The Tigers their backcourt struggles from last season are gone now with the commitment of former Alabama guard Ricky Tarrant, he committed to the University of Memphis according to several news outlets on Monday.
Because Tarrant is graduating from Alabama in May, he is eligible to play for Memphis immediately as a graduate transfer. He has one year of eligibility with the Tigers.
Tarrant led the Crimson Tide in scoring last season with 13.1 points per game in 19 games for Alabama before missing the final 15 games due to injury.
He gives the Tigers another player in the backcourt who can score the basketball, and Tarrant can play both guard positions. Potentially, he could play with current Tiger point guard Kedren Johnson at the same time.
So why did the Crimson Tide let him go?
The main reason is the coach that brought Tarrant to Alabama, Anthony Grant, was let go at the end of the season, and new Alabama coach Avery Johnson said while he wanted to keep Tarrant, Tarrant didn't want to stay. Eventually, Johnson and Alabama granted Tarrant a release on April 10.
"We told him it would be competitive but he would have the opportunity and we would help him get better so he can reach his goals,” Johnson said in a press release. “There were no gray areas and everything was crystal clear. He wanted to talk it over with his family and once he did that, he called back and asked us for his release yesterday, which we granted.”
This is the second time in his collegiate career Tarrant is transferring to another school.
Originally, Tarrant played for one of Memphis’ rivals in the American Athletic Conference – the Tulane Green Wave.
In the 2012-13 season, he had a strong campaign in his only season for Tulane. He averaged 15.7 points and 3.6 assists in 35 minutes per game. Individual recognition came for Tarrant as he was named Conference USA Freshman of the Year in 2012.
He would then transfer to Alabama after Tulane switched coaches, and sat out the entire 2013-14 season due to NCAA transfer rules, before suiting up in 2014-15 for the Crimson Tide.
Memphis fans will be hopeful Tarrant continues his strong level of production for the Blue and Gray, and that Tarrant can help lead the Tigers back to the NCAA Tournament in the 2015-16 season.
