The consensus became lopsided. Most people thought The University of Memphis men’s basketball team would struggle this season.
I couldn’t vote until I saw the team play. I was ready to put in my ballot after the exhibition game, but decided to wait until the Tigers played a real game.
While it made sense that some people were weary, it still wasn’t time to count the guys out. Hence I’ll just give a reason or two why it’s OK to ride with or against this year’s team.
First, ammunition for the naysayers:
DaJuan Wagner, last year’s star, and Quintel Woods, Memphis’ top recruit last year, went to the NBA instead of choosing to wear Tiger uniforms.
What that does is takes all name recognition from the team and also erases what would have been the team’s number one and two options on offense. The loss of Woods also weakens a weak Memphis front line.
In response the Tigers added a couple of less-known, but solid basketball players.
Unless you were from Memphis nobody knew who Jeremy Hunt was. When 6-7 small forward Rodney Carney got here I’m sure nobody knew whom he was until he dunked from the free-throw line at midnight madness.
Hunt, a 6-4 shooting guard, went unconscious against Syracuse in Thursday’s 70-63 season opening victory in New York.
He scored 19 points and penetrated Syracuse’s zone to get seven assists. And he controlled the tempo, stepped into the point guard position at the last minute and directed the Tiger’s like he’s been doing it for four years in an impressive collegiate debut.
Carney scored 12 points and added nine rebounds and five assists in a starting role.
Hunt and Carney aren’t Wagner and Woods, but the guys are accurate shooters and fundamentally sound.
Another reason for doubt was that the Tigers barely beat the Universal All-Stars, 72-68 in an exhibition game.
People looked at the outcome and jumped to the conclusion that if Memphis had trouble with a group of out of work ex-college players the team would be in trouble.
The narrow win shouldn’t have scared anyone. Of the 10 players who played, there were four freshmen and John Grice who hadn’t played organized in a couple of years. Modibo Diarra barely saw the court in both of his first two years.
The guys had to jell, coach John Calipari had to work the bugs out and the newcomers had to release the stage fright.
Another major problem basketball fans might have forecasted was the fact that 25 % of the team won’t play until midseason.
Billy Richmond, the 6-5 small forward transfer from Vanderbilt, isn’t eligible until December 12. Freshman Almamy Thiero, 6-10, 258, is out with a leg injury until around Christmas time and Chris Massie is academically ineligible until the spring semester.
There’s two ways to look at the scenario. The pessimists can say having to throw two perspective starters; Richmond and Massie, into the lineup will disrupt the flow if the Tigers have one. Or if the team is in need of help, the reinforcements will be too late.
On the other hand, one could say more firepower is always good.
The biggest issue is the big men, or lack thereof. No Kelly Wise. No Theiro or Massie for a while. Diarra still hasn’t developed and Earl Barron still isn’t playing aggressively.
Those arguments are hard to dispute but one thing can save the post. The same ingredient can help any other part of the Memphis team that is overmatched—hustle.
Tough, hard-nosed play can’t be overrated. The team chose leaving it all on the floor as its motto and that phrase means something.
If that group dives for every loose ball, runs the floor hard on ever possession and takes pride in defense, there isn’t a doubt that Memphis will find itself in the NCAA tournament.
Calipari is trying to sell that argument to his team and it should buy it.
Though there’s no prolific scorer, the points will come from somewhere, maybe Hunt one night, maybe Richmond or Barron another night.
Will the team make up for its deficiencies with grit and hustle? Don’t know.
What’s my vote? Can’t vote something about a problem in Florida.
