This year’s installment of the University of Memphis men’s basketball team is a roster filled to the brim with youth and inexperience, but two incoming transfers will look to add veteran leadership to the freshman-laden squad.
The Tigers have added former Vanderbilt University guard Kedren Johnson and former Southern University forward Calvin Godfrey to the roster for the upcoming season. With nearly all of Memphis’ backcourt players being in just their first or second year on the team, Johnson can bring a lot of experience to the position.
“(Johnson) can help us,” Head coach Josh Pastner said. “He’s been through the ringer. We’ve still gotta get a waiver for him to be eligible. We do expect the waiver to go through.”
Johnson played two seasons for Vanderbilt, most recently in the 2012-13 season in which he appeared in 33 games for the Commodores, averaging 13.5 points and 3.6 assists in just under 32 minutes per game. Johnson had shooting splits of 41 percent from the field, 35 percent from three and 72 percent from the free throw line. Johnson was suspended for the entirety of the 2013-14 season for undisclosed reasons.
As a 6-foot-4, 229-pound guard, Johnson has great size that should allow him to defend either guard position. On the offensive end, Pastner said that Johnson has the ability to play at both on and off the ball, but that right now the most important thing is for him to get back into playing shape.
Down on the blocks, Calvin Godfrey will bolster the Tigers’ frontcourt depth, which took a hit with the departure of sophomore forward Dominic Woodson. The team returns starting forwards Shaq Goodwin and Austin Nichols, as well as reserve big men Nick King and Kuran Iverson. Memphis also added junior college forward Trahson Burrell in the most recent recruiting class.
In the 2013-14 season Godfrey averaged 13.1 points and 8.8 rebounds in 27 minutes per game at Southern. Standing at 6-foot-8 and 233 pounds, Godfrey can add toughness to the Tigers’ frontline.
“Calvin is a very good rebounder,” Pastner said. “He’s a little undersized but he can really rebound the ball.”
Assuming the waiver is approved by the NCAA, Johnson will have two years of eligibility at Memphis while the upcoming season will be the final one of Godfrey’s collegiate career.
The Tigers have a home exhibition game against Christian Brothers University on Nov. 12 before officially opening the season against Wichita State in a neutral site game Nov. 18.
