Where they are now.

This upcoming season will have only one starter from the 2008-09 season. That title belongs to Doneal Mack, last seasons starting shooting guard. So what happened to the other four? Only two of them were drafted, and only one of those drafted will actually be playing in the NBA next season.

Starting at point guard was Tyreke Evans. He was picked as the 4th overall pick by the Sacramento Kings. Contrary to some beliefs, he will continue to play the point guard position rather than the shooting guard position.

Robert Dozier was also drafted. He was selected by the Miami heat as the 60th overall pick in the second round, the final pick of the draft. Although coaches gave positive feedback on Dozier, he apparently felt that he would not recieve adequate playing time. He has since decided to spend the next season developing his skill in Greece. The team he plays for is called Colossus.

Antonio Anderson was not drafted during the 2009 NBA draft. Nevertheless, he spent the summer working towards his goal, and he has been picked up by the Charlotte Bobcats. He believes defense will still be his strong point in the NBA.

Shawn Taggart also left after last season. There are whispers that he is playing professionally in Europe.

Something We Haven't Seen

Our thoughts can now be put to rest. Coach Pastner will not be implementing a carbon copy of the Dribble Drive Motion Offense that we are used to seeing, according to Doneal Mack. This shouldn't come as a suprise. That style of offense serves only two purposes. The first is for recruiting. All DDM consists of is attacking the rim, if the opportunity is there, put the ball in. If it isn't, kick it out to the open teammate. It is an easy to learn offense that resembles the style of play most players did in high school. The second, which in contingent on the first, is that it puts players in one on one situations. This is excellent when you have depth coupled with outstanding players.

This season, however, the Tigers do not have the depth that they are used to. They also do not have the incoming freshman talent. The time for a new offense is now. As one might guess, Pastner will be implementing a Lute Olsen style Motion Offense, with some occassional DDM on the side. The main difference is the Motion Offense uses a lot of pick setting, something Calipari vigorously avoided. Other than that, the offense are very similar. They both have good deal of one on one situations. They are both fast paced. They both spread the defense, and Coach Pastner has said since he was an assistant coach for Calipari that the Lute Olsen Motion Offense spreads the defense even farther than DDM.

Doneal Mack seemed to view the new offensive style in a positive manner. He said that it fit the individual skills of each player well, especially because many players on the Memphis team are good at shooting of the pick and roll. Also, expect Memphis to use their big men more effectively. Pastner is focusing heavily on their skill development, something he is known for and Cal was known not to do.

Tarik Black

Now that Joe Jackson has committed to Memphis, our back court will be good, regardless of whether or not Memphis lands anymore guards for the 2010 season. The focus now will be on the post.

Will Coleman will likely be around in 2010 to provide a talented center. The question mark will be the powerforward position. Tarik Black, of the Memphis Magic summer circuit program, would provide a perfect fit. The fact that he played on a team with Joe Jackson doesn't hurt either. Neither will the presence of #1 shooting guard Will Barton, or the extremely available playing time.

Tarik Black, your hometown awaits your decision.

It Official! (the pieces are falling into place.)

Joe Jackson, the 5-11 top 25 point guard for White State and the Memphis Magic, made it official yesterday afternoon at 5:30 that he will be playing for the Memphis Tigers next year. He joins fellow point guard Antonio Barton, 3 stars, and his brother Will Barton, the #1 ranked shooting guard.

This commitment ensures a top recruiting class for Memphis, it currently ranks as the third best recruiting class under Ohio and Syracuse. Those talented three guards will have company with Wesley Witherspoon, Elliot Williams, and possibly Roburt Sallie, who might leave due to age (unless he has been talking to Taggart). The Tiger's backcourt will be a force to be reckoned with in the 2010-11 season.

Now the recruiting will shift towards big men. We need a solid center to back up Will Coleman, and a couple of good power forwards. Having two five star guard recruits, and an obviously think frontcourt, should help in successful recruiting.

A look at the future

As the 2009-10 season draws ever nearer, Tiger fans are growing more and more excited... for the 2010-11 season. When our top recruiting class consisting of Xavier Henry, Demarcus Cousins, Nolan Dennis, and Donnell Dodson left I thought the bad news was over.

Later in the off-season our new prized recruit, Latavious Williams, decided that China might be a better destination for him than Memphis would. Certainly it can't get worse can it? Of course, it can!

Our most viable power forward option, Martin N'Galoro, got injured and was forced to stay at home in France and miss the entire 2009-10 season. That was okay, though. We still had Angel Garcia. While he would be an unorthodox power forward, he would certainly contribute a great deal to our thin post. Not anymore. Garcia has torn his ACL and will be forced to sit out this season, again.

On the bright side, it looks as though the season's disappointment will not become a trend. Joe Jackson is set to announce his commitment to the University of Memphis, as said by his coach, grandmother, and the fact that he is announcing in a U of M building. He is ranked as the #5 point guard and the #21 player overall. He joins point guard Antonio Barton and his brother Will Barton, who is ranked as the #1 shooting guard and the #6 player overall. This commitment will ensure Memphis will have a top ten recruiting class next season.

When "big man" goes bad

Pierre Henderson-Niles, this is a player who was once a top 40 recruit for his class. He showed an enormous amount of potential. His skills, however, didn't translate to the college level. This was not because he wasn't good enough. He just got too big. As a result, his ability to jump, and his stamina, was drastically affected.

Close to the beginning of his freshman year in college, Niles sustained an injury to his ankle. During this time he was unable to exercise to stay in shape. Making things worse, he rediscovered his love for fast food.

His weight fluctuated over the next four years, topping out at around 335lbs. His playing time was limited. Calipari did what he does when a player doesn't live up to his expectations. He ignored him.

This summer, Coach Josh Pastner has made Niles follow a strict diet and exercise regiment that has significantly reduced his weight. He is currently checking in at about 275lbs. This is great news. Given the lack of depth, and lack of big men, we will probably need to rely on him more than we have had to in the past. This is especially true when you consider how reluctant Garcia is to mix it up in the paint. That brings us from three big men down to two.

I don't think this will make him a star, but it will certainly help out. He probably won't become a starter, but at least he will be able to make significant contributions off the bench.

Official Roster

Classes have started. Even with as many players as I have seen come and go this off season, I think it's safe to assume the roster is complete and solid.

Scholarship players(9):
Seniors:
Willie Kemp- point guard, 6-2, 184
Pierre Henderson-Niles- center/forward, 6-8, 278
Doneal Mack- shooting guard, 6-5, 187
Juniors:
Will Coleman- center/forward, 6-9, 250
Roburt Sallie- shooting guard, 6-5, 196
Sophmores:
Wesley Witherspoon- forward/guard, 6-9, 210
Elliot Williams- shooting/ point guard, 6-5, 180
Angel Garcia- forward, 6-11, 245
Freshmen:
DJ Stephens- guard/forward, 6-5, 170

Walk-ons(5):
Juniors:
James Harvey- guard, 6-2, 200
Sophmores:
Preston Laird- guard, 6-2, 182
Freshmen:
Tyler Foster- guard/forward, 6-5, 185
Drew Barham- forward/guard, 6-7, 185
Malik Thomas- guard/forward, 6-4, 195

All players are official allowed to play except for Drew Barham, His school is expected to release him from his letter of intent on Oct. 15.

just for fun, here's my guess for starting lineup

PG-Elliot Williams
SG-Roburt Sallie
SF-Doneal Mack
PF-Angel Garcia
C-Will Coleman

Fill-ins

PG-Willie Kemp
SG-Drew Barham/Willie Kemp
SF-Drew Barham
PF-Wesley Witherspoon
C- Pierre Henderson Niles

Expect many players to play many positions.

Official Schedule

Now that the in-conference schedule is out we can see what the full schedule will look like for our tigers.

Nov 3-LeMoyne Owen (exhibition)

Nov 9-Christian Brothers (exhibition)

Nov 13-Jackson State

Nov 17-Kansas

Nov 24-Central Arkansas

Nov 30-Oakland

Dec 5-Arkansas State

Dec 9-Montana State

Dec 12- Arkansas

Dec 19- at UMASS

Dec22-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

March 3-at UAB

March 6-Tulsa

March 10-13 C-USA Tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma