After last nights game, Tiger fans and players alike can let out a collective sigh of relief. After dropping a road game to SMU, Memphis bounced back to defeat one of the top teams in conference USA, UAB.
The game brought as much intensity as fans have ever seen in a conference game before (yes I am counting the buzzer-beating Tulsa win last season). While this game may not have been decided by less that double digit points in the final seconds, it was a battle the whole way through. 30 lead changes and 10 ties resulted from the UAB Memphis rivalry game. Luckily, Elliot Williams and Wesley Witherspoon stepped up by scoring 25 and 29, respectively. Towards the end when a UAB win was still possible, UAB employed a tactic that Tiger fans have become used to seeing, they fouled. With the Tigers forced to earn the win at the line, they delivered. In the second half, Memphis shot over 90% from the charity stripe.
Will Coleman also had another good game with 9 rebounds and 7 blocks. He looked a lot more like that Dorsey-style player that Memphis fans were hoping for. Twice last night, he blocked back to back shots. These were crucial blocks as they came in the final minutes when Memphis was starting to go on a run.
Pastner also showed his ability to be a good X's and O's coach. He switched the defense often to keep UAB confused. The came ready for man to man and had to face zone for the entire first half. The defense switched to man, box and one, and triangle and two to keep UAB from getting comfortable offensively.
All in all it was a very encouraging game. Memphis has yet to lose back to back games since Kemp, Niles, and Mack stepped on campus, and I bet they're glad it stayed that way. The Tigers remain in the hunt for the regular season title, they're currently tied at third with UAB behind UTEP and Tulsa, who are tied for first. Not to mention a two game losing streak puts you in a bad state of mind to face a top 25 team like Gonzaga on Saturday.
Showing posts with label Will Coleman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Will Coleman. Show all posts
Thursday, February 4, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Will next seasons team be a top 25?
I don't think anyone is expecting next season to turn out as well as the last, but with 30 plus wins, and only four losses, a step back certainly doesn't mean falling into obscurity.
A lot of people don't see next season's Memphis Tigers as being the top dog of conference USA, like they have been since the conference was reorganized. I'm not one of those people. Sure we won't be undefeated in conference play (I'm just hoping we can extend the streak long enough to beat Kentuck's all time high in-conference winning streak), but there are not many C-USA teams that will be able to handle the Tigers.
Their perimeter game will most definately be their strength. The Tiger's frontcourt is loaded with guys like Elliot Williams, Willie Kemp, Doneal Mack, Wesley Witherspoon, and Roburt Sallie. In this area, the talent, and depth, is not lacking.
The biggest problem will be at the post. I do expect Will Coleman to be an immediate impact player. As the number 2 ranked JUCO player, he has proven himself to be a beastly, yet still amazingly atheletic, player. He will be solid, but he cannot do it alone. Pierre Henderson-Niles has shown flashes of what he can do. He is an excellent rebounder and shot blocker. His contributions will be valuable, but most likely limited. He has never been in great shape, and it shows as he begins to huff and puff on the court (not something we can afford).
The person who will really need to step up to keep this team as a dominate program is Angel Garcia. He is our other freakishly athletic big man. The most interesting part about Garcia is that he plays more like a perimeter player than a post player. He already has his NBA range 3-pointer down. This makes me excited because it will change the way he plays his role as a power forward. Unfortunately, it also makes me nervous. We have plenty of 3-point shooters, and what we really need is someone to get down low. He needs to learn to play by the post. He has to pull down rebounds, block shots, and put his back to the basket.
If Garcia developes himself into a quality power forward, I believe this team will have no problems staying in the top 25, and having another impressive season. If he doesn't the team will still perform well, but the competition will have more opportunities to capitalize on their weaknesses.
A lot of people don't see next season's Memphis Tigers as being the top dog of conference USA, like they have been since the conference was reorganized. I'm not one of those people. Sure we won't be undefeated in conference play (I'm just hoping we can extend the streak long enough to beat Kentuck's all time high in-conference winning streak), but there are not many C-USA teams that will be able to handle the Tigers.
Their perimeter game will most definately be their strength. The Tiger's frontcourt is loaded with guys like Elliot Williams, Willie Kemp, Doneal Mack, Wesley Witherspoon, and Roburt Sallie. In this area, the talent, and depth, is not lacking.
The biggest problem will be at the post. I do expect Will Coleman to be an immediate impact player. As the number 2 ranked JUCO player, he has proven himself to be a beastly, yet still amazingly atheletic, player. He will be solid, but he cannot do it alone. Pierre Henderson-Niles has shown flashes of what he can do. He is an excellent rebounder and shot blocker. His contributions will be valuable, but most likely limited. He has never been in great shape, and it shows as he begins to huff and puff on the court (not something we can afford).
The person who will really need to step up to keep this team as a dominate program is Angel Garcia. He is our other freakishly athletic big man. The most interesting part about Garcia is that he plays more like a perimeter player than a post player. He already has his NBA range 3-pointer down. This makes me excited because it will change the way he plays his role as a power forward. Unfortunately, it also makes me nervous. We have plenty of 3-point shooters, and what we really need is someone to get down low. He needs to learn to play by the post. He has to pull down rebounds, block shots, and put his back to the basket.
If Garcia developes himself into a quality power forward, I believe this team will have no problems staying in the top 25, and having another impressive season. If he doesn't the team will still perform well, but the competition will have more opportunities to capitalize on their weaknesses.
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