Memphis Rebuilding Quickly
Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 7:04 pmDan Wolken: Memphis Tiger basketball in shape to surprise
By Dan Wolken (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Besides the departure of John Calipari, the hiring of Josh Pastner, a recruiting class falling apart, the re-recruitment of Will Coleman, the battle over Eric Bledsoe, the drawn-out recruitment of Latavious Williams, the surprise addition of a Frenchman, the shocking addition of the Barton brothers for 2010 and a date with the NCAA Committee on Infractions, it's been a pretty quiet summer around the University of Memphis basketball program.
That much was confirmed Saturday when Elliot Williams, the former McDonald's All-American from St. George's, announced he would play for the Tigers. Though the NCAA will ultimately decide whether Williams is eligible next season, the circumstances of his transfer from Duke would appear to be worthy of a waiver.
Williams left Duke to be closer to his mother, who is battling a serious illness. The NCAA has a precedent for allowing players with sick family members to transfer home and play immediately, and in this case, Williams is coming as close to home as possible. Duke, according to a source with knowledge, will support Williams' case during the waiver process.
A McDonald's All-American from Memphis has not suited up for the Tigers since Lorenzen Wright played his last college game in 1996, which makes Williams a local legend-in-waiting at a time when the program's fan base is still reeling a bit from the emotional roller coaster of the last 90 days.
Beyond that, Williams solves a lot of problems for Pastner, who was left in a tough spot with just six scholarship players that he could count on coming back and no recruits certain to come in.
Since then, Pastner locked down Coleman to put in the post, added a power forward in Latavious Williams, who is ranked in the top 20 players in the country by one scouting service and brought in small forward Martin Ngaloro from France.
Elliot Williams becomes the 10th player on scholarship for next season, but he also fills perhaps the biggest need. When the 6-4 Williams went into Duke's starting lineup last season as the de facto point guard with 12 games left, the Blue Devils were a different team because of his athleticism. Though Williams only averaged 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds, the numbers didn't fully measure his impact.
"He gave them a big boost when he went in the lineup," said Pete Gillen, a college basketball analyst for CBS College Sports. "I don't know if he'll be a great scorer -- he'll be a good scorer -- but his athleticism, quickness, defense and ability to get to the basket will give Memphis a tremendous boost."
Even though he's probably not a pure point guard, Williams gives the Tigers what they desperately needed: A playmaker on the perimeter who can break down a defense and create opportunities for himself or others. With Williams in the backcourt, Memphis' other guards like Doneal Mack, Roburt Sallie and Willie Kemp should be able to revert to more natural roles where they can finish plays rather than start them.
Is that enough to lift Memphis into the top 25?
"I would say the top 25 is not out of reach, but I wouldn't expect it," Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News said. "The inside game still needs to be rebuilt, the point guard position is still not established as solid and there's no one that's proven himself as a No. 1 scoring option. Williams is another important piece, but the program still is undergoing a dramatic transition."
What Williams' addition should do, however, is give the Tigers a legitimate claim to challenge for the Conference USA title if not make them the outright preseason favorite. Williams, Coleman, sophomore Wesley Witherspoon and potentially Latavious Williams (if he's academically eligible) would arguably be the most athletic players at their respective positions in the league.
"You put (Elliot Williams) with Willie Kemp and Roburt Sallie, that would really give them a terrific perimeter game, and Witherspoon is very good," Gillen said. "So they have some nice parts. They'll be right there with Tulsa. They've got a lot of experience, but Memphis certainly is going to be better than people think."
Adding Williams will have benefits beyond next season as well. With three years of eligibility remaining, Williams could be a cornerstone for one of the top backcourts in the country in 2010-11 when the Tigers add shooting guard Will Barton from Baltimore (a verbal commitment) and potentially point guard Joe Jackson from White Station (Memphis' top recruiting priority), both ranked among the top 25 players in the country.
Another visitor
Even with Williams' addition, Memphis may not be done recruiting for next season. According to a source close to the program, forward Matt Pilgrim will be on campus today for a visit.
The Tigers hosted ex-USC signee Derrick Williams from La Mirada, Calif., last week, and the 6-7 forward is expected to choose between Memphis and Arizona in the next few days.
The 6-8, 233-pound Pilgrim spent last season sitting out at Kentucky after transferring from Hampton, where he averaged 11 points and 5.3 rebounds. Coming to Memphis would require Pilgrim's transferring again, but he may not have to sit out another year because it wasn't his choice to leave Kentucky.
Pilgrim was caught up in a numbers game with the influx of new players at Kentucky, and it was made clear to him that finding another program would be best for his career.
Pilgrim would also have to apply for a waiver if he comes to Memphis, but Calipari would help with that process.
Memphis assistant Glynn Cyprien coached Pilgrim last season when he worked on Billy Gillispie's staff at Kentucky.
Schedule news
Bits and pieces of the Tigers' non-conference schedule are beginning to come into focus, though it's unlikely Memphis will release the schedule until August since several of the dates are not set. The big ones at home, obviously, are Dec. 31 against Tennessee and Feb. 6 against Gonzaga.
The Tigers' tentative home opener is set for Nov. 14 against Jackson State, and then they'll travel to St. Louis for a Nov. 17 game against a potentially No. 1-ranked Kansas team in the Hall of Fame Classic.
Arkansas State also returns to the FedExForum schedule next season after the series took a break in 2008-09.
The Tigers have road dates set at Syracuse on Jan. 6 and against UMass on Dec. 19 (in Boston). They'll also play Arkansas-Little Rock at Alltel Arena, where they started the 2008 Final Four run.
By Dan Wolken (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Besides the departure of John Calipari, the hiring of Josh Pastner, a recruiting class falling apart, the re-recruitment of Will Coleman, the battle over Eric Bledsoe, the drawn-out recruitment of Latavious Williams, the surprise addition of a Frenchman, the shocking addition of the Barton brothers for 2010 and a date with the NCAA Committee on Infractions, it's been a pretty quiet summer around the University of Memphis basketball program.
That much was confirmed Saturday when Elliot Williams, the former McDonald's All-American from St. George's, announced he would play for the Tigers. Though the NCAA will ultimately decide whether Williams is eligible next season, the circumstances of his transfer from Duke would appear to be worthy of a waiver.
Williams left Duke to be closer to his mother, who is battling a serious illness. The NCAA has a precedent for allowing players with sick family members to transfer home and play immediately, and in this case, Williams is coming as close to home as possible. Duke, according to a source with knowledge, will support Williams' case during the waiver process.
A McDonald's All-American from Memphis has not suited up for the Tigers since Lorenzen Wright played his last college game in 1996, which makes Williams a local legend-in-waiting at a time when the program's fan base is still reeling a bit from the emotional roller coaster of the last 90 days.
Beyond that, Williams solves a lot of problems for Pastner, who was left in a tough spot with just six scholarship players that he could count on coming back and no recruits certain to come in.
Since then, Pastner locked down Coleman to put in the post, added a power forward in Latavious Williams, who is ranked in the top 20 players in the country by one scouting service and brought in small forward Martin Ngaloro from France.
Elliot Williams becomes the 10th player on scholarship for next season, but he also fills perhaps the biggest need. When the 6-4 Williams went into Duke's starting lineup last season as the de facto point guard with 12 games left, the Blue Devils were a different team because of his athleticism. Though Williams only averaged 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds, the numbers didn't fully measure his impact.
"He gave them a big boost when he went in the lineup," said Pete Gillen, a college basketball analyst for CBS College Sports. "I don't know if he'll be a great scorer -- he'll be a good scorer -- but his athleticism, quickness, defense and ability to get to the basket will give Memphis a tremendous boost."
Even though he's probably not a pure point guard, Williams gives the Tigers what they desperately needed: A playmaker on the perimeter who can break down a defense and create opportunities for himself or others. With Williams in the backcourt, Memphis' other guards like Doneal Mack, Roburt Sallie and Willie Kemp should be able to revert to more natural roles where they can finish plays rather than start them.
Is that enough to lift Memphis into the top 25?
"I would say the top 25 is not out of reach, but I wouldn't expect it," Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News said. "The inside game still needs to be rebuilt, the point guard position is still not established as solid and there's no one that's proven himself as a No. 1 scoring option. Williams is another important piece, but the program still is undergoing a dramatic transition."
What Williams' addition should do, however, is give the Tigers a legitimate claim to challenge for the Conference USA title if not make them the outright preseason favorite. Williams, Coleman, sophomore Wesley Witherspoon and potentially Latavious Williams (if he's academically eligible) would arguably be the most athletic players at their respective positions in the league.
"You put (Elliot Williams) with Willie Kemp and Roburt Sallie, that would really give them a terrific perimeter game, and Witherspoon is very good," Gillen said. "So they have some nice parts. They'll be right there with Tulsa. They've got a lot of experience, but Memphis certainly is going to be better than people think."
Adding Williams will have benefits beyond next season as well. With three years of eligibility remaining, Williams could be a cornerstone for one of the top backcourts in the country in 2010-11 when the Tigers add shooting guard Will Barton from Baltimore (a verbal commitment) and potentially point guard Joe Jackson from White Station (Memphis' top recruiting priority), both ranked among the top 25 players in the country.
Another visitor
Even with Williams' addition, Memphis may not be done recruiting for next season. According to a source close to the program, forward Matt Pilgrim will be on campus today for a visit.
The Tigers hosted ex-USC signee Derrick Williams from La Mirada, Calif., last week, and the 6-7 forward is expected to choose between Memphis and Arizona in the next few days.
The 6-8, 233-pound Pilgrim spent last season sitting out at Kentucky after transferring from Hampton, where he averaged 11 points and 5.3 rebounds. Coming to Memphis would require Pilgrim's transferring again, but he may not have to sit out another year because it wasn't his choice to leave Kentucky.
Pilgrim was caught up in a numbers game with the influx of new players at Kentucky, and it was made clear to him that finding another program would be best for his career.
Pilgrim would also have to apply for a waiver if he comes to Memphis, but Calipari would help with that process.
Memphis assistant Glynn Cyprien coached Pilgrim last season when he worked on Billy Gillispie's staff at Kentucky.
Schedule news
Bits and pieces of the Tigers' non-conference schedule are beginning to come into focus, though it's unlikely Memphis will release the schedule until August since several of the dates are not set. The big ones at home, obviously, are Dec. 31 against Tennessee and Feb. 6 against Gonzaga.
The Tigers' tentative home opener is set for Nov. 14 against Jackson State, and then they'll travel to St. Louis for a Nov. 17 game against a potentially No. 1-ranked Kansas team in the Hall of Fame Classic.
Arkansas State also returns to the FedExForum schedule next season after the series took a break in 2008-09.
The Tigers have road dates set at Syracuse on Jan. 6 and against UMass on Dec. 19 (in Boston). They'll also play Arkansas-Little Rock at Alltel Arena, where they started the 2008 Final Four run.
Memphis' quick rebuilding is a good news.