Sports Editor
David Minkin
Sophomores Tarik Black, left, and Joe Jackson, middle, were named to the Conference USA Preseason All- Conference Second Team on Monday.University of Memphis sophomores Will Barton, Tarik Black and Joe Jackson were named to 2011-12 preseason All-Conference USA teams, as announced by the league office on Monday. Barton was a preseason All-C-USA first team pick, while Black and Jackson were second team selections.
Last season, Barton led the Tigers in scoring with 12.3 pints per game and was second on the team in rebounding with 4.9 per game. The 6-foot-6 guard also handed out 99 assists and was second on the squad in steals with 54. He shot 42.8 percent from the floor and 69.9 percent from the free throw line. The Baltimore, Md., native was named to the All-Conference USA third team and the Conference USA All-Freshman Team in 2010-11.
Black, who joined Barton on the Conference USA All-Freshman Team last year, averaged 9.1 and 5 rebounds in his first collegiate season. The Memphis native was the Tigers' third-leading scorer and top rebounder. The 6-foot-8 forward also posted 56 blocked shots and 27 steals, while shooting 52.8 percent from the floor. A co-captain for the Tigers in 2010-11, Black finished the year ranked among C-USA freshmen leaders in scoring (7th), rebounding (4th), field goal percentage (6th) and blocked shots (1st).
Last season, Jackson was the Tigers' second-leading scorer at 9.9 points per game, and was also second on the team with 109 assists. The 6-foot guard collected 35 steals, shot 43.1 percent from the field and hit 72.6 percent of his free throws. The Memphis native saved his best play for the 2011 postseason, averaging 16.5 points and 3 assists in three Conference USA Tournament games and one NCAA Tournament contest. For his outstanding play, Jackson was named the C-USA Tournament MVP.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Three Tigers named to preseason All-C-USA
Tigers fall to Rice Owls 28-6 in road matchup
Sports Editor
After beginning the half with 107 yards of total offense, compared to their opponent's 245 yards, The University of Memphis Tigers football team (1-5, 0-2 in Conference USA) ended the game on somewhat a positive note – they moved the ball to the tune of 307 yards.
But, they were scoreless in the process.
Rice University (2-3, 1-1 in C-USA) finished the game with just 350 total yards of offense, but still managed to defeat the Tigers 28-6 in Houston.
"First and foremost, I take my hat off to Coach (David) Bailiff and his team," said Memphis head coach Larry Porter. "All in all, we didn't play a balanced game in terms of offense, defense and special teams. We have to have more from every phase of our team."
Two Tiger quarterbacks led the Memphis attack, with freshman Taylor Reed going 15 of 30 in passing for 100 yards, and sophomore transfer Andy Summerlin, who entered the game for Reed at the end of the third quarter, finished the game and completed 9 of 13 passes for 137 yards and no touchdown. Though the offense was at one point 0-7 in third down conversions during the game, Porter said that the offense will be different once some subtle changes come about.
"The thing that we've got to do is glue our offensive line together," he said at his weekly press luncheon. "We've been very inconsistent with injuries, and it showed on Saturday. You have to start there because when you can't run and you can't throw, it doesn't matter who your quarterback is."
The Tigers are still having problems on offense, but the defense is picking up the slack by creating turnovers. The Tigers forced three Rice turnovers, one of which was senior linebacker Akeem Davis' third interception in three games. But it went to spoils as the offense managed just two field goals on the turnovers.
"On a day in which you get three turnovers, that certainly gives you a good opportunity of putting points on the board and also victory," Porter said. "Obviously offensively, we couldn't get anything established throughout the day, which put us in a bad position."
Senior wide receiver Tannar Rehrer continued to be reliable target in the game, finishing with a career-high 11 receptions for 89 yards, tying him with Duke Calhoun for third-most receptions in school history.
Freshman wide receiver Kevin Wright also finished with a career high in receiving yards with four catches for 82 yards. But despite their efforts, the offense just couldn't find their stride.
"We didn't have any rhythm or continuity at first,'' Rehrer said. "I don't know why. We've got to be consistent. It can't be one week here, one week there."
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Anticipation looms for eager Tigers
Sports Reporter
Aaron Turner
University of Memphis men’s basketball head coach Josh Pastner talks to the media about the Tigers’ upcoming season and of Memphis Madness.
In just one week, The University of Memphis Tigers men's basketball team will once again open its doors for Memphis Madness at FedEx Forum. But this year, there will be no Yo Gotti, the Memphis-born rapper, who opened the show last season for the Tigers. Instead, it will be Mississippi-bred rapper Rick Ross – or "Ricky Rozay" as head coach Josh Pastner put it – helping officially start the 2011- 2012 season for the No. 9 Tigers.
And of all the people ready for the season, Pastner seems to be the most eager.
"Most people know (Rick Ross) as Rick Ross, but I know him as ‘The Boss,'" he said. "For those recruits out there that don't know, I've got to plug myself for being a cool coach and for getting the boss-man here."
With the Tigers starting the season ranked in the Top-25 for a second straight year, Pastner and his players said that they like the idea of playing with a target on their backs once again.
"I tell my players that those rankings are nothing, that it just comes from recruiting," Pastner said. "Of course, last year we were ranked and you all saw how it panned out with this team, but I think we just weren't ready. This year I think we're more than capable, and I wish that we could start out being No. 1."
The Tigers will have plenty of chances to prove themselves this season, as they play one of the toughest schedules in the country. But with some of the best talent on in college basketball on the court, meeting the high expectations placed on Tiger basketball every season is a welcome challenge, some players said.
"We aren't really worried about what other people think or say," said sophomore guard Will Barton. "No one's expectations of us are higher than the ones we put on ourselves."
Those expectations should be taken lightly because of maturity and leadership. And one of the most important things to look for this year will be the play of senior forward Wesley Witherspoon. Coming off a disappointing junior year in which he was often injured and suspended, Witherspoon knows how important his last season at Memphis will be for the Tigers and himself.
"This is my last one, and it's supposed to be the best one," Witherspoon said. "Coach expects me to be Wesley Witherspoon – Wesley's going to stay healthy and as long as I'm healthy, I'll be able to play basketball. I'm an active basketball player, and that's what got me here."
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Tigers announce 2012 schedule
Sports Editor
Joe Murphy
Entering his 8th season at the helm of the Tiger baseball team, head coach Daron Schoenrock has a tough non-conference schedule prepared for his young team.
The University of Memphis baseball team will have a tough non-conference schedule ahead of them in 2012 thanks to games against eight clubs that advanced to the 2011 NCAA Tournament. They will also feature 30 home games, including a clash with the University of Tennessee at FedEx Park, eighth-year head coach Daron Schoenrock announced Wednesday.
"Every schedule is unique in college baseball, in the fact that you start planning a schedule far more in advance," Schoenrock said. "A lot of these opponents we started working on in 2008 or 2010."
The Tigers' 2012 schedule features 25 matchups against nine teams that clipped 30 wins last season and six games against 40-win programs in Conference USA foes Rice and East Carolina. Memphis will play 18 games against 2012 NCAA Tournament qualifiers, eight of which will be played at home. The Tigers will play 29 games at FedEx Park and one game, against Ole Miss, at AutoZone Park on April 24.
"When you put a schedule together, you don't have a grasp on what your team will be like that season, but this schedule is conducive to getting some young guys ready to play at home," Schoenrock said. "We are going to have new players in the mix behind the plate, at second base and in center field, as those positions were left void due to those players being drafted to play professionally."
For the third straight season, Memphis will open at FedEx Park. The Tigers open with a three-game set against Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, a midweek contest against Austin Peay and a three-game series against Kennesaw State. A home-and-home series with Tennessee showcases the Tigers and Volunteers on the diamond for the first time since the 1995 season. The Tigers begin a five-game road trip in Knoxville, Tenn., on April 4 against the Volunteers. Memphis will host Tennessee for the first time since 1993, when the two teams battle on May 9 at FedEx Park.
"I like the fact that we play at home a lot early in the season, because it gets us ready for the grind of the season," Schoenrock said. "And with Tennessee, there was a change in coaching staffs. I had this game in the works with the previous coaching staff, and when the new staff came in, we solidified it – it's huge for our local Memphis fan base to play and have a home-and-home series with them."
The Tigers return 18 letter-winners from the 2011 squad that posted Memphis' fourth 30-win season since 1995. Five position players who earned 40-plus starts return and two-thirds of the weekend starting rotation will take the mound in 2012. Schoenrock believes that though this team is relatively young, its expectations are high.
"I always expect us to compete for a C-USA title," Schoenrock said. "Four out of my seven years here we've finished either third or fourth in conference, and that's a big accomplishment for the level of competition in this conference."
U of M’s Jackson and Barton on Wooden Watch List
Sports Editor
Two University of Memphis basketball players are among players from eight schools named to the preseason watch list for the John R. Wooden award, an annual honor recognizing the nation's top player.
Sophomore guards Will Barton and Joe Jackson are among the 50 players named to the watch list, putting Memphis behind only North Carolina (four players), Ohio State (three players) and Vanderbilt (three players) in selections. California, Connecticut, Syracuse and UCLA also had two selections each.
"It's a wonderful honor for each young man to be on there, just to be under something with the name of Wooden, arguably the greatest coach in basketball history and maybe the greatest coach in all of sports," said head coach Josh Pastner.
Barton, the Tigers' leading scorer last season (12.3 ppg) and second leading rebounder (4.9rpg), and Jackson, the Conference USA Tournament MVP, were the only players selected from C-USA.
"I think we have multiple guys on our team that deserve to be on that list," Pastner said. "But, for Joe and Will, it's about team and they want to win, and that's how it is with everyone else. Guys are locked in about togetherness, about ‘we' and about ‘us.'"
The 6-foot-6 Barton, an all-C-USA third team and C-USA all-freshmen team selection last year, said he was honored by his selection to the Wooden watch list, but shared Pastner's sentiments that team goals come before individual ones.
"I have a lot of individual goals for myself, but in order to reach those, I know I have to do well within the team concept. Plus, we have to win," he said. "I always put my team first. I know my team is depending on me. Individual accolades will come by themselves."
Jackson, a 6-foot standout point guard from White Station High School in Memphis, was the Tigers' second-leading scorer (9.9 ppg) and assist man (3.1 apg) last season. Over the summer, Jackson elevated his game, averaging 11.6 points, 4.1 assists and 3 rebounds in a starting role for Team USA at the FIBA Under-19 World Championships in Latvia.
"It's a great honor, but no award is bigger than my team," Jackson said. "It's a great honor to be mentioned in the 50 finalists, but my focus is on team goals right now."
The Wooden watch list will be trimmed to 30 players in January, when freshmen, transfers and other players who didn't play last season will be eligible to make the list. The award will be presented on the weekend of April 6 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
The heartbreak kids
Tigers strike early and often but allow go-ahead touchdown with just 11 seconds to play in loss at M
Sports Editor
It was supposed to be another easy win for The University of Memphis Tigers football team.
At first glance it started out that way – as the Tigers built a 17-0 lead en route to having a 17-10 lead by halftime. The Tigers (1-4, 0-1 in C-USA) ended up succumbing to a late rally by Middle Tennessee, losing 38-31 in devastating fashion on the road in Murfreesboro.
The Tigers were spurred early by senior running back Billy Foster and freshman quarterback Taylor Reed, both of whom scored on the ground to help the Tigers build a lead midway through the second quarter. MTSU responded with 17 straight points to tie the game. The Blue Raiders eventually would capture the lead in the late stages, winning their first game of the season and handing the Tigers their fourth loss in five games this season.
"We were ready to play this game," head coach Larry Porter said. "Even when they came back, we responded. This is a painful loss, and there were a number of opportunities we had to win this game and we could not get it done. I hurt deeply for this team because I thought the effort they brought tonight was good enough to get a win."
The Tigers played one of their best games, this season, offensively on Saturday. The ground attack accumulated 165 yards of rushing, totaling three scores, and was led by Foster's two touchdowns on 23 carries and freshman Artaves Gibson's 54 yards on 14 carries. Reed completed 23-of-32 passes for 230 yards and one score, with 10 catches going to senior Tanner Rehrer. Seven of Rehrer's career high 10 catches were for first downs.
"The ball didn't bounce our way,'' Rehrer said. ‘‘This one hurts …hurts real bad. But on another note we battled our butts off and proved we can put up points.''
The 31 points were the most by a Porter-led team thus far in his tenure. But this time the defense struggled more so than the inept offense that hasn't shown progress over the last few weeks. The defense couldn't maintain the lead the offense gave them and allowed the winning touchdown in the closing seconds of the game. With only 1:41 remaining in the game and the score nodded at 31 apiece, MTSU drove down the field and scored, putting them up 38-31 and sending the Tigers home with another heartbreaking loss.
"It was a great effort by our team as a whole," junior defensive tackle Dontari Poe said. "There is a lot we can learn from this game. But at the end of the day, we have to learn how to pull out the win."
‘W’ on the horizon for Tigers?
Sports Editor
David Minkin
The University of Memphis Tigers football team looks to win their second game in two years against Middle Tennessee. The Tigers defeated the Blue Raiders 24-17 last season.
For possibly the first time this season, the Tigers enter gameday with at least one statistical advantage over an opponent — a notch in the win column.
Though the Tigers (1-3, 0-1 in C-USA) come into tomorrow's contest against a currently winless (0-3) yet heavily favored Middle Tennessee State University team, the host Tigers will suit virtually the same roster that topped MTSU 24-17 in Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium last season. Of course, the win constituted UM's lone victory on the season.
"I understand that (MTSU) have been struggling, but they're probably better than their record," head coach Larry Porter said at his weekly press luncheon. "Offensively, with Kilgore, Cunningham and McDonald they have some talent and we expect them to be explosive on that side of the ball."
The Blue Raiders come into tomorrow's game ranked 23rd nationally in total yardage (461.3), 20th in passing yards per game (317.7) and 63rd in rushing yards per game (147.0). This will be a tough feat for a defense that is ranked near the bottom of the NCAA in every major statistical category, but Porter still believes in his defense.
"I stand strongly encourage on our defense and there were some things in this past game that we can build on," Porter said. "The first three games we gave up 15 plays over 20 yards, this last game we had only four. When you look at the film, there's a lot to be encouraged about defensively."
Porter said the defense is coming along, though numbers would suggest the opposite. But the offense is the focus of the team this week. The Tigers are averaging 11.0 points per game, ranking 116th in the nation, 115th in total yards per game (272.8) and have only converted on third downs at a 31 percent rate (21-of-67); thus not allowing the defense to catch their breath. Porter understands that the offense has to do its job.
"Offensively, we definitely have a lot of work to do," Porter said. "It's not just fixing one thing or another, but it starts with the offensive line and putting the skill guys in position to step up and be playmakers and take some of the pressure of our young quarterback. Our offensive line will be challenged to perform better."
Most of the problems start not only with the offense, but rather the morale of the team. Porter admits that it gets tough to coach when you're constantly losing.
"Losing's never fun, never has been and never will be," Porter said. "But knowing that you've got a locker room full of young men who care and who are fighting, my frustration comes through them not being able to experience success from winning.