The Memphis Tigers returned to FedExForum Monday night for their second exhibition against LeMoyne-Owen. With the regular season home opener against South Carolina State looming next Tuesday, this would be the last opportunity for the freshmen to get some in-game action before the real thing starts.
With James Wiseman still nursing an ankle and Damion Baugh recovering from a concussion he suffered in last Thursday’s win over CBU, D.J. Jeffries and Precious Achiuwa would once again be tasked with manning the two starting front court spots while Alex Lomax took over for Baugh at point guard. Joining them in the night’s first group were guards Boogie Ellis and Lester Quinones.
Memphis quickly raced out to a 12-0 lead before cooling off as the half progressed. Achiuwa chipped in 11 points while Ellis led the way with 12 of his own, but it was the 19 from the LeMoyne-Owen bench that provided enough of a spark to keep the contest close as the Magicians went to the break trailing only 41-32.
In the second frame, the Tigers turned the intensity up on defense and relied on quick and timely passes to create easy scoring opportunities that would help widen their lead. Tyler Harris showed off his ability to facilitate down the stretch while Achiuwa once again looked like a dominant force as he went on to finish with 21 points and 11 rebounds as Memphis went on to pick up a 88-63 win in its second and final exhibition contest before the regular season.
Time to temper expectations a bit, at least initially
It is fair to say that we will not really know what this team looks like until we see Wiseman and Malcolm Dandridge on the floor. Until then, however, it is also fair to say that expectations may need to be dialed back a bit after yet another sloppy win over what is supposed to be a significantly inferior opponent.
That is not meant to take anything away from what this group could accomplish. The talent is there for them to potentially do something very special. But before we pencil them in as title contenders, these freshmen need time to grow and acclimate themselves in the college game. Highs and lows are to be expected with such a young team. How Hardaway and his staff work through those highs and lows may determine how successful this year turns out to be.
“I feel like we’re very far from what we can become,” Quinones said. "Coach always talks about our talent level. Us having one of the most talented teams in the country, I think we gave up 23 offensive rebounds today and 19 turnovers versus this team. We just have to clean stuff up like that playing against teams like Oregon and NC State and all the high major teams like that. I just think we clean that up, bring James back, we all come back as a group collectively and we can have something special.”
Plenty of questions remain
Against the Magicians, Hardaway’s bunch showed flashes of what could go right this year. Three players finished in double figures, including Achiuwa with a game-high 21 on an efficient 9-12 shooting. Tyler Harris finished with the team lead in assists with six. They shot 52% from the floor as a team and won the overall rebounding margin 56-42.
However, they lost the offensive rebounding battle 23-18 to a team that was severely outsized even with Wiseman on the bench. Memphis turned the ball over 19 times for 18 LeMoyne points and the game never really felt out of reach despite the score. It is easy to assume that the rebounding woes will be corrected when they have their seven-footer back in the middle of the lineup, but it is still a concerning statistic that shows just how much they may be relying on the unicorn to carry them.
“The things that we worked on everyday are the things I wanted to see, to see if we could carry over, and we didn’t,” Hardaway said. "We were supposed to box out tonight, that was our focus, and we still gave up 23 offensive rebounds and we had 19 turnovers. Our guards have to take care of the basketball. I challenged the guards before the game to take care of the basketball and make winning plays on both ends.”
Looking ahead
It remains unclear just how long Wiseman is going to miss with his ankle injury. The quicker they can get their preseason AP All-American back into the lineup, the quicker we will have a better understanding of what this team really is. Until then, it is key that they clean up some of their preseason mistakes as all the games count from here on out.
Memphis opens regular season play at FedExForum next Tuesday at 7 p.m. against South Carolina State.
Precious Achiuwa makes a dunk. Achiuwa ended with a game-high 21 points, 11 points and two assists. (Frank Ramirez/Daily Helmsman)
Precious Achiuwa dribbling the ball downcourt. (Frank Ramirez/Daily Helmsman)
Penny Hardaway giving instructions to Boogie Ellis. The Memphis Tigers defeated LeMoyne-Owen 88-63. (Frank Ramirez/Daily Helmsman)
Lester Quinones makes a dunk. (Frank Ramirez/Daily Helmsman)
