Memphis Tigers

The Lonely Walk

Jamie — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 03:38:00 GMT

The path from the Tigers’ locker room to the Alamodome court was draped with long black curtains. As I was making that very walk after talking to players after that devastating loss to Kansas, I glanced behind me and noticed I was the only one traveling that road at the moment. All I could see from a far were members of the media, there to cover Kansas, waiting outside the Jayhawks locker room with cameras held high, recorders, and notepads ready for use, all looking so gleeful. It was a long, lonely stroll. I could only imagine what the real combatants on the losing end of the equation felt like.

Of course the scene was a bit different in the Tigers’ quarters. The smiles after the UCLA game had all been replaced with long faces, except for Joey Dorsey, who had played his last game as a Tiger while helping them accumulate more wins for the programs than any player in the team’s history. He had every reason to be upset. He didn’t grab a single rebound in the first half of the championship game and he had to watch the Tigers lose in overtime after fouling out late in the second half, in his last game.

Yet, Dorsey is grinning from ear to ear with encouraging words for the rest of the team, proud of what they accomplished. And to think, he said before the start of the tournament that he had no idea why Tigers’ fans were so infatuated with him.

And although the rest of the team shared their hurt, they took their lumps like champs and answered question after question about the loss. That’s the true beauty of covering the Tigers, watching young men grow into men. Earlier in the season, when the Tigers loss to Tennessee, finding players to talk to afterwards was like “Where’s Waldo?”

Free Throws Don't Seem So Free

Jamie — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 03:36:00 GMT

I’m told nothing in life is free. The Tigers found this out the hard way Monday night in the National Championship game. If there was a repeated theme throughout the season, from listening to the words of the Tigers, it had to be “we make them when it counts.” I heard those words repeatedly from Calipari and CDR referring to free throws. My question is, during most of the season, when did it count? I know for sure it mattered Monday night and they didn’t make them.

Chris Douglas-Roberts missed three straight in the game’s most crucial moments and Rose missed one of two. But that’s not the agonizing part of it. As much as it hurts to see the team you’ve followed, the very institution you attended for higher education; which just so happens to be located in the place you grew up; fall on the biggest college basketball stage, the real pain was after the game during the media conference.

Calipari and CDR both refused to acknowledge that missed free throws did them in. CDR said that the turnover Kansas converted into a 3 to cut the Tigers’ lead to four and Chalmers miracle 3 was part of the reason the Tigers lost in overtime. Calipari said he agreed with him. So are you telling me that if CDR had made two of the three free throws, the Tigers would not have been NCAA Champions right now?

Calipari says that free throws have never been issue. It seemed like a big issue in 2005 when Darius Washington missed two out of three freebies that would have either tied the game or won it and propelled the Tigers into the NCAA Tournament.

What Calipari and the Tigers have done for the program and the city of Memphis is absolutely amazing, but like anything in life, you have to learn from your mistakes. Maybe the Tigers’ mistake has been the lack of attention to free throw shooting.

Standing O

Jamie — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:09:00 GMT

My favorite moments of the season during Tigers’ games at FedExForum consist of hearing the reaction of fans when former Tiger great Keith Lee is in attendance and is acknowledged by the p.a. announcer. The quiet Lee always gets a standing in long deserved ovation.

It’s a shame he wasn’t able to win a title in Memphis. Although he never speaks publicly, it’s good to know he’s back in the Tigers’ family. Calipari has embraced him and maybe at some point in the near future, Lee will play more of an active role with the University. Not that Lee owes it to the school, but maybe just because he wants to.

Blue & Very Gray

Jamie — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:07:00 GMT

I hear people talk about how old the typical Memphis fan is. Some ridicule them, while others just flat out criticize the fan base. Now I’ve never seen a survey or statistic regarding the age of the average person attending a Tigers’ basketball game, but you can be sure I’ve never looked for it either. I don’t understand why it’s even a topic of discussion. And trying to dissect to point out the difference represents the very problem of our society as a whole.

We always assume that because something is a certain way in one set of circumstances, it should be that way in others. No, Memphis fans are not like the Cameron Crazies of Duke, but so what. Reggae and jazz, in the words of John Calipari “is what it is,” and as different as can be, but hopefully you can appreciate them both. Hopefully.

Fear The Tiger

Jamie — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:49:00 GMT

So my man Bootsy Collins put out a song titled, “Fear the Tiger,” as a tribute to the great season the Tigers are having. They have caused me quite a scare. For example, that game against UAB in Birmingham, down seven with less than a minute to play was not good for my heart, nor was the close call at home against UTEP, or the overtime game with USC, or the lone loss to Tennessee. So I’m in fear every time the game is close.

I did experience similar fear on my flight from Little Rock to Dallas before connecting to San Antonio. I’m a calm cool person and anyone who knows me, knows this is true. My hands are as steady as they come. But that ride Thursday was frightful. I couldn’t believe the amount of turbulence, not to mention our pilot believed he was Jeff Gordon. We left late so I guess he was trying to make up the time. Meanwhile, I’m clutching on the seat in front of me.

As irony would have it, my worst flight ever was flying with the Tigers’ team two years ago on the way to Providence, Rhode Island. The weather in Providence was horrible that day and there was ice and snow everywhere. The ride was very indicative of the weather.

Then, while in the air, the weather started getting rough, the tiny plane was rocked, if not for… (If you watched Gilligan's Island you know the rest). Anyhow, we all know Joey Dorsey is a big, strong, tough guy, but he didn’t look that way when the plane dipped that night. Dorsey, like members of the rest of the team, was in a deep sleep until he felt the jerk of the plane. Dorsey jumped up and almost ripped his seatbelt off. I can’t repeat what he yelled, and of course I was just as terrified.

After their game against UCLA, Tigers' guard Chris Douglas-Roberts walked off the court and said that no one wanted the Tigers right now. So yes, fear the tiger, but also fear the plane ride.

Allen Already Forgotten?

Jamie — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 07:37:00 GMT

I’m not sure if John Calipari said the loss of Andre Allen, because of a suspension for violating team rules, wouldn’t have an “effect” on the Tigers or that it wouldn’t have an “affect” on the Tigers. Either way, he’s wrong.

This doesn’t mean the Tigers will not beat Kansas and win the National Championship, but it does mean things will not be the same. You don’t have a guy playing 10-plus minutes a game the entire season and all of a sudden his absence is irrelevant. Allen has been the most vocal player in the Tigers locker room after games and according to Calipari has been one of the leaders of this team and now his absence doesn’t matter. If that’s the case, why was he playing to begin with?

Now I understand Calipari wants his team to think it’s no big deal. In a way, he has to and needs to keep his players focused on the big prize. And hopefully they’ve bought into it. Yet, he will be the first to tell you that these are young men. More importantly, they are humans, and we humans are cognitive creatures filled with this stupid and wonderful thing called emotions. And emotions have led to Tigers’ players writing Allen’s jersey number on their shoes and saving a place on the bench for a player who will not show up. Good or bad, the players will feel Allen’s absence both and off the court, although it may not have appeared that way against UCLA.

The Tigers Are NOT Playing The 1973 UCLA Team, They're Playing The 2008 Bruins

Jamie — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:48:00 GMT

I would hate to be a Division I college basketball player participating in this weekend’s Final Four. I would be willing to bet (somebody else’s money of course) that the most dreaded aspect of playing on this stage is dealing with us, the media. Oh you should have heard some of the questions the Tigers had to answer while in Houston. Can you believe a player was asked when did he start shaving? What would you do if you were asked how many doughnuts do you think you could eat in a minute? I would have just looked right into the reporter’s eyes for about seven seconds before responding, for him or her it would seem like a lifetime, and hopefully during that time of silence and cold, he/she would think, why in the heck did I ask that? That stuff our teachers use to tell us in elementary school, that the only stupid questions were the ones not asked, I wonder what they would say if they had to listen to the questions people ask during the NCAA Tournament media conferences.

And the worse part is that after a team’s entire starting line-up goes up on the dais to take questions from the media prior to their Elite Eight game, they have to do it again in “break out” sessions. Again, if I’m a player, once I stepped out of the first media conference I’m disappearing like Houdini. And if coach or the NCAA asks me what happened, I’m like you said “break out” so I broke.

Now it benefits me to interview players and coaches because I am a sports journalist. But I certain understand why they can grow tired of talking to us and answering the same old tired questions about motivation, revenge, momentum, and confidence. So maybe the bizarre ones are actually a break from the norm. Some people will say that dealing with the media is just part of the responsibility of a student athlete. That doesn’t seem to be the case for the softball team or the golf squad. Plus, responsibility or not, it doesn’t mean that they have to like it. How many of us can say we don’t complain about some aspect of what we do for a living (and we get paid to do it)? And if you can honestly say you don’t, then perhaps you should fill out an application and speak with me about employment.

Although you can tell they would rather study physics then put up with us at times, the Tigers, like other teams in the NCAA Tournament, have approached this with a great degree of professionalism. They answer ever single questions, even the ones your grade school instructor would encourage you to ask. So come on, let’s give these guys a break during the Final Four.

Please, no questions and history lessons about the Tigers playing UCLA back in the championship game in 1973. None of the players were even living in ’73. Besides Joey Dorsey, who was born in December of ’83, none of the players were in existence that year either. Plus what in the heck does that game and the ’73 UCLA team have to do with Saturday’s matchup with UCLA? Besides former UCLA Hall of Fame coach John Wooden, who led the Bruins past the Tigers’ in that historic contest, being ill and the Bruins using that as something to inspire them during their run, that ’73 team has nothing to do with this game. For longtime Tigers’ fans, maybe this game does have a deeper meaning, but not for the players. They are playing the ’07-’08 UCLA Bruins, not the Bill Walton led ’72-’73 UCLA team.

So unless Walton is getting playing time Saturday, and I don’t think he will after getting schooled by comedian Will Ferrell in a game of horse earlier this year, leave it along. Here’s a better idea, come up with some questions about the Kevin Love led Bruins of ’08 for the Tigers.

What I Discovered While Covering The Tigers In Houston.

Jamie — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:44:00 GMT

Ø Antonio Anderson is the man because he understands he’s not the man. Yes Anderson is the man, but not just because he plays more minutes than anyone, nor because he’s the team’s co-captain and has the respect of all of his teammates. And although he stays out of trouble on a team that has had it’s off the court issues, that's not the reason either. And not because he’s the Tigers’ Bruce Bowen, Horace Grant, Derek Fisher (you know, the players who don’t get as much attention but put in the work). But because he’s all those things and he knows it. Michael Jordan was the best thing that every happened to the Chicago Bulls basketball team. Scottie Pippen was probably the second best. Why? Because Pippen, like Anderson understood that he was not Jordan. And by accepting that he maximized his potential. Anderson is not Derrick Rose, nor is he Chris Douglas-Roberts. He can’t score at will, his outside shot is shaky, and he’s not the fastest player on the court. But he’s okay with that. If he didn’t score a point and won the game, he would be just as happy for his team. But take him off the team, and the Tigers would still make the NCAA Tournament, but no way they would be playing in a Final Four game.

Ø Derrick Rose is the man, now it’s time that he understands that.. CDR has game and the Tigers would not be where they are without him, but Rose is on another level and people are certainly taking notice. He missed a shot during the second half of the Michigan State game then aggressively rushed the basket for a rebound. He was undercut as he skied for the ball and the silence could not have been any louder at Reliant Stadium as it appeared he was in danger of a bad landing. He somehow maintained his balance and then continued to punish the Spartans guards afterwards. His athleticism and court vision is unbelievable. More impressive is his temperament, the guy is as cool as they come. But now he has to realize that this is his team, he’s the catalyst and if the Tigers want to win it all, they’ll need him to understand that during the Final Four.

Ø John Calipari cares what you think. He says he doesn’t, but he does. He’s tired of all the criticism and it’s easy to tell. He’ll tell you he doesn’t read the negative stuff, but it’s quite ironic that he can quote it. Any time people volunteer to you that they don’t care, chances are they do. If they didn’t there would be no need to even make the statement. And there’s nothing wrong with him caring. Those guys hustling all over the court are his players, and that’s his program, so of course he would want both to have the best image possible. Like it or not, some of the criticism is fair, but any objective person would only have to look at his record and understand that he’s a winner.

Ø The Tigers are united. I figured this one out when I heard CDR quoting Cal several times while being interviewed. “We are creating our own happiness,” he stated. If I didn’t know, I would have thought we were interviewing coach. But that’s what a great team needs, guys who buy into what their coach is saying, and the more success they have the more they will be willing to invest in it.

Superfreshman Has Kryptonite

Jamie — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:36:00 GMT

If the coolest guy in American History can be afraid of them, why can't a freshman guard. Yes the Fonz did not like needles. The guy could hit the top a juke box and music would start playing. He'd snap his fingers and two, three women were at his side. Ehhhhhh.

Tigers' guard Derrick Rose is just as cool. He shoots a basketball and it goes in the bucket. He makes a pass through traffic yet he finds his man. He takes over at the end of games, he doesn't get rattled, his expression never changes. He probably doesn't sweat in the Memphis summer heat.

But like the Fonz, Rose can't stand needles. When Rose received an inadvertant elbow during the second half of the Tigers' Sweet Sixteen game against Michigan State, a cut above his right eye opened.

When told the cut could require stitches, Rose protested so much that he cried. "I'm terrifed of needles" he admitted.

He may be super, but he's still a freshman.

A Happy Spartan

Jamie — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 02:40:00 GMT

Typically when I hear the news that the Spartans are getting served, I'm not a happy camper. I'm a White Station graduate, so hearing that the Spartans are losing means my alma mater is having a rough go at it.

But I don't care that the Spartans are getting beat down tonight. The Memphis Tigers are serving the Michigan State Spartans. I'm all for it. I mean my boy Pierre Niles got in the game in the first half and scored. I brought my tennis shoes, maybe if I sneak down toward the Tigers bench I'll get a chance to get in late in the second half. Me, Cal's son Bradley, Chance McGrady, and a couple of the managers. Between Chance and Bradley, I probably won't get a shot off. And I'm 5-7, okay 5-6 and-a-half, so I'm probably not going to get any rebounds or blocks unless of course I stuff Bradley, who's about 4-11. But because we're on the same team I guess it wouldn't count.

Yes I've seen the Tigers blow teams out, but not of the caliber of MSU. In the words of Cal, "are you kidding me?"

50-20 at the half. I wonder what ESPN's Dicky Vitale, who called this the upset special, is thinking now.

Two Funniest Words In College Basketball

Jamie — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:09:00 GMT

The Tigers are off to a great start against Michigan State, up 31-18 with 7:32 to play in the first. I hope they keep it up.

I also hope my mother isn't reading this, because when I was a kid, I would sneak and watch old Richard Pryor stand-up routines that were totally inappropriate for me. My mom was strict. She'd probably still fuss at me now about something that happened more than 20 years ago if she were to find out. Oh well, I like living dangerously.

Anyhow, before Pryor would take the stage, the m.c. would always say, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the two funniest words in comedy, Richard Pryor." The King of Comedy would take the mic and never disappoint.

While I was in college Eddie Murphy wore the crown. I'm not sure who owns it now, maybe Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, or Jeff Foxworthy, but John Calipari should be taken into consideration.

Consider his comedy routine after the Mississippi State game Sunday. During the postgame media conference, Calipari said he hoped his team had silenced the critics about the Tigers' horrid free throw shooting after Chris Douglas-Roberts made one with three seconds left. According to Cal, CDR's free throw was the reason the Tigers won the game. Ha ha ha. Stop it Cal. In the words of Buddy Love from the movie Nutty Professor, "You're the next Lenny Bruce!"

You are sooooooooo funny. CDR's free throw won the game? Oh only if I would have been in their during the post game, unlike the rest of his audience, I would have asked for more. After getting off the floor from laughter, I would have asked coach if he realized that with 49 seconds left, the Tigers missed six out of 12 free throws. You crack me up Cal.

With thirty-three seconds to play, the Tigers were up 8 points and didn't attempt a shot the rest of the way and only won the game by three. So all their points came from the charity line. Yet some how Mississippi State had a shot to tie the game with 3 seconds to play. Oh stop it Calipari with the CDR won the game at the foul line bit.

If CDR had made both free throws, Mississippi State would not even have had a chance to tie the game. And if Derrick Rose had made two free throws instead of one with nine seconds to play, Mississippi State would not have been able to get it within two after Jamont Gordon's lay-up.

From and eight point lead to two in less than 30 seconds and Cal says maybe now people will stop talking about free throws. I've just busted a gut. That Calipari. I can't decide if free throws or John Calipari are the two funniest words in college basketball.

Cal's Kind Of Player

Jamie — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:11:00 GMT

You can look on the sideline at the Tigers' Recruiting Coordinator Assistant Shyrone Chatman to understand the type of player John Calipari wants on his basketball team. Cal's first year as coach of the Tigers was Chatman's senior season. During Chatman's junior season, he was used primarily as a backup shooting guard, Cal converted him to a starting point guard. Chat led Conference USA in assist-to-turnover ratio as a senior, why? Because he did what Calipari asked him to do.

Cal asks all of his players to be relentless and compete every second of the game. Any player who does that will find time in Calipari's rotation. Consider Scooter McFadgon, who started the majority of the season during the 2000/2001 campaign. Scooter wasn't the scorer that senior Marcus Moody was. Moody once put up 41 points in a game against Oklahoma, but according to coach, he just wasn't the motiviated to play defense on every play and dive for loose balls. McFadgon gave him that. "He only does what he's asked to do," is how Calipari once described McFadgon.

The player who assumed the role when Scooter left was Anthony Rice. Cal's only complaint about Rice is that he was so quiet and wasn't hard enough on his teammates. But Rice would fight through picks, take a charge, and get his teammates involved. Again, Rice was never the best player on the floor, but he would always logged the most minutes.

Antonio Burks was tough as nails and Cal loved that. Burks was a lock down defender, but he could also pass the rock and penetrate the lanes. He was also the player that would get in other players face and tell them when they were not playing hard enough. "He's a mean dude," Calipari would always say about Burks. Yet Burks was the player that would be in the lockerroom promoting the very same basketball principles that Calipari preached during practice. Ideally, Calipari wants his best player to be the hardest working one. With Burks he had that.

As his team prepares for their Sweet Sixteen matchup with Michigan State, Cal's 2007/2008 version of Chatman, McFadgon, Burks, and Rice goes by the name of Antonio Anderson. Certainly not the most talented player on the floor, but clearly the hardest worker and most vocal. Joey Dorsey found out just how no-nonsense Anderson was when as a freshman, the younger Anderson would frequently get on the bigger and older Dorsey's face to tell him all about a bad decision Dorsey made on the court. He quickly established himself as the person his teammates wanted to follow. He set the example both on the court (hustle and work ethic) and off the court (staying away from the trouble some of his teammates just so happen to find). The result, he's averaged more minutes in the past two season, then anyone on the team.

Dorsey Doesn't Want This To Be His Last Game

Jamie — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 22:28:00 GMT

Joey Dorsey is putting in work. Talk about leaving it on the floor. It's apparent he doesn't want this to be his last game as a Tiger. On one play mid-way through the second, he got the ball and cleared Varnado about four feet away from him with a body bump. He is as intense as I've ever seen him. The dude is blocking everything. He has to be the team's inspirational leader this game.

Gotta Get A New Crew

Jamie — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 21:58:00 GMT

My friends know what I do for a living. They know I work in television sports broadcasting in Memphis. Yet, it's when the biggest story hits, they decide to call me. When the Tigers are down by 1 with 58 seconds to play, that's when they call to ask, "what was Calipari thinking bringing Taggart in on that play?" Are you freakin' serious? I'm interviewing players after the game and my boy calls to tell me that it was a close one.

Then, I get attitude if I don't answer the phone. I'll check my message later, "Hey man pick up the phone, where you at?" I'm in the locker room, working. I don't call you in the middle of a big court case asking "what's up with the judge? Is this case going to be thrown out? Tell the truth, your client is guilty as crap."

Just let this game be a close one, and bam, my phone is ringing off the hook. And if I answer it, "Did you see that?" No, I missed it while going for my phone. "You're at the game and you missed that dunk? They need to fire you." The truth is that I need to fire you as a friend.

The "Regional" Reason Rears It's Ugly Head Again

Jamie — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 21:22:00 GMT

Judging by what I've seen so far in the Bulldogs/Tigers game, this could make for a really good rivalry in the future, oh except for one thing, they probably will not play each other in the future unless they should meet in some early season classic or the NCAA Tournament.

Saturday, a reporter informed both John Calipari and Rick Stansbury about the number of times Memphis and Ole Miss have played in the past 10 years (nine times) and yet the Tigers and Bulldogs haven't played since the '84-'85 season.

Stansbury says State and Memphis have tried to make a deal to get back on the court against each other, but says football or the lack there of between the teams has something to do with their inability to strike a deal for the hardwood.

Calipari gave his standard answer. It's about T.V. he says. He wants the Tigers to be on television as much as possible and playing "regional" games against teams like Mississippi State would hinder the Tigers ability to do that, thus the need for a "national" schedule.

Plus the Tigers have to make up for the perception of being in a weak conference.

Tigers up nine at the break.