Reeling Tigers look to refocus after bye week

By Adam Douglas

Sports Editor

 

 

 

A bye week was just what The University of Memphis Tigers football team (2-7, 1-4 in Conference USA) needed after a lopsided 41-0 loss at the hands of defending C-USA champion Central Florida.  But the scheduling Gods dealt The U of M a bad hand, as the Tigers will play two games in the span of five days starting with this weekend's annual "Battle for the Bones" tilt against rival UAB.

What makes this matchup more intriguing is that the Tigers face their former head coach, Tommy West, now defensive coordinator for the Blazers.

West led the Tigers to five bowl games in ten seasons.

Second year head coach Larry Porter doesn't think that particular plot line will affect the outcome of the game.

"We haven't talked about that in general as a team or anything," Porter said at his weekly press luncheon. "But the best way for them to say thanks is to win."  

The Tigers will be facing a Blazers team that has had similar struggles this season. They're playing with a second-string quarterback, have had numerous injuries and countless setbacks – just like the Tigers. But despite their opponents' troubles, Porter sees this game as a dangerous matchup, and one that can also be an opportunity for the Tigers to finish the season strong.

"As you watch film on UAB, you see two different teams," Porter said. "You see a team that is very capable and then you see a team that struggles. So we have to prepare for the best team."

The week off gave some ailing Tigers a chance to get healthy. The break also gave Porter and his coaching staff time to re-evaluate the season and figure out what works and what doesn't work. Porter and company wasted no time trying to put the right players in the right situations in order for the team to be successful.

"(The bye week) was very much needed for us to grow and heal and recharge both mentally and physically," Porter said. "Our goal is to win November and finish strong. We kind of looked at it as well to see what plays were our best runs, our best passes to see how we can do those things out of different formations but continue to have the consistency and the productivity out of those plays."

This week's game is also Senior Day for 16 Tigers. Porter says he hopes fans will come out and support those graduating seniors for all their hard work and efforts over the last four years.

Kickoff for the "Battle for the Bones" is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Tigers’ exhibition opener provides fans with a look into what may be a magical season

By Adam Douglas

Sports Editor

  

David Minkin

 

Two years ago, he almost lost his first ever game as a head coach in an exhibition match against Christian Brothers University. One year ago, he said that he almost had an ulcer on the sidelines at the Tigers exhibition season-opener.

 

But this year, his Tigers won by more than 50 points on Wednesday against Lemoyne-Owen.

Is this year's Tigers team finally going to live up to the hype? Judging from third-year head coach Josh Pastner's impressions of the team, the answer could be "yes."

"I just think we have some really good players," he said after Memphis defeated LeMoyne-Owen 119-67 on Wednesday. "We are at our best when we are playing up-tempo. But our whole identity has got to be on the defensive end – we've got to make stops."

Memphis did some good things during Wednesday's game. They committed fewer turnovers than their opponent (11 to 25), they had more assists than turnovers (26 to 11) and they got out on the fast break and scored points. This was something that Pastner and his staff have been looking for from the Tigers throughout his short tenure as head coach. Wednesday seemed to be an indication that The U of M finally has all its pieces together, albeit they faced a team far less talented than them.

"The good thing about this game is that we can take this film and break it down and show our guys a lot of things we need to work on," Pastner said. "We have to get better pressing, get up and down the floor quicker. There are some positives, but there are some things to work on."

The Tigers ended the night with seven players scoring in double figures. Sophomore point guard Joe Jackson looking like a true offensive leader, dishing out seven assists and turning the ball over just once. Senior forward Wesley Witherspoon showed no ill effects from two prior knee surgeries.

"I think all of our guys played well," Pastner said. "Antonio (Barton) played well. Will (Barton) kept it simple. Wesley gave us some good minutes, and I was really proud of Joe. But I keep telling guys, Wesley and Joe are our X-factors for us. They both don't need to be Superman, they just need to play to their abilities and that's what they did tonight."

The debut of freshman forward Adonis Thomas and junior forward Stan Simpson wasn't bad either. Thomas finished the game with 11 points, two rebounds and two steals. Simpson, carving up the paint, blocked three shots, grabbed seven boards and added 14 tough points. If those two can contribute like this for the rest of the season, a deep run in the NCAA Tournament may be in the future.

Six Lady Tigers receive postseason awards

By Adam Douglas

Sports Editor

   

Joe Murphy

The U of M women’s soccer team celebrates after defeating UAB last week.

 

Heading into today's Conference USA tournament at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex, the No. 9 U of M women's soccer team (18-0-1, 10-0-1 in C-USA) will look to capture its fifth consecutive C-USA crown.

And with six players and coach Brooks Monaghan all receiving postseason honors on Tuesday, as voted by the conference's 12 coaches, the Lady Tigers seem poised to do just that.

Senior defender Lizzy Simonin was named Defensive Player of the Year; sophomore midfielder-forward Christabel Oduro, Offensive Player of the Year; senior midfielder-forward Lizzy Hildebrant, All-Conference Second Team; and Kylie Davis and Natalia Gomez-Junco, All-Freshmen Team.

Simonin and Oduro join senior goalkeeper Elise Kuhar-Pitters as All-Conference First Team selections.

"The girls have been special this year," Simonin said. "The freshmen and sophomores have followed the upperclassmen and they have led the way. I think that's what brought us to where we are this year – having good leadership and good chemistry."

That leadership and chemistry will be key as the Lady Tigers turn their focus to the C-USA tournament. Oduro said that with team's undefeated season and awards, the Lady Tigers will have a target on their back.

"(Tulsa) will be playing us extremely hard because we've beat them before," she said. "They will be coming out for blood wanting to get that game back. I think it's going to be tough, but I know if we play our game there's no reason for us not to bring home a fifth conference title."

Head coach Brooks Monaghan was named C-USA Coach of the Year for the second time in his tenure at Memphis. Monaghan, a graduate of The U of M, guided the Lady Tigers to a program-best 18 wins this season and a program-first undefeated season, establishing Memphis as a national power with a 104-33-10 (.742) mark since the 2004 season.

"This season has been unbelievable," Monaghan said. "The kids have made my job easy with what they bring every day. From a coach's standpoint, we just want it to continue and enjoy this ride as long as we can."

Monaghan said that though the regular season is over, the Lady Tigers still face a long road ahead.

"It's a three-game season," he said of the C-USA tournament, "and our focus is on Tulsa. When the tournament's over, the season's not over. We will refocus and hopefully improve and see where we're at so that we can make a deep run in the (NCAA tournament)."

The Lady Tigers face the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes on Wednesday at 8p.m.

 

Tigers roll in exhibition opener at FedExForum

By Adam Douglas

Sports Editor

David Minkin

Senior forward Wesley Witherspoon adds a pair of first-half points with authority against LeMoyne-Owen College in an exhibition matchup at FedExForum on Wednesday.

 

They set the tone early with rebounding and a stifling full court defense, creating turnovers that led to fast breaks in the Tigers dismantling of LeMoyne-Owen College, 119-67, in an Wednesday night exhibition match that opened Memphis' 2011-2012 basketball season.

Sophomore guard Will Barton led all scorers with 22 points, collecting five rebounds and dishing out four assists in only 18 minutes of playing time. His brother, Antonio, was a spark off the bench, hitting consecutive threes and shooting 5-for-8 from the field for 16 points as part of a 19-0 Memphis run midway through the first half.

"During the course of the offseason, I've been in the gym working on my shot all year round," Antonio said. "But the way me and my brother played tonight is credited to our mother. She tells us to go out every game and give your heart – there's no turning back."

The Tiger defense also looked improved, but despite holding the Magicians to just 67 points on the game, Memphis was unable to shut out the Magicians from the three-point line. Lemoyne-Owen shot better than 60 percent from beyond the arc in the first half. They finished the game shooting 32 percent from three.

"You guys know my number one thing is to take the three-point shot out of the game," said U of M head coach Josh Pastner. "How many times do you see teams that are lesser in talent beat teams because of the three-point shot? We have to take threes out of the game, but we couldn't because our hands were down and guys were shooting over us."

Junior forward Stan Simpson, making his Tigers debut, looked better than advertised, shooting 7-for-8 from the floor for 14 points. He also grabbed seven rebounds. His knack around the basket may be what the Tigers need to get over the hump this year.

"I thought Stan played well," Pastner said. "Credit goes to coach (Luke) Walton for that. Stan gets credit too – I think both guys deserve credit. Stan can help us because he plays hard; he played hard tonight."

Sophomores Chris Crawford and Tarik Black didn't have their best games. Black, who was not expected to play due to flu-like symptoms, had only four points in limited playing time. Crawford shot poorly from the field, but was stellar on defense.

"I just got to stay in the gym and take care of the ball more," Crawford said. "I missed a lot of shots tonight, but you live to shoot another day."

Memphis returns to action next Friday night at FedExForum to take on Christians Brothers University for another exhibition tune-up. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.

No. 9 Tigers ready to pounce

Even without a definitive starting lineup, Coach Pastner and 2011-2012 Tigers eagerly await starting

By Adam Douglas

Sports Editor

   

David Minkin

 

 

With just one more day until their first exhibition game and two weeks until the official start of the season, The University of Memphis Tigers basketball team is echoing the same sentiment they have all preseason – practice makes perfect, but the Tigers are ready to suit up against another team.

At practice on Monday, many players and head coach Josh Pastner said that come Wednesday, it'll be nice to play someone else in any type of game, albeit an exhibition.

"We're excited about the game Wednesday; it's been a long road getting here," said sophomore forward Tarik Black. "Last year, we came in during the summer and then started the season. But this year, we've been here through the whole year – the summer and Memphis Madness – and  now the season is finally about to start."

The team should be much improved from last season. They come into Wednesday's exhibition against LeMoyne-Owen College ranked No. 9 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll and No.11 in the AP Poll. With a year of maturity, the team feels they are better prepared to take on tough competition without having chemistry setbacks like last year.

"We've got to be focused from day one," said sophomore point guard Antonio Barton. "Last year, it took too long for us to click, and we can't wait that long because, like coach says, every team is good. So we have to take it seriously starting with the exhibition game."

The Tigers will again have a deep team, but a starting five and substitution pattern have yet to be determined by Pastner and his staff. Players know that they're name can be called at any minute, but when they'll hear their name is the question.

Pastner insists that it's too early to tell who will be starting, but says he will try to better manage the different lineups he will juggle in his third season as head coach.

"I haven't decided yet (on starters), but we're getting close," he said. "We literally have eight starters. We don't have a starting five – maybe a starting eight or starting nine. I want to make it easy for everybody here. I will try to keep the same starters the best I can."

Having a choice of playing eight or nine players may be a challenge for some teams, but this Tigers squad doesn't mind who starts and who comes off the bench.

"I can't speak for everybody, but it really doesn't matter to me who starts because we're so loaded," said sophomore guard Chris Crawford. "That's why in practice, everyone's competing against each other – it's so competitive."   

Golden Knights carve up Tigers 41-0

By Adam Douglas 

Sports Editor

 

 

 

In what was supposed to be a game where The University of Memphis would use a previous win as a stepping-stone toward improvement, the Tigers football team (2-7, 1-4 in Conference USA) was manhandled on Saturday afternoon by C-USA foe Central Florida, 41-0.

Sophomore dual-threat quarterback Jeff Godfrey led the Golden Knights.  

"I thought (Godfrey) got off to a good, strong start,'' said Tigers head coach Larry Porter. ‘‘He was the difference in the first half in what they were doing. He gave them the energy to play well.''

Godfrey completed 14-of-17 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 97 yards and another score through nearly three quarters before UCF head coach George O'Leary decide to give him the rest of the game off.

"He can beat you with his legs and he can beat you with his arm,'' said defensive end Frank Trotter. ‘‘You've got to find a way to contain him or he's going to take control of the game."

The struggling Tigers offense gained just six first downs, 134 yards of total offense and 33 yards rushing with 21 carries.

The defense didn't put forth their best effort, either, surrendering 505 yards of total offense to UCF, allowing their opponent to score 40 or more points for the fourth time in nine games.

It was the 11th time in 20 games in Porter's tenure as coach.

"(UCF) played exceptionally well,'' Porter said. ‘‘I felt we gave up too much, too early — third downs and big plays. Offensively, we didn't show up the whole day.''

Freshman Taylor Reed completed 9-of-20 passes for 97 yards and was sacked three times. Sophomore Andy Summerlin, who went 1-of-5 for four yards, replaced Reed in the fourth quarter. Senior Tanner Rehrer extended his receiving streak to 13 games with a 21-yard catch from Reed in the first quarter. He was later injured and did not return. Redshirt junior Curtis Johnson led the Tigers in receiving with three catches for 48 yards.

Junior linebacker Kenyata Johnson led the Tigers defense with eight tackles, with Trotter chipping in with two tackles for a loss and one sack.

Though they were beaten badly on the scoreboard, Johnson said the Tigers still felt they were prepared for UCF.

"They didn't do anything special. We just didn't do what we were supposed to do, and they picked us up real well and made us earn everything we had,'' he said.

With talent aplenty, Tigers bench goes deep

By Adam Douglas

 Sports Editor

David Minkin

The U of M men’s basketball team before tipoff of a game last season. The team will benefit from a more well-rounded roster this season.

 

This year's University of Memphis men's basketball team, unlike the past two seasons, expects to be good.

Not only do they boast some of the best talent in the country with a few former McDonald's High School All-Americans, but they bring a No.9 ranking into the season. And one of the biggest reasons is their depth. But third-year head coach Josh Pastner said it's still tough to evaluate this year's team, which was the third youngest in the country last year.

"Guys are competing, guys are getting after it, but it's hard to judge right now because we're beating up each other," he said. "I think we look good, but we're only playing ourselves."

Though the season won't officially start until Nov. 15 when the Tigers open up against Belmont, players are very eager to play against Lemoyne-Owen College next Wednesday in an exhibition match. The Tigers will no doubt have a deep roster this season, but Pastner says he doesn't yet know how his starting five will look once it takes the floor in a real game. What he does know is how deep they will be. So picking starters will be something of a puzzle for him and his staff.

"We talked about it a little bit today," he said. "Just out of fairness, I want to give our guys a little more time. But the way our talent is, we're not going to be a five-starting team – those are just the facts."

So with this team being deep as it is, there shouldn't be a problem when someone gets into foul trouble. Last year's undersized team struggled to rebound the ball effectively, but Pastner said he will ensure such Tigers' deficiencies are addressed this season.

"Every day we keep a plus-minus chart on everything the guys do," he said. "Every day in practice, the two stats I'm talking about are defensive and offensive rebounding, along with assists-to-turnover ratio. I don't talk about nothing else."

One of the main cogs in the Tiger offense will be sophomore Joe Jackson, who said that though he's more than ready for the responsibility, his teammates will be ready to step up as well.

"Our team is so loaded that it's like playing another team in practice," he said. "We have a lot of weapons. Adonis (Thomas) can post guys, Will (Barton) can slash and shoot, Chris (Crawford) can pass and shoot and Wesley can handle the ball just as good as me, so if we play the right way, we can win easy."