Being the head coach of the men’s Memphis Tigers basketball program comes with a lot of responsibilities. The program has not had a losing season since 1999-2000, when Memphis was in the process of rebuilding. After that, John Calipari was named the head coach, and success ensued.
About 18 years later, Tubby Smith was fired despite winning 19 games in his first season and 21 games this season. Jeff Goodman, ESPN Basketball Insider, said Smith was not given enough time. However, Goodman also said Smith was not the right man for the job.
“I always have an issue when an AD (athletic director) only keeps a coach for two years,†Goodman said. “It’s not enough time to judge a coach because usually, they don’t have a chance in the first recruiting cycle. So, no, he didn’t get a fair shake. That being said, I don’t think he is the right person for the Memphis job. It’s a spot where you have to deal with the AAU coaches, and some third-party people, and that’s just not Tubby’s strength.â€
Memphis wanted instant success because that was the standard set over the last two decades. During Calipari’s tenure as head coach, the Tigers had five seasons with 25 wins or more. Additionally, the Tigers made seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including one visit to the Final Four, and went to the National Invitational Tournament three times.
Calipari decided to leave the university to become the head coach of the University of Kentucky men’s basketball program amid allegations former Tiger point guard Derrick Rose cheated on his SAT test. The NCAA responded by making the Tigers program vacate the 2008 season, which consisted of 38 wins. However, it was Calipari’s success and personality that set the bar for the program.
Goodman said Smith’s departure had everything to do with the standard set by Calipari and nothing to do with an alleged Memphis media vendetta against the ousted coach.
“No one has any agenda against Tubby Smith,†Goodman said. “The local media just wants to see a high-level product, and Tubby wasn’t bringing in high-level guys. Unfortunately, the benchmark is John Calipari, and nothing will match what Cal did. However, the other aspect of Tubby is that he’s not Calipari in terms of entertainment, either. So Tubby isn’t bringing in top-50 players, he’s not connecting with the media, and he’s not dynamic. That’s a bad combination.â€
Calipari was succeeded by Josh Pastner in 2010. Pastner’s tenure of 167 wins total, with 24 or more wins in his first five years of this seven-year stint. During that time, the Tigers made four Tournament appearances and one visit to the NIT.
However, the program would eventually decline, and during the 2014-15 season, the Tigers did not make it to either the Tournament or the NIT, which was the first time that has happened in over 15 years.
Fan support began to decline, and things did not get better. Shortly after, Tubby Smith was named the head coach in 2016.
His first season started off successful; however, the Tigers lost their last six out of eight games. Smith saw six players request to transfer and lost two of his best scorers. Smith was not as proactive as many wanted him to be with local high school prospects, and those recruits went to other schools.
Smith failed to meet those expectations and was terminated March 13. Goodman said those expectations may be too high.
“What Calipari did was insane,†Goodman said. “That’s not to say it can’t be replicated, but it’s difficult to imagine someone doing that again.â€
With Smith’s departure, multiple reports point to Penny Hardaway being the next head coach of the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball program. However, Goodman cautions against instant success.
“It depends on how close his relationships are with his players,†Goodman said. “Can he land guys like James Wiseman immediately? If he can, then they can turn this (around) in the next couple of years. Penny also needs to hire a quality staff, though. The staff often determines the success of the coach.â€
Former Tiger star DJ Stephens echoed Goodman, saying the standard was set with Calipari.
“They got spoiled with Cal,†Stephens said. “But I do believe certain expectations are fair. Like the team should be one of the top teams in the AAC every year, and they should make the Tournament damn near every year.â€
Stephens said the Tigers should be competitive and a solid team regardless of who the head coach is. Unfortunately for Smith, that was not the case in his two short years at Memphis.
Head coach Tubby Smith calls out a play for the Tigers to run. He is in his first season at Memphis and is looking to snap a four game winning streak.
Josh Pastner became the University of Memphis men’s basketball coach in 2009 following John Calipari’s departure. He’s currently has the fourth most wins (163) in program history, despite recent struggles.Â
Kentucky coach John Calipari looks on as his team plays against UCLA. Calipari coached Memphis from the 2000-01 season to the 2008-09 season.
