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.