Author: Samuel X. Cicci

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Beyond the Arc Sports

The Hustle Dispatch: Week 9

Reno has the Hustle figured out; six is the magic number

It may now be a new year, but the only ball that was dropping was Reno’s three-point shot. In two games against the Bighorns, the Hustle left the court empty handed. Those losing efforts sandwiched a heroic six-man victory over the Northern Arizona Suns, which throws up so many confusing questions. For now, though, let’s start with Reno.

The first matchup, in Nevada, proved to be a blowout victory for the Bighorns. The only Hustle player who didn’t have a negative +/- was Omari Johnson, who only had two minutes on the floor. The large deficit can be traced to a poor shooting night for several players. Dusty Hannahs, Durand Scott, and Shaquille Thomas, with 83 minutes of game time between them, combined for only 11 points on 4-22 shooting. Memphis kept pace with Reno in the early goings thanks to the best efforts of Jordan Crawford, who’s been seeing significant minutes since the Grizzlies called up Kobi Simmons. The diminutive point guard led the Hustle’s efforts this game with a 21-point performance, but with so many inconsistent players around, Reno began to pull away in the second quarter and never really looked back from there, going on to lead by as many as 31 points.

If fans were looking for a response, certainly they couldn’t expect it with only six available players for the next game against Northern Arizona, right? Durand Scott, Austin Nichols, Vincent Hunter, Dusty Hannahs, Marquis Teague, and Chance Comanche took it upon themselves to battle their way to a 120-108 victory. You could blame some of the players for growing fatigued and losing steam as the clock wound down, but that was exactly the opposite of what happened. Several players turned in career performances: Hannahs shot 11-18 and hit 66 percent of his three point shots for 33 points, while Hunter scored 29 and added 13 rebounds for a double-double.

To make the victory even sweeter, the Hustle had to stage a comeback. The end of the first quarter had the Suns seize control with a 40-26 lead. However, the Hustle outscored their opponents 35-16 in the second quarter. From there, the Hustle battled gamely to keep their lead alive, extending it to an 18-point gap at one point despite Arizona’s best attempts to claw their way back. This is exactly the kind of performance fans want to see from a team; coming off the back of a big loss, and with the chips down, the Hustle almost grit-n-ground their way to victory here.

Unfortunately, after Arizona, Reno came to Southaven. While this game was much closer, plenty of the Hustle players’ scoring touch deserted them once again, forcing Durand Scott (21 points) and Marquis Teague (25 points) to carry the load. A huge 22-3 run stretching from the second to third quarter primed Memphis to come away with the victory, but their defense came apart in the 4th quarter, with Reno embarking on a 21-4 run to gain a lead they wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the game. Definitely something to build on for when Reno comes back to town in February.

The Hustle’s fourth game, against the Oklahoma City Blue, unfortunately ended up as another five-point loss. Marquis Teague turned in an unusually poor performance with 3-9 shooting. Trahson Burrell also had a poor night on 6-13 shooting, but still managed to pull another double-double out of the hat. Vincent Hunter excelled, leading with a team-high 23 points and 14 rebounds for a double-double of his own. The Hustle almost created a comeback victory, pulling the score to 114-111 with ten seconds left to play, but the Blue held on for the win.

I’m not sure how the only victory out of four was when the Hustle only had six players available, but perhaps Coach Cyprien needs to channel that backs-to-the-wall mentality for more games. With the Grizzlies calling up Kobi Simmons to potentially groom him as their backup point guard for next season, the team might have to adjust to a new man bringing the ball up full time. The Hustle will certainly need to quickly, with their next four games coming against teams with positive records. Things might get worse before they get better, but if the team picks up good shooting form again, anything’s possible next week.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

The Hustle Dispatch: Week 7

A promising start to the road trip quickly turns sour


Road trips are fun, for a time. The first few hours bring with it a sunny optimism, full of well-intentioned banter, a good playlist, driving games, and maybe some podcasts or books on time. As the drive drags on though, tempers might begin to fray. Funny little asides might slowly transition to annoying tics before things flare up into full blown arguments. If that’s how it goes, the Hustle’s recent three-game road trip followed a similar pattern.

With Vincent Morgan, Jeremy Hunter, Austin Nichols, and Kobi Simmons all inactive, nine Hustle players took it upon themselves to make a statement early on, working towards a solid 123-115 victory. Omari Johnson missed eight of his 12 three point attempts and still ended up with 26 points. Marquis Teague also had himself a game with another 26 point showing off 10-18 shooting. Ivan Rabb continued to be a steadying presence, providing the Hustle’s only double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds while playing at Center. The 12 boards were a huge part of Memphis’ dominance on the night, with the Hustle out rebounding the Warriors 51-31 and putting up 28 second-chance points. They also led 24-13 in points off turnovers. It helped bridge the gap over the Warriors’ high scorers Cleanthony Early and Georges Niang.

After that performance, something went wrong. Perhaps Vince Hunter grabbed the iPod out of Marquis Teague’s hands and changed the playlist, but in the end, the Hustle’s next two games resulted in losses. To be fair, the South Bay Lakers are 12-5 and consistently churn out decent performances, so there’s no shame in this close loss. Many Hustle players gave standout performances: Omari Johnson scored 26 points yet again, while Ivan Rabb, Durand Scott, and Marquis Teague each also scored above 20 points at 23, 22, and 25, respectively. Rabb grabbed 16 rebounds to complete another double-double. Memphis took a 69-61 lead into the second half, but standout Lakers performer Travis Wear scored 14 points in the third, which ended with a 100-95 advantage to the Lakers.

It wasn’t a bad performance by the Hustle; against one of the G-League’s better teams, they kept pace, and occasionally surpassed, their California opposition. Unfortunately, it was just one of those nights where more players on the other team have career nights. The steady shooting, however, vanished in the next game against the Iowa Wolves.

It’s almost as if Iowa takes it personally that they’re no longer Memphis’ G-League affiliate. This occasion saw the Hustle fall to a 113-111 defeat, with many players regressing in terms of shooting percentage. Omari Johnson only got 11 points this time on 4-14 shooting; Durand Scott went just 3-10, but managed to make all 10 free throws to end with 16 points. Trahson Burrell picked up the slack with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Marquis Teague continued to provide a steadying presence with 20 points. The worst part of the game was that the Hustle led, but Iowa scored the final five points to eke out the two-point win.

On a more positive note, the game in Des Moines saw the return of Austin Nichols, who chipped in with 8 points on 4-7 shooting. His presence should help pick up some rotational slack for the next few games. The Hustle go back home tomorrow for a game against the Austin Spurs before another roadtrip against the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Salt Lake City Stars, Reno Bighorns.



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Beyond the Arc Sports

The Hustle Dispatch: Week 6

A promising start to the week gives way to defeats

The Hustle’s game week started out strong, showing off a dominance that we’re unaccustomed to en route to a 19 point victory. The unfortunate victim? The now 5-10 Greensboro Swarm, who were swept away by the Hustle’s 1st quarter offense and never looked like threatening a comeback. On a bittersweet note, Natch the Bear saw out the last game of his 10-day contract, so we’ll see if his mascot performances merited an extension. Once attention swapped back to the floor, fans were treated to an opening two minutes with no baskets. Then, Ivan Rabb made a layup and the Hustle kicked it up a gear.

After their first two points, the Hustle ferociously swarmed the paint, and Greensboro simply wasn’t able to contain them. With seven minutes left in the quarter, the Hustle had a 15-2 lead. Whenever the Swarm had possession of the ball, the Hustle defense forced them into taking bad shots. Meanwhile, Memphis continued to attack the paint with impunity, capped by a Vince Hunter alley-oop and Jordan Crawford burning defenders en route to the basket. At the end of the quarter, the Hustle led 32-18, and that lead would hold for the rest of the game.

With the lead growing as big as 25 points, this game was over before the fourth quarter buzzer signaled the end of regulation. The Hustle never allowed Greensboro to find any sort of rhythm, all the while maintaining their own efficiency on offense. A large part of that effort is credited to Omari Johnson, who led scoring for the Hustle with 18 points. Plus, the Hustle hit a season-high 52.4 percent from the three-point line. While that’s a great percentage, Dusty Hannahs took a look at that number and decided he could do better in the next game against the Oklahoma City Blue.

Unfortunately, that game turned out to be a loss. Memphis couldn’t contain the Blue’s Bryce Alford, who dominated off the bench with 35 points. The Blue got out to a 30-20 lead at the end of the first quarter and never found themselves trailing. Their lead increased to as much as 25 over the course of the game, but the Hustle found an extra gear in the fourth quarter, putting up a whopping 49 points. An excellent performer during the Hustle’s three-game home stretch, Omari Johnson put up 20 points; Dusty Hannahs, in 15 less minutes of play time, shot lights out from beyond the arc. 11 of his 23 points came in the fourth quarter comeback attempt, which he spearheaded alongside Kobi Simmons’ 13 fourth quarter points.

Despite the momentum, the comeback was thwarted when the Hustle’s nemesis on the night, Alford, banked in a three pointer. Beyond Alford’s contribution, the Hustle struggled to maintain the defensive intensity they displayed against Greensboro. OKC outshot us 62-42 in the paint and also shot at their highest percentage of the season at 56.1 percent. While it’s thrilling to see a comeback, we shouldn’t be forced to make up so much ground. Next time, it’d be nice to savor Hannah’s stellar shooting record with a win.

Instead, the Hustle were accommodating enough to hand the Iowa Wolves their first road win of the season. The Wolves somehow all found hot hands and shot 65 percent from the field in the first half, ending with a 65-49 lead. Each starter for Iowa scored at least 13 points, making it tough to pinpoint an easy defensive target. Sometimes, though, you have to chalk it up to a bad night. None of the Hustle players really shot well; Hannahs wasn’t able to keep up his heroics, while Omari Johnson, despite a respectable 18 points, missed 8 of his 12 three point attempts. Not a great return, Johnson still turned in one of the better performances for Memphis and continued his solid sequence of games.

The Hustle’s record now stands at 6-9. While it’s not the best end to this series of home games, reinforcements will hopefully be coming to the team. Austin Nichols and Jeremy Morgan, with an ankle and knee problem, respectively, should provide a welcome boost when they return to action. For now, the Hustle head to California for their next two games against Santa Cruz Warriors and South Bay Lakers. The latter holds an 11-3 record, so it would be an excellent time to bounce back and get a statement win over one of the better teams of the season so far.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

The Hustle Dispatch: Week 5


The drama never ends; at least the second game didn’t have a single digit gap?

The Hustle eked out a hotly contested victory by three points. But is that even news? If anything, these incredibly close encounters are almost becoming routine. It would be nice if, down the stretch, the Hustle could comfortably see out the game. But hey, a win’s a win, and the victory against the Delaware 87ers made it two on the bounce last Saturday. Included among the standout performers were local boy Austin Nichols, who put up 18 points on 8-15 shooting, and included seven rebounds for good measure.


Against Delaware, the word of the day was efficiency. Not always the Hustle’s strong suit, they managed to make more field goals than the 87ers, even while taking 20 less shots (Memphis’ 41 of 85 vs Delaware’s 39-105). In addition, the Hustle went 8-18 from three point range while Delaware put up a shocking 9-38. That meant plenty of wasted possessions for the 87ers, which the Hustle used to good effect early on when racing out to a 10-2 lead, ending the first quarter up 27-19. Delaware tried to keep pace for most of the second quarter, but Omari Johnson’s 10 points during the quarter helped extend the Hustle’s lead to 14 at the end of the half.


Trahson Burrell exploded for 11 points on 100% shooting in the third quarter, leading the Hustle to their biggest lead of the night at 81-61. The quarter ended with the Hustle holding a 17 point lead, and that was where things got dicey. I’m sure that, in a line of fine print on each Hustle players contract, is a mandate that each contest be as close as possible. That, certainly, is a more palatable explanation than a late-game collapse which almost saw the victory slip away. It’s not the first time we’ve seen this from the Hustle, but they still held on for the win. One of the main factors was the inability to shut down Delaware’s Chris Wood, who scored 13 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. His dunk to make it a three point game with the clock edging close to zero made the end more nervy than it should have been. To their credit, however, Memphis never relinquished their lead the whole game.


In the end, the victory was an important step to settle a changing team. It’s tough with Grizzlies players coming and going, but it was a big loss for the Hustle when our parent team called up Ivan Rabb to help with the Grizzlies’ injury crisis. While he wasn’t at his best after the concussion, Rabb had been one of the top performers for the Hustle in the early season, and his absence leaves a bit of a void. His consistency would have been helpful for a team that struggles in the fourth quarter. But, you can’t claim that the Hustle don’t ‘hustle.’ The graft and hard work luckily led them over the finish line this time. But the mentality needs to improve when game momentum shifts. But like above, a win’s a win.

Less appealing, however, was the Hustle’s next game against the Oklahoma City Blue.

“Finally,” one might exclaim, “ a Hustle outcome with a large scoreline margin!” Unfortunately, the 10 point gap favored Oklahoma City. All the damage at the Cox Convention Center was done in the first quarter, which Oklahoma took 34-24. For the rest of the game, each team scored the same amount of points in each quarter, with the Blue never looking back and holding a steady lead.


The Hustle’s loss against Oklahoma on Tuesday can be traced partly back to poor shooting. Trahson Burrell shot 2-7 and only contributed five points. Omari Johnson pitched in with 15, but only on 5-14 shooting. Marquis Teague, a strong veteran presence to keep the team competitive through their losing streak last week, put up 17 points on 5-13 shooting. For fans of homegrown talent, Austin Nichols had a decent game with 12 points on 5-7 shooting accompanied by three blocks and eight rebounds.


‘Tis the season of giving, so we’ll go ahead and ‘give’ this one to the Hustle and look forward to our winnable next game against the 4-9 Greensboro Swarm, before we have a chance at revenge against the Blue on our home turf. Rounding it out next Wednesday are the familiar foes Iowa Wolves. Make it three wins in a row, and we’ll have ourselves a positive record.



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Beyond the Arc Sports

The Hustle Dispatch: Week 4

CREDIT: Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies

Let’s be real: a four game losing streak isn’t comparable to the Grizzlies much longer streak, which will likely reach ten games by the end of the weekend after a doubleheader against the Spurs (why did it have to be that matchup?). However, after a decent start to the season, it’s not ideal that all of professional Memphis basketball is mired in a slump. The Hustle, however, finally have a win on the board after four straight losses.

Last Friday, the Hustle got to play their first game at the FedExForum. Unfortunately, in front of a larger audience, Memphis dropped the game to give the Stars their first victory of the season. True to form, however, was the whiplash nature of the game. The two teams consistently traded baskets, leading to 12 ties and an overwhelming 14 different lead changes. While it’s good that the Hustle are always hustling and keeping the game close, the statistics showed pretty clear daylight between them and their opponent. The Stars outrebounded Memphis 44-37, put back 21 second chance points to the Hustle’s eight, and even forced 18 turnovers. With the Hustle usually dominant on boards, an inability to compete with the Stars on that front was ultimately reflected in the final score. In what emerged as a pattern over the course of the week, however, was Marquis Teague stepping up to the plate, posting 19 points in the 100-96 loss.

Back at the Landers Center, the Hustle installed a new defibrillator set for fans to combat any heart problems in another loss that this time featured 15 ties and 19 (!) lead changes. The Hustle could count on a huge contribution from their bench, but were let down by poor free throw shooting and defense, with the Erie Bayhawks shooting 53.7%, just .1% short of their season best. For the Hustle, Kobi Simmons led the scoring with 16 points; the bench, featuring standout performances by Trahson Burrell, Ivan Rabb, and an in-from-the-cold Dusty Hannahs, contributed over half of the team’s score with 61 points. The real nadir for the Hustle, however, came in the next game in Ontario, California.

There are few things a Memphis fan hates more than losing to the Clippers. Sure, it wasn’t Grizzlies vs. Los Angeles, but the Hustle vs. Agua Caliente Clippers is the next best thing, and a hard-fought performance came up just short. The teams played even until the third quarter; with the score tied at 81-81, the Clippers went on a 10-2 run that gave them enough breathing space to hold off the Hustle. Once again, Memphis found it hard to shut down their opponent’s best performers. The Clippers’ Tyrone Wallace put up 30 points on 13-19 shooting, and the rest of his team outshot the Hustle by 20 percent. However, Memphis’ depth did show itself again, with seven players scoring in double digits, and Marquis Teague in particular continuing his good form during the rough patch with another 19 point game and eight rebounds.

After the skid, something had to change. The Hustle channeled the Ghosts of Grizzlies past and harnessed the power of Zach Randolph to overpower the Clippers in their second matchup and emerge with (surprise!) yet another down-to-the-wire victory. With the score at 93-92 in favor of Agua Caliente, Hustle player of the week Marquis Teague hit two free throws with 3 seconds remaining and held on for their first victory in five games.The final 94-93 scoreline, however, could have been avoidable after a stellar opening quarter. The Hustle opened with a 12-0 lead and led 38-17 after the first quarter without committing a single turnover. However, they hit an almost seven-minute scoring drought in the second quarter, allowing the Clippers to close the gap to 51-44. The third quarter saw an exchange of runs between the two teams, with the Hustle holding true to their penchant for intense, unnecessary drama. In an effort to give their opponent a sporting chance, the Hustle graciously shepherded their opponents through a 20-4 run which left the score at 93-91. But, the ending worked out in our favor to seal the victory.

So what’s up with the Hustle? Other than a 14 point loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Hustle have kept all their contests close. An inability to shut down an opponent’s lead contributor has played a factor, but the Hustle need to work on solidifying their defense and not throwing away big leads. As of now, the Hustle are at 2-6. Next up are the Iowa Wolves again. Eventually, I’m going to run out of nails to chew on.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

The Hustle Report: Week 2

CREDIT: Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies

I’m no doctor, but if you’re a passionate and devoted basketball fan from the Southaven or Memphis and have heart problems, I highly recommend you avoid watching any more Memphis Hustle home games. Last Friday, November 10, at the Landers Center, the Memphis Hustle fell to a 138–136 defeats against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. And what a game it was; both teams took full participation in a vicious tug of war that neither side was ever able to hold on to for an extended period of time. It was the third straight Hustle home game in which both teams led by at least nine points, and the third straight game decided by four points or less. If this keeps up, Hustle fans will hold the record for shortest fingernails by the time playoffs roll around.

Memphis seems to be growing into its strengths as a team. Interior play is excellent; after Friday’s matchup, the Hustle led the league average per game in rebounds (51.3), offensive rebounds (16.7), and blocked shots (9.3). As an added bonus, the team even made a G-League single-season record high 55 baskets in one game. And yet, despite all that, the Hustle still lost this game. The loss can be directly traced to the team’s three-point shooting percentage, which makes for grim reading. Only 12 of the Hustle’s 136 points came from three-point shots, with the team going 4 of 22 from beyond the arc. The Vipers went 13 for 30 and that, ultimately, is where the difference lies. The game was tied at 136 apiece when Kobi Simmons missed a go-ahead free throw with four seconds remaining. The Vipers took it down the other end and Briante Weber hit a floater to win the game. With some better three point shooting, hopefully the Hustle can avoid such last-minute drama.

The loss was disappointing, but at least fans were treated to an offensive exhibition. Ivan Rabb had another outstanding game with 27 points on 10 for 12 shooting and eight rebounds, and Trahson Burrell had his second straight double double. Wayne Selden and Deyonta Davis, on assignment from the Grizzlies this game, scored 15 points apiece.

But, like Hustle’s first competitive outings, the team absolutely did not want to lose two games in a row, and duly traveled to Canton, Ohio yesterday and won by more than four points. Former Canton point guard Jordan Crawford put up 11 points against his old team; how a 5’6 player can make heavily contested layups in traffic, I’ll never know, but I’m glad he’s on our side. Canton exploded out of the blocks with a 37-point first quarter, but the Hustle kept pace until they embarked on a 29–11 run in the third quarter, eventually extending their lead to as many as 13 points. From there, they didn’t look back.

Wednesday’s game was the only matchup between the two teams this season, so if you know anyone in Canton, enjoy your bragging rights until next year. This time around, the Hustle weren’t as haunted by poor three-point shooting, going 8 for 22. Ivan Rabb had his third double-double, and seven players scored in the double digits to take the team past Canton and 2008 NBA champion Kendrick Perkins (remember him?) on the way to the franchise’s first ever road win.

Ivan Rabb’s consistent production is a boon, but having the scoring spread around made it difficult for the Charge to shut down any one player. Hopefully there’s more to come, but we’ll probably need to work on those three-pointers first. The Hustle surprisingly lost the rebound head-to-head (but only barely, 41–40), but were able to pull out a large enough lead regardless.

At 2–2, the Hustle have made a promising start to the season. It’s good to see the character coming through, with the team refusing to lose back to back games at this point, but tomorrow’s game will prove to be a spicy matchup. The Memphis Grizzlies’ former G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves (formerly known as the Iowa Energy) arrive in town. Hope you’ve got some fingernails left.

Miscellaneous Notes:

Today is hometown forward Trahson Burrell’s birthday, so give him a shoutout on twitter: @TBurrell_2

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Beyond the Arc Sports

The Hustle Report: Week 1

CREDIT: Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies

Introductory Editor’s Note: now that the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate is located here in Southaven, there are twice as many games to cover. As much as I love basketball — especially the garbage time variety — that’s a lot of games. So we here at Beyond the Arc had a board meeting and decided what to do: send our Hustle Intern, Sam Cicci. He’s going to be reporting weekly on what the Hustle are up to. Mostly, I think he’s just happy we let him out of the supply closet we keep telling him is an office. — KL

The Memphis Hustle’s first week of competitive existence offered a mixed bag results-wise. Last Saturday, a promising start to the G-League franchise’s season was cut short as they let a large lead slip against the Sioux Falls Skyforce. The Hustle, led by Grizzlies two-way player Kobi Simmons, remained mostly consistent throughout the first half but ultimately succumbed to Skyforce’s third quarter surge.

Simmons scored nine of his 25 points in the first quarter to help the Hustle take the lead, while the teams matched scoring at 27 points apiece in the second quarter to leave the Hustle ahead 60-51. Everything looked rosy as Grizzlies assignee Ivan Rabb (20 points on 6-7 shooting) and Vince Hunter (23 points) stayed hot to give the team an 18 point lead, but after that, it all went downhill as Sioux Falls roared back. The Hustle’s first-quarter shooting percentage (57%) dropped over the course of the game. The third quarter, when Skyforce gained the lead, saw a drop to a measly 33.3% shooting statistic for the Hustle. Skyforce held on for the rest of the game and finished with a four-point lead, 116-120.

That sluggish momentum unfortunately carried into next day’s home game against the Salt Lake City Stars. In the early goings, the Hustle defense struggled to contain Stars point guard Nate Wolters’ penetrative runs, which created simple layups for his teammates or a kick out to the three point line for an open look. Meanwhile, on the offensive end, Hustle players were continuously forced to dribble into traffic and take contested shots for much of the first quarter. The Stars managed to pull out to a 25-12 lead, but the Hustle managed to claw it back to a one point deficit by the end of the half thanks to vital contributions from Trahson Burrell (20 points, 14 rebounds).

With a little over nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the score was tied at 81-81. The Hustle embarked on an 8-0 over the next few minutes and didn’t trail again, closing out the game with a 102-99 scoreline to record the franchise’s first ever win. There were encouraging signs after the victory; Ivan Rabb (16 points, 12 rebounds), Vince Hunter (13 points, 12 rebounds), and Burrell all recorded double-doubles, while Marquis teague, Omari Johnson, and Simmons joined them in scoring into double figures. For fans of new Grizzlies signings, Sunday’s game offered a return to the court for shooting guard Ben McLemore. While the experience was mainly about building fitness and sharpness, a few of his confident drains from the three point line should provide a boost when he returns to NBA action against the Rockets this coming Saturday. “You can tell he’s a bigtime NBA player,” says Hustle coach Glynn Cyprien. “And that’s not just because of his shots, but because he plays with a certain pace and a certain confidence.”

[pullquote-1]If the past weekend’s games are anything to go by, the Hustle’s inaugural G-League season should be packed full of dramatic, closely-contested games. It was encouraging to see the team stand back up after an opening-day defeat, but the second game against the Stars provided some clear insight into some of the team’s strengths and weaknesses. The Hustle’s first quarter deficit was partly owed to their poor shooting from beyond the arc, where they went 5-of-27 vs. the Stars’ 13-of-30. However, Memphis managed a steady resurgence thanks to their domination of the glass, 55-40, with a huge edge in offensive rebounds at 20-9. That aggression is what coach Cyprien wants to see from all of his players. “At times we’ll have Grizz guys, sometimes we won’t, but we need this to be consistent, and tonight all our guys were very consistent on the glass. It could have been really easy for them to lie down during a back to back and make some excuses, but they didn’t. I think we’ve got a quality team here.”

If these back-and-forth games keep up, it’s going to be a wild, frantic season at the Landers Center, even if it looks like the Hustle’s turtle mascot is sometimes asleep in his chair. If the close, nervy games aren’t quite your thing, there’s always the bounce-castle tucked away behind the court. Good thinking, Hustle.

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Sports Sports Feature

Memphis City Football Club sets a foundation for the future

A 5-4 aggregate loss might not be what the organization had in mind for its first two games, but Memphis City Football Club can walk away proud from its first competitive efforts. The I-40 Cup, fought between Memphis City FC and Little Rock Rangers, was a pre-season tournament with an aim to capture the “I-40 Trophy” and, more importantly, possession of the I-40 Traffic Cone given to the current title-holder. While this could plant the seeds for a relatively new rivalry, the final score line of the two-legged affair suggests thrilling, end-to-end games could be in store for local soccer fans.

Memphis City FC picks up the soccer mantle long since vacated by the Bluff City’s last organization, the Memphis Rogues. That team began playing at the Liberty Bowl in 1978 but quickly moved into a downward spiral that would end three years later with the team’s exile to, and finally, its dissolution in Canada.

Memphis Rogues head coach Malcolm Allison’s brief tenure began with a failure to sign enough eligible outfield players. His pre-season blunder pushed him out the door before the season began and contributed to the issues that plagued the team for the rest of the season. The Rogues finished third in the division and missed the playoffs.

Things only got worse from there. The following season, the players went on strike, leading to a disastrous last-place finish. That, coupled with a dwindling fan base, led to an abject third season that forced the owners to sell the club. New ownership moved the team to Alberta, Canada. After a solitary season in new territory, the franchise closed.

Such mistakes might seem like a distant memory, but Memphis City FC’s owners made sure everything was in place for a stable foundation this time around. Co-founders Doug Kranz and Dan Collins are both passionate about the game and have experience at the grass-roots level. Their drive to start a team was fueled by their love of the game and a desire to provide more for local fans.

“Dan and I met to discuss how we wish there was more for the [soccer] fans in the area,” says Kranz, who is also the president of Memphis City FC. With a clear vision in mind, Kranz and Collins fixated on the best league for Memphis. “We found the NPSL [National Premier Soccer League] is a perfect match because it’s a U.S. Soccer Federation-recognized league that really affords business owners freedom to operate.”

With their options open, Kranz and Collins were able to look for candidates to fit their vision of what the team would be. Their selections provide a mix of local and global experience. Matt Williams, last year’s assistant coach for the University of Memphis, has been chosen to lead Memphis’ new soccer team, while board members Tom Byer and Mads Davidsen have international experience working with some of the top coaches and professionals involved in the game.

Kranz and Collins made their appointments with Memphis City’s playing philosophy firmly in mind. “On the offensive side, we’re both big fans of ball possession,” Kranz says. “We want players who can bring very strong foot skills and understand how to play a patient yet penetrating style.” A possession-heavy game is utilized by some of the top European teams, such as Barcelona and Bayern Munich, and has led both organizations to sustained success over the past few years. In addition, the possession game makes for a much more entertaining experience for both casual and hardcore fans, as it promotes an attacking style of play.

Memphis City’s home game against Little Rock, a 3-3 draw at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex, showcased early signs of an offensive playing system. While it takes time to implement that style, the team was finally able to take to the field this week for their first official training sessions with a full roster. Backed up by the fan group, Rogue Squadron, look for Memphis City Football Club to live up to its motto of “Memphis Rising” when the regular season begins on May 7th.