New virus case numbers rose by 42 over the last 24 hours. The new cases put the total of all positive cases in Shelby County since March 2020 at 88,153.
Total current active cases of the virus — the number of people known to have COVID-19 in the county — are 1,227. The number reached a record high of more than 8,000 in late December and only rose above 2,000 in October. The new active case count represents 1.4 percent of all cases of the virus reported here since March.
As of Tuesday in Shelby County, 140,432 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been given. As of Tuesday, 42,551 people had been given two doses for full vaccination, and 97,881 had been given a single dose.
The Shelby County Health Department reported that 937 tests have been given in the last 24 hours. So far, 1,025,082 tests have been given here since March 2020. This figure includes multiple tests given to some people.
The latest weekly positivity rate rose for the first time in six weeks. The average number of positive cases for the week of February 14th was 7 percent. That’s up slightly from the 6.4 percent of average cases recorded the week before. It’s all down from the record-high 17.5 percent in late December.
No new deaths were reported over the last 24 hours. The total death toll now stands at 1,498.
The average age of those who have died in Shelby County is 74, according to the health department. The age of the youngest COVID-19 death was 13. The oldest person to die from the virus was 103.
Mark Segbers will line up for 901 FC in its home opener against Atlanta United 2 on June 16th. (901 FC/Eric Glemser)
Old foes, and some slightly less familiar faces, will test Memphis 901 FC’s mettle come kickoff this season.
Earlier today, the USL Championship announced its plans for league alignment during the 2021 regular season. This year, the championship will see 31 teams spread across four divisions and two conferences. Each club’s campaign will see them play a 32-match schedule conducted over the span of 27 weeks.
Eric Glemser
Fullback Mark Segbers is one of two officially announced 901 FC players who will be returning this season.
901 FC finds itself in the Central Division, where it will face off against six-time Eastern Conference finalist Louisville City FC; regional rivals Indy Eleven, Atlanta United 2, and Birmingham Legion FC; and FC Tulsa, OKC Energy FC, and Sporting Kansas City II to round out the group.
During the season, 901 FC will play its division opponents four times — two matches at home, and two matches away. With division matches accounting for only 28 games, 901 FC will play its remaining four matches against either regional or cross-conference opponents, yet to be determined.
The full 2021 USL regular season schedule has not been released yet, but opening day is scheduled for a flexible start date of May 1st (however, clubs may begin play anywhere between April 24th and May 15th).
Defender Mark Segbers and midfielder Dan Metzger are the only two officially confirmed 901 FC players to be returning next season. Meanwhile, Ben Pirmann, who took over after the dismissal of Tim Mulqueen last year, still holds the title of interim head coach.
Stay tuned for more updates regarding player news and scheduling announcements.
See below for other USL Division alignments:
Eastern Conference Western Conference
Atlantic Division Mountain Division
Charleston Battery Austin Bold FC
Charlotte Independence Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Hartford Athletic El Paso Locomotive FC
Loudoun United FC New Mexico United
Miami FC Real Monarchs SLC
New York Red Bulls II Rio Grande Valley FC
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC San Antonio FC
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Central Division Pacific Division
Atlanta United 2 LA Galaxy II
Birmingham Legion FC Las Vegas Lights FC
FC Tulsa Oakland Roots SC
Indy Eleven Orange County SC
Louisville City FC Phoenix Rising FC
Memphis 901 FC Sacramento Republic FC
OKC Energy FC San Diego Loyal SC
Sporting Kansas City II Tacoma Defiance
BODYARMOR EDGE has announced a new ad campaign for its sports hydration drink, “GET YOUR EDGE,” that features athlete partners and investors Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
“Ja Morant and Kyler Murray are two of the most exciting athletes in sports and embody the intense, aggressive, hard-working mentality of BODYARMOR EDGE,” said Michael Fedele, VP at BODYARMOR, in a release on Tuesday morning. “Working with both rising superstars was an absolute blast, and we can’t wait for fans and consumers to give BODYARMOR EDGE a try.”
In the announcement, Morant said, “BODYARMOR EDGE is unlike anything out on the market today. So, it’s exciting for me to play a key role in the first-ever ad campaign with Kyler and see firsthand how BODYARMOR is continuing to transform the hydration game.”
BODYARMOR
The Murray State alum is averaging 18.4 points and 7.7 assists per game in 30 minutes of action this season. He spoke with the Flyer to discuss a wide range of topics, including the BODYARMOR ad campaign, his love for the Memphis community, Grizzlies culture, the return of Justise Winslow, the importance of women in sports, and more.
Tell me about your new campaign with BODYARMOR. What was it like filming the commercial? Morant: It was big-time. That was actually my first time being part of a big special group and actually doing something like that. I’m just thrilled to be a part of the first-ever ad campaign for BODYARMOR EDGE. I’m a big fan of it, and it gives me the energy on and off the court whenever I need it.
Ja Morant Featured in New BodyArmor Campaign
Why is it important to you to give back to your community?
As for me, it just shows where you come from, and I’m a big family person. I love giving back to wherever I’m from and wherever I’m at. Since I’ve been in Memphis, everybody’s been showing me love and treated me like family. So it’s only right to show my love back to the community.
There’s been a lot of talk about the Grizzlies culture and having good locker room guys. Since arriving in Memphis, what do you think about the culture and how you’ve fit in with it? I’m used to it. But as far as locker room guys, I feel like we have a great group of guys. No matter who it is, if it’s somebody new or not, we allow them to be themselves. We’re all around each other — we are always laughing and joking. But we also know when it’s time to be serious and lock into whatever we have to do.
How happy are you to have Justise Winslow on the court after his long, hard struggle to return from injury? Justise is a special player. He can defend multiple positions and play multiple positions on offense — another guy who can make plays for himself and for the team. When you have so many guys who can do that and guys who are unselfish, it helps our team, and it eventually shows up in the assist column.
Why is it important for you to support women in sports, from the female athletes, the female coaches to the female executives and female reporters? Women don’t receive as much respect or attention as they should. Women are a big part of our world today. To achieve things like being a woman coach in the NBA or anything like that, that’s a special honor and a big deal for women. As far as for me, to show my love and appreciation for them , I will continue to do it. Hopefully, to have everyone else realize how special women are.
In your first year, you took the league by storm and immediately impacted your team and won Rookie of the Year. How much do you feel you’ve improved from your first year in the NBA to now. And how has Taylor Jenkins and his coaching staff helped you become a better player? I feel like I have become a lot better. The game is actually slowing down a little bit for me when I’m out there. So I’m starting to see things before they happen. And I feel like that helps our team and puts us in good positions at all times. As far as our coaching staff and how they help me, they are always there when I need them; if I have questions, they always sit down with me and watch film and constantly talk about how I can get better and how we can get better as a team.
What does success look like for you this season? Success for me this season would be for me to be better than last season, for sure. I think that’s the number one thing — continue to show my growth. But as far as a team, I feel like making the playoffs would definitely be a successful season for us.
I’ve heard you say that you want your teammates to hold you accountable; where does accountability fit into the aspects of being a good leader? I have to bring it each and every day. I can’t have days where I’m going through the motions. If I ever have a day like that, I would expect my teammates to speak up and let me know to lock in, whether it’s in practice or a game.
Lastly, you don’t have to answer these if you don’t want to. Will you participate in the dunk contest? Do you think you should have been chosen as an All-Star reserve? No, I will not be in the dunk contest. It’s God’s timing on the All-Star game for me. So I will continue to work and get better.
First Assistant United States Attorney Joseph “Joe” Murphy Jr. succeeded former United States attorney D. Michael Dunavant this morning as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. Per precedent, Dunavant stepped down from the position following the change of federal administration.
The Memphis resident was able to naturally assume Dunavant’s former position due to a clause in the Vaccines Reform Act, which allows the First Assistant to the office to become the office’s acting officer. Murphy is a graduate of Lambuth College and the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. Murphy has served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Memphis office since 1989.
Prior to being named first assistant, Murphy served as the office’s criminal chief and as chief of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force. During his career, Murphy has tried approximately 125 felony cases to verdict in U.S. District courts. He has also represented the government in over 200 cases litigated before the United States Court of Appeals.
New virus case numbers rose by 135 over the last 24 hours. The new cases put the total of all positive cases in Shelby County since March 2020 at 88,111.
Total current active cases of the virus — the number of people known to have COVID-19 in the county — are 1,253. The number reached a record high of more than 8,000 in late December and only rose above 2,000 in October. The new active case count represents 1.4 percent of all cases of the virus reported here since March.
As of Monday in Shelby County, 135,100 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been given. As of Thursday morning, 40,982 people had been given two doses for full vaccination, and 94,118 had been given a single dose.
The Shelby County Health Department reported that 1,024,145 tests have been given here since March 2020. This figure includes multiple tests given to some people.
The latest weekly positivity rate rose for the first time six weeks. The average number of positive cases for the week of February 14th was 7 percent. That’s up slightly from the 6.4 percent of average cases recorded the week before. It’s all down from the record-high 17.5 percent in late December.
Two new deaths were reported over the last 24 hours. The total death toll now stands at 1,498. The average age of those who have died in Shelby County is 74, according to the health department. The age of the youngest COVID-19 death was 13. The oldest person to die from the virus was 103.
Justise Winslow found his groove on Sunday night against the Houston Rockets by going 4-of-4 from the field early on. In just his fourth game back after a lengthy absence, Winslow led the Grizzlies with 20 points and two blocks off the bench in a decisive victory over the Rockets 133–84. This is the first time Winslow scored 20 or more points since October of 2019 while a member of the Miami Heat. An emotional Winslow spoke after the game:
"This trade was one of the best things to happen to in my life on and off the court for me, this organization with being so patient with me. I'm just so thankful. A lot of gratitude and a lot of joy in my heart right now." – @IAmJustise@memgrizz // #GrindCitypic.twitter.com/Te6RFGXbtL
— FOX Sports Grizzlies (@GrizzliesOnFSSE) March 1, 2021
Houston Had a Problem Against Memphis Sunday Night
Houston Had a Problem Against Memphis Sunday Night (3)
Brandon Clarke notched his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 7-of-9 from the field.
De’Anthony Melton finished with 14 points, five assists, and four steals. Tyus Jones had a complete game with 13 points, five rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. The Grizzlies had a season-high 16 steals and 56 rebounds.
Desmond Bane had 15 points, seven rebounds, and three steals with a +38 +/- net rating to help the Grizzlies move to 15–15 on the season in his fourth career start. Bane even had a nasty highlight dunk.
— FOX Sports Grizzlies (@GrizzliesOnFSSE) March 1, 2021
Houston Had a Problem Against Memphis Sunday Night (2)
Very impressive victory by our group,” Taylor Jenkins said after the game. A very impressive victory, indeed.
The Grizzlies bench set a franchise record with 85 points by outscoring the entire Rockets team. Memphis also set a franchise record with the largest margin of victory with the 49 point smashing while handing Houston its 11th straight loss. Memphis held the Rockets to a franchise-low 27.7 percent from the field and 4-for-45 on 3-pointers.
Next Up:
The Grizzlies will take on Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, March 2, at the Capital One Arena. Tip-off is set at 6 p.m. CT.
Music Video Monday is bringing you all the colors of the rainbow.
Memphis jam band monarchs FreeWorld have been around long enough to know nearly everyone in the Bluff City music scene. The Beale Street stalwarts have spent their pandemic-enforced time off the stage in the studio, says bassist Richard Cushing. “We’ve been in Cotton Row Studio for the past several months working on this amazing project, and we’re all extremely proud of the way it turned out! The end result of all our dedicated work is a city-wide, multi-genre, multi-racial, multi-cultural music video meant to celebrate and exemplify Memphis’ (and the whole world’s, for that matter) diversity, and was created purely as a way to showcase the concept, the lyrics, the voices, the faces, and the overarching idea of diversity as an essential quality of life!”
When I say FreeWorld knows everyone, I mean it. “D-UP (Here’s to Diversity)” boasts a whopping 23 vocalists and 15-member band, including Al Kapone, Hope Clayburn, Marcella Simien, Luther Dickinson, and Blind Mississippi Morris.
Cushing says “D-UP” was originally a FreeWorld tune that the band decided to rework to reflect the lyric’s ideals and celebrate the struggling Memphis music scene. “The song, with lyrics written by David Skypeck and accompanying video produced by Justin Jaggers, came bursting forth with new life through the amazing production talents of Niko Lyras, along with the instrumental and vocal contributions of over three dozen established entertainers, talented newcomers, and legacy artists (see below), who all came together and donated their time and talents to create a work of art that celebrates and exemplifies the musical, cultural, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual unity and diversity inherent in our city and the world beyond.”
Music Video Monday: FreeWorld and Friends
If you would like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.
Ja Morant will play in All-Star games. Several of them. He’s that kind of NBA talent, both by the numbers and (more importantly) the eye test for what makes a professional basketball star: game-changing talent, distinctive style of play, and heavy on the charisma factor. He just won’t play in this Sunday’s All-Star Game, not at age 21 in what could be his senior season at Murray State University. It’s disappointing for Memphis fans, but it’s a time for patience.
With only 24 roster spots (12 per conference), NBA All-Star is an exclusive club unlike many in professional sports. Once established, an All-Star typically hangs on to his “membership” for several years. Among the 24 players originally selected for this year’s team, fully half of them would be playing in at least their fourth All-Star Game. (Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant will miss his 11th showcase with an injury and the Lakers’ Anthony Davis will miss his eighth.) Four players — only four — will make their All-Star debuts Sunday night: New York’s Julius Randle, Chicago’s Zach LaVine, Boston’s Jaylen Brown, and Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans. You’ll notice only one of these players (Williamson) is from the Western Conference, and he’s a forward.
Being a guard, Morant’s challenge is to take the seat of one of the following Western Conference stars: Steph Curry (a two-time MVP), Luka Doncic (first-team All-NBA), Damian Lillard (averaging 29.8 points per game), Donovan Mitchell (24.5 ppg), Chris Paul (11-time All-Star, exclusive “membership”), or Devin Booker (25.5 ppg; replaced Davis on the squad). Those are not the six guys you want in the lobby as you await a job interview. But Morant’s day will come. He has time (21 years old) and an abundance of talent on his side.
• The American Athletic Conference twisted the pandemic knife by moving the Memphis Tigers’ regular-season finale (this Sunday) from FedExForum to the Fertitta Center in Houston. The team Memphis most needs to beat for NCAA tournament consideration now gets to host the Tigers in what will be their only meeting of the regular season. (The teams’ originally scheduled game in Houston was the second of four postponements due to Covid-19 exposure in the Tiger program.) Memphis is essentially being punished by the AAC for exposure to the coronavirus at the wrong time of their season. Memphis Athletics / Joe Murphy
Penny Hardaway
But here’s the thing: Win the game. Memphis would have needed a win in Houston anyway (on Valentine’s Day) to attract NCAA tournament eyes. Coach Penny Hardaway needs to emphasize to his team that Sunday’s game is merely that game three weeks later. Maybe it will be a steeper hill to climb on the road. But maybe a road-warrior mentality would be healthy for a Tiger team that will play deep into March only if properly motivated. Remember “Memphis vs. Errrbody”? It applies this week for the Tigers, and with much to gain.
• Steve Selby is among my favorite Memphis sports figures of the last two decades. The longtime play-by-play voice of the Memphis Redbirds announced his retirement last week after 34 years behind the microphone, all in the minor leagues. He is a pro’s pro, as careful with the pronunciation of Albuquerque’s third relief pitcher as he is reflecting on the stardom of past Redbird greats like Adam Wainwright or David Freese. And man, can Selby tell a story (a must for a good baseball broadcaster). Willie Mays hit a home run in the first big-league game Selby attended, in 1962 at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park. He found it easy to fall in love with baseball.
Selby was broadcasting games for the Durham Bulls when Hollywood showed up and made one of the most popular sports movies in history. (Bull Durham hit the screen in 1988.) It was filmed during the winter, when Selby was home in Alabama, so he didn’t appear in the movie . . . but he was part of why the movie was made. He’s minor-league baseball, only with big-league talent, which anyone who’s listened to a Redbirds broadcast knows well. Whatever form Memphis Redbirds media takes (and live streaming has changed the industry), it will miss Steve Selby.
Eric Glemser 
BODYARMOR 
Memphis Athletics / Joe Murphy