Ready To Go Bowling?
The Tigers are looking to end a 30-year postseason drought.
by James P. Hill
The last time the University of Memphis Tigers played in a bowl game was 1971. The
president was Richard Nixon and the U of M was Memphis
State. As Missouri Valley champions, the Tigers rolled over
the San Jose State Spartans in the Pasadena Bowl by a
final score of 28 to 9. A paltry 15,000 fans filed into the
Rose Bowl to see the game.
During that 1971 season the Tigers didn’t exactly
set the world on fire. Their regular season record was
four wins and six losses. After manhandling SJS, Memphis
finished the season at 5-6.
Fast-forward 30 years to the 2001 Tigers season,
when the final record was also 5-6. But there were some
big differences. The Tigers had a new coach, several new
players, and a new system. It was, for want of a better
cliche, a rebuilding season.
According to Coach Tommy West, the 2002
Tigers are ready to compete with Conference USA’s elite
and secure a bowl berth for the first time in 31 seasons.
“Yeah, I expect this team to be in a bowl game,” says West.
“That’s not a goal. It’s more than that. It’s an
expectation. We expect to play in a bowl game this season.”
If hard work, high hopes, and passion can bring
about bowl games, the Tigers are in good shape. For Wade
Smith, a senior offensive tackle who played several games
last season with a broken thumb in a cast, it’s all about
staying healthy and playing consistently. “Last season,
there was a point where we were 4 and 2, and we went to
East Carolina and basically didn’t show up,” says Smith.
“That’s the kind of thing we can’t have happen this year.
We shouldn’t have to come down to the last game of the
season to decide if we’re going to a bowl game or not.”
Smith is enthusiastic about potential bowl
possibilities but remains focused on taking the season one
game at a time. “Right now, I’m focusing on Murray State,”
he says. “We have to come out and play up to our potential.”
Every season, the Tigers assign team goals and
objectives in their quest for a Conference USA championship. In
the past, the team often hasn’t had enough depth to sustain
those goals in the face of injuries, ineligibility, etc. But, this
year, the team and the coaching staff feel they have enough
talent to fill in for players who fall by the wayside. That list
already includes acclaimed Trezevant High School
phenom Albert Means, who will miss the entire season due to
academic ineligibility.
“There’s not a void, because what it creates is a
window of opportunity for another player,” says West. “I
expect Kenyun Glover to be the guy to step up.”
Another enthusiastic Tiger is Tony Brown, a senior
defensive end who has bought into the Tommy West
philosophy. He also feels the U of M is a better football
team this season. “We will accomplish more than what we
did last year,” says Brown. “We’re a better team, more
experienced, with more leadership, more character, and
better work ethics.”
When asked what kind of team the Tigers would
field this season, West responds with confidence: “We’re
going to be capable of going 80 yards in one play, because
we’ve got a quality quarterback [Danny Wimprine] and we
have some skill-level players who can do things with the ball
after they get it. We’re going to be a team that throws the
ball first and runs the ball second.”
And hopefully makes it to the Liberty Bowl. After
the regular season.
Profit-taking
The business of college basketball marches on.
by Ron Martin
Collegiate recruiting peaked over the past week as teenagers verbally committed their
allegiance to schools hoping to increase their stock in the
business known as NCAA basketball. The University of
Memphis 2002 Initial Public Offerings appear to be better
than most, led by Kendrick Perkins of Texas, who some
predict could lead the Tigers into a profit margin his
freshman year. The balance sheets of collegiate basketball
are affected by the decisions of teenagers whose verbal
commitment is worthless until November 13th, the first
day recruits can sign a binding agreement.
During a four-day period, Memphis landed
commitments from three players, each of whom had
summer-league coaches proclaiming their on-court
brilliance. Meanwhile, arm chair coaches discussed the positive
and negative attributes of their game. Of course, analysts
have their own agenda. The summer-league coaches are
well aware that the more stars they produce, the more
money and respect they will be able to demand from the
shoe companies supporting their programs. The armchair
analysts base their opinions on whether or not the
athlete has committed to their favorite school.
Players who show promise early in their high
school career are flown coast-to-coast during summer
school breaks to participate in cattle-calls also known as
summer leagues to showcase their talents. Shoe
companies such as Nike and Adidas sponsor these events,
supposedly with the purpose of enhancing the high school
players’ abilities. The majority of the butts in the seats
belong to college coaches and NBA agents looking for the next
Kobe Bryant. It’s a dangerous mix and sends a bad message to
the players who quite reasonably begin to think basketball
is the only route their life should travel.
Attendance at these camps is a necessary evil for
college coaching staffs. If they don’t participate, they won’t
keep their jobs very long. Players vie for the attention of
coaches such as the U of M’s John Calipari. Individuals and
companies profit off the backs of these teenagers. It is as close to
a modern-day plantation as you will ever see. Shoe
companies and recruiting gurus create Web sites and offer
their voices for talk shows to promote their “I’m the only
one who really knows” opinions.
All of this leads to incredible pressure on the athlete.
As recruiting services tout the players and declare with
“inside” knowledge where a kid is going to play, boosters of
schools not mentioned start applying the screws. A great example
is U of M football freshman DeAngelo Williams of
Wynne, Arkansas, whose family was besieged by University of
Arkansas fans. When he began leaning toward the Tigers,
one would have thought Williams had renounced his
American citizenship. As Williams declared his intentions to
attend Memphis, he noted the pressure, saying it was hard to
study because of everything said about him and his family. It’s
a sad statement from a youngster who just wants to play
football. Unfortunately, it’s a statement which is repeated on
a daily basis throughout the country.
Unless controls are placed upon the summer leagues
and the companies supporting them, NCAA sports could
soon face charges of corruption rivaling Enron and WorldCom.
Flyers Six-time Olympic medalist Jackie
Joyner-Kersee is in Memphis to speak at Mitchell High School
regarding her fight with asthma while becoming one of
the world’s greatest athletes. Joined by former U of M
great Andre Turner, she will hold her awareness seminar
Thursday, August 15th … Casey Wittenberg won the
Tennessee State Amateur Golf Championship last week
at Ridgeway Country Club. The 17-year-old is one of
the youngest to capture the title in the tourney’s 87-year
history … As the Elvis celebration winds down, look for
U of M athletic director R.C. Johnson in a prime seat
at the concert Friday night at The Pyramid. If there were
a top-10 list of Elvis fans, Johnson would hold the
three top spots.
Ramblings I’m still wondering why we seldom
hear Lorenzen Wright’s name when the Grizzlies talk about
their future … Do you enjoy going to AutoZone Park as
much this year as you did last year? … It’s strange hearing U of
M football coach Tommy West say he’s concerned about
defense … Considering the legal rap sheets belonging to
Arkansas football players, shouldn’t they change their
fight song to “Jailhouse Rock”? … Congrats to former U of
M basketballer Shyrone Chapman. He accepted his
diploma last Saturday, proving you can be a student and an
athlete at the same time.