Author: Dennis Freeland

John Calipari may have done his finest coaching job of the season Monday night against UAB. The crowd was flat. The pep band was uninspired. The students were quiet. Even the pompon squad clapped as if their minds were on boyfriends or mid-terms or anything but basketball.

It seemed that only Calipari came ready to play. After consecutive losses to Cincinnati and Charlotte, the first-year Tiger coach had to dig deep into his bag of motivational tricks to get his team started. He yelled, he cursed, he stomped his feet, he ran players in and out of the game. Finally under the capable leadership of senior point guard Shyrone Chatman, Memphis took its first lead of the game at 18-17 with 7:25 to go in the first half. From there Memphis (15-11; 9-4 in C-USA) gradually pulled away before pouring it on the visiting Blazers in the second half. The final score was 86-69, but the game was never in doubt after Memphis went on a 12-2 run to open the second half.

Afterward, Calipari was relieved, happy, jubilant almost. He talked about the job Murray Bartow had done this season with UAB. He said Marquette’s Tom Crean or Bartow should be coach of the year in C-USA. But really, shouldn’t that award go to Calipari?

After the UAB game he gave his players two days off, admitting that it would probably be good for them to take a break from The World According to Cal. That world can be pretty intense.

No one knows it better than Shyrone Chatman. The point guard always has the toughest job. As the “coach on the floor” he has to mirror the intensity of the head coach. In Chatman’s case that is a tall order. The serenity with which Chatman faces his task game after game is a wonderful thing to watch. Each time the game is stopped for a foul shot, Calipari yells to Chatman, who dutifully comes to the sideline to listen to his coach. Sometimes it is a rant, sometimes a reminder. But no matter the message or the tone in which it is delivered, Chatman is the same. He makes eye contact, focuses on what the coach says, nods that he has heard him, then goes back to his team. He never buckles under the strain, never shows any impatience. The cohesion of the two men says a lot about both of them.

Part of the Johnny Jones/Tic Price Louisiana connection, Shyrone Chatman was a little-used player heading into the second half of his junior season. But he started six of the Tigers’ last seven games for Jones and became the defensive stopper on the club. When Courtney Trask was suspended for academic misconduct on December 9th, the senior from Baton Rouge was ready.

Chatman doesn’t have much flash to his game, but he is a relentless competitor. More than anyone else, he is responsible for the turnaround in Memphis’ season. His maturity and leadership were just what the Tigers needed. Against UAB his line in the box score told the story: 15 points, 4 steals, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 0 turnovers in 30 minutes. Chatman is a winner.

Because of the bond that he and his coach have built, Memphis will be one of the favorites to win the Conference USA tournament next month in Louisville. And winning the conference tournament is looking more and more like the only way the Tigers will get into the NCAA.

Memphis has not done well in the C-USA tournament, going 2-5 (with the two wins coming in Memphis). But Calipari has a little experience in conference tournaments. His record at UMass in the Atlantic 10 tournament was 17-3. Assistant coach Derek Kellog was a starting guard and team captain for Calipari. The Minutemen won four consecutive A-10 conference tourneys while Kellog was at the school from 1991 to 1995.

Although Chatman will not get to play four years for Calipari, he is the most important factor in whether or not Memphis wins the C-USA tourney and gets into the Big Dance. If that happens, it will be because of the synergy that two very different men have built in a little more than eight months together. There were times against UAB that Calipari, his arms flailing like a madman on the sidelines, looked like he was going to go on the floor to help his team. But eventually he saw that it wasn’t necessary.

He had Shy and that was good enough.

THIS AND THAT:

Like the XFL TV ratings, Memphis Maniax attendance was down by almost 50 percent last weekend. The bigger problem is the team’s offense, which has not scored a touchdown in the last 10 quarters. The fans thought the XFL would be wide-open, but the offensive talent is just not there. No one in the league is scoring, and that is a problem. In last week’s cover story about talk radio, I used an anecdote about Tommy West and Lex Ward to illustrate a couple of points. The first is that some coaches do listen to talk radio. The second is that talk radio is full of misinformation. I did not mean to imply that Lex Ward is one of those who makes a habit of putting out misinformation. Ward does as much preparation for his show as anyone and I respect the work he does on SportsCall 790. Nor did I mean to imply that what Ward said about the offensive coordinator job was necessarily false. In fact, it turned out to be the correct call. Randy Fichtner got the job as offensive coordinator, just as Ward had said he would. Speaking of sports talk radio, I had Mike DeCourcy visiting with George Lapides on Thursday instead of Wednesday. Everyone knows that Thursday is devoted to trivia on George’s show. The next game for the U of M is Sunday night against South Florida, the team tied with the Tigers for both best overall record in Conference USA and the National Division title. It’s the final home game for the Tigers, who close out the season against Southern Miss and Louisville on the road. Sunday’s game, to be televised on ESPN2, will mark the final appearance in The Pyramid for seniors Marcus Moody, Shannon Forman, Shyrone Chatman, and Shamel Jones.

You can write Dennis Freeland at freeland@memphisflyer.com.

The University of Memphis fell behind 9-1 in the first five minutes of the game, but came back to bury Conference USA rival UAB Monday night in The Pyramid. The final score was 86-69, but the game was never in doubt after Memphis went on a 12-2 run to open the second half.

“They’re laughing in your faces,” Tiger head coach John Calipari screamed at his starters after calling time-out just three minutes into the first half and the Tigers trailing 6-1.

The first year coach had to dig deep into his bag of motivational tricks to get his team started. He yelled, he cursed, he stomped his feet, he ran players in and out of the game. Finally under the capable leadership of senior point guard Shyrone Chatman, Memphis took its first lead of the game at 18-17 with 7:25 to go in the first half. From there Memphis (15-11; 9-4 in C-USA) gradually pulled away before pouring it on the visiting Blazers in the second half. The Tigers led 33-29 at halftime.

Afterward Calipari was happy that his team had ended a two-game losing streak in their third game in five days. He rewarded the players by giving them two days off. The next game for Memphis is Sunday night against South Florida, the team currently tied with the Tigers for both best overall record in Conference USA and the National Division title. The game is the final home game of the year for the Tigers, who close out the season against Southern Miss and Louisville on the road. Sunday’s game, to be televised on ESPN2, will mark the final appearance in The Pyramid for seniors Marcus Moody, Shannon Forman, Shyrone Chatman, and Shamel Jones.

For the third game in a row, Jones gave Memphis a first-half lift with dominating physical play in the paint. Kelly Wise had a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. He also had 3 assists and 2 blocks. Chatman finished with 15 points, 4 steals, 4 assists, and 0 turnovers in 30 minutes. Forman and Courtney Trask each scored 11 for the Tigers.

The only Memphis player who did not play was junior John Grice. Calipari said after the game that he did not expect Grice to play any more this season. When asked if that was a basketball decision, Calipari said, “It’s my decision.” He would not elaborate. Grice, a junior college transfer from Shelby State, was a starter before serving a 16-game suspension (along with Trask) for academic misconduct. The two were reinstated three games ago.

Kenny Satterfield hit a basket in the last second of the game leading the Cincinnati Bearcats to a 66-65 victory over the University of Memphis Thursday night in The Pyramid. Reserve forward Shamel Jones had scored with 10 seconds to go in the contest, giving Memphis a 65-64 lead. It was the fourteenth lead change in the game.

“I’ve been in many of these in my coaching career and usually what happens is whoever has the ball last usually wins the game,” Tiger head coach John Calipari. “And they had it last.”

Two candidates for Player of the Year in Conference USA, Cincinnati guard Steve Logan and Memphis forward Kelly Wise put on a terrific show for a national ESPN audience and 19,582 in The Pyramid. Logan scored 27 points on 9 of 18 shooting. Wise countered with 16 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks.

Shamel Jones had a career high 17 points and 10 rebounds. His energy lifted the Tigers, who led by five, 37-32, at the half.

“This is his kind of game,” Calipari said of the senior from Brooklyn who played 23 minutes. “It was a rough-house game — everybody’s fouling on every play, everybody’s pushing and shoving. It’s his kind of game.”

Satterfield had 11 points — five in the final minute. Donald Little also had 11 — the only other BearCat in double figures. Memphis out-rebounded Cincy by 11 (41-30) and had only 14 turnovers to 16 assists. The Tigers blocked six shots.

“We were just one shot, one play away. We’re close though. No one stopped playing on our team for 40 minutes. I was happy about that,” Calipari said.

* * In the story, I use an anecdote about Tommy West and Lex Ward to illustrate a couple of points. The first is that coaches DO listen to talk radio. The second is that talk radio is full of misinformation.

I did NOT mean to imply (1) that Lex Ward is one of those (regardless of his background) who makes a habit of putting out misinformation. Ward does as much preparation for his show as anyone and I respect the work he does on SportsCall 790. And (2) I did not mean to imply that what Ward said about the offensive coordinator job was necessarily false. I don’t think anyone knows what Tommy West is going to do with the job, including West himself.

* * I asked John “Rainman” Rainey, a professional sports handicapper, if he had ever had trouble getting media credentials to college games due to the NCAA’s worries about gambling. He said he had not.

“From the first day that I was on the radio, I never used the University of Memphis in any of the plays that we put out. Never. I don’t tell people to bet on them or against them, either way. I have access to the coaches through the radio show and that would obviously be a no-no with the NCAA.”

* * I asked Jeff Weinberger to comment on the fact that people accuse him of making outlandish statements for the sole purpose of getting listeners to call in. Here is his response:

“I swear on my grandmother’s grave, I do not just say things to get people to call. I don’t know if this speaks good of me, but I really believe everything I say.”

* * I talked to both Greg Gaston, who does play-by-play for the University of Memphis on TV and Dave Woloshin, who is the radio voice of the Tigers, about people calling them “homers.”

“We walk a fine line,” Gaston said. “We won’t duck an issue, but I won’t use the radio format to ruffle feathers just to cause controversy. That’s not the type of person I am. Especially being involved with the Tigers, I’m not going to bring up anything just to cause a stir if it is not a legitimate story.”

“I don’t think they listen to the whole show. I don’t think they are listening objectively,” Woloshin said of his critics. “When I’m doing a game, the same way as when Jack Buck is doing a game, he’s for the Cardinals, I’m for the Tigers. I think if somebody is calling me a homer they are either fans of the opposition team or they are Tiger fan who doesn’t think I am a homer enough for us.”

* * The Jim Rome Show is sometimes criticized by callers to Sports 56. New WHBQ-AM program director Bill Grafeman says he has no intention of canceling the syndicated program, even though he realizes that Rome is not popular with many in the Mid-South. The show’s ratings in the Memphis market are “no better or no worse” than most of the other sports talk shows, Grafeman said.

“I have a feeling that Jim Rome being from Southern California tends to stay away from the South for some reason. I don’t know why that is,” Grafeman said. “He comes across as very arrogant. He’s one of those people who you either love him or hate him.”

* * Interestingly, Rainey attributes a job in his past with helping him with the host role on talk radio.

“One of the things that may have helped me was playing in a couple of rock and roll bands back in the Sixties,” he said. “I learned a lot of timing from that. A lot of radio is an innate sense of timing.”

If I see nothing else from the University of Memphis basketball team when they take on Ole Miss Saturday night, I want to see a fist pumped. Or a chest beaten. Or the floor slapped. Say what you will about the disappointing record, the Marcus Moody fiasco, or the blown second-half leads. What seems to be missing most from this squad of Tigers is an element that, over the decades, has been the lifeblood of Tiger hoops: emotion.

As the Tigers struggle (1) to learn a new system under a renowned coach and (2) to climb an early-season mountain of a schedule, it appears the players are so intent on doing what’s right — or learning what’s right — that they’re forgetting why they play the game in the first place. If there is any one distinguishing trait that separates college basketball from other American spectator sports, it’s the emotional connection between player and fan. Combine the proximity of fans to the court (even in The Pyramid), the lack of headgear (which can hide a player’s expression), and a bombastic pep band. The result is an atmosphere that can literally make arenas tremble. But it has to start on the court, with the players.

Remember the screams of Lorenzen Wright after one of his rafter-shaking dunks? What about the gleam of Billy Smith’s smile after dropping yet another trey? Socks Perry played with his heart dangling out of his jersey. And it doesn’t require a star to inject this critical emotion into a team’s chemistry. Remember Justin Wimmer?

The irony with the 2000-01 Memphis Tigers is that they have a head coach who is about as emotive as they come. John Calipari can be as histrionic as a Palm Beach County granny, though, and it won’t transfer to the crowd as it would through a player.

The Tennessee game Tuesday night was telling in many ways. The Tigers played a superior team absolutely even after a dreadful start that saw them fall behind 10-0. When they pulled within three in the second half, what was it that kicked the Vols back into gear? Ron Slay’s crowd-pleasing shimmying may be a little over the top, but you could hear the roar, couldn’t you? And it wasn’t even close to a sellout in Knoxville. If displaced football fans can get excited by some basketball emotion, imagine what might happen if rabid Tiger fans sense the same kind of energy?

Personality, of course, plays a large role in finding this emotional leader. Kelly Wise, Courtney Trask, Paris London . . . the Tiger roster is filled with the “strong, silent type.” And that’s okay. Again, this doesn’t have to come from a star. Where might we find it? What about Marcus Moody? If Moody stands any chance of reclaiming his rightful position among this team’s leaders, wouldn’t some fire and brimstone from the senior sharpshooter be a good starting point?

My guess is that some crowd- and team-inspiring energy from the outcast Moody might just capture the eye of the man this entire team seems so desperate to please. And now wouldn’t that be worth shouting for?

Less than a month into his first season at the University of Memphis John Calipari has a losing record (2-4) and his first player controversy.

Considering the early schedule (five of the first seven games come against ranked teams) the record was expected. Senior Marcus Moody quitting the team the day before the trip to Arkansas was not.

Memphis lost to Arkansas 74-68 in Fayetville and the team really missed Moody’s outside shooting. The senior had been the most consistent outside threat for the Tigers and was the second leading scorer at 9.2 points per game.

It all boiled down to — what else? — playing time. Moody did not think he was getting enough. Calipari was waiting for him to earn it.

The coach was very specific and very public about what he wanted from the senior guard. “We have had 28 practices, six or seven scrimmages, and two exhibition games. He has yet to dive on the floor for a loose ball,” Calipari said before the opener, a 67-62 home court loss to Temple. “Well, guess what, those are the guys who are playing for me. He has yet to take a charge. Those are the guys who are playing for me. But we need his scoring, need his senior leadership. I like his game, but he’s going to have to take it up a notch. If he is capable of doing that, he’s going to be a starter. If he’s not capable of doing that, he’s going to come off the bench. In either case, he is going to be an effective player for us.”

Meanwhile as his former teammates were returning to Memphis after the Arkansas loss, Moody went on the post-game radio show to give his side of the story. He said Calipari wasn’t fair to him — that the coach pulled him after one miscue, but he would allow the other players four or five mistakes. Moody said his unhappiness was only with Calipari not the team, the university, or the city.

This team needs Moody. Calipari was hoping that the maturity of being a senior would cause Moody to respond to the challenge laid down by the combative coach. But Moody sulked as his playing time grew less and less. Against Tennessee-Martin in the game before he quit, Moody only played 13 minutes, taking a mere three shots. After the game Calipari was visibly shaken as he left the locker room.

“I’m worried about this team,” Calipari said, despite the 32-point victory. “We’re scared to death to play. I want to throw up.” He clearly had Moody in mind as he bemoaned his team’s lack of toughness. And one can only guess the scene in the locker room at halftime and after the game.

The situation is made more complicated because of who Moody is and where he comes from. The nephew of a former Tiger player Kenny Moody who know does TV color commentary for Tiger games on WKNO and the son of an outstanding player at Missouri and professionally in Europe, Marcus Moody chose the U of M at a time when all the local talent was leaving town. But he has had to endure three different coaches and his game has never really developed.

Even so, Moody is a favorite with the hometown fans and Calipari will have to watch his step.

“It isn’t about minutes,” Calipari said before the season began. “If you get four minutes a game, in those four minutes, prove you should be playing more. If you get 8 to 10 minutes, prove you should be playing 15. So it’s not about minutes. It’s about being productive.”

On Sunday Calipari and Moody met and came to an agreement. Moody could come back to the team but would be starting from scratch and would have to earn every minute of playing time. The senior will not be allowed to make the trip to Tennessee to play the 7th-ranked Volunteers, but he will be able to dress for the Ole Miss game at The Pyramid Saturday night.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. We haven’t heard the last of the feud between Moody and Calipari. More so than Temple, Stanford, Arkansas, or Tennessee, this is John Calipari’s first real test at the University of Memphis.

Stay tuned.

(You can write Dennis Freeland at freeland@memphisflyer.com)