Saturday, November 28, 2009

Memphis recruiting.

I'm not here to talk about the top ranked recruiting class for 2010, and I'm not here to talk about the past recruiting success that Memphis has had. I'm here to talk about the recruits for 2011. I know what your thinking. It's a little early to start speculating on the 2011 class. You're absolutely right. I'm doing it anyway.

What must be taken into account is who will not be here. The players that will leave after 2010 will be Elliot Williams, assuming he doesn't have a break out NBA caliber season and jump the ranks this year, Wesley Witherspoon, Roburt Sallie, assuming he doesn't mind coming back as a 24 year old for 2010, and Will Coleman. That leaves us with a need for wings and a center.

Several of the nation's top recruits for 2011 are considering Memphis. In fact, the top ranked recruit overall is in that list. His name is Michael Gilchrist. He plays small forward for St. Patrick High School in New Jersey. His measurements are at 6-7, 190lbs. He is very explosive. His two best attributes has to be his ball handling skills, and his perimeter shot. He is also an excellent defender who gets his fair share of blocks. The interesting thing about Gilchrist is the he said he was coming to Memphis for sure last year. Of course, there was a coaching change that caused him to reevaluate his decisions. He currently lists both Memphis and Kentucky, among others, as teams he is considering.

Another top prospect that plays small forward and is interested in Memphis is Adonis Thomas. He plays for Melrose High School in Tennessee, but he is better known among Memphis fans for being a member of Memphis Magic, where he plays with current UofM commits Joe Jackson, Tarik Black, and Chris Crawford. He is ranked by scouts as the second best small forward behind Michael Gilchrist. He measures in at 6-5, 204lbs. He has a good midrange game, and his athleticism allow him to attack the rim with ease. He is also a great defender and is very unselfish with the ball. He has some moves that reminds one of a power forward, but he executes these moves with much greater speed. The thing Thomas needs to work on the most is his ball handling ability and perimeter shot. He reminds me of Witherspoon in that he seems most suited to play a hybrid 3/4 type position. It will be interesting to see if him or Gilchrist will be a higher priority for Memphis. Gilchrist is better but will most likely turn pro after one year. It might be better to keep Thomas around for the long run. Also, Thomas is from Memphis, and Pastner uses an inside out recruiting philosophy.

Johnny O'Bryant is also listing Memphis as a school he is considering. He is the top rated Center according to scouts. He is from East Side High School in Mississippi. His measurements are 6-9, 225. He has a deverse set of skills for a center. Of course, his best quality is his rebounding and shot blocking. However, he also can drive to the basket with ease, and I've seen him knock down a three pointer or two. His offense game doesn't always look polished, but it usually gets the job done.

Ky Madden is a shooting guard who is interested in the Tigers. He is rated by scouts as the 19th best shooting guard. He plays for East Poinsett County High School in Arkansas. He is listed at 6-5, 195lbs. He is very long and athletic. He posses great ball handling skills for his size. His best attribute is his ability to attack the rim. He can play and defend multiple positions.

Kendren Johnson is a point guard who is considering Memphis. He is ranked by scouts as the 41st best point guard in the nation. He plays for Marshall County High School in Tennessee. He is a true pure point guard. He has great court vision and loves to get his teammates involved. Look for this to be another Bruce Pearl and Josh Pastner recruiting battle.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

How 'Bout Them Seniors

Willie Kemp, Doneal Mack, and Pierre Henderson Niles. Each of these players belong to the senior class of the Memphis Tigers this season. Each of these players were highly touted coming out of high school. None of them seemed to be able to live up to the hype. Kemp had a good freshman year, leading the Tigers to an Elite Eight, but lost confidence after being stuck on the bench behind Derrick Rose and then Tyreke Evans. Niles gained an extraordinary amount of weight before starting his freshman season and was never able to contribute the way he was supposed to. Mack has been streaky. Sometimes he's on sometimes he's cold.

This year marked a new chance for all of them as the roster was depleted and a new coach came in. Niles hasn't been magnificent, in fact he has shown a lot of weakness on the offensive end, but his loss of weight over the offseason has given him the ability to contribute significant minutes. He has racked up an average of 18.3 minutes per game. Last season it would have been amazing to see him play for more than ten minutes on any given night. During this time he can do what he does so well, rebound. He has averaged 5.7 boards per game.

Willie Kemp has played with confidence and passion. Last season he just seemed nervous to be on the court. Now he seems comfortable. He appears to relish the coaching change and available playing time. His leadership role as a point guard and senior doesn't bother him one bit either. He has an average of four assists per game. He's only taken four, but he has made every free throw he's shot. He has the second best three point percentage of the team at 40%, going 4 for 10 from behind the arc. I expect these numbers to get better as he went 3 for 5 in the last game against Tennessee Tech. He also averages 32.3 minutes a game, second to Elliot Williams, showing Coach Pastner's faith in him.

Doneal Mack has been the hot hand of the team. He is shooting 57.1% from the field, second only to dunk machine Will Coleman. He's even going 53.3% from behind the arc. These numbers have made him the second leading scorer for the Tigers, behind Elliot Williams, at 11.7 points per game.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Put On Notice

The Tigers held their own against the top ranked team, Kansas. They didn't play perfect. In fact, by many standards they didn't play well. They shot the ball awfully. They were bad on free throw attemps, bad on three point attempts, but good on defense (is it just me, or does that sound familiar?)

What the Memphis Tigers did was show heart. They played a scrappy game that oozed determination. They never gave up. There was a time when Kansas stretched the lead to ten. It was the second half. That's what was supposed to happen, right? Kansas winning by double digits. Memphis letting it fall towards the end. Not this night. Memphis clawed their way back into the game. They were constantly nipping at the heals of Kansas, and the look on Bill Self's face said it all. Unbelievable.

This game showed a few things. One is that Memphis' low numbers may not be as much of a problem as previously thought. On most nights, the Tigers will stick to a nine man rotation. On this occassion it was only seven. While Kansas' players were cramping up and taking IV injections, Memphis was putting it all on the floor,and they did so with tireless speed. It also showed us that Memphis' strong point will continue to be their defense. They held Kansas to only 57 points. Three pointers did not go as well as has been expected for this season, but I wouldn't be surprised to see that change very soon.

Finally, it put the nation, C-USA in particular, on notice that Memphis will be a national contender. They will be a team to fear, and you won't have to wait until 2010. This game will definitely give the Tigers a healthy boost of confidence. Williams, Coleman, and Kemp all let it be known that they feel good about how they performed, and they plan on keeping Memphis a powerhouse.

Two best players of the night had to be Willie Kemp and Elliot Williams. Williams stepped it up. He had a career high 21 points. My favorite part of watching him play is how well he manages his shot through contact. Kemp displayed an air of confidence that I haven't seen in him since his freshman year. He may not be a scorer, but he is certainly a play maker. His best attribute is how well he knows his seniors. If he drives and dishes, and that ball lands in the hand of Pierre Henderson-Niles or Doneal Mack, it's going in. He also seemed to desire more of a leadership role. For the most part, when him and Williams are on the floor together, Williams brings up the ball, although they do switch. When the game was winding down and it was close, however, Kemp stood next to Williams, who was waiting for the inbound pass, and said he wanted to bring the ball down. This is good because it frees up Williams to play off the ball in a role that better fits his style.

The worst plays came in the post, but Niles, Coleman, and Witherspoon can sleep well knowing they won't play a athlete with a post presence as strong a Cole Aldrich for a long time.

Monday, November 16, 2009

2010 Memphis Recruiting

The Memphis Tigers have done it again. The number one recruiting class in the nation has officially been secured over the past few days. Before the spring signing period, it was already strong with commitments from Joe Jackson, Chris Crawford, Will Barton, and Antonio Barton. Anyone else joining was questionable.

Hippolyte Tsafack was a lock for the Maryland Terrapins. Who knew what Jelan Kendrick was thinking. It didn't matter anyway, he was going to sign late for sure. Tarik Black even appeared to be drifting away from Memphis. His coach convinced him not to attend Memphis Madness, and whispers were that he was leaning towards Marquette.

Then the spring signing period started. All the players who committed signed. That was enough for most Tiger fans. After the last offseason, seeing names on the dotted line was a sigh of relief. Then they got a pleasant suprise, Hippolyte Tsafack committed to Memphis. He isn't the best post player in the country, but he can rebound, defend, and has amazing potential. If that wasn't enough Jelan Kendrick committed. Kendrick was ranked as the fifth shooting guard in the nation, and is capable of playing positions ranging from the point guard position to the small forward position. As soon as he made his announcement, he urged Tarik Black to follow. Tarik Black did follow. Tarik Black has risen to the ranking of elite post players. The recruiting class of Memphis has risen to the top spot for 2010.

One of the more interesting things about this recruiting class, aside from the extreme depth and talent, is the versatility. We have two combo guards Antonio Barton and Joe Jackson. They both primarily play point guard, but they are more than suited to play the shooting guard position. Chris Crawford and Will Barton are both swingmen. They play shooting guard, but they can also play small forward. Crawford has even dabbled in the point guard position before. Jelan Kendrick is versatile enough play point guard, shooting guard, or small forward. Tarik Black and Hippolyte Tsafack can both play power forward and center. With the talent that will likely return next year (Wesley Witherspoon, Elliot Williams, and Will Coleman) the lineup possibilities will be endless.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

A Slow Start

Last nights exhibition had much the same problem as the one before it, a slow start. Contrary to most people, however, I believe the slow start was more an offensive problem. The defensive pressure definitely picked up. Kemp and Mack were doing solid as always, but guys like Witherspoon and Barham were playing defense with much more intensity. The problem was that CBU exploited their defense. Memphis likes to play fast. The play fast offense, so they practice defense against a fast offense. CBU was perfectly content to slow it down and get a lot of ball movement. I can't tell you how many times it looked like Memphis' defense looked like they would force a clock violation when, suddenly, a shot would be made with two seconds left, usually a three pointer.

Memphis played very poorly in the first half. This can probably be attributed to a poor performance by Elliot Williams. Although he still was the leading scorer, with 15 points, he was not the same team leader we saw against LeMoyne Owen. Its obvious the team will rely on him as they were down by as much as 14 at one point, and they were still trailing by one at half time.

Wesley Witherspoon was really the reason this team survived. It's not often that we see Witherspoon play with that passion for that amount of time. He finished with 14 points, six rebounds, and six assists. He was confident, and he was good.

Will Coleman also looked good at the end of the game. He didn't play much early after being yanked for not diving after a loose ball. The loss of playing time must have affected him because he came back with a force. He ended the game with six points, making all of his attempts, excluding those from the charity stripe. He also ended with the second most rebounds, behind Witherspoon, with 5 which is pretty impressive considering his limited minutes. He also got two key blocks that helped the Tigers to get their confidence.

The only other players that stood in this game were Kemp and Sallie. Sallie did a great job in the paint once again with 11 points. He also made the only three point shot that went in for this team. Kemp was confident. I see him having a very good season this year. He wasn't afraid to drive. He didn't do it often, but when it was needed, he got to the glass. He didn't over dribble, and he didn't attack the rim with too much force like he has in the past. His stat line was nothing to write home about, but Pastner apparently agreed with me about his production as he spent more minutes on the floor than any other player.

Interesting to note, I'm not sure this team will be the three point shooting team it has been made out to be. Against LeMoyne Owen, they had a good three point shooting percentage but didn't seem comfortable relying on it. This time they shot a horrible 1 out of 12 from behind the arc. A big part of the problem is that they want to be a three point shooting team so bad that they force it. They settle for the low percentage shots when it isn't necessary. They must first establish a drive. Once they get the defense worried about them attacking the glass, they will find the open three's more readily.

Also, Memphis used a full court press during the entire second half. Will they be able to do this in future games? Roburt Sallie played point guard for small portion of the game. I Knew he played point as a JUCO, but with his shooting mentality, I never thought I would see it at Memphis.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Player Performance

Elliot Williams:
By far the best player on the team, and he showed it against LeMoyne Owen. When the Tiger's where starting slow, and everyone had some anxiety about initiating a drive, Williams stepped up. He scored the first two points of the night, free throws. He is obviously not afraid to make a play through contact. Williams led the Tigers in scoring with 24 points and 8 of 11 from the floor. Also hit 3 of 4 from behind the arc and 5 of 6 free throws. Tied for highest assists with 6. Had a few too many turnovers, however, and I did not see the pesky on the ball defending he is so highly regarded for.

Wesley Witherspoon
Definitely the second best player on the team. The Tigers will need him and Williams to perform consistently if they want to win. He solidified his status as a playmaker in this game. It shows as he is tied with Williams for most assists with 6. Second leading scorer with 13 points. Second leading rebounder with 7 boards. Almost had some foul trouble in early second half but managed to keep it under control after that. Very versatile, very athletic, and very confident. Considering what a slow first half he had, his stats are phenomenal. If he learns to play with a high effort every minute of every game, he could become more of an asset than Williams.

Pierre Henderson-Niles
Leading rebounder with 11 boards. It should be noted, however, that four of these rebounds came one after another as he would shoot, miss, rebound, and repeat. The main thing about Niles was he looked a lot better. He can jump, he can run, and he played 20 minutes without looking tired.

Willie Kemp
Very strong defense. He tripped up the guards fairly consistently. 3 assists to 1 turnover. Did not have an extremely strong night offensively, but he shot 4 of 5 from the field. Kemp did play with a lot of confidence, which is also true for the rest of the senior class. 1 of 1 from behind the arc and 3 of 3 from the free throw line. Scored 12 points.

Roburt Sallie
Showed something we rarely saw from him last year, a great ability to drive. Sallie had a suprisingly low 3 point percentage as he only hit 1 of 3 from behind the arc. He did, however, his 5 of 10 overall. Scored 11 points.

Doneal Mack
His best attribute was his smoothering defense. When he was trying, he made LeMoyne Owen's guards look foolish. Hit 1 of 1 from behind the arch.

Will Coleman
Pretty much what was expected. No outstanding stats, but he showed amazing athleticism. Definitely slammed a few alley-oops. Almost had some foul trouble early on that had hit sit out a good portion of the first half. Needs to do a better job of rebounding. Scored 11 points, mostly from other Tigers' missed shots.

DJ Stephens
Did good. A lot better than I expected. I had my doubts about his ability to play power forward with his lack of height, but when you see him stretch his arms, you know it won't be a problem. Very athletic. Dunks with ease and is pretty fast. Wouldn't be surprised to see him contribute significant minutes this season.

Drew Barham
Almost non existent. 0 for 3 from the field, two of them from behind the arc, but he's a freshman, and it's early. This is what exhibitions are for.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Lemoyne Owen Exhibition

The Tigers had the first showing against LeMoyne Owen. The starters were Willie Kemp, Elliot Williams, Roburt Sallie, Wesley Witherspoon, and Pierre Henderson-Niles. Doneal Mack did not start as a punishment for showing up late to a team meeting. When on the floor together, Williams and Kemp seemed to trade the point and shooting guard positions. If a guard got a defense rebound, he often iniated the offense. Doneal Mack also played point guard for a time while Kemp and Williams were both on the bench.

The first half of the game was rather sloppy. A major part of the problem was defense. Most players, not including Willie Kemp and Doneal Mack, were simply not bringing sufficient defense to the table. LeMoyne Owen kept up with Memphis' score and even exchange the with the Tigers. Around the three minute mark, you could see that Memphis had begun to warm up. There was no looking back after that.

Field goal percentages improved from a first half 47.2% to 69% in the second half. Likewise 3pt percentages improved from 25% in the first half to 83.3% in the second. It should also be noted that most of the points came in the paint and not from three pointers.

The most memorable play of the night: Roburt Sallie got a steal and nearly swotted the ball out of bounds. He saved it and passed it to Willie Kemp. Kemp drove, when he noticed a defender was closing in on him, he pass it off the backboard for a dunk from Will Coleman.

The scariest moment of the night: Wesley Witherspoon took a hard fall and hurt his leg. He limped off the court. When he walked back to the bench he looked fine, but he sat out the rest of the game (Not much time left coupled with a high lead). It turned out to only be a cramp.

Many recruits were at the game. Chris Crawford, Joe Jackson, and Tarik Black all watched the game together. Ray Parks and Adonis Thomas were also in attendance