose made just one trip to Memphis and was fairly shielded from the public side of the recruiting process, Henry and his father Carl Henry are already familiar faces around the Tigers' program. The Henrys' relationship with Calipari goes all the way back to his days as an assistant at Kansas, when Carl Henry was a player there. Because of that bond, Xavier Henry first popped up here at Memphis Madness two years ago. He showed up at the same event last season and has been through town a couple times for tournaments. In January, he made the 100-mile drive to Tulsa to watch the Tigers play there. This weekend, he's in Memphis again for Calipari's elite camp, which was designed more or less to get Henry and some other top prospects on campus. The fact that Henry has had to sit out most of it after coming down awkwardly on his right foot Friday night hardly matters. More significant was getting Henry back to Memphis to meet with the new coaching staff, which now includes assistants Josh Pastner and Orlando Antigua. "I like the new staff," Henry said. "I liked the old staff a lot too. D.K. (former assistant Derek Kellogg) was everybody's man. Great guy. And then Chuck Martin was a nice guy also, but the new guys they brought in are the perfect new guys you could have. "It's a good tradeoff. If you had to get two people, those are the two right people." It was especially important to get Henry on campus after he was at Kansas last weekend for Bill Self's elite camp, which pretty nicely sets up where Henry's recruitment stands right now: Memphis and Kansas fighting over him in a race every bit as close as their overtime meeting in the national championship game. "I'm not really tired of (getting asked about) it," Henry said. "I just answer how I always answer. I don't know yet. I really don't know. It was great up there; I like Kansas a lot. And I like Memphis a lot too." Surprisingly, Henry said there hasn't been much family pressure on him to go to Kansas, despite the fact that both parents played there. "They don't care," he said. "They just want me to go somewhere where it's basketball-oriented and can get me where I want to go." Henry has missed some time on the summer circuit with a stress fracture in his foot, an injury that flared up a bit during some drills Friday night. Even without him, Memphis hosted several talented players over the weekend including Nolan Dennis (a top-50 guard from Dallas), Tommy Mason-Griffin (a top-75 guard from Houston) and Glenn Bryant (a top-100 small forward from Detroit via Oak Hill Academy). "I'm liking Memphis," said Bryant, who is also looking at Syracuse, Florida, Michigan and Marquette. "I like their style of play. It fits in with what I do -- run and gun." Another player who has stood out -- for his Joey Dorsey-type body, if nothing else -- is Will Coleman, a 6-8 power forward from Miami-Dade Junior College. While the Tigers were entertaining future recruits, they were also finishing up Saturday with forward Emmanuel Negedu and beginning an official visit with junior college guard Roburt Sallie, two players they are hoping to add for next season. |
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| 06/15/08 | |
U of M's King finishes second in shot put (Commercial Appeal) |
| From Our Press Services Sunday, June 15, 2008 DES MOINES, Iowa -- University of Memphis women's track and field senior Susan King took home second place in the shot put at the 2008 NCAA Track and Field Championships on Saturday afternoon, claiming the highest place of any U of M athlete at the event. King's best mark came on her third throw 58 feet, 1/4 inches 1/4 before fouling her last three attempts of the day. Jessica Pressley of Arizona State won at 59-53/4 .3/4 The finish earned King her second All-American honors this year. She placed fourth earlier this year at the NCAA indoor meet. She holds the school record in the indoor and outdoor shot put and has qualified for the Olympic trials. King will be accompanied by teammate Aaron Whetstone and former All-American track star Gail Lee at the trials. The Olympic trials will be held from June 27-July 6, in Eugene, Ore. |
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| 06/15/08 | |
Recruiting class of '06 withering (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Dan Wolken (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Sunday, June 15, 2008 When Doneal Mack signed with the University of Memphis late in the summer of 2006, Rivals.com wrote that his addition rescued an "average recruiting year" for the Tigers and gave them the 23rd-best incoming class in the country. Now that Mack has decided to transfer, that original group of five players is down to just two. Guard Tre'Von Willis moved on to UNLV last summer. Center Hashim Bailey's career here never got off the ground. Mack wanted more playing time and will likely end up at LSU or Clemson. As of today, guard Willie Kemp and forward Pierre Niles are the only ones who will suit up for the Tigers as juniors. That rate of attrition, however, is hardly unique to Memphis. Just two years later, several of the top-ranked recruiting classes from 2006 have failed to live up to expectations. A few notable examples: Tennessee (ranked No. 6 by Rivals): Of the five players Bruce Pearl brought in, only Bolivar's Wayne Chism and minor contributor Josh Tabb are left. Duke Crews and Ramar Smith were asked to leave last month. Washington (No. 7): Big man Spencer Hawes left after one year to be a lottery pick, but the rest of the class was a bust. Phil Nelson and Adrian Oliver washed out after just one season, and Quincy Pondexter hasn't shown much at the college level. Georgia Tech (No. 8): Despite a pair of one-and-dones in Thaddeus Young (Mitchell High) and Javaris Crittenton, the Yellow Jackets were one-and-done in the NCAAs that year. Zach Peacock will be of value to Paul Hewitt next season, but big man Brad Sheehan never panned out. Georgetown (No. 13): Vernon Macklin and Jeremiah Rivers have transferred, leaving just DaJuan Summers. Florida (No. 20): Jon Mitchell and Mitchell Hig's Brandon Powell have transferred, and Marreese Speights entered the NBA Draft after a couple of average college seasons. Dan Werner will play a major role for the Gators next year. Ex-Tigers in tourney Memphis graduate assistant coaches Scott Robinson and Bryan Settle are organizing an adult tournament with local players featuring several former Tigers including Cedric Henderson, Antonio Burks, Earl Barron, Bobby Parks, Shyrone Chatman, Jeremy Hunt, Leon Mitchell, Rodney Newsome, Clyde Wade and others. Robinson said they've reached out to Penny Hardaway, who might participate as well. The "It's All Good Memphis Showdown" -- sponsored by Mark Goodfellow's It's All Good Auto Sales -- will take place June 28-29 at the Streets Ministries gym on 430 Vance. Admission to watch the eight-team, double-elimination tournament will be $5 (Streets Ministries kids get in free), and Robinson said the proceeds will go to the China Earthquake Relief Fund and a local girls' basketball program. Robinson said he came up with the idea as a tribute to Cui Wanjun, the Chinese coach who observed the Tigers last season as an intern. Despite the language barrier, Wanjun and Robinson became close. "I wasn't able to go over to China because of all the coaching changes and doing the camps," Robinson said. "He's a great guy. ... It's something for him to help his people." Settle and Robinson have been trying to contact former Tigers but haven't been able to reach all of them. Any former players wishing to participate should contact Robinson at 317-490-5948. Staff settling in New Memphis assistant Orlando Antigua began work last week after leaving Pittsburgh, meaning the Tigers' coaching staff is at full strength for the first time since mid-April. Coach John Calipari said he was happy with the chemistry between himself and his two new assistants, Antigua and Josh Pastner. "We've got two assistants who are as good as they get," Calipari said. "Josh has been at it a lot longer as an assistant and has been in recruiting wars. Orlando has been in battles of the Big East and is prepared to help us take everything we're doing here to another level." Calipari is still working on filling administrative staff positions. It appears one of them will go to Jason Walberg, the son of offensive guru Vance Walberg. Last season, Jason Walberg played for his father at Pepperdine. Vance Walberg, who invented the dribble-drive motion attack that Calipari borrowed and modified, resigned from Pepperdine last season and is now an assistant at UMass under former Tigers assistant Derek Kellogg. Schedule not yet set Calipari said last week the Tigers' 2008-09 non-conference schedule is getting close to completion. It appears Memphis may play in the Puerto Rico Tip-off in mid-November, but Calipari is concerned about the number of games against high-level opponents so early in the season. Calipari wants to be cautious with the schedule given the number of new players, and he certainly wasn't emboldened to make it more difficult after watching his returning players go 0-for-3 in China last month. Already, the Tigers are supposed to play at Georgetown, at Gonzaga and at Tennessee with Syracuse, Cincinnati and perhaps one other marquee team coming into FedExForum. "You also have to schedule to get a high seed in the NCAA Tournament," Calipari said. "I'm juggling balls right now and I'm worried about it. Some of the young kids we're bringing in are going to really have to step up, and the guys that are coming back who are stepping into new roles have to get stronger and improve their skills, their mental toughness, their ability to go compete against somebody." |
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| 06/14/08 | |
King Claims Second Place Honors in Shot Put at Track Nationals -- King grabs All-American honors and finishes her U of M career as one of the premier shot putters in the nation (GoTigersGo.com) |
| DES MOINES, Iowa - University of Memphis women's track and field senior thrower Susan King took home second place in the shot put at the 2008 NCAA Track and Field Championships this afternoon, claiming the highest place of any U of M athlete at the event. King's best mark came on her third throw in the circle as she hauled out a mark of 17.68 meters (58-00.25); before fouling her last three attempts of the day. She has finished her U of M career as one of the top shot putters in the college and national scene. Her honors earned King her second All-American honors this year. She placed fourth in the shot at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships to earn the first honors of her career. She currently holds the school record in the indoor and outdoor shot put and has qualified for the Olympic trials. King will be accompanied by teammate Aaron Whetstone and former All-American track star Gail Lee at the trials. The Olympic trials will be held from June 27-July 6, in Eugene, Oregon. |
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| 06/13/08 | |
Nerdal Grabs Sixth Place and Earns All-American Honors at Track Nationals -- Nerdal earns first All-American accolade (GoTigersGo.com) |
| DES MOINES, Iowa - Steffen Nerdal took sixth place in the hammer throw today, at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships that are being hosted by Drake University. Nerdal had a final mark of 68.21 meters (223-09). He fouled his first throw, but rebounded from there as his last throw was a personal best, as he improved on his school record mark by over two feet. This was Nerdal's second appearance in the hammer at the championships. Tomorrow Susan King will enter the shot put circle and vy for her spot at a national individual crown. She enters tomorrow's finals with the second highest mark and hopes up becoming the U of M's first female track title winner. The shot put is scheduled for a start time of 1:30 p.m. |
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| 06/13/08 | |
Memphis Tigers' guard Doneal Mack to transfer (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Dan Wolken (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Thursday, June 12, 2008 Doneal Mack, a backup guard at the University of Memphis the last two seasons, has decided to transfer, according to his father, Greg Mack. "Next year is his junior year, and we just feel like it's time to move on," Greg Mack said Thursday by phone. "We're not getting the positive feedback that we expect to get from the Tiger coaches, and it's time to move on." Playing time was the primary issue for the 6-5 lefty from Charlotte, N.C., who averaged 12.5 minutes per game for the Tigers last season during their run to the national championship game. A former top-50 recruit, Mack initially signed with Florida but was denied admission and ultimately landed at Memphis late in the summer of 2006. "I'm disappointed because I loved coaching the kid, I think he really improved," coach John Calipari said, "but I also respect he and his family's decision, and I wish him nothing but the best." Mack showed promise as a freshman, leading the team in 3-point percentage (40.5), but his playing time and production decreased as a sophomore. His minutes went down by 1.7 per game, he dipped from 7.1 to 6.9 points per game and shot just 36.3 percent from beyond the arc. The biggest obstacle preventing an expanded role for Mack was physical strength. At 175 pounds, he was often overmatched on the defensive end, a primary reason why he played just 10 total minutes in the Tigers final three NCAA Tournament games. The Memphis staff implored Mack to get bigger and stronger this offseason, a message Calipari reiterated during a meeting with Greg and Doneal Mack this week. Calipari, however, wouldn't make any guarantees about playing time. It apparently wasn't enough to keep Mack at Memphis. "You were at the games; you know (the playing time) went down from his freshman year to his sophomore year," Greg Mack said. "We need to know what we're up against, and we're not getting answers. The kid wants to play and without those answers, we can't go into next year guessing." Greg Mack mentioned Clemson, Wake Forest and LSU as possible destinations for his son. "Right now we're just waiting on a release letter, and the kid had a great time at Memphis," he said. "I enjoyed it. Coach Cal and the staff were wonderful, but the reality is, it's time. "The kid's a junior, and two years is over, and I want to make sure he's got the best opportunity to display his talent." With Mack opting not to return, the Tigers will begin 2008-09 with just two of their top six scorers from a year ago, assuming forward Robert Dozier pulls out of the NBA Draft and comes back for his senior season. Losing Mack adds some importance to the pursuit of 6-5 guard Roburt Sallie, a highly-rated junior college transfer who arrives for his visit Saturday evening. |
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| 06/13/08 | |
Sought-after U of M recruit here for visit -- Memphis final stop for Nigeria native Negedu (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Dan Wolken (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Friday, June 13, 2008 Emmanuel Negedu is the only top-50 player in the class of 2008 who does not know where he'll play college basketball next season. The University of Memphis hopes to make that decision a bit easier for him this weekend. Negedu, a 6-6 power forward and native of Nigeria, arrived on Thursday for his final college visit after stops at Indiana, Georgia Tech and Tennessee. He said he was looking forward to seeing how Memphis stacks up against his other options. "It's going pretty good; I get to see every school I want to go to," Negedu told reporters at Memphis International Airport. "I'm going through the process to know where I want to make my decision, to look for what I want, what I don't want, to check it out. It's going pretty good for me." Last fall, Negedu signed with Arizona, in large part due to the efforts of assistant coach Josh Pastner. After numerous staff changes at Arizona, including Pastner's departure to Memphis, Negedu asked to be released from his letter of intent. Arizona granted that release last month, and Memphis immediately jumped into his recruitment. "(Arizona) is a great school, but everything changed and Josh came here," Negedu said. "We had a good relationship and everything. I'm just taking a chance, take my visit and see how it goes. After that, I'll make my decision where I want to go." Memphis certainly could use a player like Negedu next season. With the loss of leading rebounder Joey Dorsey, physical presence in the frontcourt is the Tigers' biggest question mark next season. Negedu is a self-described banger who said he wants to play in a fast-paced system. "I love going up and down the court," he said. "I just want to run and play hard and bring a lot of energy to the game." Negedu, who has never been to Memphis before Thursday, said he has played at various events and camps with incoming freshmen Angel Garcia, Matt Simpkins and Tyreke Evans. Other than that, he said he doesn't know much about the Tigers' program. "I'm just down here to see what they've got," Negedu said. "I've got my own questions to ask them. I'll go through the process, see if I like the environment, the school, academically, everything, to see how that goes." Negedu, who played at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire the last four years, said he'll likely make a decision next week. He said playing for a contending team would be a factor in his decision. "Memphis had a great season last year; right now, they've got to come hard every night to play because everybody comes at them," Negedu said. "Every game against Memphis is a championship game for every team. So coming down here, I know this team is a great team...I want to be on a team that wants to win because I want to win. Everybody wants to win." |
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| 06/13/08 | |
Tiger Notebook: Football, Golf, Tennis, Basketball (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Phil Stukenborg (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Friday, June 13, 2008 After surgery, Tiger aide hits ground running After recovering from post-spring practice surgery, new University of Memphis defensive coordinator Tim Walton has been using the past two weeks to rehabilitate his coaching responsibilities. Walton underwent surgery to remove a portion of his colon, spent nearly two weeks in the hospital recovering and returned to Memphis from Miami, where the operation was performed, and began playing catch-up. Walton, hired by UofM coach Tommy West in January, was on the field during spring practice, but battled through discomfort. Doctors had wanted to perform the surgery earlier, but Walton felt he needed to delay the operation to attend the workouts. In his second stint at the UofM, Walton has been using early June to meet with his defensive assistants -- Brent Pry, Kenny Ingram and Lytrel Pollard -- on a regular basis. "There were a lot of things we didn't get a chance to finish at the end of the spring," Walton said. "We are going back and (reviewing) some of the things, as far as the playbook and other things. And we're going back over the depth chart a little bit." Walton had the surgery in Miami, where he spent last season as first-year Hurricanes coach Randy Shannon's defensive coordinator. He spent nearly a month in Florida, including the two weeks at the hospital. Walton said he had 12 inches of his colon removed. "I'm not back at a 100 percent," he said. "I can move around a little bit, but I lost a lot of weight. I've picked some weight back up, but I could still add about 10 more pounds. "I just still need time to let this thing heal a little bit. I can walk around a little bit, but I can't run or jog or work out." Walton said he hasn't had an opportunity to move his family to Memphis because "I've been laid up for a while." Walton said had he not missed time after spring practice, the defensive staff still would have been busy because of the changes being implemented. Walton replaced Rick Kravitz and is expected to install a more aggressive style defense. "We're making a lot of progress because we're meeting all day," Walton said. "But we've still got a good bit of work to do. We've got some steps we need to take with the defense. We're a little bit behind the offense." Sunday, Sunday, Sunday The 2008 Conference USA Football Blitz, the league's annual summer media day, will be held Sunday, July 20 at The Peabody. The football media day is returning to Memphis after being held in New Orleans last year and in Dallas in 2006. C-USA officials said the rare Sunday gathering was scheduled to work in conjunction with the AutoZone Liberty Bowl Legends Dinner, which be held at 6 p.m. July 20 at The Peabody. The dinner is honoring former players and coaches from past Liberty Bowl teams. Former Ole Miss quarterback Archie Manning and former Tulane quarterback Shaun King will be the featured speakers. "We wanted to combine our media day with the Liberty Bowl's function," said assistant commissioner Russ Anderson. "The student-athletes who attend media day will be involved. They'll attend the dinner and be involved in a community service event Monday (July 21). We'll have people busy for about 30 hours." Scholar-athletes honored Two Tiger athletes -- junior golfer Brad Benjamin and junior tennis player Benedikt Fischer -- have been honored for their ability off the course and court. Benjamin was named he C-USA Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men's golf. A native of Rockford, Ill., Benjamin, a business finance major, holds a 3.82 grade-point average. Fischer was named to the College Sports Information Directors Association Academic All-America men's at-large second team this week. Fischer became the first Tiger tennis player to earn an academic All-America honor and the 15th athlete in school history to be named an academic All-American. Fischer graduated in May with a degree in International Business and will work on his MBA during his final season of eligibility. Odds and ends The U of M women's basket ball booster group -- the Fast Break Club -- will host a 'Meet the Coaches Night' Monday from 5:30-7 p.m. at the school's Athletic Office Building. New coach Melissa McFerrin will introduce her recently hired staff of Danielle O'Banion, Tempie Brown and Michael Wholey. McFerrin replaced Blair Savage- Lansden, who resigned after the season. ... The Melissa McFerrin Hoops School Day Camp, for those entering grades 4 through 9, will be held Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost is $200 per camper. For more information, go to gotigersgo.com. |
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| 06/13/08 |  |
Home run ball to start Uggla's trophy case (Commercial Appeal) |
| Associated Press Friday, June 13, 2008 Former University of Memphis player Dan Uggla knows where his first game-ending home run ball is going: He's starting a personal trophy case. The Marlins second baseman hit a one-out grand slam into the left-field seats Wednesday night in Miami to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-2. The ball was given to him after the game by Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, and Uggla walked out of the ballpark holding it in his left hand. Needing a place to store the souvenir, Uggla decided it's time for an official home to his personal memorabilia. "I guess this will be my first," Uggla said Thursday. Next up for Uggla is deciding where to actually put the case. Uggla, in his third year with the Marlins and the majors, is putting together another All-Star-caliber season. Uggla is second in the N.L. in home runs (19, a team-high), first in doubles (23) and leads the Marlins in batting (.298). While some may think the reason behind Uggla's season is related to this being an arbitration year for the slugger, he said that isn't the case. "Everything else will take care of itself," Uggla said. "I don't worry about that. I'm just going to do my thing." On Thursday, Uggla was out of the lineup for the Marlins because he has not fared well against Phillies starter Jamie Moyer. Since 2006, Uggla has gone 2-for-21 against the left-hander, and this year, he's 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. |
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| 06/13/08 | |
Unhappy with playing time, Mack leaving Memphis basketball (Nashville Tennessean) |
| ASSOCIATED PRESS June 12, 2008 MEMPHIS — Guard Doneal Mack wants more playing time than he's receiving with the Memphis Tigers, and his father says his son will be transferring once he receives his release. The Commercial Appeal reported on its Web site Thursday that the 6-foot-5 guard feels it's time to move on. Greg Mack told the newspaper that they feel it's time to go now with two seasons of eligibility remaining. Advertisement A spokesman for the men's basketball team did not immediately return telephone and e-mail messages from The Associated Press. Mack averaged 12.5 minutes during the Tigers' run to the national championship game. From Charlotte, N.C., he originally signed with Florida but was denied admission and signed with Memphis late in the summer of 2006. Greg Mack listed Clemson, Wake Forest and LSU as possible schools for his son. |
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| 06/12/08 | |
Tigers' Mack to transfer (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Dan Wolken (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Originally published 05:22 p.m., June 12, 2008 Updated 05:22 p.m., June 12, 2008 Doneal Mack, a backup guard at the University of Memphis the last two seasons, has decided to transfer, according to his father, Greg Mack. “Next year is his junior year and we just feel like it’s time to move on,” Greg Mack said Thursday by phone. “We’re not getting the positive feedback that we expect to get from the Tiger coaches, and it’s time to move on.” Playing time was the primary issue for the 6-5 lefty from Charlotte, N.C., who averaged 12.5 minutes for the Tigers last season during their run to the national championship game. A former top-50 recruit, Mack initially signed with Florida but landed at Memphis late in the summer of 2006 after he was denied admission to Florida. Mack showed promise as a freshman, shooting 50 percent from the 3-point line in the last half of the season. But his production and playing time decreased as a sophomore, and he shot just 36.3 percent. The Memphis coaching staff had implored Mack to hit the weight room and gain strength and would not make any guarantees about his role next season. “You were at the games; you know (the playing time) went down from his freshman year to his sophomore year,” Greg Mack said. “We need to know what we’re up against, and we’re not getting answers. The kid wants to play and without those answers, we can’t go into next year guessing.” Greg Mack mentioned Clemson, Wake Forest and LSU as possible destinations for his son. “Right now we’re just waiting on a release letter, and the kid had a great time at Memphis,” he said. “ I enjoyed it. Coach Cal and the staff were wonderful, but the reality is, it’s time. The kid’s a junior and two years is over, and I want to make sure he’s got the best opportunity to display his talent.” |
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| 06/12/08 | |
On Doneal Mack (Memphis Edge) |
| Posted by Dan Wolken There were many days over the past two seasons when I would sit in the Finch Center and watch Doneal Mack singlehandedly win scrimmages for Memphis’ second team. For the sake of the kid, who everybody around the program liked personally, I held high hopes that he would do the same during real games. Unfortunately, the difference-maker potential that Mack displayed during practices never materialized during his two seasons with the Tigers. Mack’s career at Memphis came to a close on Thursday when he decided to transfer. LSU, according to my sources, is his likely destination. The reason? Playing time, according to his father, Greg Mack. I had heard rumblings from as far back as the USC game — when Mack played just six minutes — that there were issues. And the situation never really got much better as the season wore on; he ended up playing 12 minutes per game (down from his freshman year) and just 10 minutes total against Texas, UCLA and Kansas in the final three games of the season. There are certainly two ways to look at the situation. One perspective is that Mack did not play more because he was not physically strong enough to defend, didn’t get to enough loose balls and wasn’t efficient enough as a shooter on most nights to warrant more minutes. The other perspective is that Mack was marginalized as a 3-point specialist and didn’t get enough opportunities to play through mistakes or bad shooting nights. Having watched Mack in almost every practice of his career at Memphis, I always thought he had great potential as a long-range shooter. But I did not see it translate to the court. At the level Memphis is trying to compete at, going 2-for-7 from the 3-point line in 15 minutes — a fairly typical Mack stat line — is not good enough. Last season, Mack shot just 36 percent from the 3-point line, which was disappointing in my view, especially considering how many of his makes came in garbage time. Had Mack shown a knack for making clutch jumpers — I remember a couple wide open looks in the second half of the Tennessee game, for instance — I’m positive he would have played more. Though I know Mack was disappointed in how his year went, I thought he would stick around with the opportunity next season to play a bigger role if he improved his game and showed some dedication in the weight room. Within the past 48 hours, however, I had gotten signals that the situation was perhaps beyond repair, moreso with his father than with Doneal. Coach John Calipari simply isn’t in position right now to project minutes. Too many unknowns. Two years ago, Memphis went through the same situation when it lost Rodney Carney, Darius Washington and Shawne Williams. Calipari threw it wide open, and guys like Chris Douglas-Roberts, Antonio Anderson and Jeremy Hunt grabbed leading roles and made Memphis into an Elite Eight team once again. The same process is going on right now, and Mack had every opportunity to be a part of it. But there are no guarantees, especially with a talented freshman class coming in this summer and probably another one after that. Hopefully, for Mack’s sake, he’ll land at a school where he can become the focal point of its offense. If not, he probably would have been better off sticking around. |
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| 06/12/08 | |
King Qualifies for Shot Put Finals at Track Nationals -- King enters the national championships with the second best mark going into the shot put finals (GotigersGo.com) |
| DES MOINES, Iowa - The University of Memphis track and field team advances another athlete to the finals, as Susan King qualified for the shot put finals at the 2008 NCAA Track and Field Championships after posting a qualifying mark of 17.37 meters (57-0). King passed on her last throw, as her second throw was good enough to place her into Saturdays finals. Sivan Aballi fouled all three of her throws in the preliminary round and will not advance to the finals. The women's shot put finals will be held on Saturday, June 14 at 1:30 p.m. Steffen Nerdal who advanced to the hammer throw finals yesterday after producing a mark of 66.07 meters will compete tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. He will have the sixth best throw entering tomorrow's event. This is Nerdal's second straight trip to the national championships. |
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| 06/12/08 | |
Two more recruits to visit -- Tigers could add pair to already strong mix (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Dan Wolken (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Thursday, June 12, 2008 Though recruiting for the class of 2009 is about to get cranked up, the University of Memphis still may not be through with 2008. Two possible late additions for next season will visit Memphis this week, beginning today with 6-6 power forward Emmanuel Negedu and following Saturday with 6-5 combo guard Roburt Sallie. Negedu, a former Arizona signee ranked No. 40 overall by Rivals.com, was released from his letter of intent last month and is also considering Indiana, Georgia Tech and Tennessee. He was in Knoxville on Tuesday and Wednesday and is expected to make a decision shortly after his visit to Memphis. Negedu's interest in the Tigers is two-fold. Before assistant coach Josh Pastner came to Memphis, he was crucial in recruiting Negedu to Arizona last fall. Also, the Tigers have a need for a physical frontcourt player, which is Negedu's calling card. Though Negedu is not tall, his coach at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire compared him to UConn forward Jeff Adrien. "People kept saying he's only 6-6, he's undersized, but you can't measure heart, passion how hard somebody plays," Jason Smith said. "And let's not forget, it's not soccer. You don't block shots with the top of your head. He has a ridiculous wingspan, very similar to Jeff, which allows him to play bigger than his height." Smith said that all of Negedu's visits have gone well so far. He said he wasn't sure how much Pastner's presence at Memphis would impact Negedu's final decision. "I know he does have a close relationship with Josh, but I don't really want to speak for Emmanuel," he said. "I know it's a very close, long-lasting relationship. Josh was the very first college coach that contacted him upon his arrival in the U.S." from Nigeria. Memphis originally recruited Sallie in 2006, but he chose to sign with Nebraska. After he failed to make it through the NCAA clearinghouse, he went to City College of San Francisco. Despite becoming academically eligible at the junior college, Sallie was denied re-admission into Nebraska last month because of a Big 12 rule technicality. Sallie also is considering Cincinnati and Kentucky. The Tigers will do even more recruiting this weekend during their elite camp. Several top prospects are expected to attend, including Oklahoma City guard Xavier Henry, Memphis' primary recruiting target among rising seniors. |
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| 06/12/08 | |
Coach Cal thinks Dozier will return (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Ronald Tillery (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Thursday, June 12, 2008 University of Memphis forward Robert Dozier's coast-to-coast NBA workout tour almost certainly will lead him back to college. At least that's the opinion of the man who is helping guide Dozier through the process. Tigers coach John Calipari said the information Dozier's received from league coaches and executives has been consistent. The 6-9 junior would be better served to return for his senior season. "I would be surprised if he didn't come back," Calipari said. "But I'd support whatever Robert wanted to do. He's getting consistent feedback. Everybody's telling him 'You're better than we thought. But you need to go back and improve your core strength and skill level.' I told him to see it through to the end. If he gets a guarantee in the second round, then consider it." At best, Dozier is projected as a second-round pick, and he might even go undrafted. Underclassmen must decide by Monday whether to withdraw from the June 26 draft. "I wanted him to see if anybody would guarantee him," Calipari said. "I wanted him to get on the radar for next year." A scheduling mix-up forced Dozier to cancel his appearance Wednesday in FedExForum with the Grizzlies. Instead, Griz personnel convinced Iowa State's Jiri Hubalek to come in as a last-minute replacement and round out a trio that included Louisville's David Padgett and Alabama's Richard Hendrix. "That was my fault," Calipari said. "That had nothing to do with Robert. I had these workouts set up at the same time, and I wanted him to go to New York. The Grizzlies have been great. It was my fault." Dozier has mostly worked out for teams with second-round picks. He's already worked out for Phoenix and Charlotte. Dozier is scheduled to work out today for Washington. Griz brass were understanding of Dozier's predicament, especially given the team doesn't own a second-round pick in this draft. "Somebody who is on the fence and doesn't have a spot guaranteed has to take into consideration that next year's draft is projected to be softer," Griz general manager Chris Wallace said. "It'll be easier to move up in next year's draft than this one." Last month, Memphis guard Antonio Anderson withdrew his name from the draft and announced he would return to school for his senior season. Anderson and Dozier declined to sign with an agent, giving them the option of returning to college. Dozier was the Tigers' second-leading rebounder (6.8 per game) while also adding 9.2 points and 1.8 blocks per game (second on the team). "He has a chance to come back and work on his physical strength and prove he can hold his own under the basket," Calipari said. "It's really on his shoulders. If you look at our system and the players that have come out of it, whatever position you play in this offense, you can be drafted high. "This could inspire him to come back, have a great season and go higher next year." |
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| 06/12/08 | |
Four Tigers begin major league quest -- Pitchers set to start careers next week (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Phil Stukenborg (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Thursday, June 12, 2008 For the first time in the University of Memphis baseball program's history, four Tiger pitchers were chosen in last week's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. And, for the first time, there will be four Tiger pitchers beginning their professional baseball careers next week. Providing right-hander Scott McGregor follows through and signs with the St. Louis Cardinals, the UofM quartet will resume throwing for their respective Short-Season teams Tuesday. In addition to McGregor, right-hander Will Hudgens and left-hander Neil Schenk were selected in the 23rd round -- Hudgens going to Cincinnati and Schenk to Tampa Bay -- and right-hander Chris Kirkland was a 36th-round pick by the Seattle Mariners. McGregor, a junior, said Wednesday from his home outside Cincinnati that he hadn't signed with the Cardinals, but expects to do so shortly and report to St. Louis's Batavia, N.Y., minor-league club. McGregor was the highest pick among the foursome, going in the 15th round. ''I think I'm leaning toward signing,'' McGregor said. ''I need to make a decision soon. Mini-camp started Tuesday (in Jupiter, Fla.).'' McGregor went 1-8 with a 5.19 earned-run average this season, but was the team's No. 1 starter for the third straight year. He had 55 strikeouts in 78 innings. McGregor, who was 7-3 as a freshman and a second-team all-Conference USA pick, was the highest UofM selection in the draft since 2004, when the Tigers had two pitchers taken in the 10th round. ''I'm leaning toward signing because you just never know what could happen,'' he said. ''I could get hurt next year in college and not get a chance.'' Tiger coach Daron Schoenrock said he wasn't surprised by McGregor being picked as high as he was. ''I thought the projection for Scotty was about where he was drafted,'' Schoenrock said. ''He can improve (by adding) strength and by pitching year round. He has some pitching maturity about him, something the pro scouts can see.'' McGregor admitted he had no idea where he'd be taken and that he heard ''everything from the sixth or seventh round to not going at all.'' While McGregor's poise and maturity on the mound make him an ideal candidate to remain a starter, Hudgens, Schenk and Kirkland are likely headed for careers as relief pitchers, Schoenrock said. Hudgens, who throws in the low 90s, was a weekend starter for the Tigers. Schenk was used in relief, and Kirkland was a catcher who began pitching in relief this season. A quarterback on the Tiger football team, Hudgens went 5-2 with a 5.17 ERA in 2007, his first season on the baseball team. During his debut season, he recorded wins over several marquee programs, including Rice, Missouri and Clemson. He's one of two college quarterbacks selected by the Reds, who chose West Virginia's Pat White, a former fourth-round pick by the Los Angeles Angels, in the 49th round. Schoenrock said Hudgens informed the Reds he wanted to play his final season with the Tiger football program this fall. ''The Reds are going to let him come back (to Memphis) and play football,'' Schoenrock said. ''He is real excited. He'll start out at Billings (Mont.), a part of the country he's never been. ''Will is basically an older guy with a fresh arm. He went four years (after graduating from Ridgeway High) and didn't throw a baseball. I feel he's just scratched the surface as far as what he can do in baseball.'' Schenk, a senior from Briarcrest Christian, led the Tigers with a 3.40 ERA in 19 appearances and finished with 42 strikeouts in 39 innings. He said he'll leave minicamp in St. Petersburg, Fla., Friday to begin playing for Hudson Valley in the New York-Penn League. ''It was really exciting to see my name come up (during the draft) on MLB.com,'' Schenk said. ''I didn't have any idea what would happen. I had some interest from pro teams, but I didn't know because I was a senior and I hadn't been drafted before.'' Schenk, who closed his college career with a strong relief outing in a win over East Carolina, said he gradually developed into a better pitcher. He said he added 2 mph to his fastball and regularly was clocked in the 88-91 mph range. ''I think I showed I could be a lot more consistent,'' he said. ''My numbers from Memphis weren't great, but I got more consistent as the years at Memphis went by. I began making more quality pitches.'' Schenk said Kirkland caught his teammates' attention last fall when he hit the mid-90s on the radar gun. Kirkland reported to Seattle's post-draft minicamp in Peoria, Ariz., and may remain there for additional instruction once short-season play begins. Schoenrock said having four draft picks emphasized the caliber of talent the program is attracting. He said he expects the trend to continue, following solid back-to-back signing classes. ''That's really amazing,'' Schenk said. ''We weren't four first-day guys, but it didn't matter. All year, the four of us showed we could pitch.'' |
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| 06/12/08 | |
Community notebook: Harville's baseball career in limbo as his knee heals (Jackson Sun) |
| By DAVID THOMAS dgthomas@jacksonsun.com June 12, 2008 Before Chad Harville allows another RBI, he will have another MRI in Birmingham on his right knee. The Savannah native and Hardin County High School graduate is waiting before he considers his next move in professional baseball. "I worked really hard for four months to get ready," Harville said. "In the big picture, my knee has to be healthy and there is nothing I can do about it." Harville, a right-handed pitcher last pitched in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization with the Tucson Sidewinders of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League in 2007. Harville was drafted in the second round by the Oakland A's in the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft after finishing at the University of Memphis. "Being out of baseball showed me how much I missed it," Harville said. "The first month or so was no big deal, but I turn the television on, more and more." Harville said he is trying to stay busy working with the kids in the region. "I teach high school kids speed and agility drills, conditioning over the years I've learned ... to give back to kids who can use it a little earlier than I had it." Harville said he is on hold at the moment not wanting or thinking about returning to the game to risk any additional damage to his right knee. "I haven't talked to any (players) about it," Harville said. "ACL surgery is a six-month deal and I don't want to push it to make things worse." And Harville's take on fellow Hardin County alumnus Adam Milligan , who was drafted last Thursday by the Atlanta Braves in the sixth round? "(Milligan) has got that something I didn't," Harville said. "He had two great years with Walters State and he can put up the same numbers in the (Southeastern Conference) with Vanderbilt. He's smart, and if the conditions are right, he will make the right decision." |
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| 06/11/08 | |
On local recruiting (Memphis Edge) |
| Posted by Dan Wolken As usual, the local chattering class is fretting about the University of Memphis’ recruitment of Memphis-area high school players in the wake of guard Leslie McDonald’s decision to attend North Carolina. The more significant storyline, however, relates to the University of Tennessee. When Bruce Pearl arrived in Knoxville, he brazenly talked about poaching the best players from the Memphis area and immediately began pouring resources into this side of the state. It would be impossible to know how much time and money the Tennessee staff spent in recruiting Leslie McDonald and Elliot Williams, but given the almost weekly sightings of Pearl and assistant Steve Forbes around town the past few years, rest assured the investment was significant. Now that Pearl has struck out on both, you have to wonder how long Tennessee will continue to recruit Memphis. What Pearl should be beginning to understand right now is that the climate locally is simply terrible for a Memphis-area basketball star to go to Knoxville. With the Tigers’ program where it is right now and the intensity of the Tennessee rivalry where it is right now, it would be a significant statement for a Leslie McDonald or Elliot Williams-type player to choose orange over blue. And it’s a statement that would not be well-received by the vast majority of people they’re close to. By choosing UNC and Duke, respectively, McDonald and Williams have received a collective slap on the back from the local folks. Choosing Tennessee? That would be a slap in the face. Those dynamics will be very hard for Pearl to overcome as long as John Calipari is at Memphis. The Tigers’ coaching staff, meanwhile, certainly wished McDonald had chosen Memphis. He’s a quality player and a quality kid, and Calipari turned up the heat on McDonald’s recruitment over the past few months because he’s a Memphis kid. But much like Williams, there was never much belief from Memphis’ standpoint that McDonald would be a Tiger. This isn’t a huge disappointment like Thaddeus Young. This isn’t a statement about Memphis’ relationship with local players as much as it is about the fact that McDonald wanted to play at North Carolina. Furthermore, as Calipari always says, a Memphis coach would be foolish to tie his success to the whims of local players. That’s why this weekend’s elite camp will include the likes of Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City, who is exactly the kind of player that has made local/non-local recruiting a complete non-issue among Memphis fans. |
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| 06/11/08 | |
Memphis Golfer Earns C-USA Scholar Athlete Award -- Men's golfer earns C-USA Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, TENN. - Junior golfer Brad Benjamin represented the University of Memphis as the men's golf recipient of the Conference USA Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award as announced by the league office.
The awards are presented to the top student-athletes in each conference-sponsored sport, and are based on academic achievement (GPA), athletic achievement and service. Seven of C-USA's 12 institutions produced at least one scholar-athlete winner. Rice, SMU, Tulsa and UTEP each had three student-athletes selected.
A native of Rockford, Ill., Benjamin holds a 3.82 grade point average and is majoring in business finance. He has been on the U of M Dean's List and the Tiger 3.0 Club for six semesters. For the second-straight season, Benjamin was tabbed as a C-USA All-Academic selection.
Benjamin helped the Tigers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time since 1988. The squad tied for 20th in the NCAA East Regional last month, and Benjamin ranked tied for 87th in the event. 2007-08 SCHOLAR ATHLETE AWARD WINNERS: Baseball - James Cesario, Houston Men's Basketball - Paulius Packevicius, Rice Women's Basketball - Jetta "Twiggy" McIntyre, Houston Men's Cross Country - Brad Morris, Rice Women's Cross Country - *Marissa Daniels, Rice Football - *Paul Smith, Tulsa Men's Golf - Brad Benjamin, Memphis Women's Golf - Kate Ackerson, SMU Men's Soccer - Ben Shuleva, SMU Women's Soccer - Jami Tullius, UTEP Softball - Sara Dyer, Tulsa Women's Swimming & Diving - Jennifer Basel, SMU Men's Tennis - *Arnau Brugues, Tulsa Women's Tennis - Hannah Priest, East Carolina Men's Track and Field - *Mickael Hanany, UTEP Women's Track and Field - Keisha Walkes, UTEP Volleyball - Kelley Wernert, East Carolina * Repeat winner |
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| 06/11/08 | |
Nerdal Advances to Finals of Hammer Throw -- Nerdal will compete in the hammer throw finals at the NCAA Track and Field Championships (GoTigersGo.com) |
| DES MOINES, Iowa - Steffen Nerdal competed in the preliminary round of the hammer throw at the 2008 NCAA Track and Field Championships this afternoon, advancing to the finals. Nerdal's first throw of 66.07 meters (216-09) was good enough to advance him to Friday's finals. He fouled his last two throws. Nerdal will enter Friday's finals with the sixth best throw out of the remaining 12 competitors. The finals of the hammer are set for 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 13. Teammates Sivan Aballi and Susan King will compete in the women's shot put tomorrow at 7:15 p.m. |
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| 06/11/08 | |
Fast Break Club to Host `Meet the Coaches' Night -- The entire women's basketball staff will be on hand Monday night (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, Tenn. - - The University of Memphis women's basketball booster club, the Fast Break Club, will host a `Meet the Coaches' Night on Monday, June 16th from 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Current members are encouraged to bring other potential members and newcomers are welcome to the meet-and-greet. All attendees are asked to RSVP to Fast Break Club President Gaylon Hall by phone (901-372-4677) or email (GHall65068@aol.com). Fast Break Club membership forms are located here. |
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| 06/11/08 | |
King, two other Tiger track athletes ready for the national stage -- King, two other Tigers ready for the national stage (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Phil Stukenborg (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Wednesday, June 11, 2008 The University of Memphis track and field team's records board once hung on a wall in the Billy J. Murphy Athletic Complex's turf room, a practice facility shared by a number of the school's other athletic programs. Errant baseball throws, softball pitches and quarterback passes, which lent a literal meaning to the term broken records, forced the track staff to relocate the list to a safer haven: in the nearby men's and women's locker rooms. Assistant coach Gail Lee, a former UofM all-American in track, found that the remote location didn't necessarily offer additional protection ... particularly when it came to the numbers she posted. Lee's records have fallen this season to Susan King, a former junior college and college teammate, who will enter this week's NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, with a legitimate shot at a loftier prize. King, a senior from League City, Texas, could become the first Tiger track athlete to win an individual national title. One of three UofM athletes participating in the NCAAs, King is ranked second in the nation in the shot put behind Arizona State's Jessica Pressley. King won the NCAA Mideast Regional crown with a mark of 17.6 meters two weeks ago in Fayetteville, Ark., and has a season-best throw of 18.1 meters, or 59.38 feet. ''I'm very, very proud of her,'' Lee said. ''In December when we had our first meet, I told her now that I'm a member of the (coaching) staff, I want records to be broken. I want us to have some of the best athletes. ''So I told her, 'I want you to break my school records. Both of them. And when you do, I'll personally take my records (for indoor and outdoor shot put) off the wall and put up Susan King's.' We haven't done it yet because we hope she (breaks them) again before we change them.'' King will lead a Tiger track team trio that includes junior shot putter Sivan Aballi, who ranks 15th nationally, and Steffen Nerdal, who ranks 10th nationally in the hammer throw. Nerdal competes today and King and Aballi start Thursday. Aballi received an at-large bid into the national championships after finishing ninth in the regionals with a season-best throw of 16.36 meters (53.67 feet). Nerdal finished fourth in the hammer throw in the regionals with a mark of 66.59 meters and will be making his second straight NCAA appearance. Tigers coach Kevin Robinson said he expected King to make improvements after sitting out the 2007 season as a redshirt, but admits to being surprised by her rapid rise nationally. ''She didn't make much noise that first year,'' Robinson said. ''But she just exploded this year at the national level, beginning with finishing sixth in the indoor (nationals) in the shot put.'' During the outdoor season, King, who came to the UofM from Barton County (Texas) Community College, won shot put titles at the Conference USA Championships, the Tucson Elite Throwers Classic and the Mideast Regional. ''Susan has just been amazing this year,'' Robinson said. ''She has improved her lifetime best 71/2 feet. She's gone from a 52-foot shot-putter last year to the No. 3 shot putter in the U.S. and the No. 2 shot putter in the NCAA. ''It is unbelievable. You don't hear of people improving eight to 10 feet in the discus, much less the shot. She was already at a pretty high standard at the beginning of the year. She really dedicated herself to her training. She's gotten a lot stronger, and she's technically a lot sharper and she's just a great, great competitor.'' Lee said King has matured as a thrower and added the necessary strength to reach an elite level. King has improved from bench pressing 135 pounds to 220. ''She demolished my outdoor record (of 54 feet, 71/2 inches),'' Lee said. ''I think she's capable of going all the way to the top. She's been the only consistent shot putter this season. The No.1 thrower (Pressley) threw 61 feet, but that was one time. Before that her best was 55 or 56feet. ''Susan has been consistent all year. It's going to be a battle, but I think she's going to be our first national champion.'' King said Lee's success at Memphis, and her belief in the program, helped direct the former national junior college discus champion to the UofM. She said she did extensive research on the Memphis program and was impressed with Robinson's background, which included NCAA Championship appearances. Robinson's influence was immediate. ''The first year I was here I went to (throwing) 50 feet,'' King said. ''There were some technical things that were hurting me. I was doing the glide (step) instead of the spin. He asked me to try the spin, and it came naturally to me.'' King said she threw 55 feet during her redshirt year and set that as her goal entering her final season. She easily surpassed it. ''Nobody could have predicted that,'' Robinson said. ''I thought she would come in and throw 55 or 56 feet. I've seen her throw 60feet probably 20 different times. She's either fouled it or it's come in practice.'' King said her mom, Savannah Williams of Dickinson, Texas, and her father, Tony King of League City, both former athletes themselves, have been supportive. Savannah played basketball and ran track and Tony played semipro basketball. She said she ran the hurdles in elementary school and picked up the shot put, literally, in high school. ''I picked it up one day, threw 28 feet and I won,'' King said. ''My coach, Gregory Jenkins, said 'Girl, you're strong to be that small.' I just starting chunkin' it and chunkin' it.'' While Robinson is pleased the program is sending as many as three athletes to the NCAA Championships for the first time in 24 years, he said he had hoped to have a fourth qualify. But triple jumper Aaron Whetstone, a freshman from Pennsylvania, missed qualifying by the narrowest of margins. ''One stinkin' centimeter and he's 11th place and he's a lock,'' Robinson said, referring to Whetstone's 12th-place showing in the regionals. ''It's great Steffen, Susan and Sivan made, but we expected it. They performed at that level all year. ''What keeps him going is he gets to go to the (U.S.) Olympic trials in July in Oregon. But he's the first freshman we've ever had come this close.'' |
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| 06/11/08 | |
Witherspoon set for USA tryouts -- McDonald among 25 seeking to play (Commercial Appeal) |
| The Commercial Appeal Wednesday, June 11, 2008 Wesley Witherspoon, an incoming freshman for the University of Memphis, and Briarcrest Christian rising senior Leslie McDonald are two of 25 players invited to compete for a spot on USA Basketball's U18 National Team, the USA Basketball Men's Collegiate Committee announced Tuesday. Witherspoon, a 6-8 guard from Lilburn, Ga., signed with the Tigers in May. He averaged 18.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists as a senior at Berkmar High. McDonald, a 6-4 guard, committed to North Carolina on Monday night. Three other Class of 2009 Tar Heel commitments, brothers David and Travis Wear and New Jersey guard Dexter Strickland, will also be at the trials. University of Tennessee commitment Kenny Hall, a 6-8 center from Stone Mountain, Ga., is another invitee. The trials will be held July 1-3 at the Verizon Center in Washington, where the 25 invitees will compete for 12 roster spots. Following the trials, the 12-member U18 roster, plus alternates, will be announced. The finalists will remain in Washington for training camp July 4-10, before departing for the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championships for Men July 14-18 in Formosa, Argentina. Davidson coach Bob McKillop will serve as Team USA's head coach, with VCU's Anthony Grant and Georgetown's John Thompson III as assistants. |
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| 06/10/08 | |
Orlando Antigua Named Tiger Basketball Assistant Coach -- Antigua comes to Memphis after successful five-year stint at Pittsburgh (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Orlando Antigua, a member of the University of Pittsburgh basketball staff the last five seasons (2004-08), has been hired as an assistant coach for the University of Memphis men's basketball program, head coach John Calipari announced Tuesday. "Orlando is a great addition to the Memphis basketball family," said Calipari. "He is a tireless worker and an energy guy. Orlando has enjoyed a great amount of success in every stage of his basketball career as a player, operations director and assistant coach. Orlando is a winner, and we're looking forward to having him come on board." Antigua served on the Panthers' staff during one of the best runs in that program's history. He was hired prior to the 2003-04 campaign as director of basketball operations, and then in the summer of 2006, was elevated to an assistant coach position. During his time in the Steel City, Pittsburgh posted a 132-40 overall record (.767 winning percentage) and a 55-27 Big East Conference mark. The Panthers had five-straight 20-win seasons and had 10 or more wins in league play in each of his five years on staff. Pittsburgh won the 2003-04 Big East Conference regular season title in Antigua's first year. The Panthers also had great success in the postseason during Antigua's stint. Pittsburgh played in four of the last five Big East Conference Tournament championship games, taking home the league's tournament title in 2008. The Panthers earned NCAA Tournament berths all five years and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2004 and 2007. "I'm excited about coming to Memphis and joining Coach (John) Calipari's staff," said Antigua. "I've known Coach Calipari for years and admired what he has done from a distance. But now, to get to work side-by-side with a future Hall of Fame coach is a tremendous opportunity for me, and I look forward to learning a lot from him. "I'm excited about working at a great university with an outstanding basketball program. Memphis has a rich basketball tradition, and I want to help continue that by recruiting quality student-athletes that excel in the classroom and on the court. My family and I are also looking forward to eating lots of barbecue." Prior to his coaching stint at Pittsburgh, Antigua was a four-year letterwinner and two-year team captain for the Panthers from 1991-95. Antigua ranks 11th all-time in career three-pointers made (117) and sixth in career three-point field goal percentage (.386). He also ranks among the school's career leaders in blocked shots with 78, the 12th-best total in Panthers history. Over his four-year career, Antigua scored 930 points and grabbed 409 rebounds. He averaged 8.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while starting 78 of his 116 career contests played. A 1992 Big East Conference All-Rookie Team member, Antigua helped lead the Panthers to an 18-16 record and berth in the National Invitation Tournament as a freshman. As a sophomore in 1992-93, Antigua helped lead Pittsburgh to a 17-11 record and NCAA tournament berth under head coach Paul Evans. He was named the United States Basketball Writers' Association (USBWA) Most Courageous Athlete in 1994, an honor presented annually to the college basketball player who displays exceptional courage both on and off the floor. Antigua averaged over 10.0 points per game in each of his last two seasons. He graduated from Pitt with a bachelor's degree in Social Sciences in December 1995. "I have known Orlando for 20 years, and he is one of the best people I've ever met," said Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News. "It's that simple. His enthusiasm is infectious. His integrity is above reproach. He is genuine. I'm absolutely certain Memphis is going to love him." After graduation, Antigua was selected to play for the world-renowned Harlem Globetrotters, becoming the first player of Latin American descent to play for the squad. Nicknamed "Hurricane" for his dazzling moves and quickness, Antigua played with the Globetrotters for seven years until 2002. He represented the squad in 49 different countries and on tours to South America, South Africa and on the acclaimed "Youth in Our Lives Tour." Antigua also played in the Puerto Rico Superior Basketball League for eight years and represented the Dominican Republic national team in both 1994-95 and 1997-98. Because of his dedication to the community, Antigua was named one of the nation's top-100 most influential Hispanic Americans by Hispanic Business magazine. In 2002-03, Antigua served as an assistant basketball coach at nearby Mt. Lebanon High School under former Panthers player Joey David (1983-86) and worked as a sales representative for Cavanaugh Promotions in the North Hills. Fluent in Spanish, Antigua and his wife, Dana, have two children: son, Orlando Anthony, and daughter, Olivia. |
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| 06/10/08 | |
Witherspoon Invited To USA Basketball U18 National Team Trials -- Tiger incoming freshman to compete at trials July 1-3 in Washington, D.C. (GoTigersGo.com) |
| COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Wesley Witherspoon, an incoming freshman for the University of Memphis men's basketball team, is one of 25 players invited to compete for a spot on USA Basketball's U18 National Team, the USA Basketball Men's Collegiate Committee announced Tuesday. A Lilburn, Ga., native, Witherspoon inked with the Tiger program in the late signing period. Last season, the 6-foot-8 forward/guard averaged 18.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists in helping lead Berkmar High School to a 23-6 record and an appearance in the Georgia Class AAAAA Tournament Sweet 16. The Sweet 16 appearance was the school's deepest state tournament run since 2001. Following the season, Witherspoon was named to the 2008 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Georgia All-State Class AAAAA first team. He was also selected to play in the 2008 Jordan Brand All-American Game at Madison Square Garden in New York City in April. In that contest, Witherspoon scored 13 points and added four rebounds and a team-best three steals for the winning Blue squad (124-114 victory). Witherspoon was a consensus top-60 recruit, as he was rated No. 27 by RiseMag.com, No. 34 by Rivals.com, No. 48 by ESPN.com and No. 56 by Scouthoops.com. He was also rated as one of the top 15 small forwards in the country by Rivals.com (No. 5), ESPN.com (No. 9) and Scouthoops.com (No. 12). The 2008 USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team Trials will be held July 1-3 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., and the 25 invitees will compete for 12 roster spots. Following the trials, the 12-member U18 roster, plus alternates, will be announced. The finalists will remain in Washington for training camp July 4-10, before departing for the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championships for Men July 14-18 in Formosa, Argentina. Davidson College head coach Bob McKillop will serve as Team USA U18 squad's head coach. VCU head coach Anthony Grant and Georgetown head coach John Thompson III will serve as the team's assistant coaches. |
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| 06/10/08 |  |
Benny Fischer Named Co-SIDA Academic All-American -- Becomes first-ever men's tennis player to earn academic award (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, Tenn. - - Junior men's tennis player Benedikt Fischer was named to the Co-SIDA Academic All-America Men's At-Large second team it was announced by the organization Tuesday morning. Fischer becomes the first-ever Tiger tennis player to be named an Academic All-American and the 15th student-athlete in Memphis history to earn an Academic All-American award.
He is also the third Tiger to be named a Co-SIDA Academic All-American this season, joining men's soccer player Jared Britcher (third team) and women's soccer player Kate Murphy (first team). The three honorees ties the program's best-ever mark from the 2005 season and is the fifth straight year the Tigers have had someone named an Academic All-American. To earn Academic All-American honors, student-athletes must first be voted to their respective district's first team in order to appear on the national ballot. Memphis is included in Co-SIDA District IV, which includes schools in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.
Fischer is a two-time honoree on the Conference USA All-Academic team and has gone his entire athletic career never getting less than an A in his college coursework. He graduated in May with a degree in International Business in just two years at Memphis and will work on his MBA during his final season of college eligibility this upcoming season.
On the court, Fischer finished with a 14-8 overall record in singles play, including a 10-6 mark at No. 6 singles and a 2-0 mark at No. 5. Fischer was also 11-4 in doubles play this season, including a 7-3 mark at No. 3 doubles with three different partners during dual season play. Fischer is a two-year letterwinner at Memphis after transferring from Tyler Junior College in Texas, where he played one season.
A Dean's List member in each of his four semesters are Memphis, Fischer has also earned the C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal and has been named to the Conference USA Academic Honor Roll in each of his previous two seasons.
He was one of three Conference USA honorees on the Co-SIDA list as East Carolina's Geoff Handsfield earned first team honors, while Tulsa's Arnau Brugues was a third team honoree.
Fischer will be the lone senior on next season's squad, which will include two juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen. University of Memphis All-Time Co-SIDA Academic All-Americans 1992 Football Gary Bouldin TE Second 1992 Football Pat Jansen DL First 1997 Women's Basketball Heather Newlon C Third 1999 Men's At-Large Matt Briggs Soccer Third 2000 Volleyball April Harriman OH Second 2003 Men's Soccer Andy Metcalf Forward Third 2003 Volleyball Heather Watts Setter Third 2004 Volleyball Heather Watts Setter Second 2005 Men's Soccer Andy Metcalf Forward Third 2005 Men's Soccer Jared Britcher Midfielder Third 2005 Women's Track Lisa-Marie Hyman Track Third 2006 Women's Soccer Shoko Mikami Forward Second 2007 Men's Soccer Jared Britcher Forward Third 2007 Women's Soccer Kate Murphy Defender First 2007 Men's At-Large Benedikt Fischer Tennis Second |
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| 06/10/08 | |
Three Tigers Head to NCAA Championships -- Aballi, King and Nerdal ready for competition at NCAA Track and Field Championships (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's and women's track and field teams have sent three throwers to the 2008 NCAA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. The championships will be held over a course of four days beginning June 11. For the sixth straight year, the U of M will have at least one Tiger representing them at the national championships. Senior Susan King, junior Sivan Aballi and Sophomore Steffen Nerdal will all be competing in the meet. King enters the championship with a No. 2 ranking in the women's shot put. Her personal and season best throw of 18.10 meters has ranked her amongst the nations best. This will be her first time competing in the championships. Aballi will also be competing in the shot put. After earning an at-large bid, Aballi will be competing in the championships for the first time in her career. She has a season best throw of 16.36 meters entering the circle. Competing on the men's side will be Nerdal. He is making his second-straight appearance at the championships. He has a career best mark of 67.43 meters in the hammer this year and is ranked in the Top 10 going into the meet. CBS College Sports Network (formerly CSTV) will be airing live coverage of the NCAA Track and Field Championships on Friday, June 13th from 7-10 p.m. CST. CBS will also broadcast live coverage of the final day of competition from 3-5 p.m. CST. |
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| 06/09/08 | |
Love, Dorsey impress at Griz workout (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Ronald Tillery (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Monday, June 9, 2008 Kevin Love sought redemption with Memphis in front of him. Joey Dorsey wanted to reach new heights. Period. An NCAA Final Four rematch ensued Monday in FedExForum as the Grizzlies continued their draft workouts. For Love and Dorsey: Mission accomplished. Love, projected to be selected in the upper half of the draft lottery, emerged as the top participant, while Dorsey more than held his own in producing the second-best workout among four big men. The six-player session also included centers DeAndre Jordan (Texas A&M) and JaVale McGee (Nevada), and guards Kyle Weaver (Washington State) and Jeremy Pargo (Gonzaga). The focus, though, was on the big men, and Love asserted himself as an above-average passer, perimeter shooter, post scorer and athlete who has enough lateral quickness to avoid being a defensive liability. “He’s gotten himself into great shape since the (Final Four) loss to the Tigers,” Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said. “He’s working out well. He got good measurements at the Orlando Pre-Draft Camp. His athleticism is better than expected. He’s going to do fine in the NBA and go in the upper half of the lottery.” Love immediately shed 15 pounds after the NCAA tournament, and the training proved worthwhile during impressive full-court, three-on-three and one-on-one exercises. “I wanted to get quicker,” Love said, “because I’m going to have to play (power forward) in the NBA. I’ll be able to guard (centers) because of my size, but I have to be able to step out on the perimeter and use my quickness. I wanted to show I had the lateral quickness.” Love displayed excellent shooting from mid-range and ended the workout by burying seven of 10 from beyond the NBA 3-point arc. Whereas some lottery players rejected the notion of working against so-called lower prospects, Love embraced the idea to prove his stock. “I’m a competitive guy. It doesn’t matter who I go against,” Love said. “Going one against none isn’t my style. I like to bang. I wanted to play against length. JaVale and DeAndre are pretty big guys, and I scored against them a bunch of times. I’m going to have to play against guys that size at the next level, and that’s just something I had to show.” While McGee was active and determined, Jordan had the most difficult workout among the big men. He underwhelmed greatly in endurance, defense and low-post scoring. Jordan missed a dunk and shot an air ball free throw. The best matchups involved Love and/or Dorsey. Love’s finest moments came against each of his bigger opponents, as he proving to be virtually impossible to guard in the post. During a one-minute drill in which players had to sprint baseline to baseline while stopping and shooting from the elbow, Love connected on five straight shots. The Grizzlies’ staff required seven made shots during that span, and Love converted nine. Dorsey only sank three baskets during that drill. But, with University of Memphis men’s basketball coach John Calipari watching, Dorsey impressed with his defense and sometimes stunning shot-making in competitive situations. Dorsey’s fine moments happened when he dunked over a Love block attempt in a three-on-two, full-court exercise, caught a pass in the post and whirled to the basket for a score over Love, and routinely outsmarted Jordan on both ends of the court. “I want to show everybody I can play with the top guys offensively and on defense, as well,” Dorsey said. “I’ve put in a lot of work in the gym. I just want to play in the NBA.” Dorsey and Love were the only big men not visibly tired during the slightly more than an hour session. “Joey can play in the NBA,” Wallace said. “He can be a rebounder, defender and energy guy. I think the draft is going to treat Joey much better than people would have thought at the beginning of the season.” Love seconded that prediction. “He’s hungry,” Love said of Dorsey. “He’s a banger. I thought he had a great workout. He hit a bunch of shots and had a pretty nice touch. He actually showed a jump shot. He’ll definitely make a team. He’s big enough and solid.” Dorsey said he’s worked with NBA players Rudy Gay and Carmelo Anthony in an attempt to make certain he’s seen in a different light. “I’m getting word that, ‘Joey, you might be drafted in the first round because of your defense.’ I’m like, ‘Wait until they see my offense,’” Dorsey said. “With that, I think I can move up.” |
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| 06/09/08 | |
2008 Memphis Basketball Signing Class -- Bios on Evans, Garcia, Simpkins, Witherspoon (GoTigersGo.com) |
| Tyreke Evans 6-6/215/Guard/Philadephia, Pa./American Christian School Will be featured in a documentary film, Gunnin' For That No. 1 Spot, which is scheduled for release in July 2008 ... A consensus top-six recruit in the 2008 class ... Picked as the top player in the 2008 class by SLAM and Dime magazines ... Named the No. 2 player in the country in RiseMag.com's ... Also rated third by HoopScoop, third by ESPN.com, Scout.com and Hoopmasters.com, and sixth by Rivals.com ... ESPN.com rated him the No. 1 shooting guard ... Ranked No. 2 point guard by Scouthoops.com and No. 3 point guard by Rivals.com ... Selected to the 2008 Parade Magazine All-America first team ... Second-straight year he was a Parade All-America, as he was a fourth team member in 2007 ... Named the 2008 Pennsylvania Player of the Year by the Associated Press ... Named MVP of the 2008 McDonald's All-America Game in Milwaukee, Wis. ... Finished McDonald's game with 21 points (9-of-15 FG), 10 rebounds and four assists to help lead the East squad to a 107-102 victory ... Second player in his county's history (Delaware County) to play in the McDonald's Game (first was Barry Bekkedam in 1986) ... Third Southeastern Pennsylvania player selected to McDonald's All-America Game in last three years (Gerald Henderson and Wayne Ellington played in 2006) ... Also played in the 11th annual Nike Hoops Summit in Portland, Ore., and the Jordan Brand All-American Game in New York, N.Y. ... Had 23 points (8-of-15 FG/7-of-9 FT), seven boards, four assists and three steals in the Jordan Brand Classic ... Selected co-MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic (shared with Brandon Jennings) ... Scored 11 points and added eight boards, four assists and three steals to help lead the USA Junior National Select Team to a 98-78 win over the World Team at the Nike Hoops Summit ... Averaged 32.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 4.3 steals for American Christian in 2007-08 ... Scored 50 points in two games his senior season ... Picked the Philadelphia Inquirer's Southeastern Pennsylvania Player of the Year... Also named to the Inquirer's All-Southeastern Pennsylvania first team ... A varsity starter on American Christian's squad since seventh grade ... Scored over 3,300 points in his high school career. Angel Garcia 6-11/210/Puerto Rico/East Chicago Central HS Played for the World Select Team at the 11th annual Nike Hoops Summit in Portland, Ore., in late April ... Had four points (2-of-3 FG) and four rebounds for the World Select Team ... Named one of Hoosier Basketball Magazine's Top 60 seniors in 2007-08 ... Rated No. 47 overall player and No. 17 power forward by Rivals.com ... Scouthoops.com rated him the No. 36 overall player and the No. 19 power forward in the country ... Ranked the No. 72 overall player and No. 22 power forward by ESPN.com ... Rated the No. 62 player in the nation by RiseMag.com in its final 2008 rankings ... As a senior at East Chicago, averaged 17.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.1 blocks ... Earned Associated Press Indiana All-State high honorable mention in 2007-08 ... Helped lead East Chicago to a 20-4 overall record and the Indiana Class 4A regional title game ... The Cardinals fell to South Bend Riley in the regional championship ... Had six blocked shots in helping lead East Chicago to its 13th sectional title with a 67-51 win over West Side ... In summer of 2007, played for Puerto Rico in the FIBA World Championship and averaged 13.8 points and 7.8 boards ... Averaged 10.9 points (third on team) and 7.3 rebounds (second on team) for the Cardinals as a junior ... Blocked a team-high 30 shots ... East Chicago finished 2006-07 with a 23-3 overall record and won the Indiana Class 4A state crown ... Scored 25 points and grabbed nine boards in helping lead East Chicago to an 87-83 victory over Indianapolis North Central (Eric Gordon) in the Indiana Class 4A state championship game ... The state title was East Chicago's first since 1971. Matt Simpkins 6-9/215/Forward/Sacramento, Calif./Capital Christian HS/Berkeley HS/The Patterson School (N.C.) Ranked No. 74 by Scouthoops.com ... No. 24 power forward by Scouthoops.com ... No. 80 in Rivals.com ... No. 25 power forward in Rivals.com position rankings ... Rated the No. 70 player in the nation by RiseMag.com in its final 2008 rankings ... Named to Northern Cal's Best starting five in summer of 2007 by highschoolhoop.com ... In summer of 2007, had 22 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in second annual Sac vs. Bay Showdown ... Also participated in 2007 Pangos All-American Camp and was the camp's third-leading scorer at 20,3 ppg ... Highest scoring game at camp was a 33-point performance (second to Brandon Jennings' 36 points at the camp) ... Was named MVP of the showdown's underclass game ... As a junior at Berkeley in 2006-07, helped lead the Yellowjackets to a 21-7 overall record and a 12-2 Alameda Contra Costa League mark ... Berkeley won the league regular season title ... Selected to the California All-State Junior second team by calhisports.com ... In summer of 2006, ranked among the top 10 players at the Adidas Camp (one of two 2008 recruits in the top 10) ... As a sophomore in 2005-06, averaged 16.7 points, 12.8 rebounds and 6.2 blocks for Capital Christian ... Squad's second-leading scorer and top rebounder and shot blocker ... Helped lead the Cougars to a 28-5 overall record and a 13-1 Golden Empire League mark in 2005-06 ... Capital Christian won the Golden Empire regular season crown and reached the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V final. Wesley Witherspoon 6-8/185/Forward-Guard/Lilburn, Ga./Berkmar HS Rated the No. 27 player in the nation by RiseMag.com in its final 2008 rankings ... Rivals.com rated him the No. 34 overall player and the No. 5 small forward in the nation ... Ranked the No. 56 overall player and the No. 12 small forward by Scouthoops.com ... ESPN.com rated him the No. 48 overall player and the No. 9 small forward in the country ... Played in the Jordan Brand All-American Game in New York, N.Y., in late April ... Had 13 points (4-of-5 FG/5-of-8 FT), four boards and a team-high three steals for the winning Blue team (124-114 victory) at the Jordan Brand game ... Selected to the 2008 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Georgia All-State Class AAAAA first team ... Averaged 18.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists his senior season at Berkmar ... Helped lead the Patriots to a 23-6 overall record and the Georgia Class AAAAA Sweet 16 in 2007-08 ... The Sweet 16 appearance was Berkmar's deepest state tournament run since 2001 ... Scored 32 points vs. Sprayberry in the Class AAAAA tournament opening round ... Brothers, William (Air Force) and Wynton (George Washington), also played Division I basketball. |
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| 06/07/08 | |
Lady Tigers hire operations director -- Tony Martin leaves post with Memphis Redbirds (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Jim Masilak (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Saturday, June 7, 2008 As the son of a longtime high school basketball coach, Tony Martin always thought he'd like to follow in his father's footsteps one day. While Martin's coaching opportunities may be limited as the new director of women's basketball operations at the University of Memphis, the chance to re-engage with the game he grew up on was too good to pass up. After spending eight years with the Redbirds, most recently as the Triple-A club's baseball operations manager, Martin will leave the team after the current homestand to join the staff of first-year Lady Tigers coach Melissa McFerrin. "My father was a basketball coach for 30 years. Every fall reminded me that I wanted to get back in, but the path I chose after college makes it hard," Martin said. "It's very bittersweet. I feel like I'm getting to chase a dream, hopefully, and this is something I have a great passion for. On the other hand, you're leaving eight years of your life behind." Martin joined the Redbirds as an intern in 2001 and has served in several roles with the club. As baseball operations manager, he is responsible for organizing the team's travel, and he also oversees stadium operations at AutoZone Park. Redbirds general manager Dave Chase said Martin's responsibilities would be split between media relations manager Kyle Parkinson and a pair of interns for the remainder of the season. "It's a great opportunity for (Tony)," Chase said. "His desire has always been to get into the coaching department. ... This is an opportunity to get closer to that. We're excited for him to explore this opportunity." The 31-year-old Martin, who graduated from the U of M, hopes his new job will eventually afford him the chance to get more involved with coaching. "I'll be doing a lot of the travel and business side of things, but I'll still get to be involved ... in the game again," Martin said. "I'm looking forward to a new chapter, a new phase." McFerrin could not be reached for comment. -- Jim Masilak: 529-2311 TONY MARTIN Position: Director of women's basketball operations, University of Memphis Age: 31 Hometown: Camden, Tenn. Education: University of Memphis ('03), sports management Personal: Wife, Annie; daughter, Macee, 17 months. Experience: Baseball operations manager, Memphis Redbirds. Hobbies: Active member of Getwell Road United Methodist in Southaven. Also enjoys boating, fishing, softball and basketball. |
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| 06/06/08 | |
McGregor, Schenk, Hudgens and Kirkland Selected in MLB First-Year Player Draft -- Four Tigers drafted is most since 2004 (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, Tenn. - For the first time in University of Memphis baseball history, four pitchers were drafted in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Players Draft. Tiger pitchers Scott McGregor, Neil Schenk, Will Hudgens and Chris Kirkland were all selected on Day Two of the draft. The 2008 draft marks the fourth time four Tigers were drafted in the same year, but the first time that all four were pitchers. Memphis had four selected in the 1976, 1994 and 2004. "This is obviously a tremendous honor for these young men to have the opportunity to continue their careers at the professional level," said Memphis Head Coach Daron Schoenrock. "All four have worked hard to improve their skills and it has paid off. It's an honor for our program to have these guys selected by Major League clubs." The highest draftee of the group, McGregor was taken in the 15th round, 455th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals. Schenk and Hudgens were both drafted in the 23rd round within six picks of each other. Schenk was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as the 683rd overall selection and Hudgens was picked up by the Cincinnati Reds as the 689th draft pick. Kirkland was chosen in the 36th round by the Seattle Mariners at 1092nd overall. McGregor and Hudgens, both juniors, will have the option to return for their senior seasons in 2009. McGregor is the highest U of M draftee since pitchers Jarrett Grube (290th overall) and Derek Hankins (292nd overall) were both selected in the 10th round of the 2004 MLB Draft. Scott McGregor A native of Liberty Township, Ohio, McGregor has been the Tigers' No. 1 pitcher since his freshman season. Despite deceiving totals in the 2008 season, McGregor was solid, leading the team with a career-high 55 strikeouts in 78.0 innings of work. He logged a 1-8 record with a 5.19 ERA in 13 starts in '08. He made a name for himself around C-USA as rookie when he went 7-3 with 50 strikeouts and a 5.40 ERA. He also tossed three complete-game victories en route to picking up Second Team All-C-USA and C-USA All-Freshman honors. For his career, McGregor has started in 42 of the 41 games he has pitched in. He turned in his lone career save in the only relief outing of his career. The righthander recorded a 5.74 ERA with 140 strikeouts and 13 wins over his three-year stint at Memphis. Neil Schenk Schenk had the best season of his collegiate career in 2008. He led the Tiger pitching staff with a 3.40 ERA in a staff-high 19 appearances as the club's top middle-to-late relief option out of the bullpen this year. He fanned 42 in 39.2 innings of work and held opposing hitters to a staff-low .219 batting average. As the top reliever this season, Schenk notched his first career save after tossing a scoreless inning of relief in a 10-7 win over UT-Martin back on February 27. He claimed his lone win of the year on April 23, when he held Middle Tennessee to just one hit in 4.1 innings of relief. The Memphis native posted a career record of seven wins against 13 losses with a 6.59 ERA. He was called on to pitch in 64 games and earned 17 starts--all of which came in his first three seasons. In 172.1 innings, Schenk recorded 135 strikeouts. The southpaw earned ESPN The Magazine /CoSIDA Academic All-District IV First Team honors as well as being named to the 2008 C-USA All-Academic team. Schenk was also tabbed the University of Memphis Male Scholar Athlete of the 2007-08 school year. Will Hudgens A two-sport athlete at Memphis, Hudgens spent three years on the gridiron as a quarterback on the Tigers' football team before making the decision to take a chance on playing baseball. Despite not having played baseball since his senior year at Ridgeway High School, Hudgens decision proved to be a positive one as he quickly worked his way into Schoenrock's weekend rotation. Hudgens registered a 5-2 record and a 5.17 ERA in his rookie year. Included in his win totals were victories against Missouri (who finished the year ranked 23rd in the nation) No. 6 Clemson, No. 30 Southern Miss, UCF and No. 2 Rice in the 2007 C-USA Championships semifinals. He went 1-6 in 14 appearances in 2008. Hudgens received the starting nod eight times and logged 47.2 innings of work. He tied for third on the staff with 42 strikeouts. For his two-year career on the diamond, Hudgens pitched in 31 games with 12 starts. He went 6-8 with a save, a 6.69 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 94.2 innings. Chris Kirkland Kirkland, was a two-year letterwinner behind the plate for Schoenrock's Tigers, but was drafted as a right-handed pitcher after showcasing a power-arm on the mound. The Knoxville, Tenn., native pitched in just eight games in his Memphis career and made one start. In those eight appearances, Kirkland was 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA. He struck out 14 batters in just 11.1 innings. |
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| 06/06/08 | |
Assistant at Pitt to join Tigers' basketball staff (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Dan Wolken (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Friday, June 6, 2008 Pittsburgh assistant Orlando Antigua will join the University of Memphis coaching staff pending approval by the school president and Board of Regents, a source told The Commercial Appeal on Friday. Though Antigua has accepted the job in principle, the university can’t announce his hiring until the formal processes are complete. Once official, Antigua will join Josh Pastner and John Robic on John Calipari’s bench. Antigua, a native of The Bronx, will serve as the Tigers’ primary recruiting contact in the New York area. He replaces Chuck Martin (also a Bronx native), who left in April to take the head coaching job at Marist. Antigua played at Pittsburgh from 1991-95, starting 78 of 116 career games. After playing seven years for the Harlem Globetrotters, he began his coaching career at Mt. Lebanon High School as an assistant. In 2003, he joined the Pitt staff as director of basketball operations and was promoted to assistant coach in 2006. With Antigua’s hiring, Calipari is near completing his staff for 2008-09. Rod Strickland has been promoted to director of basketball operations, leaving a couple of open administrative positions that will likely be filled in the coming weeks. |
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| 06/06/08 | |
Four University of Memphis baseball players taken in amateur draft (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Phil Stukenborg (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Friday, June 6, 2008 Three University of Memphis pitchers and a catcher/pitcher were selected in the major league baseball amateur draft today. Righthander Scott McGregor, a Cincinnati-area native, was selected in the 15th round by the St. Louis Cardinals, while lefthander Neil Schenk, who attended Briarcrest, and righthander Will Hudgens, a former Ridgeway High star and Tiger football player, were picked in the 23rd round. Catcher Chris Kirkland, who made eight appearances on the mound, was taken in the 36th round by the Seattle Mariners. McGregor went 1-8 with a 5.19 earned-run average as the team's No. 1 starter. Hudgens went 1-6 with an 8.12 ERA, but struck out 42 in 48 innings. Schenk, who pitched mostly in relief, was 2-2 with a 3.40 ERA. Kirkland, used primarily as a catcher, was 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA in his brief work on the mound, but was clocked in the mid-90s. Hudgens, a quarterback on the football team, also threw in the 90s. |
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| 06/05/08 | |
Douglas-Roberts says no to working out for Grizzlies -- Ex-Tiger expecting higher pick than 28th (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Ronald Tillery (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Thursday, June 5, 2008 So much for home cooking. University of Memphis swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts has rebuffed the Grizzlies' requests to visit FedExForum for an individual draft workout. The Griz own the fifth and 28th picks in the first round of the June 26 NBA draft. Douglas-Roberts is projected to go late in the first round. ESPN.com has the Detroit native going 27th to New Orleans while NBAdraft.net slots Douglas-Roberts at No.22 with Orlando. "(Players) take a projection of a range they think they will fall in the draft, and they tend to concentrate on those teams," Griz general manager Chris Wallace said Thursday. "I've got no problem with drafting a guy who doesn't work out. It happens all the time. "His advisors feel that he's going to go higher than 28th. But things change too. We've got three weeks before the draft. They may reconsider closer to draft day, and come in to work out." Douglas-Roberts has worked out at Tim Grover's gym in Chicago along with the likes of USC's O.J. Mayo. He did not participate in the NBA's pre-draft camp at Orlando last week. When asked by DraftExpress.com about his status, Douglas-Roberts sounded confident. "I've heard everything from around 13 to 24," he told the Web site. "I'm not really sure. I'm working out for teams all within that range. I'm even working out for the Nets, who are at 10 and 21, so I'm working out for everyone. These workouts will speak volumes. I really don't know where I'll wind up, but I know I'll end up somewhere." O'Neill on the way: Former University of Tennessee coach Kevin O'Neill, who was interim coach at Arizona when Lute Olson took a leave of absence last season, will officially join the Grizzlies next week. O'Neill will join head coach Marc Iavaroni as a defensive specialist. The 51-year-old has worked at Marquette and Northwestern and was an assistant coach under Jeff Van Gundy with the New York Knicks. In 2001, he joined the Detroit Pistons under head coach Rick Carlisle. O'Neill also was head coach of the Toronto Raptors in 2003. Draft workouts: The Griz began draft workouts Thursday with an emphasis on their 28th pick. Israeli forward Omri Casspi, USC's Davon Jefferson and Mississippi State's Charles Rhodes participated in a spirited session. "I was staring at the Memphis Grizzlies (logo) in the middle of the court," Rhodes said. "It would be a dream come true. But I've got a lot of workouts to do. I'm trying to stay focused." Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said Rhodes' scoring is intriguing. "He was very productive for Mississippi State," Wallace said. "He's someone I think will do well in professional basketball over time." |
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| 06/05/08 | |
Aballi and Edri Earn Academic Honors -- Both named to CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV team (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Two U of M women's track and field athletes earned CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV team accolades. Sivan Aballi was named to the first team for the second time in her career and Chen Edri earned second team honors for the second time in her stint at Memphis. Aballi graduated in the December of 2007 with a degree in Communications. She is currently a graduate student at the U of M, working her way towards a master's degree in the same field. She earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.80 in her undergrad and currently holds a 3.83 after her first semester of grad school. She will be competing at the 2008 NCAA Track and Field Championships after receiving an at-large bid into the national championships after finishing ninth in the women's shot put at regionals. She has a season best mark of 16.36 meters. Edri completed her U of M campaign graduating with a cumulative grade point average of 3.80 and a bachelor's degree in biology. She was the co-recipient of the M-Club Female Scholar Athlete of the Year award. In her last track meet as a Tiger, Edri won the Conference USA women's outdoor high jump title with a mark of 1.75 meters. Edri will be pursuing a graduate degree in physical therapy. |
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| 06/03/08 | |
Memphis Baseball Inks Richland Junior College Catcher Shawn Ablett -- JUCO catcher hit 17 homers and had 71 RBI in 2008 season (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, Tenn. - University of Memphis Head baseball coach Daron Schoenrock looks to remedy some of the offensive struggle his team suffered in the 2008 season with the signing of Richland Junior College catcher Shawn Ablett, it was announced today. The big-hitting backstop is the second junior college recruit to sign with Memphis this summer. "We are excited about what Shawn can bring to our club," said Schoenrock. "He will bring much-needed leadership to a young club as well as providing experience behind the plate and some power to our lineup." A two-year letterman for Head Coach Joe Wharton at Richland, Ablett put up standout numbers in his juco career. He hit .380 with 23 homers, 116 RBI, 33 doubles and five triples. The bulk of that offensive production came in the 2008 season in which the Van Alstyne, Texas native hit .360, banged out 17 homers, 20 doubles and drove in 71 runs. Those number helped Richland to a 47-16 finish and a third-place showing in the 2008 NJCAA World Series. Ablett played a vital role in the Thunderducks' march to a District C Championship in his sophomore campaign, hitting .364 with a pair of round-trippers in the district playoffs. The six-foot Ablett's sophomore season was an encore to a solid rookie campaign at RJC. As a freshman, Ablett drove in 45 runs to go with 13 doubles, six homers and a pair of triples. Richland advanced to the District C title game in 2007. Ablett was a four-sport star in his prep career at Van Alstyne High School. He was a four-year letterwinner in baseball and in powerlifting, while lettering for three seasons on the football and track teams. While at VAHS, Ablett earned several honors and helped coach Jimmy Haynes squads to four consecutive District 9-3A titles. A four-time All-Area selection behind the plate, Ablett holds career records at Van Alstyne with a .430 batting average and 17 home runs. He also collected 120 RBI in his high school career. Ablett earned District 9-3A Offensive Player of the Year accolades in 2004, 2005 and 2006. He was tabbed the District MVP as a senior after hitting .450 with 50 RBI and five homers. A two-time First Team All-State pick, he was selected to play in the THSBCA 1A-3A North All-Star Game after leading the Panthers to a 30-7 record in 2006. |
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| 06/03/08 | |
Memphis Sends Three Tigers to NCAA Championships -- Aballi, King and Nerdal all set to compete at track and field nationals (GoTigersGo.com) |
| MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's and women's track and field teams will be sending three of its top competitors to the 2008 NCAA Track and Field Championships, that will be hosted by Drake University, June 11-14. Sivan Aballi, Susan King and Steffen Nerdal will all represent Memphis as they prepare themselves for the national championships. Aballi received an at-large bid into the national championships after finishing ninth in the women's shot put at regionals. She has a season best mark of 16.36 meters. King won the 2008 NCAA Mideast Regional crown in the women's shot put with a mark of 17.60 meters. She has a season best distance of 18.10 meters, which she has achieved twice this year. Nerdal took fourth at regionals in the hammer throw with a mark of 66.59 meters. He will be making his second-straight appearance at the championships in the hammer. This is the first time since 1984, that Memphis will be sending three or more athletes to the national championships. |
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| 06/03/08 |  |
In the news: C-USA approves tournament move (Commercial Appeal) |
| From Our Press Services Tuesday, June 3, 2008 The Conference USA men's basketball tournament is officially coming to Tulsa's new downtown arena. Four years after leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup, coach John Tortorella (center) was fired by the team. The conference's board of directors voted during its annual meeting Tuesday in Orlando, Fla., to move the tournament to the new BOK Center in 2010. The event will be the first major sports championship held in the $178 million arena, which will be completed this fall. League officials recommended the move last month at the conference's annual meetings. "The BOK Center will be an absolutely fantastic venue for this championship event. The Tulsa community has shown in the past an outpouring of support for major sporting events, and we expect nothing to be different with the Conference USA basketball tournament," Tulsa athletic director Bubba Cunningham said. The 2009 tournament will still be played at FedExForum. |
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| 06/03/08 | |
Slimmer Tigers return home -- Cuisine aside, trip to China a good time (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Marlon W. Morgan (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Tuesday, June 3, 2008 If you run into any of the University of Memphis basketball players this week, they may appear a bit slimmer than when you last saw them. A week in China, where the dining experience takes some getting used to, apparently can cause you to shed a few pounds. ''I think I lost like 12 pounds,'' UofM forward Shawn Taggart said. The cuisine was the most notable difference for the Tigers, who along with five players from other Conference USA schools, as well as Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik and UTEP coach Tony Barbee, played three exhibition games against the Chinese national team. Rising senior guard Antonio Anderson said he was relegated to eating candy in China, while Willie Kemp was hoping that some familiar American restaurant chains would cure his hunger. ''I mean, they had Burger King, KFC and McDonald's, but it wasn't like over here,'' Kemp said. ''It wasn't that good over there. The rice, that probably was the best thing over there.'' The Tigers arrived back in Memphis Monday afternoon, and -- food aside -- players enjoyed the experience. As they toured three cities in the Chinese province of Guangdong, the players were welcomed with open arms everywhere they went. Taggart said he enjoyed being able to interact with the Chinese citizens, especially the children. ''They really enjoyed our company,'' Taggart said. ''They enjoyed us being out there. We really put on a show for them.'' Not only were the Tigers able to experience life in another culture, they were able to get a headstart on building chemistry for next season, when they'll be without at least three key members of last season's team that lost to Kansas in the national championship game. Anderson said he could already tell some of his teammates have begun expanding their games, despite the Tiger-led team losing all three games to the Chinese. ''Guys are doing what they need to do to get out there on the court next year,'' Anderson said. ''We need some guys to step up, and I think those guys are capable of doing it. ''Everybody needs to work on something. I need to work on everything, shooting, ballhandling, getting stronger, just a lot of things. I'm willing to do that to help my team win next year.'' The fact that forward Robert Dozier, who still has his name entered in the NBA Draft but has not signed with an agent, went on the trip could be a good sign for the Tigers. ''I'm still exploring my options, but there's probably a good chance I'll be back next year,'' Dozier said. With their feet back on American soil after the nearly 20-hour plane ride, the Tigers will soon begin their summer workouts. But first thing's first for Anderson, who was preparing to board another plane headed for his hometown of Boston, where he'll spend the summer. ''My mom cooked already,'' Anderson said. ''She made some pork chops and some other stuff for me. She's going to have it in the microwave for me for when I get home. I can't wait.'' |
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| 06/02/08 |  |
Registration Still Available for Memphis Softball Summer Camps -- Tiger Staff to hold four camps in June (GoTigersGo.com) |
| Registration is now open for the Lady Tiger Softball Summer Camps. Memphis head coach Windy Thees and her staff will hold the camps beginning on June 9 with four camps being offered.
The Tiger softball staff will hold four Summer Camps beginning with an Advanced Skills Camp on June 9-11. A Hitting Camp will then be offered on June 16-17 and a Pitcher/Catcher Camp and a Defensive Skills Camp is available on June 18-19. Advanced Skills Camp - Recommendation Letter Required Location: Tiger Softball Complex, University of Memphis: Park Ave. Campus Date: June 9-11, 2008 Time: 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Cost: $275 Max Participants: 50 Participants must provide a letter of recommendation from their high school or summer coach with registration. Check in starts 15 minutes prior to each camp. A $25 administration fee will be charged for cancellations. There are no cancellations once camp has started. Registrations are accepted on a first come first serve basis. Campers will receive an e-mail confirmation with additional camp information upon receipt of their completed registration form and payment. Hitting Camp Location: Tiger Softball Complex, University of Memphis: Park Ave. Campus Date: June 16-17, 2008 Time: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Cost: $125 Ages: 10-Rising Senior Max Participants: 50 Check in starts 15 minutes prior to each camp. A $25 administration fee will be charged for cancellations. There are no cancellations once camp has started. Registrations are accepted on a first come first serve basis. Campers will receive an e-mail confirmation with additional camp information upon receipt of their completed registration form and payment. Pitcher/Catcher Camp Location: Tiger Softball Complex, University of Memphis: Park Ave. Campus Date: June 18-19, 2008 Time: 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Cost: $100 Ages: 10-Rising Senior Max Participants: 40 Check in starts 15 minutes prior to each camp. A $25 administration fee will be charged for cancellations. There are no cancellations once camp has started. Registrations are accepted on a first come first serve basis. Campers will receive an e-mail confirmation with additional camp information upon receipt of their completed registration form and payment. Defensive Skills Camp Location: Tiger Softball Complex, University of Memphis: Park Ave. Campus Date: June 18-19, 2008 Time: 1-3:30 p.m. Cost: $75 Ages: 10-Rising Senior Max Participants: 50 Check in starts 15 minutes prior to each camp. A $25 administration fee will be charged for cancellations. There are no cancellations once camp has started. Registrations are accepted on a first come first serve basis. Campers will receive an e-mail confirmation with additional camp information upon receipt of their completed registration form and payment. |
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| 06/02/08 | |
Chinese wallop C-USA in finale -- Calipari says team 'wore down' on trip (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Maggie Rauch Special to The Commercial Appeal Monday, June 2, 2008 HUIZHOU, China -- In the most lopsided of their three games, the Memphis-led Conference USA team lost to the Chinese national team, 91-68. Unlike the first two games, which were controlled by the visiting team most of the way, Sunday's game was all China from the second quarter until the end. "The Chinese team just kept getting better throughout the three games," University of Memphis coach John Calipari, who is coaching the C-USA team, said after the game. "And I think my team wore down a little on the trip. It's hard on these young people to be away from home for a week." U of M forward Shawn Taggart led C-USA with 12 points. The exhibition tour included games in three different cities in China's Guangdong province. The cities of Dongguan, Yangjiang and Huizhou are across the South China Sea from Hong Kong in the Pearl River Delta. The area has played a key role in China's economic development as the site where Deng Xiaoping first tested economic reforms. Now it's a place where Calipari is testing the recruiting waters. "We see what in all likelihood is coming. Basketball is just like everything else in China. It gets started and then it just rolls downhill," Calipari said. "We are putting our program in a position to capitalize on that." He acknowledged that it will be a challenge to secure top-level talent here before the domestic professional system finds it, but said that he hopes to attract players and their parents with the prospect of an education at an American university. "The risk in this is we never get a player. We end up with great relationships, some great new friends and experiences," Calipari said. "If we do get a Chinese player, our team and university will be huge. We become an international school." At halftime of Sunday's game, the Memphis team honored Cui Wanjun, a Chinese coach who spent the 2007-08 season with the team, by presenting him with a Final Four ring at center court. "Going to the NCAA Tournament was the most exciting part of my time in Memphis," Cui said. "This ring is my most precious gift." Calipari and seven Memphis players were joined by head coaches Doug Wojcik of University of Tulsa, University of Texas El Paso's Tony Barbee and five players from other conference schools. Asked about being coached by Calipari for a week, UTEP guard Ben Uzoh said: "When I was asked to come on this trip, I told myself that regardless of what happened I'd learn something new here. I definitely learned a lot." Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson also accompanied the team, along with his wife Melba. "This exchange is great for the program," he said of Memphis' relationship with China. "It keeps us ahead of the curve." Also in attendance at the game was Del Harris, who coached China's 2004 Olympic team. He will stay in China with Calipari to run a five-day clinic for 200 coaches. The clinic and the exhibition games are part of Memphis' five-year agreement with the Chinese Basketball Association. Maggie Rauch is a Beijing-based writer/editor of ChinaSportsToday. |
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| 06/01/08 | |
Team C-USA Falls To Chinese National Team 91-68 In Exhibition Finale Sunday -- Memphis Chinese intern coach Cui Wanjun presented NCAA Final Four ring at halftime (GoTigersGo.com) |
| HUIZHOU, CHINA - Memphis' Shawn Taggart led Team Conference USA with 12 points, but it was not enough as the Chinese National Team posted a 91-68 victory in the final game of the exhibition tour before a crowd of over 3,500 on Sunday. "Team China got better and better throughout the three games, and I hope we helped them in their preparations for the Olympics," said Team C-USA head coach John Calipari. "I think my team played well overall, but tonight fatigue set in a bit and that's understandable when kids are away from home this length of time. "I'd like to thank the CBA and the people of China who have overwhelmed us with their kindness and openness. I hope everyone knows that our hearts and prayers go out to all the earthquake victims and their families, and I hope that we were able to bring a little enjoyment into their lives and offer a temporary diversion. We are thinking of all of those affected and hope that better days lie ahead for everyone. This was a goodwill trip for all of us." Team China held a narrow lead in the opening quarter at 17-12 with 1:21 left. However, the home squad broke the game open midway through the second quarter, and held a 41-25 lead. From that point, Team China never looked back, as Team C-USA would only get as close as 14 points the rest of the way. At halftime of the game, University of Memphis Chinese intern coach Cui Wanjun was presented his 2008 NCAA Final Four ring. Wanjun, who was on the Tigers' staff throughout the 2007-08 campaign, commented that it was "a most precious gift" upon receiving the ring. Former Team China coach and NBA veteran coach Del Harris was at the game and sat closest to the China bench, wearing a Team China golf shirt. He and Calipari are scheduled to conduct clinics in China for the next few days. Due to technical difficulties of computer equipment at the game, a boxscore was unavailable. If and when one becomes available, it will be posted. |
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| 06/01/08 | |
Tigers slouch to second best -- Posture may have added to fatigue in tournament (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Dan Wolken (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Sunday, June 1, 2008 Like pretty much every other University of Memphis fan, John Christman hurt for days following the Tigers' overtime loss to Kansas in the national championship game. But Christman was, in many ways, even more distraught, because he believes he could have done something about Memphis blowing a nine-point lead in the final two minutes. The missed free throws? The bad inbounds pass? The tying 3-pointer? For Christman, it all came back to the same thing. "Their posture," he said, "was terrible." At first blush, it sounds insignificant, and admittedly, a bit out there. But on this particular subject, Christman could not be more serious. With a Ph.D. in physiology and biophysics, he's devoted his entire career to studying posture and its relationship to peak athletic performance. He's turned his theories into a business based out of Memphis -- his Web site is powerposture.com -- and is currently working on projects with companies like Motorola and Intel. "It would have made all the difference in the national championship game," he said. "It really would have. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced of it." The layman's version is at least interesting enough not to dismiss completely. And it's not as simple as your mother telling you to stand up straight. Over time, Christman says, everybody begins to slump over. It's especially pronounced with the current generation of college kids, who grew up spending more time sitting in front of televisions, computers and video games. Maintaining good posture, he says, requires increased muscle strength and flexibility, which pays dividends at the elite levels of athletic competition. Current training methods for athletes, however, don't emphasize good posture, he says. Christman believes he can draw a direct line between the famously bad, hunched-over posture of Chris Douglas-Roberts and his performance down the stretch of the national title game. "It was a major contributor to his fatigue at the end of the game, missing the free throws," Christman said. "I don't blame him. He doesn't know. These kids don't know how to do it right." He even pointed to a picture in The Commercial Appeal sports section earlier this week of Joey Dorsey and his incorrect head positioning. "It contributed to his excessive fatigue development during games, and that's what got him," Christman said. "(CBS analyst) Billy Packer, during the game, mentioned he looked awfully tired and he'd foul somebody. That's what happened; he got his fifth foul and fouled out. Those little things can make a difference." Christman said he also noticed flaws in the posture of Shawn Taggart, Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier but acknowledged this isn't just a Memphis problem. It's not as though Kansas' posture was appreciably better than Memphis'. Rather, Christman's point is, why not try to get every edge imaginable? In that same spirit, Christman has another complaint with what he views as unnecessary clothing items, from the long outer shorts that are popular in basketball currently to the bike shorts underneath that most of the players wear to the tank tops under their jerseys. "It overheats you," he said. "You lose sweat and dehydrate, and if you're overheated, you can't play as well. It fatigues you to do that. It's stupid; absolutely idiotic. You can't run as freely when you have those things on underneath. It's throwing away the championship for the sake of style." If nothing else, Christman's thoughts are cutting edge. And he'd like to have an audience with Memphis coach John Calipari to at least explain how he could help the Tigers. He just wishes he'd done it a little sooner. "He's a great coach, but his posture isn't great either," Christman said. "He doesn't have an appreciation for biomechanics. I'm not faulting him. He just doesn't know." Recruiting update The Tigers will get the last word once again in a key recruiting battle. Emmanuel Negedu, a 6-7 forward who was recently released from a signed letter of intent to attend Arizona, will visit Memphis on June 12 after visits to Indiana (June 3), Georgia Tech (June 8) and Tennessee (June 10). Memphis had the last visit with forward Devin Ebanks, who ultimately chose West Virginia. Negedu, a native of Nigeria, is ranked No. 40 overall in the class of 2008 by Rivals.com. His consideration of Memphis is largely due to new assistant coach Josh Pastner, who recruited Negedu to Arizona last year. Pastner could also help the Tigers get involved in the recruitment of Abdul Gaddy, a highly ranked 2009 point guard from the Tacoma, Wash., area who decommitted from Arizona last week. Gaddy told Rivals.com that Kansas, Memphis, Oregon, USC, Washington and Gonzaga would be in the mix. Also, a report last week in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette indicated that New York guard Lance Stephenson, Rivals' No. 7-ranked player in 2009, has cut his list to Kansas, UCLA and USC. The Tigers had previously been mentioned prominently in Stephenson's recruitment. Memphis is recruiting several other highly rated guards, however, including John Wall (No. 1 overall), Xavier Henry (No. 2) and Briarcrest's Leslie McDonald (No. 32). Etc. Incoming freshman Wesley Witherspoon could be part of a USA Basketball squad traveling to Argentina later this summer for the FIBA under-18 championships. Witherspoon will try out for the team in Washington, D.C. from July 1-4. ... The Tigers return Monday from their week-long trip to China. The team, which is representing Conference USA, has one final exhibition game to be played this morning (Memphis time) after two close losses. |
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| 06/01/08 | |
Dorsey determined to prove doubters wrong, this time at the NBA level (Commercial Appeal) |
| By Ronald Tillery (Contact) Memphis Commercial Appeal Sunday, June 1, 2008 ORLANDO -- It may as well be his wallet, keys or watch. The chip on Joey Dorsey's shoulder. He never leaves home without the mind-set that people must be proven wrong. That chip grew larger when the 6-9 former University of Memphis power forward arrived at the NBA's Pre-Draft Camp last week. "I came here to play against the guys ahead of me (in mock drafts)," Dorsey said. "Once I got down here, I didn't see those guys on the list. So I was a little (upset)." The talent-starved games at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex didn't extinguish Dorsey's competitive fire. He spent the better part of the week captivating the camp's audience, which was filled with league executives, coaches and scouts. If anything, Dorsey did for his draft stock in figurative terms what he was revered for physically with the national runner-up Tigers -- the 24-year-old more than held his ground. There are several teams -- Grizzlies included -- near the end of the first round and at the top of the second that have made no secret of a desire to add frontcourt rebounding and toughness. The solidly built Dorsey, who is projected by NBAdraft.net to go 32nd to Seattle in the draft June 26, didn't damage opinions of his game, by many accounts. "Even though everybody knows what Joey is, this was the last time they'll see him play prior to the draft. So if you don't play well here, it doesn't create a positive impression," said Chris Wallace, general manager of the Grizzlies, who possibly could take Dorsey at No. 28. "It's not good to struggle in one of the last venues. We tend to focus in more on what you've done in the postseason in the NCAA tourney, pre-draft camp and individual team workouts." Dorsey's first workout is scheduled with Orlando early this week. He'll visit Seattle, Cleveland and Memphis, too, without the preconditions that many agents require from teams. For example, the Grizzlies are struggling to set up workouts with top prospects because many agents want a sterile environment. They don't want their clients to battle someone projected to go late (e.g., Dorsey) for fear the highly touted player will look bad. "I want to go against everybody -- the Lopez brothers, Kevin Love, everybody that's in front of me," Dorsey said. "I want to go out there and show that I can play with those guys." Dorsey's college teammate, Derrick Rose, believes teams are underrating his former enforcer. "There were so many games where he just took over because of his defense," Rose said. "He can score a little bit, too. But it's really about his defense. As long as he's blocking shots and getting rebounds, he should be good in the NBA." Dorsey's mission, however, is to shed the label of being one-dimensional. He wants to show an offensive game, something he didn't get to display as much as he would have liked in college, where the Tigers' offense revolved around Rose and fellow first-round-pick-in-waiting Chris Douglas-Roberts. "I want to show everybody that I can play," Dorsey said. "A lot of people don't know I have offense because of the situation I was in at Memphis. I don't have to just sit on the block and wait for a lob. Now, I can show I have post moves and I can shoot the 15-footer. I can actually score and pass." Former NBA great Patrick Ewing, an assistant with the Orlando Magic, doesn't want to see Dorsey try and reinvent himself. No coach is going to run plays for Dorsey, which is fine because the Baltimore native clearly has a niche that's defined in the NBA. "He just has to hustle, scratch, claw and be physical," Ewing said. "There's always a job for a rebounder and someone who is going to do all of the dirty work -- a Dennis Rodman type. Then, he has to work on all of the other parts of his game: making shots, getting to the free throw line and making them. If he can improve in those areas, it'll pay off." Free-throw shooting -- rather Dorsey's ineffectiveness at the line -- is what concerns former NBA center Jack Sikma, an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets. "It would be nice if he could make a free throw," Sikma said, "because he's going to get fouled a lot with his aggressiveness." Dorsey left Memphis with a .378 free throw percentage for his senior season. In his private workouts, Dorsey has spent countless hours working on low-post moves and honing a mid-range shot. The payoff was noticeable at the Pre-Draft Camp once Dorsey settled down. "The first drill I looked up and saw Larry Bird," Dorsey said, "and I went like 2-for-5." Dorsey is intent on improving beyond the Bo Outlaw/Ben Wallace comparisons. He actually wants to be more like "best friend" Rudy Gay, who also hails from Baltimore and is an emerging star with the Grizzlies. Just emerging from a rough environment to become successful in basketball would put Dorsey in the same class as Gay, who convinced Dorsey to share his agent, Lance Young. Coming out of Douglass High, not many expected Dorsey to keep playing. People refer to his neighborhood as "Iraq," with cameras on many street corners, trying to capture drug-related activity. Dorsey was expected to be the first guy from Douglass to be kicked off a college team. "I've proven them wrong," Dorsey said. "Coming from Baltimore, it was so hard growing up. Staying in school was tough. Seeing people playing basketball and not go anywhere, I just wanted to go to a good college and be under a good coach. From there, Coach (John Calipari) stayed on me pretty hard. "Memphis made me a better person. I grew up. I did a lot of things in the past, but everybody makes mistakes. I made mistakes and Memphis stayed by my side. That's why I love Memphis." Some people might say he got too comfortable, walking with an air of invincibility in the Bluff City. There was the incident of allegedly pouring water on a female student at Memphis, his role in what erupted into a brawl at the Plush Club on Beale Street, and having to be restrained amid taunts from UAB fans. Dorsey acknowledged that character issues continue to follow him. "Yeah, it comes up," Dorsey said. "The character that people portray of me is that I like to go out and get into trouble. But if people get to know me, they would know I'm a nice person." Nice and reformed? "No more clubs for me," Dorsey declared. "I definitely don't do the clubs any more. I've been so focused on working out two times a day. It's just being focused from here on out and trying to prove a lot of people that's doubting me wrong. "I hope I'm in the first round. But it would be a dream just to get picked up in the draft wherever I land." |
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