After two months and 15 games, there are, to say the least, some concerns about the Memphis Tiger basketball team. For a team sporting a 12-3 record, coach Josh Pastner’s second squad finds itself in somewhat unique crosshairs of criticism. A 20-win season is sure to come, postseason play (NCAA or NIT) all but certain. So what the heck is wrong with this team?!
A few observations, with the criticism in the form of questions:
• Can this team play defense?
After allowing Tennessee State to hit 12 three-point shots on January 2nd, Pastner said, “My biggest pet peeve is allowing three-point shots. It’s really not that hard a shot. We have to get in our opponents’ air space.” So how did his Tigers take the lesson? They gave up 12 three-pointers (on 21 shots) at Tennessee. Then allowed a weak East Carolina team to stay alive last Saturday by draining eight treys.
- Larry Kuzniewski
- Josh Pastner
Interior defense would be a legitimate concern, you’d think, with Will Coleman and Tarik Black the only real shot-blocking threats. But what’s the problem on the perimeter? Could be a matter, in coach-speak, of “want to.” Wesley Witherspoon and Will Barton have that modern hoops commodity — length — that translates well on both sides of the ball. They, among others, must put forth the effort of invading opponents’ air space beyond the three-point arc.
• Is there an offensive scheme? Any?
You won’t see many Tiger possessions with four passes. (They seemed to pick up against East Carolina, but Memphis was twice called for a three-second violation.) Memphis fans need to get used to it. This ain’t Princeton. It’s not a Bobby Knight-coached team. John Wooden’s approach to teaching basketball is an art worth reflecting upon in a museum (or Hall of Fame), but you won’t see it at FedExForum.
This Tiger team is built on freshman athletes. Will Barton didn’t need back screens to score in high school. Joe Jackson wasn’t asked to master the pick-and-roll as he became a McDonald’s All-America at White Station High School. And I imagine the next time Tarik Black is fed the ball in the high post as a tool for attacking a defense will be the first.
With six of the top eight players (counting junior transfer Charles Carmouche) wearing a Memphis uniform for the first time, this is a team still getting used to individual likes and dislikes. The coaching staff is still trying to identify which units work best together. (One question: should Jackson and Antonio Barton ever be on the floor together?) In other words, a young team is evolving. There was a day when fans could close their eyes and imagine how such a team might look in a couple of years, when the Barton brothers, Chris Crawford, Black, and Jackson have had time to coalesce. That, of course, is fantasy now. All five of those players may need three years (at least) of college basketball seasoning. But there’s no chance all five will be Tigers for the 2012-13 season. Reality: the frosh have to gel as an offensive unit for this team to win in March.
