jamammy

So, "Worldwide" Wesley Witherspoon averaged almost 13 a game last year and is starting to tap into the "potential" that has been talked about for the last two years. Wes proved to be a threat from the outside, employing the short range jumper to give him access to the basket when going all the way to the hole. When he is out on the wing and you put a hand in his face, he can scoot around you and head to the hole. If the defense collapses, he can just stop and pop. If they stick their man and let him have the lane, he'll take it. He has proven to be a very versatile player and can play any position on the floor. This year, however, he will likely stick in the small/power forward positions, his likely NBA positions. In my opinion, he starts at the 3. Last year, he was Elliot's goto guy when they were on the floor together, this year he may find himself needing to create his own shot. Does his PPG go up, down, or stay close to the same?

After a very impressive game against Kansas, Will Coleman was up and down through the first half of the season. He seemed to show up well against elite bigs but sometimes got out positioned by your ordinary, everyday role players. I attribute this to just needing to learn the game a little better and know where he is supposed to be. Mr. Coleman came on stong in the second half of the season having upped his basketball IQ and displayed more patience and physical endurance. Does he become that double - double guy that we know he can be or does he just go out and dominate the glass, the lane and the rim unleashing the WilldaBeast on these folks and taking over as the leading points producer on the team due to back to the basket type play and slamming home everything that comes off the offensive glass. He is an incredible raw talent and a future NBA player. I just hope he let's it show starting in game one and doesn't let up. Twenty a game? It could happen.

Angel Garcia. I have never seen a Memphis big with so much potential game. This dude has a basketball mind and has been well trained. He can post up, he can shoot the short range jumper and follow it, but low and behold, he can pop the bottom out of the nets from wayyy downtown. He's got in the gym type range, if he's in the gym, he's within range. Garcia came off an acl injury as fast as anybody ever has, then turned around and turned it on when he was in the game. I think very few people thought he could make it back on the court before last season ended, even fewer thought he would be able to contribute at all if he did, and even fewer than thought he would bring it big time like he did. He swooped, he scooped, he whooped, and he hooped. This dude is a straight up baller. His form is beautiful and though he was still limited by his rehabilitation, he put on some highlight reels. Flat out made some folks look silly down in the lane, stuffed it back in CUSA's prima donna big man, Jerome Jordan's face and shot, what, like 40+ percent from the 3. Is he gonna be even more mobile this next season and start to really flourish in his role as a poducer on the court with dazzling displays of marksmanship and simply out positioning his man while putting up a team high in points game after game? Some people got hops, Garcia has NBA pops.

So, I picked out the likely candidates for the leading scorer next year. That doesn't mean that DJ doesn't step it up big time and take charge. That doesn't mean that Joe, Will, and Jelan take over the team on their way to a National Championship. I never said that Chris Crawford won't put up big points and I sure as heck ain't sleeping on nobody else on the team. Carmouche could blow up, Antonio Barton may have been deceivingly underrated. Tarik or Hippolyte could become major rager clean up guys. Drew may get anough wind in his sails and overcome his defensive short comings to stay out there and drain that three. PLiddy might just wow all of us and take us on his back all the way to the big game, baby. I don't know.

I do know this. One of our players will be the highest scorer on the team next year.

Who ya got?

  Okay, this is just based on what I have seen players do, the offense I suspect Pastner will run, and intuition.  I think Pastner will have two choices for starting lineup.  One choice will be basically a four guard one big type lineup and the other with both bigs in. 
 

Quick lineup:

  Elliot Williams - pg

  Doneal Mack - sg

  Roburt Sallie - sf

  Wesley Witherspoon - pf

  Will Coleman - c


Thick lineup: 

  Elliot Williams - pg

  Doneal Mack - sg

  Wesley Witherspoon - sf

  Will Coleman - pf

  Pierre Henderson-Niles - c

  Now, I know that everyone wants Kemp in the starting lineup but I just don't think that's the ticket to win.  I think we will be running so hard that essentially it doesn't matter who starts there will be constant rotation. You know. But just to put the best foot forward against a quick team, I think you go with the first lineup. The same with a big/thick team and the thick lineup. For example, with Kansas, I think we will go with the thick lineup quickly switching to the quick lineup the second that Aldrich sits for any reason.  Our guards will kill Kansas and we just have to keep our bigs rested and out of foul trouble.  It should be understood that Kemp can be put in at point and everybody scoots left. Pierre will have to step up.  I have heard that Drew Barnum will take the 8th spot in the rotation ahead of scholarship player, DJ Stephens.  At Memphis Madness, DJ Stephens was more active in the scrimmage and his dunk in the contest was sick. So, I think either is a good substitute for Witherspoon.  I expect Williams, Sallie, Mack, and Coleman to perform.  The x-factors will be Niles, Witherspoon, and the Kempster.  Also, like I said, I expect for DJ Stephens to emerge as a quality college freshman player this year despite the lack of hype. As for Barnum, I expect we will see why he was being recruited to a couple of fairly big name schools and sigend with a Div. 1 on scholarship but chose to come to Memphis as a walk on.  The other walk ons, in my opinion, will see minutes as necessary and mop up minutes in some games. Although, I would love to see them show why they play ball but a walk on is a walk on for the most part. Harvey, Foster, Laird, and Thomas must step up every chance they get. I think it was Thomas who showed he could play at Madness. This should be an exciting year! 

  Anyway, that's my starting five's: Williams, Mack, Sallie, Witherspoon, Coleman  or Williams, Mack, Witherspoon, Coleman, Niles.


Go Tigers Go!!!!!

  I expect to see the Tigers runnin' and gunnin' this year due to a guard heavy lineup and Pastner's motion offense.  We will be looking for the break. I expect to see our team excel in this type of play.  It's like the NBA.  We have done this a hundred times, now, let's do this at lightning speed.  I have heard word of a zone defense.  I have thoughts on this.  A zone defense is a deterrent to the proposed offensive style. Man to man would be the key. With lack of depth, man to man can present foul trouble. But I don't think we have lack of depth. Sure, Garcia going down is a big time hurdle but we still have a few big boys in the paint.  I also think, as we have seen many teams do in the past, that we run guard heavy four guards with one big.Or three guards with two bigs.  Something tells me we will have one more big player coming in somehow, I don't know who and I don't know how but it's just a gut feeling.  Either way we are fine. If we don't get a NC this year then think of the possibilty next year, we lose 3 seniors but gain an " impressive already soon to get better recruiting class." The number of Memphis boys on the team will be unpecedented for a Championship run. Memphis will win a championship within the next three years. Believe it.  Expect to see Will Coleman and DJ Stephens way above the rim.  Expect to see Williams and Kemp with Mack and Sallie runnin' as fast as they can go. Look for Wesley Witherspoon to emerge as a force on the team and Niles to come alive. The walkons(Barnum, Foster, Harvey Jr., Laird, Thomas) will give quality assistance as no other group of walkons before in the entire NCAA history. We are going deep in the tourney, don't doubt it. This is a special year coming for us Tiger fans. Let's sit back and enjoy the ride.

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The Memphis Tigers basketball team has five walk on players for the 2009-2010 season.  They are :



Drew Barham
 
Tyler Foster

James Harvey Jr.

Preston Laird

Malik Thomas 



There's some talent in there and plenty of Memphis influence. 






Go Tigers!!!

Following is the complete U of M schedule, with league games marked by an asterisk.

Nov. 3 – LeMoyne-Owen (exhibition)

Nov. 9 – Christian Brothers (exhibition)

Nov. 13 – Jackson State

Nov. 17 – vs. Kansas (St. Louis, Mo.; Hall of Fame Showcase)

Nov. 20 – Tennessee Tech (Hall of Fame Showcase)

Nov. 24 – Central Arkansas (Hall of Fame Showcase)

Nov. 30 – Oakland (Hall of Fame Showcase)

Dec. 5 – Arkansas State

Dec. 9 – Montana State

Dec. 12 – vs. Arkansas-Little Rock (North Little Rock, Ark.)

Dec. 19 – vs. UMass (Boston, Mass.)

Dec. 22 – Southeast Missouri State

Dec. 28 – IUPUI

Dec. 31 – Tennessee

Jan. 3 – Houston Baptist

Jan. 6 – at Syracuse

Jan. 9 – at Southern Miss *

Jan. 13 – East Carolina *

Jan. 16 – at Rice *

Jan. 20 – UTEP *

Jan. 23 – Houston *

Jan. 27 – at Marshall *

Jan. 30 – at SMU *

Feb. 3 – UAB *

Feb. 6 – Gonzaga

Feb. 10 – UCF *

Feb. 13 – at Tulsa *

Feb. 17 – at Tulane *

Feb. 20 – SMU *

Feb. 24 – at Houston *

Feb. 27 – Southern Miss *

Mar. 3 – at UAB *

Mar. 6 – Tulsa *

Mar. 10-13 – Conference USA Tournament (Tulsa, Okla.)



There we go, Tigers.  That's the schedule and I can't wait for the season to start.  Let's get rowdy with it.

The Memphis Tigers basketball team has nine scholarship players for the 2009-2010 season.  They are :


Will Coleman - pf/c
Angel Garcia - pf/c
Willie Kemp - pg
Doneal Mack - sg
Pierre Henderson-Niles - c
Roburt Sallie - sg
D.J. Stephens - sf/pf
Elliot Williams - sg
Wesley Witherspoon - sf


Not too shabby. I could see these guys winning alot of games and providing a crazy highlight reel for basketball fans. With three seniors(Kemp, Mack, Niles) leaving, provided there are no injuries, we should have seven scholarships available for next year.  Two of those seven are already reserved for Antonio and Will Barton with verbal commitments which leaves five available.  We have room to improve an already incredible squad. Wow. The Memphis Tigers are going to be great for years to come.  Go Tigers!