Pastner did it again. Landing Austin Nichols put the stamp on a stellar class featuring Nick King, Markell Crawford, Pookie Powell, and Kuran Iverson. It came as a surprise to most. Nichols looked to be headed out east to play for the Vols, but luckily for Josh Pastner and the Memphis Tigers, things didn't work out this way.
Memphis fans might be getting used to these types of surprises. Tarik Black was on his was to Marquette. Chris Crawford was a Tennessee lock. Did anyone see Stan Simpson coming? What about Jelan Kendrick (even though he ultimately never saw the court)? It's gotten to the point where, no matter what you hear on the recruiting trail, you can't count out Memphis.
With the addition of Nichols, this year's recruiting class should have Memphis ready to enter the Big East. It's better than the heralded class featuring Crawford, Black, Barton, Kendrick, Jackson, and others. Most of all, it fills every conceivable need the Tigers have, and then some. This class will also have the added benefit of some upper class leadership to show them the ropes. The depth of the Tigers as they enter the Big East (barring some major unforeseen defections, draft entries, or non-qualifiers) will be astounding.
As if he hadn't done it already, Pastner has cemented himself as a top-notch recruiting machine. You can question his X's and O's, you can question his ability to motivate, you can even question his ability to deal with unruly players, but you can't question his ability to get players. He's gotten big time recruits each year he's been here, and when he needed to add big classes, he came through.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Important Season for Paster
There's no doubt this season is huge for Josh Pastner and the Memphis Tigers. Paster has done a lot in his first three seasons to keep Memphis relevant in the post-Calipari era. He's won the C-USA Championship and taken Memphis to the NCAA tournament in both of the last two years.
Unfortunately, Memphis fans don't settle for championships in a conference they feel like they should dominate, and they certainly don't settle for NCAA tournament appearances. They want tournament runs, deep runs. Most, but certainly not all, have been willing to give Josh some patience. He is, after all, a rookie coach. His first year he had a squad full of leftovers and a season-saving transfer in Elliot Williams. His next two years he had the talent, but his teams severely lacked experience.
This year, no excuses will suffice. He has a talented, veteran squad with a full two seasons under their belt to learn his system. They've seen the court enough to know that you have to play hard no matter who the opponent is. If the questionable losses they took their first two years didn't teach them that, then Pastner has to find a way to make them understand.
He also has a pair of talented newcomers, who should benefit from having a veteran squad. They should do much better than the heralded 2010 class, simply due to the fact that they will have guidance and won't be so heavily relied on from the start. Shaq Goodwin is an incredibly post player with speed, strength, and a jump shot. What the Tigers really need from him, however, is defense and rebounding. Geron Johnson has NBA talent, but will have to learn to make opposing offenses struggle. If he can't do that, Chris Crawford will make sure he sees plenty of time on the bench.
In any case, this team is as deeper, more talented, and more experienced than any team Pastner has coached. The post isn't as woefully thin as it has been, either. For these reasons, Pastner needs to get past the criticism that I'm sure rings in his ears every night. No top-25 wins, no tournament wins. That must change, or his job will feel much less secure, and when you're preparing to enter one of the top two basketball conferences in the nation, you've got enough pressure to worry about.
Unfortunately, Memphis fans don't settle for championships in a conference they feel like they should dominate, and they certainly don't settle for NCAA tournament appearances. They want tournament runs, deep runs. Most, but certainly not all, have been willing to give Josh some patience. He is, after all, a rookie coach. His first year he had a squad full of leftovers and a season-saving transfer in Elliot Williams. His next two years he had the talent, but his teams severely lacked experience.
This year, no excuses will suffice. He has a talented, veteran squad with a full two seasons under their belt to learn his system. They've seen the court enough to know that you have to play hard no matter who the opponent is. If the questionable losses they took their first two years didn't teach them that, then Pastner has to find a way to make them understand.
He also has a pair of talented newcomers, who should benefit from having a veteran squad. They should do much better than the heralded 2010 class, simply due to the fact that they will have guidance and won't be so heavily relied on from the start. Shaq Goodwin is an incredibly post player with speed, strength, and a jump shot. What the Tigers really need from him, however, is defense and rebounding. Geron Johnson has NBA talent, but will have to learn to make opposing offenses struggle. If he can't do that, Chris Crawford will make sure he sees plenty of time on the bench.
In any case, this team is as deeper, more talented, and more experienced than any team Pastner has coached. The post isn't as woefully thin as it has been, either. For these reasons, Pastner needs to get past the criticism that I'm sure rings in his ears every night. No top-25 wins, no tournament wins. That must change, or his job will feel much less secure, and when you're preparing to enter one of the top two basketball conferences in the nation, you've got enough pressure to worry about.
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