Marc Gasol reacts during the Marc Gasol jersey retirement on April 6, 2024 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Wes Hale)
It wasn’t the basketball game that drew over 17,000 spectators to the FedExForum on Saturday and caused all the excitement. The extremely short-handed Memphis Grizzlies lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, 116-96.
The reason the fans were there was for a more joyous occasion as the franchise retired Marc Gasol’s No. 33 jersey. Just two players in team history have had their jersey numbers retired: Zach Randolph on December 11, 2021, and Gasol, who now joins him.
Marc Gasol’s jersey is risen during the Marc Gasol jersey retirement on April 6, 2024 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Wes Hale)
As the lights went out inside the arena, the music blared, DJ Paul of Three Six Mafia began rapping, “Now ever since I can remember, I’ve been poppin’ my collar. Poppin’-poppin’ my collar, poppin’-poppin’ my collar,” and there stood the “Core Four” together again in one place for the first time since the spring of 2017: Gasol, Randolph, Tony Allen, and Mike Conley. They were met with a standing ovation.
When it came to doing things the right way as a team, Gasol wasn’t really concerned about individual accolades. Appropriately, he chose to share the night alongside the three men who had been instrumental in his — and the franchise’s — greatest success. These men spent seven seasons together, won the very first playoff game in franchise history in 2011, and went on to make it to the 2013 Western Conference finals.
Gasol thanked his Memphis coaches and teammates, with his family by his side. The All-Star big man also thanked the fans and the city of Memphis for their unwavering support throughout his stay in the Bluff City.
Marc Gasol and his family look on during the Marc Gasol jersey retirement on April 6, 2024 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Wes Hale)
His brother (and former Grizzlies star) Pau Gasol spoke to the media prior to the game: “I am very proud of what we’ve be able to accomplish, and what Marc has been able to accomplish, and how he came here as a 16-year old, had to leave school and everything back home, to the kind of follow the big brother’s dream and just brought about what he has been able to do.”
Hall of Famer, Pau Gasol speaking to the media prior to the jersey retirement ceremony (Photo by: Sharon Brown)
The two-time NBA champion continued: “How we approach everything is his character, his determination, the mark he left, the legacy, what he was able to do here and throughout his career, representing the city of Memphis the way he did for so many years with all those guys, Mike [Conley] Zach [Randolph] Tony [Allen] and many others. Tonight is a special night for our family that brings back a lot of memories.”
A host of former Grizzlies were in attendance, including Mike Miller, Rudy Gay, Quincy Pondexter, Beno Udrih, Darrell Arthur, Jon Leuer and Tayshaun Prince. Former Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger was also there, and former Grizzly Kyle Lowry, who stayed after the game.
Fellow Spaniard, and Grizzlies forward, Santi Aldama, spoke about the Gasol brothers: “I think since day one, obviously making it to the NBA is a child’s dream,” Aldama said. “But getting drafted by Memphis and being here and seeing what [the Gasols] have done for the franchise and the city has been awesome. Just being able to talk to them and kind of see their life here and now me kind of experiencing that is incredible.”
Elizabeth Smith has been a season ticket holder since 2011. “Marc Gasol isn’t just a player who played for my favorite basketball team; he is an integral part of the fabric of the city of Memphis and the Grizzlies,” Smith said. “Marc’s impact on the court speaks for itself, but it’s more than just his basketball accomplishments that make him special. He was the center of the Grizzlies for over a decade in more ways than the obvious.”
“Big Spain embodies everything I love about the Grizzlies and what I expect from my favorite team: a passion for the game, a heart for the community, and a refusal to accept defeat without fighting til the bitter end. Marc, along with TA, ZBo, and Mike, were the catalysts for my casual appreciation for basketball evolving into a deep love of the game. I have said many times that those four will forever be my favorites. That wouldn’t be possible without Marc, one of the cornerstones of that era of Grizzlies basketball, for fans like me.”
“My favorite moment of the night that brought tears to my eyes was the showing of his Toronto championship ring that had “GRIT N GRIND” engraved in it,” said longtime fan Sheri Dunlap Hensley.
“We were able to celebrate with the Gasols after the ceremony,” Hensley explained. “It was nice speaking with his parents. I asked them when they would be traveling back home and I said “I am sure you are ready to get back home.” His mom said “Oh no! We love Memphis! The city embraced us and Memphis put smiles on my son’s faces!” She went on about how thankful she will forever be to Memphis and the fans.”
Hensley even had a chance to reminisce with Gasol, himself.
Sheri Hensley chatting with Marc Gasol.
Adrian Shavers has been a Grizzlies season ticket holder for a long time. The night was very special for him. Shavers said, “It was awesome — felt like a family reunion. It felt really good seeing and chatting with old friends. One thing about our players, they love us fans and remember us. It was a real family feel, and that’s what I felt that night.”
Grizzlies fan Adrian Shavers posing in front Gasol’s banner. (Photo by: Adrian Shavers)
One of the most talented players to ever suit up for Memphis, Marc Gasol’s legacy is now sealed with his jersey hanging from the rafters. It has been a pleasure, Big Spain. GNG Forever.
Sword strikes bounce off metal armor, pole arms sweep, and the crowd roars. Memphis Armored Fight Club is a group who has resurrected the European martial arts of the Middle Ages.
Clad in period-authentic (or as authentic as you can get here in the twenty-first century) they spar with swords and shields. This is not choreographed fake fighting, they’re really going at it like competitors at a medieval tournament! Granted, the sharp edges are blunted, and there’s a strict “no stabbing” rule — that’s how you kill knights.
Last Saturday, they held one of their periodic bouts at Black Lodge in Midtown. I was there with a camera to capture some of the hot knight-on-knight action. After MAFC members showed everyone how it’s done, members of the audience got a chance to fight in the arena themselves. Take a look.
Jaren Jackson Jr. dribbles the ball during the game against the Detroit Pistons on April 1, 2024, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Credit: NBAE/Getty Images.
Down by as many as 15 at one point, the Memphis Grizzlies powered through in the second half on the shoulders of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Luke Kennard to come away with a win against the Detroit Pistons.
This wounded Grizzlies team has been limping toward the end of the season, patched together with two-way players and 10-day contracts. Despite those handicaps, they managed to come away from Monday night’s matchup with a win. Never mind that Detroit holds the worst record in the league, a win is a win, especially during a season where wins have been hard to come by for Memphis.
A tale of two halves.
Memphis struggled mightily in the first half, with the Pistons taking a 13-point lead into the second half.
I’m not sure what head coach Taylor Jenkins said to the team during halftime, but whatever it was, it lit a fire under them, because they stormed took over the third quarter to the tune of 41 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. played all 12 minutes and put up 21 of his 40 points in the third on six of seven shooting overall, and one of one from beyond the arc.
We saw Brandon Clarke looking very much like his old self in his third game back after spending a year rehabbing an Achilles injury, particularly in the fourth quarter, where he racked up seven of his 15 points, including a rare for Clarke three-point attempt and make. (For reference, Clarke only had six three-point attempts in 58 games last season.)
— Bally Sports: Grizzlies (@GrizzOnBally) April 2, 2024
Brandon Clarke with the block and a bucket on the other end.
Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey led the Pistons in scoring, with 36 and 20 points, respectively. Ivey, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft, is the son of Niele Ivey, the current head coach of the women’s basketball team at Notre Dame and a former assistant coach for the Grizzlies.
Detroit also got a 10-point contribution from small forward Tosan Evbuomwan. Evbuomwan, currently on a two-way contract with the Piston’s G-League affiliate the Motor City Cruise, previously signed a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies on January 30th, 2024, and played four games for Memphis in early February.
By The Numbers:
Jaren Jackson Jr. led all scorers with 40 points, and added seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks while shooting 13 of 23 overall and two of three from three-point range.
Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke dunks the ball against the Orlando Magic on March 30, 2024. (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
On Saturday night at KIA Center, the Orlando Magic thrashed the Memphis Grizzlies 118-88.
The first quarter came to a close with Memphis already down 20 points. Orlando put up 33 points, while the Grizzlies managed just 13, shooting a dismal 21.7 percent from the field.
The victory snapped the Magic’s three-game losing streak. Earlier in the week, they lost close games against the Sacramento Kings, the Golden State Warriors, and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Orlando ended a five-game losing streak against the Grizzlies. The previous meeting ended in a nail-biter at FedExForum, 107-106, with a Grizzlies win on January 26th.
Memphis dropped to 24-50 for the season, with eight games remaining, a mark they’ll want to forget. It appeared early on in Saturday night’s contest that Memphis’ players were focused on something other than basketball, and it showed.
Reserve Jordan Goodwin led the Grizzlies with 16 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double.
In his second game back from injury, Brandon Clarke had a solid showing, with 13 points and four rebounds off the bench.
“It was already out of hand — they won every single quarter,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins after the game. “You have to give the Magic tons of credit. They played with a lot of physicality; their defense was phenomenal tonight. Couldn’t get in the paint — couldn’t knock down an open shot. They played beautiful basketball, shared the rock.”
Jenkins added, “So you know we just kept trying to fight. I thought we had a chance to win that second quarter — have some momentum, but the Magic had an answer for everything; so many different guys stepped up and played well.”
“I thought BC [Clarke] did a really good job; liked seeing Jordan [Goodwin] have kind of a bounce-back game. I thought he did some good things. Well, obviously Luke [Kennard]’s been out for a couple of weeks now, just seeing him have some pop with his conditioning and stuff. And we’re just trying to find every way possible to have some positives and move forward. And obviously we’ve got to respond on Monday against Detroit.”
“Keep fighting, keep making something out of each every day,” Jenkins said about his message to his players as the season is winding down. “That’s what we’ve done all season long. Every year that I’ve been here we got different guys that are gonna hear that message for the very first time. Over and over again. Obviously we haven’t been in this situation since I’ve been here, but you gotta make the most of every day. That’s what we stand for.”
Memphis travels to Detroit to take on the Pistons, Monday, April 1st, at Little Caesars Arena at 6 p.m. CT.
I’m appreciative of the people who have stood by us through these hard times. You can pinpoint a lot of things, but the one thing I do know: God doesn’t make mistakes. All of the negativity through this entire thing … these are still kids. They can have a bad day, a bad game, a bad week. That doesn’t mean there’s a disconnect between coach and players because you’re losing. Everything gets heightened here in Memphis. I was chosen to do this, not by the University of Memphis but by God, honestly. I took this job when it was at its lowest moment. I only want to do well for the city. I’m going to be hardest on myself. It guts me, because I want our city to be known for something other than what it’s known for. These are some tough times. Everybody has an opinion. But I know God has a plan, and there’s a plan for this team. I’m happy that I’m coaching this team. — University of Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway, after the Tigers ended a four-game losing streak with a win over Wichita State
On February 3rd at FedExForum, the Memphis Tigers found themselves down 14 points with less than 10 minutes to play against the supposedly inferior Wichita State Shockers. A loss would give a proud program not only its first five-game losing streak in six seasons under coach Penny Hardaway, but the program’s first five-game losing streak in 24 years.
Point guard Jahvon Quinerly — a senior transfer from Alabama — came to the rescue with a three-pointer to give Memphis its first lead of the game with 44 seconds on the clock. (It was the only field goal Quinerly made on an otherwise forgettable afternoon.) After the Shockers evened the score with a free throw, David Jones — a senior transfer from St. John’s — buried a short jumper from the left wing to snatch a Tiger win, as they say, from the jaws of ugly defeat. Losing streak over. A season that found the Tigers ranked 10th in the country merely three weeks earlier had been somewhat saved. At least until the next tip-off. The season has seen dreadfully ugly losses (at SMU) and the kinds of wins that seem to lift an entire region (the “get-back” over FAU in late February).
Like any decent Hollywood production, a college basketball season has a setup (nonconference play), a confrontation (league competition), and a resolution (postseason). This winter’s Tiger flick has, at times, made the popcorn tasty and, at others, forced fans to hurl the bucket in disgust. All with a resolution yet to come.
Point guard Jahvon Quinerly leads the Tigers in assists. (Photo: Wes Hale)
THE SETUP
In over a century of Tiger basketball, never had Memphis run a nonconference gauntlet like the one Hardaway scheduled for last fall. Seven teams from power conferences (ACC, SEC, and Big 10) plus a showdown with Villanova (national champions in 2016 and 2018) in the championship of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. Making the challenge even greater, four of these teams took the floor against Memphis ranked among the country’s top 25. (For perspective, nonconference foes in 2017-18 — Tubby Smith’s final season as coach — included Northern Kentucky, Mercer, Samford, Bryant, and Albany.)
The Tigers beat 20th-ranked Arkansas in the Bahamas. They beat 21st-ranked Texas A & M. They beat 13th-ranked Clemson. They beat 22nd-ranked Virginia. They handled Michigan, Missouri, and Vanderbilt. Before the year turned, Hardaway and his team seemed to have grabbed a national microphone and collectively screamed, Look at us!
“I love winning close games,” said Hardaway after a two-point victory against Vanderbilt at FedExForum, the fifth in what would become a 10-game winning streak. “They make you tougher.” And the Tigers were masters of the nail-biter early this season: four points better than Michigan, five better than Arkansas, two better than Clemson, overtime escapes against VCU and UTSA. Quinerly drilled game-winning three-pointers near the buzzer in consecutive wins over Tulsa and SMU. Jones earned some national spotlight with 36 points against Arkansas, a performance that launched him onto the short list for the Julius Erving Award, given to the top small forward in the country.
“We never said it was going to be easy,” stressed Hardaway after the SMU win on January 7th. “The rest of the nation thinks it’s going to be easy in this conference. I have so much respect [for the American Athletic Conference]. These kids are capable. They read the clippings about us and [league favorite] FAU. It’s more than a two-bid league. Adversity is okay; you can learn from it.”
On January 15th, a day after the Tigers eviscerated Wichita State in Kansas for their tenth straight win, the Associated Press released its weekly poll and there was Memphis at number 10 in the entire country, the program’s highest ranking so late in a season since 2009, when one John Calipari stomped the sidelines. The nine programs above Memphis? If you pay attention to college hoops, they’re familiar: UConn, Purdue, Kansas, North Carolina, Houston, Tennessee, Duke, Kentucky, and Baylor. (Six of these programs have won at least one national title since 2012.) If the Memphis program was indeed screaming into that proverbial national microphone, the right folks were listening.
Nae’Qwan Tomlin has provided an energy boost at both ends of the floor. (Photo: Wes Hale)
THE CONFRONTATION(S)
Then came the freeze. The Tigers took the floor against USF on January 18th in a virtually empty FedExForum. That week’s winter storm had left Memphis streets so icy that the U of M actually released a statement advising fans to stay home (in which case ticket-holders could exchange for a later game). The Tigers raced out to a 20-point lead … before the team from South Florida made things that much colder, earning a 74-73 upset with a late-game comeback.
Three days later in New Orleans, another supposedly undermanned squad knocked off Memphis when Tulane won, 81-79. A week later in Birmingham, old rival UAB beat the Tigers, and rather easily (97-88). But the three losses that knocked the Tigers out of the Top 25 were merely prelude to January 28th, when the Rice Owls — 7-13 at tip-off, and 1-6 in the AAC — beat Memphis on its home floor.
For 17 games, the Tigers had played with a swagger, if not quite the flash, that reflected their coach’s All-NBA playing days with the Orlando Magic. They won 15 of those games. Then suddenly, shortly after the year turned, shoulders seemed to collectively slump, and Hardaway alluded to discontent between players. When asked about his team’s precipitous drop in confidence after the Rice loss, Hardaway had this to say: “That’s player-led. I’m trying my best, going to games, going to practice, talking about the pride we need to have, to have more fun playing defense, to communicate. It just seems like there’s a huge disconnect with this group right now. I can’t put my finger on it. You can tell in our play. When the game starts, the energy isn’t there.”
Following their second win over Wichita State (and the end to that four-game losing streak), Quinerly shared some perspective on what he hoped was a team-culture shift. “We didn’t have any player meetings,” he noted, “but you could tell the communication and the focus was different at our practices and film sessions. You could feel the tension in the air. Guys were super locked-in. It showed. We guarded the ball better [against the Shockers].”
Victories over Temple and Tulane followed, but then came a mid-February trip to the Lone Star State and double-digit losses to both North Texas and SMU (the latter a 106-79 mockery of the Tigers’ win over the Mustangs at FedExForum in early January). On February 24th, the university announced an inquiry involving fifth-year senior Malcolm Dandridge, sidelining an important member of the Tiger rotation entering the most important stage of the season. Memphis partially avenged its 2023 NCAA tournament loss to FAU the very next day. Ups and downs. Downs and ups.
How and why did a team mentioned as a Final Four contender in mid-January fall so precipitously, and so fast? You might start with a pair of hideous defensive measures. Through the end of the regular season, Memphis ranks 348th in three-pointers allowed: 9.1 per game. (This is according to College Basketball Reference, which tracks 362 teams in Division I.) And the Tigers rank 359th in offensive-rebounds allowed: 12.8 per game. These are effort stats. Bottom line: The Tigers haven’t guarded the perimeter and they haven’t hit the glass. In other words, they do a lot of standing and watching on defense. It’s murder on a team’s Final Four chances.
And there’s luck. Had Quinerly not hit those buzzer-beaters against Tulsa and SMU, there may not have been a 10-game winning streak or Top-10 ranking. Right player, right time, right moment … until the same player often looked like the wrong player, in the wrong time and moment. If you’re looking for a mercurial personification of a mercurial team, sadly, it’s Jahvon Quinerly.
Not to be discounted in the Tigers’ plight is the loss of Caleb Mills, yet another senior transfer (from Florida State and, before that, Houston) who suffered a catastrophic left-knee injury at Tulsa on January 4th. The team’s best perimeter defender and cultural “glue guy,” Mills embraced a role off the bench and contributed mightily in the Tigers’ four upsets of ranked teams. “I didn’t know Caleb’s magnitude until he went down,” said Hardaway in early February. The Tigers were 12-2 with Mills on the floor and have gone 10-7 without him.
If the loss of Mills exposed a susceptible Tiger rotation, the addition of Nae’Qwan Tomlin — a 6’10” midseason transfer from Kansas State — may have rescued that rotation’s integrity. (Mills and Tomlin only played three games together.) Tomlin’s ability to impose himself on both ends of the floor while providing visible, emotional energy has called to mind the play of former Tiger DeAndre Williams, the all-conference forward who completed his eligibility with the 2022-23 season. He earned Player of the Week honors from the AAC for his impact in wins over Charlotte and FAU in late February. Furthermore, Tomlin has a strong March track record, having helped the Wildcats to the Elite Eight of last year’s NCAA tournament. “He’s a big part of what we’re doing, moving forward,” emphasizes Hardaway. “We need his scoring ability, his rebounding ability, and his shot-blocking.”
However the Tigers’ postseason unfolds, Jones will leave a historic mark on the program. He’s the second consecutive Tiger (after Kendric Davis) to lead the AAC in scoring and earned first-team All-AAC recognition. He’s the only player in the country to average 21.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists and with 26 more points will become only the seventh Memphis player to score 700 in a single season. Jones is among five finalists for the Julius Erving Award, given to the nation’s top small forward.
THE RESOLUTION?
How does this four-month movie — to this point, a tragidrama — conclude before the credits roll? The happiest scenario has the Tigers banding together around their star trio (Jones, Quinerly, and Tomlin) and winning four games in four days at the AAC tournament this week in Fort Worth for an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. Once in the field, a rocky regular season would be forgotten in exchange for hopes of a glass slipper that leads to the Sweet 16 (at least). Hardaway teams have done this before, both last year when the Tigers knocked off top-ranked Houston to win the AAC crown and in 2021 when Memphis won a scaled-down NIT in North Texas.
A more likely scenario is a win or two this weekend and a return to the NIT, college basketball’s sock hop for those without prom tickets. Not the kind of consolation anyone near the Memphis basketball program will embrace. “God has a plan for this team,” said Hardaway after the Tigers erased a 22-point deficit and beat UAB by 19 on March 3rd. “For all we’ve gone through, I never gave up. … We have a better resume than all these teams: first four out, next four out. I don’t understand why our name isn’t up there. We’ve won enough big games for us to be in the conversation. We have some great wins.”
Remain in your seats, Tiger fans. However this season ends, it’s become clear we don’t want to miss it.
David Jones (Photo: Wes Hale)
The 700 Club
David Jones hopes to become only the seventh Tiger to score 700 points in a single season.
The Memphis Tigers have a rare breed in junior quarterback Seth Henigan. With the transfer portal shuffling college football rosters like an overstuffed deck of cards, an athlete playing the sport’s premium position at the same school for three years is becoming rare. In fact, only 15 FBS quarterbacks (among 133 programs) will appear in the same uniform for a third season this fall having started more games than Henigan’s 24. A recent review of said transfer portal revealed no fewer than 74 quarterbacks (starters and backups, mind you) having departed one program for another since the 2022 season concluded.
Yet Henigan remains in blue and gray, the colors he’s worn since, literally, the day after his high school team (Denton Ryan High School in North Texas) won the 2020 state championship. Having started his first college game as a true freshman in 2021, Henigan will graduate after the fall semester with a degree in business management. By that time, he’ll have three full college seasons under his belt, and still shy of his 21st birthday. What kind of season should Tiger fans expect? It would be tough to top the expectations of Henigan himself, a signal-caller in shoulder pads for as far back as his memory will take him.
Henigan grew up with two brothers (one older, one younger), so competition was woven into the family fabric. Basketball. Football. And the kind of “house sports” only the parents of sibling rivals can fully appreciate. “We’d play ping-pong, darts,” recalls Henigan. “I was always trying to be like my older brother Ian and beat him in everything. I played T-ball but didn’t move on to baseball. Played lacrosse for one year. I’ve always had good hand-eye coordination, but no sport was as fun to me as football.” Ironically, Henigan found himself injury prone in basketball, breaking his nose and his left hand on the hardwood. So hoops became past tense after his sophomore year of high school. “I needed to focus on football,” he says, “and get my body prepared for college.”
University of Memphis junior Seth Henigan will return for his third season as quarterback. A successful season will afford him the opportunity to become only the second quarterback in Tigers football history to post three 3,000-yard seasons. (Photo: Larry Kuzniewski)
Going all the way back to his earliest flag-football memories, Henigan can’t recall playing any position other than quarterback. It helps being the son of a highly successful coach. (Dave Henigan has coached Denton Ryan since 2014 and earned at least one Coach of the Year honor every year from 2016 through the championship season of 2020.) He would accompany his dad on game nights and spend the pregame tossing a football with anyone willing to toss it back. “It was a bonding time,” notes Henigan, “and with my brothers, too. I liked having the ball in my hands. I was pretty fast, and I could throw the ball better than the average kid. Being able to make plays, from a young age, that was the position I was going to play to be the most successful in this sport.”
If quarterback isn’t the hardest position in team sports, it’s in a short conversation. (We’ll allow the case for baseball’s catcher.) Physical tools — height, arm strength, foot quickness — take an athlete a long way, but playing quarterback well enough to win championships requires as much talent between the ears as elsewhere. And the ability to absorb contact is a requirement.
“As you move up levels, the position becomes way more taxing,” says Henigan, “both physically and mentally. I wasn’t hit that much in high school, but at the college level, it’s a different feeling. We don’t get hit in practice because [coaches] are trying to preserve quarterbacks. When you get hit for the first time, it changes the entire game. Having that experience early in my college career really toughened me up. You’re playing 300-pound defensive linemen, and their goal is to harass you.”
As for the mental component, it’s the invisible tools that made Tom Brady the Tom Brady, that allow Patrick Mahomes to see angles and gaps most quarterbacks cannot. “You know so much about coverages,” explains Henigan. “You know the names, you draw them up, you speak them. Some quarterbacks learn better verbally, and some need to see it on a board. Or going through it on a practice field.”
Henigan draws a parallel between a quarterback’s mental challenges and those of a decidedly less physical sport. “Golfers’ mental game is so important,” he notes. “It’s hard to compare to any other position on a football field. You’re in control of so many aspects. You know everyone’s assignment on offense. A middle linebacker may know this for the defense, but he doesn’t have control of the play’s outcome. A quarterback has the ball in his hands. There’s so much going on. You’re thinking of 21 other guys on a field, reacting to a defense. The defensive coordinator’s job is to confuse the quarterback. You have to react as the play is going on.”
In the time it takes you to read this sentence, a quarterback must decide between handing the ball to a running back, running the ball himself, or passing to as many as five potential receivers. “Decision-making, accuracy, and toughness are three of the most important components for a quarterback,” emphasizes Henigan. “Fluid intelligence is key. That’s how you make your money, so to speak. Offenses and defenses both have tendencies. After a while, you identify consistencies in the way defenses want to attack our offense. But it changes each year. The base knowledge helps though. You have an out-of-body experience. It feels like you’re watching yourself because you’ve done it so many times. It’s muscle memory, and natural. I’ve seen a lot.”
(Photo: Larry Kuzniewski)
Henigan grew up a college football fan, more so than any devotion he might have developed for an NFL team. With his family wrapped up in “Friday night lights” followed by college games on Saturday, Henigan’s mom would actually not allow football on television come Sunday. Henigan’s favorite quarterbacks were a pair of Heisman Trophy winners in the SEC: Auburn’s Cam Newton and Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel. He loved their exploits but notes he’s never modeled his playing style after another signal-caller.
Despite compiling an eye-popping record of 44-2 over three years as a starter at Denton Ryan, Henigan was not heavily recruited by FBS programs. Former Memphis offensive coordinator Kevin Johns, though, made the kind of impression both Henigan and his family sought in choosing Seth’s college destination. “I had a good year as a junior,” notes Henigan, “but my body wasn’t spectacular. I was always smart and worked hard, and those attributes can take you a long way. Coaches weren’t really talking to me consistently, until coach Johns came after my junior year. He listed attributes of a good quarterback that I displayed and why I was attractive [to Memphis]. He’d show me film on FaceTime, break down plays. He’s the only [college] coach who did that with me. It was exciting, seeing how I’d fit the program here.”
Having enrolled for the spring semester in 2021, Henigan was comfortable with Memphis — both the city and campus — by the time fall camp opened. When the quarterback expected to start the ’21 season opener (Grant Gunnell) tore his Achilles heel late that summer, Henigan seized the opportunity. “Even if I was going to be the backup, I didn’t want to be a weak link,” reflects Henigan. “So I was mentally prepared. I have a whiteboard in my room at home. I’ve had it since my junior year of high school. Every week, I’ll change the name of the opponent, list base defenses, third-down defenses, and how we were going to attack them. I picked things up pretty quickly. That’s all I did that first spring camp: study that whiteboard and learn [as a college quarterback]. Coach Johns and I would throw on weekends at his house. He cared for me as a true freshman.” (Johns has since moved on and is now the offensive coordinator at Duke University.)
The Tigers went 6-6 in 2021 (Henigan’s freshman year) and qualified for the Hawaii Bowl, a game that was canceled the day before kickoff because of a Covid outbreak in the Hawaii program. Memphis went 7-6 last season and beat Utah State in the First Responder Bowl. Two decades ago, such marks would have qualified as successful seasons in these parts. But the program’s standards are higher. So are Seth Henigan’s.
“There’s no such thing as a young quarterback,” says Henigan in evaluating the midpoint of his college career. “You either have it or you don’t. You earn the job. It hasn’t been smooth sailing. We’ve beaten some good teams, but we’ve lost to teams we should have beaten. I didn’t really know what to expect out of college football; I just knew it would be harder than what I’d done in the past. I want to win a conference championship and win more than seven games. There’s so much more to achieve as a quarterback. My teammates respect me and know me as a competitor. I’ve taken hits and gotten up. I’ve been through the ringer, and I’ve stayed here in Memphis. We have a chance to be special.”
Tiger coach Ryan Silverfield would never project his program’s success on the play of one athlete. But he’s cognizant of how important Seth Henigan’s junior season will be to the health — and growth — of the Memphis program. “At the quarterback position, his steps are significant to the success of our entire program,” says the fourth-year coach. “He knows that he’s got to be better. He’s still young for the position, but he’s got experience. We have high expectations for him to make good decisions. You can’t turn the ball over. Find ways to win football games. We’ll continue to push him to be the leader of our team. He’s earned that respect and we’re excited to see what unfolds.”
Henigan is one of only 16 current Tigers who have taken the field for Memphis the last two seasons. He’s a junior, by class, but an extended veteran by measure of proportional service. Who will catch Henigan’s passes this fall? Junior Roc Taylor had 20 receptions last season, the most by any returning player. Senior Joseph Scates caught only 18 passes in 2022, but averaged 22.9 yards per reception. Newcomer Tauskie Dove — a transfer from Missouri — played in high school with Henigan but was a senior when the quarterback rode the bench as a freshman.
A healthy and successful 2023 season would make Henigan only the second quarterback in Memphis history to post three 3,000-yard seasons. (Brady White did so from 2018 to 2020.) Then there’s 2024. Should Henigan return as a grad student, a fourth season — again, presuming health — would likely shatter every passing record in the Tiger book. But that’s distant future, particularly with that pesky transfer portal. For now, Henigan is focused on the daily chores — as noted on his treasured whiteboard — that will add up to a better college season than his first two in blue and gray.
“Every day is challenging,” acknowledges Henigan, noting his commitment to football, school, his family, and nurturing relationships, particularly those with his teammates. “It’s hard to find time for myself. I have so many responsibilities. I’ve been on a fast track, starting my master’s program in the spring. A [conference] championship would make [this season] successful. Winning nine or 10 games. I think we have all the right guys. We’ve just got to stay consistent.”
Memphis magazine February 1996 Cover (Photo: Memphis Magazine)
This Saturday at FedExForum, the late Lorenzen Wright will become the 10th former Memphis Tiger to have his uniform number retired. At halftime of the Tigers’ game against Tulane, Wright’s 55 will rise to the arena’s rafters, where it will hang above the court for every Tiger home game to come. There it will join banners honoring nine other legends who proudly wore blue and gray for Memphis: Forest Arnold, Win Wilfong, Larry Finch, Ronnie Robinson, Larry Kenon, John Gunn, Keith Lee, Elliot Perry, and Penny Hardaway. Wright’s ceremony will be the first to retire a Tiger’s number since March 2014, when the program honored Kenon.
Beyond the Mid-South, Lorenzen Wright is as famous for his tragic passing as for his exploits on the basketball court. In July 2010, a little over a year since he played his final NBA game, Wright was shot to death in a field in east Shelby County, the victim of a scheme orchestrated by his ex-wife, who is now serving a 30-year prison sentence. (The man who pulled the trigger is serving a life sentence.) He left behind six children and thousands upon thousands of fans from his days with the Tigers and, later, the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.
A graduate of Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, Wright joined the Tiger program after a down season (13-16) in 1993-94. An immediate starter for coach Larry Finch, Wright brought a ferocity to basketball at The Pyramid unlike many Tigers before him. (Did players scream after dunks before Lorenzen Wright?) He averaged a double-double that season, pacing Memphis in both scoring (14.8 points per game) and rebounds (10.1). Best of all, he helped the Tigers reach the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16, drubbing archrival Louisville in the first round. After another double-double campaign as a sophomore (17.4 and 10.4 rebounds), Wright entered the NBA draft and was chosen with the seventh pick by the Los Angeles Clippers.
To date, no former Tiger has played in more NBA games than Lorenzen Wright’s 778. And while Wright suited up for five teams as a pro, he played more games with the new-to-town Memphis Grizzlies (336) than any other. He remains seventh in Grizzlies history with 2,386 rebounds. Wright’s banner will be the only one that could be left up on a Grizzlies game night and still feel appropriate.
Only 34 years old at the time of his murder, Wright deserved a better fate. He was and is a beloved Memphian, still one of only two Tiger players to appear on the cover of Memphis magazine. (Keith Lee is the other. Finch and Hardaway each graced the cover, but not until they were coaching the program.) Saturday afternoon will be a special moment in the history of a proud basketball program, and even more special for those who love and remember the one and only Lorenzen Wright.
• The Tigers won’t be able to stop with 10 retired numbers. Among the players honored, none played for the program since Wright appeared in his last college game 27 years ago. Andre Turner (number 10) should join his teammate Lee in the rafters, his career assists total (763) not so much as approached since the Little General’s last game in 1986. The university must also find a way to recognize at least one player from the extraordinary four-year period from 2005-06 to 2008-09 when the Tigers reached at least the Sweet 16 every season. I’ve long advocated the retirement of number 5 for Antonio Anderson. He played for all four of those teams and is the only player in Memphis history to compile 1,000 career points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists. Anderson also played in more games (150) than any other Tiger, a record unlikely to be matched in the near future.
With every game the Memphis Tigers play, Kendric Davis adds a layer to what will be a one-year legacy for the program. The fifth-year guard was considered the best free-agent acquisition before the season tipped off in November. (And yes, let’s start calling players like Davis “free agents.” College basketball stars are going to be pursued with as much vigor as any pro at the end of a contract. “Transfer” is far too quaint in modern context.) But how would Davis fit alongside veteran mainstays like DeAndre Williams and Alex Lomax? Could he adapt to a new culture under head coach/local hero Penny Hardaway? (The best Tiger player under Hardaway will be, at best, the second-most popular man in the program.) Could he help other rookie vets — like Keonte Kennedy and Elijah McCadden — be better as Tigers than they were in other uniforms?
Davis is checking each box. Through Sunday’s action (16 games), the former SMU Mustang leads the American Athletic Conference in scoring (20.0 points per game) and, remarkably, assists (6.1). He’s third in the AAC in steals (2.3), a category topped by his current backcourt buddy, Lomax (3.0). In Saturday’s win over East Carolina, Davis struggled in the first half, scoring only two points and taking a shot to the face that briefly sidelined him. The Pirates had the crowd at FedExForum on shock alert with an 11-point lead shortly before halftime. But the Tigers — a pack of seniors, remember — stormed out for the second half and administered a 26-3 run that had ECU effectively beaten with ten minutes still left on the clock.
It was not a good afternoon for Davis. He missed 14 of the 20 shots he took, including all six three-point attempts. He committed a team-high five turnovers. And the Tigers still won handily (69-59). When the reigning AAC Player of the Year is at his best, Memphis looks like a dangerous team come March. If they can win when Davis under-performs — he still played 33 minutes and scored 14 points last Saturday — the Tigers appear to have the roster composition of a champion.
• An AAC scoring title for Davis won’t be such a big deal for the player. He led the league after both the 2020-21 season and 2021-22. But what about such an achievement for the Memphis program? Going back a half-century, only four Tigers have led a conference in scoring (and none since Memphis joined the AAC in 2013). Keith Lee topped the Metro Conference as a senior in 1984-85, Elliot Perry led the Metro in 1990-91, Penny Hardaway paced the Great Midwest Conference in 1992-93, and Will Barton led Conference USA in 2011-12. Perry and Hardaway each finished second in assists the season they led their league in scoring. That is the company Kendric Davis is keeping this winter as leading man for the Memphis Tigers.
• Have you noticed any missing banners from the rafters at FedExForum? Four NIT banners (from 1963, ’67, ’72, and ’77) have been taken down, along with a pair of NCAA (1986 and 2013). The NCAA banners need to be returned to their spots, of course, but I’ve long advocated the removal of NIT banners, except for those representing seasons Memphis reached at least the semifinals (1957, 2001, ’02, ’05, and ’21). How about finding room for a pair of banners to acknowledge conference championships (one regular-season, another for tournaments)? The NIT is no longer a goal for any program, like Memphis, that begins each season with Big Dance expectations. But a conference title? Those are all too rare, special teams that earned recognition for posterity.
INDvMEM
Indy Eleven vs Memphis 901 FC .07/23/2022.IUPUI Michael A. Carroll Stadium.Indianapolis, IN.Photo: Don Thompson
The Memphis Grizzlies and Ja Morant reached new heights in 2022, the team tying a franchise record with 56 wins as the player started his first All-Star Game and earned second-team All-NBA accolades. Better yet, the Griz became the youngest team in NBA history to win as many as 55 games, good enough to earn the franchise its first Southwest Division championship. It turns out that leading the NBA in rebounding, steals, and blocks is a good thing, as Memphis finished the 2021-22 campaign with the second-best mark in the entire league, this despite Morant missing 25 games with various ailments. The Grizzlies turned aside Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs before fizzling out against the title-bound Golden State Warriors. It was the kind of season that leaves a fan base wanting even more. Lots more.
The Tigers — both basketball and football — had “yes but” seasons in 2022. Penny Hardaway’s hoop squad reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in eight years, but wasn’t able to reach the big dance’s second weekend (extending a drought that dates back to 2009). Highlights of the season on the hardwood included a pair of wins over top-10 foes (Alabama and Houston). On the gridiron, the Tigers reached bowl eligibility for the ninth straight season, but finished merely 6-6 (a second straight year). Coach Ryan Silverfield will be back for a fourth season, but expectations — both within the program and outside — are high and heavy for 2023.
The Memphis Redbirds fell short of the playoffs in their first season in the International League, but a pair of players achieved some history for the franchise. Outfielder Moisés Gómez slammed 16 home runs for Memphis after being promoted from Double-A Springfield (where he had hit 23) to establish a new minor-league record for the St. Louis Cardinals with 39 bombs for the season. And Alec Burleson — another rising outfielder — hit .331 to win the International League batting title, the first such crown in Redbirds history.
Memphis 901 FC catapulted the organization to new heights, thanks to stellar player recruitment from the front office, coach Ben Pirmann’s tactical tweaking and man-management, and team-of-the-season performances from multiple players. There were plenty of things to be happy about. Memphis finished the year with a 22-8-6 record, racking up the franchise’s highest season totals for wins, points, and goals scored. 2022 saw a first ever playoff win for the organization, a 3-1 victory over Detroit City FC, before the team just missed out on the conference finals with a tight loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Along the way, striker Phillip Goodrum tallied 21 goals, midfielder Aaron Molloy chipped in with 8 goals and 10 assists, and defender Graham Smith marshaled the team to 11 clean sheets. Once the dust fell, 901 FC quickly announced contract extensions for all three players, each of whom were named in either the first or second USL All-League teams. And plenty of other key players had their contracts extended, including captain Leston Paul. The only sour note is that Pirmann announced his exit from the club, accepting the head coaching role with Charleston Battery FC. But looking back, this squad made Memphis and its AutoZone Park matchday fans proud. After a couple years, 901 FC showed that it belongs in the USL.
Meanwhile, sports infrastructure got a big boost when Mayor Jim Strickland announced an ambitious $684 million proposal to renovate the FedExForum, Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, and AutoZone Park. Plus, the plan called for a new soccer-first Memphis 901 FC stadium (with options to host other programming and events). The city is asking the state of Tennessee to cover $350 million after seeing Nashville’s plans for a new $2 billion stadium for the Tennessee Titans, with state assistance. But nothing’s set in stone.
Youth sports have a shiny new home in the Memphis Sports & Event Center (MSEC) at Liberty Park. At 227,000 square feet, the $60 million complex’s enormous footprint can accommodate young athletes for anything indoor sports related, from basketball to futsal to volleyball and so many others. While final construction won’t be complete until early next year, Liberty Park began showing off the new facilities in December, and it’s enough to get any sports fan excited.
Steven Adams jumps for the opening possession against Aleksej Pokusevski. (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
After sweeping a five-game homestand, the Grizzlies hit the road for the next four games. First up was another meeting with the Oklahoma City Thunder in what should have been an easy win.
Spoiler alert: It was not. The final score was 115-109 in favor of a Thunder team missing its two best players in Shai Gilegeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey.
Let’s get into it.
The first point the Grizzlies put on the board was Steven Adams splitting a pair of free throws after being fouled on the first possession and that should have been a sign of what was to come.
First half woes were the biggest contributors to the Grizzlies demise against the Thunder, culminating with the undue ejection of Ja Morant with 43 seconds left in the second quarter.
Morant was assessed two back-to-back technical fouls within less than a minute, the second under contested circumstances when he allegedly made derogatory remarks about the officiating to some Memphis fans near the court. Dillon Brooks also ended up acquiring a tech when Morant was ejected.
From Ja Morant postgame via NBA.com: ”I got my first tech for saying I got hit in my f**king face. Didn’t curse at him,” Morant said. ”Another situation where he’s in my conversation and I get another tech for talking with a fan. I feel like when these fans came here, went online to buy these tickets, they didn’t say Ray’s (Acosta) name to come watch.”
Oklahoma City outscored Memphis 64-43 in the first half with the Grizzlies shooting 27.3% overall and 19% from beyond the arc. The Grizzlies outscored the Thunder 66-51 in the second half, but it was not enough to overcome the huge deficit they accumulated in the first half.
Memphis shot a season worst 26.7% from three-point range. Ironically, they had a better than usual free throw percentage (78.4%) although they still missed 8 free throws in a game they lost by 6. Poor shot selection and the inability to defend without fouling in the second half hurt the Grizzlies more than poor free throw shooting.
Nothing to do but move on to the next one. Despite this loss, the Grizzlies remain the top team in the Western Conference.
By The Numbers:
Dillon Brooks had a game-high 32 points on 10-of-24 overall shooting and 6 of 15 from beyond the arc.
Jaren Jackson Jr finished with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and a rare zero block game for him.
From the bench unit, Tyus Jones closed out with 15 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
Brandon Clarke had 10 points, 8 rebounds, and one block and Santi Aldama put up 7 points and 5 rebounds while shooting 5 of 5 from the free throw line.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies are headed to Denver to take on the Nuggets Tuesday night, December 20th. Tip-off is at 9 PM CST and unfortunately there is no local broadcast for this one, so fans will have to watch this one on TNT.
