Re: More bad news for the Tigers That doesn't have to do with anything. The point is he lied to us again.
Re: More bad news for the Tigers Look, first Calipari says, "Memphis is where I want to coach." He leaves for Kentucky two days later. At the Kentucky press conference he says he has no intentions to talking to the players he recruited at Memphis and wants them to stay there. Now he is going after the two recruits that still haven't signed out of there letter of intent for Memphis. I'm not the only one who says this, every Memphis fan is mad about it.
Re: More bad news for the Tigers Just wait until the dominoes fall. You never know right now. Too early.
What the Tigers coaching staff could look like http://thememphisedge.com/2009/04/15/what-the-coaching-staff-could-look-like/ Solid hires
Memphis Has Interest in Lance, Famous http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/04/15/memphis-has-interest-in-lance-famous/ PLEASE!!!!!
Re: Memphis Has Interest in Lance, Famous It is a little too late for both of them and Josh Pastner isn't exactly a household name to anyone outside of Arizona & Memphis.
Will Coleman: I’m sticking with Memphis http://thememphisedge.com/2009/04/20/will-coleman-im-sticking-with-memphis/ Beast.
Re: Will Coleman: I’m sticking with Memphis http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/apr/20/miami-dade-big-man-keeps-commitment-memphis-tigers/ And Evans officially enters the draft, meaning he did all the paper work. Pastner already knows he is a goner.
Re: Will Coleman: I’m sticking with Memphis http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/04/24/dodson-to-kentucky-smith-to-louisville/#more-15567
Re: Will Coleman: I’m sticking with Memphis Will Coleman is ranked higher and looks like a great player. We could of used another wing but I'd rather we keep Coleman over Dodson.
A Look Into the Possible Starting Point Guard for the Memphis Tigers With five-star Alabama high school point guard, Eric Bledsoe, choosing Kentucky over Memphis on Wednesday, what happens now with the possible candidates for the Tigers starting point-guard position? There are a number of different options from the JUCO ranks, but there is still a strong possibility that the Tigers stay with their current possible starters, Willie Kemp and Wesley Witherspoon. Kemp was the Tigers' starter as a freshman when the Tigers made the Elite Eight, and he showed many flashes of what he could be the next few years as a starter. Since then, his confidence has taken a hit. His statistics freshman year were nothing spectacular, but he did a good job running the team and controlling the tempo while splitting time with former player Andre Allen. In his sophomore season, Kemp was replaced by freshman sensation, Derrick Rose, who would later be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. Kemp's playing time dropped drastically from playing 21 minutes a game as a freshman to less than 14 minutes as a sophomore, where he took more of a shooters role off the bench. Last season was quite simply a nightmare for Kemp. His playing time continued to drop and he really could not find the three point shot he had sophomore year. As the season went on, his playing time continued to fall to the point he was only seeing around five minutes of playing time and having many scoreless outings. I think it is safe to say that Kemp's confidence took a hit after seeing his starting job get taken away two seasons in a row since once having the spot as a freshman. Author Poll Who Will Be The Starting PG For The Tigers? Wille Kemp Weasley Witherspoon Other (Explain who) vote to see results Kemp looks to be the favorite to be the starter going into the summer. Another candidate for the starting position is sophomore Wesley Witherspoon. Witherspoon was also tested at point guard last season after Kemp and Anderson were tried out and failed. Witherspon's time as a starter showed more of his tremendous upside than his readiness to start. As a starter and later coming off the bench, Witherspoon struggled with his man defense picking up bone head fouls quick and early. He also was not ready to lead the team as a starter as he often picked up more turnovers than assists. At the same time, Witherspoon also displayed his tremendous athleticism and improving ability to get to the rim. Many Tiger fans agree that Witherspoon has the best upside out of most of the players on the current roster. Right now, Witherspoon is just a raw player with a lot of upside. Some good work over the summer and throughout the season can get Witherspoon some good minutes off the bench and maybe even a starting job somewhere other than point guard. I simply do not think Witherspoon is ready to play point guard full time just yet. There is still a possibility that the Tigers go another direction for a point guard, including going after a high school player or a Junior Collage player. There has been a lot of talk about the Tigers interest in Miami-Dade point guard, James Beatty. The signing of his ex-teammate, Will Coleman, could generate some interest from Betty's part. There is also a lot of small talk of the possibility of signing Coney Island star, Lance Stephenson, and playing him at point guard. Stephenson is a combo-guard with three point range and a great ability to get to the basket. His ball-handling skills are fit to play point guard as well. This option should not be slept on, but the Tigers have to sign Stephenson first, which is not a sure thing yet. Stephenson is currently considering Arizona and Memphis. If I had to put money right now on the starting Memphis point guard next year, I would go with Willie Kemp. Kemp has been a starter for the Tigers before and was on his way to be the starter for the next few years in till two straight years of "one-and-done" point guards came in and took his spot. Once Kemp gets his confidence back and can keep his play consistent and as turnover free as possible, he could be the answer for the Tigers at point guard next season. Of course, this is easier said than done, but you never where a player will come out of to lead the team. No matter who is named the starter to start the season, Tiger Nation will always be behind him. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...e-starting-point-guard-for-the-memphis-tigers Comments and views are appreciated.
Re: A Look Into the Possible Starting Point Guard for the Memphis Tigers I've been on a roll lately with my articles on Bleacher Report. This is the second article in a row with over 1,000 views.
Two frenetic days with Josh Pastner http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=4160632
Re: Two frenetic days with Josh Pastner If we get some one like "Born Ready" that would be great. Players of this caliber considering to play for a first year coach is good enough in itself.
La Bomba: The Era of Winning is Not Over in Memphis After a surprising Sweet 16 finish and the signings of arguably the best freshman class ever, Memphis seemed like it was well on its way to a possible Final Four appearance in 2010. Who would have thought that one mans departure could change those aspirations so quickly? After John Caliparis leave from Memphis to Lexington, Kentucky, the buzz around the city of Memphis quickly changed. The team was without a staff, without a single recruit and with the idea that nine years of work had just gone down the drain. Memphis went in a search for a new head coach. Athletic Director, R.C. Johnson, supposedly carried a list of coaches in his pocket he would hire if Calipari were to leave. The result was the hiring of 31-year old, first time head coach, Josh Pastner. This was not the wow hire that Memphis fans would have wanted. Memphis had just sold a record number of season tickets for the coming season, now those new season ticket holders are starting to think about the lost value of those tickets. Josh Pastner has only brought back one recruit, JUCO star Will Coleman, and has lost most of the old signees to Kentucky. As of now, the Tigers stand with seven scholarship players. The Tigers have talent but lack players that can lead the team and are ready to play starter minutes. So how is this era of winning anything but over for the Tigers? Well, it starts and ends with Josh Pastner. All three of the 5-Star high school players left unsigned, Latavious Williams, John Wall, and Lance Stephenson; all have one thing in common. They are considering Memphis as one of their top schools. Not to many first ever head coaches have top high school players possibly wanting to play for them before they are even able to coach one game. Pastners recruiting ability alone can get Memphis back where it was. Heck, Calipari, who was heavily criticized for his ability to coach from the bench, is one of the winningest coaches ever at his span at Memphis. Nowadays, recruiting means everything. If Pastner sells the program as well as Calipari did and takes advantage of the assists around it like the excellent training facilities and being in an NBA city, there is no reason why the Tigers cannot get back to their old winning ways. Of course, this is easier said then done. One of the most underrated moves Pastner has made in his short time at Memphis is the hiring of the new assistant coaches. Willis Wilson, a former Rice head coach, was the first to join the staff. Wilson did not win many games at Rice, but to be fair to Wilson, Rice had horrible basketball facilities and high academic standards making it difficult to bring in good players to his program. Wilson is still heavily respected among other coaches around the country and is known as a great teacher with a vast knowledge of the game. This is a great hire for a first year head coach, in fact, I would not be surprised if Wilson is doing a lot of the in game coaching during Pastners first year. The second assistant hired was Glynn Cyprien, a former UNLV, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, and recently Kentucky assistant coach. Cyprien was the lead recruiter while at Kentucky under Billy Gillispie. Cyprien is given a lot of the credit for bringing in players such as Daniel Orton and John Hood while he served at Kentucky. The last hire is Jack Murphy, the lead scout and video coordinator for the NBAs Denver Nuggets. I am not as familiar with Murphy as I am with the other hirings, but I know Pastner and Murphy have a great relationship and Murphy even goes on to say that Pastner is like a brother to him. Having a coach with NBA experience is always a plus in the recruiting trails. This has not been made official yet, but all speculation points to Murphy joining the staff once the NBA season is over. One of the things I have liked most about Josh Pastner is his wanting to actively recruit players in the city. Memphis does not produce 5-star talent that cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City do, but there is still plenty of Division-1 talent from Memphis scattered in programs around the country. Memphis has missed out in just about every big name player the city has had the last few years. The Thaddeus Youngs, the Elliot Williamss, the Leslie McDonalds, you name it, Memphis has not been able to grab them. The local kids are always a fan favorite, but they are usually walk-on players such as Jared Sandridge or Preston Laird. Pastner is going after a number of native Memphians for the 2010 class, most notably, White Station point guard Joe Jackson. Memphis is a program that is very tightly knit with the community. Everywhere you go, whether it is Midtown or even past Arlington, TN, there will be cars with Tigers flags or a house with a Go Tigers! on the window. The localness of this program is what makes it so special. I will be the first to tell you that Memphis does not have the nationwide fans that the North Carolina's, the Kentuckys and the Floridas have, but they have the same die-hardiness, pride, and support all year long. If Pastner is able to bring out the good of the program, the fans, the facilities, the pro-favored system, and Memphis being an NBA city, then Memphis will be a collage basketball power again. Right now I may sound like an overly excited fan, and in many ways, I am. I still know Memphis has a long way to go before they are that thirty-eight win team we saw a few years ago, but I also know young, energetic, workhorse coaches like Josh Pastner do not come often. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/176359-...er-josh-pastner Comments and views are appreciated.
