If Willie Gregory had his way, John Calipari would join team Swoosh.
Gregory, the Director of Community and Business Relations for Nike, said he would like to see Calipari and the Tigers switch to Nike uniforms.
"If I ever get Cal to come out of those Adidas basketball uniforms, it'd be better," Gregory said.
Because The University of Memphis does not have an all sport deal with an athletic company such as Nike or Adidas, Tiger replica jerseys are not sold in stores. The basketball team has a contract with Adidas while the football team is tied in with Nike.
The on-campus bookstore sells basketball jerseys made by Majestic, but they resemble what the players wear only in that they have Memphis across the chest.
Calipari and Memphis football coach Tommy West each have exclusive deals with Adidas and Nike respectively. The two coaches negotiated their own contracts that were then reviewed by Athletic Director R.C. Johnson and The University legal council, according to Bill Lofton, associate athletic director.
Cash and contracts have prevented the sale of replica Memphis jerseys in the past, but that is about to change.
Blue Planet, an exclusively Tiger athletic outfitter, will begin selling replica basketball throwback jerseys this summer. Tentatively scheduled to go on sale in June, Blue Planet founder Bill Alexander said fans will be able to buy the jerseys of former Tiger greats Keith Lee, Anfernee Hardaway, and Elliot Perry to name a few. A price for the uniforms, which will be stitched, has yet to be determined.
"The throwbacks take about a year to produce," Alexander said. "It's a high-end product. We've been working on them for about eight months. We're going through some licensing issues right now. It's not something you can do overnight."
The jerseys will have names on the back if all goes as planned, and the featured players agree to the release. All proceeds will go to the Larry Finch Foundation.
Alexander also said Blue Planet has plans to produce an up-to-date replica jersey of incoming freshman Derrick Rose.
Some people may be wondering why Blue Planet is the first company to produce Tiger replica jerseys.
Alexander, whose investment firm supports Blue Planet, said it is because he is not concerned with turning a profit.
"It's not about the money," he said "We can afford to do it where other vendors don't want to take a hit. It's a hobby and a big deal to us."
Alexander graduated from The U of M in 1993. He has 27 family members who also graduated from the school, some of which help him with Blue Planet.
"It's a family-type business," Alexander said. "We started Blue Planet because we didn't like the stuff out there. The love of The University is the main reason for this."
