Conference USA Basketball

With five-star Alabama high school point guard Eric Bledsoe choosing Kentucky over Memphis on Wednesday, what happens now with the possible candidates for the Tigers' starting point guard position?

There are a number of different options from the JUCO ranks, but there is still a strong possibility that the Tigers stay with their current possible starters, Willie Kemp and Wesley Witherspoon.

Kemp was the Tigers' starter as a freshman when the Tigers made the Elite Eight, and he showed many flashes of what he could be the next few years as a starter.

Since then, his confidence has taken a hit.

His statistics his freshman year were nothing spectacular, but he did a good job running the team and controlling the tempo while splitting time with former player Andre Allen.

In his sophomore season, Kemp was replaced by freshman sensation Derrick Rose, who would later be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.

Kemp's playing time dropped drastically from playing 21 minutes a game as a freshman to less than 14 minutes as a sophomore, where he took more of a shooter's role off the bench.

Last season was quite simply a nightmare for Kemp. His playing time continued to drop, and he really could not find the three-point shot he had his sophomore year.

As the season went on, his playing time continued to fall to the point he was only seeing around five minutes of playing time and having many scoreless outings.

I think it is safe to say that Kemp's confidence took a hit after seeing his starting job get taken away two seasons in a row since once having the spot as a freshman.

Kemp looks to be the favorite to be the starter going into the summer.

Another candidate for the starting position is sophomore Wesley Witherspoon. Witherspoon was also tested at point guard last season after Kemp and Antonio Anderson tried out and failed.

Witherspoon's time as a starter showed more of his tremendous upside than his readiness to start.

As a starter and later coming off the bench, Witherspoon struggled with his man defense, picking up bonehead fouls quick and early.

He also was not ready to lead the team as a starter, as he often picked up more turnovers than assists.

At the same time, Witherspoon also displayed his tremendous athleticism and improving ability to get to the rim. Many Tiger fans agree that Witherspoon has the best upside out of most of the players on the current roster.

Right now, Witherspoon is just a raw player with a lot of upside. Some good work over the summer and throughout the season can get Witherspoon some good minutes off the bench and maybe even a starting job somewhere other than point guard.

I simply do not think Witherspoon is ready to play point guard full-time just yet.

There is still a possibility that the Tigers go another direction for a point guard, including going after a high school player or a Junior College player.

There has been a lot of talk about the Tigers' interest in Miami-Dade point guard James Beatty. The signing of his ex-teammate Will Coleman could generate some interest on Beatty's part.

There is also a lot of small talk of the possibility of signing Coney Island star Lance Stephenson and playing him at point guard.

Stephenson is a combo guard with three-point range and a great ability to get to the basket. His ball-handling skills are fit to play point guard as well.

This option should not be slept on, but the Tigers have to sign Stephenson first, which is not a sure thing yet. Stephenson is currently considering Arizona and Memphis.

If I had to put money right now on the starting Memphis point guard next year, I would go with Willie Kemp.

Kemp has been a starter for the Tigers before and was on his way to being the starter for the next few years until two straight years of "one-and-done" point guards came in and took his spot.

Once Kemp gets his confidence back and can keep his play consistent and as turnover-free as possible, he could be the answer for the Tigers at point guard next season.

Of course, this is easier said than done, but you never know where a player will come out of to lead the team.

No matter who is named the starter to begin the season, Tiger Nation will always be behind him.

After everything seemed all but good for the Memphis Tigers this season, with the players decommitting and the rumors of current players possibly transferring, a big ray of late shone in.

It started when Miami-Dade big man Will Coleman decided to honor his original promise and play for the Tigers next season.

Coleman does not have the name of the other players Memphis lost, like Xavier Henry or DeMarcus Cousins, but Coleman is currently the No. 2-rated JUCO player in the country and could really add some much-needed depth for the Tigers' frontcourt and possibly even start.

Will Coleman is a 6'9", 265-pound athletic freak with the ability to jump through the roof and make a big impact with his shot blocking on the defensive end. He is already being compared to ex-Tiger great Joey Dorsey.

Many, including myself, thought this was it for the Tigers' recruiting class. Five-star high school players are simply not going to want to play for a first-time head coach right now.

After Memphis signee Xavier Henry decided to go to Kansas along with his brother, Memphis walk-on C.J. Henry, the race for Coney Island star Lance Stephenson was wide-open.

It looked like Stephenson was set to ether stay at home and play with St. John's or go to Collage Park and play for Gary Williams and the Maryland Terps.

It now looks like Stephenson did not even want to go to St. John's in the first place, and Gary Williams' system is too "structured" for his tastes.

The rumor right now is that Stephenson recently visited Arizona, is going to visit Memphis, and is set to decide between those two.

Stephenson is not the perfect player we could get, for my taste.

He is said to be a head case and a guy that wants all the attention, but there is no doubting his talent, and Josh Pastner bringing in a player of his caliber already as a first year coach would be huge for the program.

The player that looks like the number one target right now for Memphis is Alabama point guard Eric Bledsoe.

Bledsoe has really been a player on the rise the last few months and fits the Pastner system well, along with the team's urgent need at point guard.

Willie Kemp has really been a disappointment since his freshman year when he started.

Since his freshman year, Kemp has rarely gotten much playing time and has not really shown he is the answer for the Tigers at starting point guard next season.

Bledsoe has been sought after by just about every major program needing a point guard, including, who else, Kentucky.

Bledsoe visited Memphis last Friday, and it looks like he will decide between Memphis and Kentucky.

“I’m just looking for the opportunity to play ball and make it to the next level,” Bledsoe told a crowd of reporters in an interview broadcast on MyFoxMemphis.

He later said that he will try to make his decision next week.

The player that could play the biggest role in Bledsoe's signing with Memphis is a player that is not really looking at Memphis anymore, John Wall.

If No. 1 player John Wall decides to go to Kentucky, that would make Memphis the clear favorite to land Bledsoe, since Bledsoe would obviously not want to be Wall's backup for at least a season.

Unless a player on the Memphis roster has a big improvement, Bledsoe would probably be the starting point guard from day one for the Tigers.

The last highly touted player considering Memphis is Starkville, Mississippi native Latavious Williams.

Williams is probably the player that Memphis has the best chance of signing.

The No. 16 overall player according to Rivals.com is considering both Memphis and Georgetown.

It still is not certain that Williams will be academically eligible next season, but Williams' academic struggles and his wanting to play in a "free" system are probably what give Memphis a better chance of signing Williams than Georgetown.

Georgetown's high academic standards and half-court system are factors that would be looked at concerning his decision.

His announcement is said to come Monday, May 4.

If Memphis is able to sign at least one of the players mentioned, it would put the program back on the map in terms of recruiting.

John Calipari made Memphis what it is now with his stellar recruiting.

Let's see if Josh Pastner can do the same.

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This is an 11-part series taking a look back at the most memorable, important storylines of the 2008-09 college basketball season. For a list of storylines that didn't quite make a cut, check out the honorable mentions of the 2008-09 season.

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Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Darnell Jackson, Darrell Arthur, Russell Robinson, Sasha Kaun, and Rodrick Stewart; all gone from college basketball.

Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Joey Dorsey, and Andre Allen are also gone.

Graduation and defections to the NBA decimated the rosters of the 2008 NCAA Tournament Finalists. Kansas and Memphis looked like they'd be shades of themselves in 2009; few thought either school could be a legitimate Final Four threat .

But two very good recruiting classes, two great coaches, and enough stars-in-the-making returned to both schools to make them dangerous teams when the madness began.

Memphis returned more key players—senior lockdown guard Antonio Anderson and two behemoths in the paint—Shawn Taggart and Robert Dozier gave coach John Calipari a solid nucleus of players to not rebuild, but reload around. Pollsters still ranked the Tigers in the top 15 in the preseason polls.

Kansas lost its entire starting lineup, but did return the Big XII Sixth Man of the Year and budding superstar, Sherron Collins as well as center Cole Aldrich who gave Jayhawk fans a glimpse of his future greatness by scoring eight points and grabbing seven boards in a dominant first half performance off the bench against North Carolina in the 2008 Final Four.

Pundits penciled the Jayhawks in at 23rd in the preseason polls despite all the personnel losses.

But early on in the 2008-2009 season, Memphis and Kansas quickly lost their championship mojo.

The Tigers looked terrible in non-conference play, losing to Xavier, Syracuse, and Georgetown. The dribble-drive offense that Memphis has developed into one of the country's deadliest attacks looked out of sync.

Freshman star Tyreke Evans couldn't find his role in the offense, and no one in Western Tennessee could knock down a three-pointer.

In the College Basketball Experience Classic, Kansas uncharacteristically blew a 15 point second half lead to the 'Cuse and eventually lost in overtime. The Jayhawks followed that defeat with an embarrassing loss in Kansas City to a UMass team that finished in the bottom half of the Atlantic-10.

In all, KU lost four non-conference games, something the Jayhawks hadn't done since 2006.

Entering conference play Memphis finally looked vulnerable in Conference USA and Kansas appeared to only be the fourth or fifth best team in the Big XII.

But that all changed, and it changed very quickly.

After the Tigers lost on their homecourt to the Orange, Calipari made a critical lineup change. He allowed freshman guard Tyreke Evans to play the point. It was an ingenious move that suddenly made the Tigers go. The best penetrator on the team now had the ball in his hands to create.

The Tiger offense not only improved, but the defense reached levels never seen in the handful of years Ken Pomeroy has been keeping track of offensive and defensive efficiency.

And the Conference USA rout was on.

19 league games later, Memphis still owns a 61 game conference win streak.

For Kansas one particular change didn't spark a Big XII Title run in Lawrence, but rather a steep learning curve among its bevy of first-year players.

Freshmen twins Markieff and Marcus Morris, and Tyshawn Taylor became vital parts of the rotation. Sophomores Brandon Morningstar and Tyrel Reed emerged from almost non-existent roles on the championship team to become championship caliber role players. JUCO transfer Mario Little provided a spark once he returned from injury.

Suddenly Bill Self found himself with depth and talent that he could turn into an elite squad. The Jayhawks took off winning 13 of their first 14 conference games and took home the league's regular season title.

When the NCAA Tournament finally rolled around, Calipari and Self had molded two teams into squads built to win in March. The Tigers headed west as a No. 2 seed, while the Rock-Chalk headed to the east as a No. 3 seed.

But for both teams, playing six games in the tournament like each did in 2008 would not become a reality. In 2009, the two squads played just six tournament games combined.

Memphis ran into a Missouri team that played practically an identical style of basketball, but brought with it more experienced players and for once, more athleticism than Memphis. Missouri ran Calipari's club right out of Glendale.

Kansas received the unfortunate task of trying to beat Michigan State. The Spartans had already handled the Jayhawks earlier in the season and provided Kansas with several matchup problems. MSU's rebounding and superior depth eventually took its toll and like Memphis, Kansas' season ended in the Sweet 16.

But both teams made incredible strides, strides that can be measured in two conference titles, two trips to the Sweet 16, and one National Coach of the Year.

Let us face it Tiger fans. We are not a top ten coaching job in the country, plain and simple. We do not play in a powerhouse conference and we do not have a bunch of National Championship banners hanging on the rafters. Top coaches want that when they go to a new job and Memphis does not have that tradition or competition right now.  

This may not be a completely fair assumption, but this program’s fame and rise as a national power in the last five or so years is because of the ex-head coach, John Calipari. His ability to bring in top recruits from across the country is simply unmatched by most Division 1 coaches.

Do not get me wrong, I bashed Calipari as much as any other Memphis fan out there, but I will be the first to admit that our rise to a championship contender in the past five years was due mostly to him.

The days prior to Josh Pastner being hired as the new Tigers’ head coach was a huge head ache for most fans. Athletic Director R.C. Johnson went after a number of head coaches including Bruce Pearl from Tennessee,  Scott Drew from Baylor, Mike Anderson from Missouri, and Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton.

Other than Scott Drew, Memphis was not very close to contracting any of them, in fact, people joked that R.C. Johnson should be awarded the Athletic Director of the Year for getting all those coaches an extension in their respective teams.

Memphis had almost given up all hope in hiring the “wow” coach that R.C. Johnson promised. Thirty-one year old Memphisassistant, Josh Pastner, was packing his bags into his Toyota Corolla to join Calipari and the rest of the ex-Memphis staff in Lexington.

While he was packing, he received a phone call from R.C. Johnson asking him if he was interested in becoming the new University of Memphisbasketball coach. Pastner immediately said yes without any hesitation.

Collage basketball fans around the country were already starting to criticize the University of Memphis Athletic Department for hiring a 31-year-old assistant coach. At the time, Josh Pastner was the highest paid assistant coach in the country at a little over 200,000 dollars a year. To many, Pastner was considered the best assistant coach in the market.

This certainly was not the “wow” hire that Tiger fans were promised, but it was a better hire than the other coaches on the Memphis agenda.

 Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton was heavily gone after when Memphis failed to reach an agreement with Baylor’s Scott Drew. When I saw the news that Memphis was going after Hamilton I was stunned.

I asked myself why would Memphis try to hire a 61 year old coach who has only made the NCAA Tournament four times in his 20-year head-coaching career. Bringing in Hamilton would just be a glorified retirement for him.

Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl was also offered a contract to be the new head coach. Pearl has only made it to the Sweet 16 once and has only brought in one McDonald’s All-American to Tennessee. Like Hamilton, Pearl was not a great coach when the tournament came and he does not land the top name recruits.

After reading this, you are probably asking yourself how is it better to hire a young assistant coach who has never coached in the collage level as the head of a team and two proved collage coaches that just do not get it done in the NCAA Tournament. Simple answer, Pastner has been with winners.

He was the primary assistant coach and recruiter behind Arizona's run to a National Championship and Memphis loss to Kansas just two years ago in the National Championship.

Pastner is said to be one of the hardest working recruiters out there. In fact, the number one overall point guard, John Wall, still has Memphis in his top list of schools even after Calipari’s departure. This might not mean much right now, but it could be a small sign of things to come for the Memphis basketball program in terms of recruiting.

To many, the key to Calipari’s success at Memphis was his ability to bring in top players, including All-Americans. Now a days, if you are a great recruiter, but only a sub-par bench coach, you will probably win games. Calipari himself is a primary example of that concept.

Pastner brings energy and excitement to a down Memphis fan base. Memphisfans saw all the work of the past nine years gone in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, many see Pastner as that little ray of hope that will bring Memphisback on top of the collage basketball world. The first thing a coach new to a team, especially new to the head coach position, is fan support and Tiger fans have been more than supportive of Pastner already.

Pastner brings a familiar face to players on the current roster. Although Memphishas lost two starters to graduation, possibly a third if Evans decides to go to the NBA Draft, there are still plenty of players returning next season.

A very talented bench from last season lead by Robert Sallie and Wesley Witherspoon along with the returning starters, Memphis still could be the favorite to win its fifth consecutive Conference USA title.

If Memphiswould have hired a head coach from another program that would mean the current players would have to adjust to a new system and a new set of team rules. Pastner has even said he plans to continue to use the Dribble-Drive system.

Pastner has the pressure of the entire city, but he certainly has their support. Only time will tell if Memphis ever comes back to be the National powerhouse it once was built by John Calipari. There is no doubt he has some huge shoes to fill.

As the Final Four tips off today in Detroit, there are currently two very high profile college basketball coaching vacancies. Arizona was recently turned down by USC's Tim Floyd, while Memphis is currently playing their cards close to the vest.

Instead of writing an article focusing on the predictable candidates for these positions, I want to look at 10 out-of-the box candidates that could fit in at either school.

There is a bit of a misnomer that Memphis is a "high-profile" job, but the reality is that Memphis immediately became a middle of the pack team once John Calipari left for Kentucky and the Bluegrass state.

Not only is Tyreke Evans gone, but so are important contributors Antonio Anderson, Robert Dozier, and most importantly, Calipari's heralded recruiting class led by the nation's No. 1 prospect, Xavier Henry.

Despite this fact, Memphis, with the right coach, can continue to dominate Conference USA.

Much like when Indiana surprised everyone and hired Kelvin Sampson several years back, these candidates would be a surprise to many if they were hired at either school.

We have to assume neither school will hire an assistant, so only head coaches will be looked at for these scenarios.

Candidate: 1. Jamie Dixon, Arizona (Pittsburgh)

Dixon could stay at Pitt and be a highly successful Big East coach for as long as he wanted in all likelihood, but the competitiveness of the Big East takes a toll on its teams in the regular season.

Dixon has been an excellent regular season coach for a number of years, but his team has not advanced to the Final Four yet, and this was probably his best chance to date.

Losing Lavance Fields, Sam Young, and DeJuan Blair will make next season a transition year, so if Dixon were to leave, now would be the time. Arizona would be a place where Dixon could go in and continue on the tradition of success left by Lute Olson.

While regional issues might arise when it comes to recruiting, Dixon would be an intriguing selection by Arizona, if he were willing to leave Pitt.

Candidate 2. Sean Miller, Arizona or Memphis (Xavier)

While this would not be a shocking hire, Miller changing time zones would be a big deal. Xavier is in the Atlantic 10, not a power conference, and Miller has probably reached his peak with any Xavier team.

The odds of them advancing past the Elite 8 are slim, although they have come close. Reasons why Miller would make the move to either school would include a huge pay raise, more prestige and better recruits. Memphis may be a bit of a lateral move, but if Miller wants a new challenge, either school would fit the bill.

Candidate 3. Gary Williams, Arizona (Maryland)

Why would Williams ever leave Maryland? It's no secret he had a very public spat with his athletic director this season, and perhaps Williams is tired of hearing the whispers from the fans.

Much like Tennessee's Phil Fulmer, the shine of William's national title has begun to rust, and he would be a perfect successor to Lute Olson. His team's play a somewhat frenetic style at times, something 'Zona fans are used to.

Another factor to consider is the longevity factor: Williams has been at Maryland a long time, and perhaps it is time to move on. I think both parties would be happy with each other in this scenario.

Candidate 4. Kevin Stallings, Memphis (Vanderbilt)

This one would be a shocker to everyone outside the state of Tennessee. The chances of a SEC coach moving to a Conference USA school are slim to none, but Stallings perhaps could foresee a future filled with easier opponents and better recruits.

Stallings is also a proven winner, something Memphis will require when they hire their new coach. Stallings doesn't have a lot of notoriety among college basketball fans, but his coaching ability is not something that can be questioned. Between big SEC victories and Sweet 16 trips, Vandy could be looking for a new coach themselves.

Candidate 5. Mike Brey, Arizona (Notre Dame)

Brey has probably been over-hyped in his time at Notre Dame. His teams score a ton of points, but play defense like the NBA's Golden State Warriors. Brey could come to the sad realization that Notre Dame will never win another Big East title in this era, competing against the likes of Jay Wright, Rick Pitino and Jamie Dixon on a nightly basis.

Arizona fans would embrace Brey's coaching philosophy, and provide Brey a fresh start minus the suffocating pressure he must be feeling after this season's surprising decline.

Candidate 6. Bobby Cremins, Arizona or Memphis (College of Charleston)

This one would be a complete shocker. Cremins has been coaching in relative anonymity for the past few seasons, with his most newsworthy event this season being the defeat of Davidson and Steph Curry in the Southern Conference semifinals.

Who knows if Cremins would relish the chance to leave what must be a relaxing job by the beach. If his competitive juices were to get fired up, perhaps we would see Cremins hired by either school looking to replace a legend with a highly successful veteran coach.

Candidate 7. Randy Bennett, Arizona or Memphis (Saint Mary's)

2008 Co-Conference coach of the year in the West Coast Conference, Bennett would be a solid yet unspectacular hire for either school looking to hire him. The Saint Mary's coach would have to be deemed an "up and comer" type coach.

In seven years at Saint Mary's, Bennett is the winningest coach in the program's history, and this season his team was one of the last team's out of the NCAA Tournament.

If Patty Mills decides to go pro, Bennett would be wise to jump at the chance to coach Arizona or Memphis. 'Zona would make more sense from a regional standpoint, and Bennett would bring with him a proven track record of winning. Along with a jump in pay and job prestige, Bennett could catapult himself onto the national coaching stage with a successful stint at either school.

Candidate 8. Rick Barnes, Arizona (Texas)

Barnes has been mentioned before for high-profile jobs, but thus far he has stood firm in Austin. Perhaps Barnes seeks to escape the shadow of the "football school" label that Texas is undeniably tagged with, and decides to go somewhere where basketball is indeed supreme.

While this would be a lateral move at best, Barnes would continue the winning tradition at Arizona. Barnes is one of a handful of coaches that Arizona fans would endorse as a proven winner.

Candidate 9. Fran McCaffery, Memphis (Siena)

Back to back first round wins in the NCAA Tournament give McCaffery credibility in the eyes of athletic directors around the country and it's only a matter of time before he takes the plunge and moves to a bigger school.

Memphis would be a great fit in the sense that McCaffery wouldn't be stepping into a pressure cooker job like Kentucky. Memphis fans love their basketball, but they would also recognize that a new coach would need a few years to rebuild the team.

Most importantly for McCaffery, Memphis would shower him with support (and money) if he were to accept the job. More importantly for Memphis, McCaffery has led 3 different schools (Siena, UNC Greensboro, Lehigh) to the Big Dance.

Candidate 10. Gary Waters, Memphis (Cleveland State)

Watching Waters during the Horizon League championship game, it was hard not to believe Waters is in coaching more for himself that his players. When they beat Butler, Waters stood on the sideline seemingly celebrating with himself. While this could be an unfounded judgment, the picture on the television screen told the whole story. With that in mind, it's difficult to believe Waters won't be looking for a new job this offseason, capitalizing on his recent successes.

Having coached at Rutgers before, perhaps Waters believes he owes it to himself to see if he can have success at a bigger program. Waters got a win in the NCAA Tournament this season, so perhaps Memphis would take a chance of a guy who seems to coach with energy and passion.

For those of us in who reside in the Memphis area, it's been an adventuresome last few days. The local media has been camped outside and hovering over John Calipari's house as he made the blatantly obvious choice to leave the Tiger program for the Big Blue Nation in Lexington. Despite the vitriol that's being spewed by many fans today, the choice is a no-brainer: Kentucky, UCLA, North Carolina, Indiana, and Kansas are college basketball royalty; Memphis isn't.

The list of coaches being batted around by Memphis fans is impressive, but I just wonder why any of them would come to Memphis. Here's a breakdown as I see it.

Mike Anderson, Mizzou: Already off the market. Signed a nice extension with Mizzou

Tim Floyd, USC: His Southern connections would've made him the best choice, but it appears he's taking over for former Ole Miss assistant Russ Pennell at Arizona

Bruce Pearl, Tennessee: Now it starts getting interesting. Sure, the Memphis job would be a step up in profile from Tennessee, but there was a genuine disdain between Calipari and Pearl. Pearl is working to build a Vols program, and quite frankly, unless something crazy happens and John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Xavier Henry are Tigers next season, Memphis is going to be significantly worse next season than they were last. I don't see the appeal to Pearl unless it's strictly about the cash.

Rick Pitino, Louisville: Now it starts to get delusional. The rumor is that Pitino would be hired, coach a few seasons, and then retire and Memphis would promote his son to be the coach. Pitino is not going anywhere. If he left this year, it would be viewed as running from Calipari, who he will now get to face yearly. Also, part of his success there would always be viewed as partially attributable to Calipari's doing there, and neither Pitino nor Pearl want that.

Bobby Knight, ESPN: There aren't even words to describe this. This is the dumbest idea since an mid-afternoon fireworks show. Not gonna happen.

That brings us to the non-"WOW" candidates Memphis AD RC Johnson has promised. Xavier's Sean Miller and our very own Andy Kennedy.

Sean Miller seems to be the right choice here. He's at a non-BCS school and has been a very good coach at Xavier in his tenure there, going 120-47. His Musketeers actually beat the Tigers early in the 2008-09 season. He's been to the Sweet 16 and the Elite 8 the last two seasons and appears to be a young coaching star.

Which brings us to AK. From an unbiased point of view, why would Memphis want to hire a coach which pending legal issues and one that has failed to reach the NCAA tournament in four seasons as a head coach. I'll grant you that the legal issues are more than likely bogus and that he's done a very good job in all four seasons as a head coach, but is that really the profile of a coach that Memphis wants to replace Calipari with?

This may be a harsh lesson in reality for Memphis fans. While their program is certainly one of the best in the country, it's very tough to win consistently at a non-BCS school like Calipari has the last several seasons. If Memphis fans remember, Calipari didn't start putting up the gaudy numbers they've become accustomed to until CUSA was gutted by the Big East and the other legitimate basketball teams left. Calipari is a tough act to follow and 2009-10 will be a rebuilding season with Tyreke Evans declaring and a handful of other players joining Cal in Lexington, which is a trash move by Calipari, but that's another story.

Regardless of who is hired, the program will take a step back from the national spotlight. While Pitino and Pearl would both be very visible, high-profile leaders of the program, neither one is going to take the job. I just hope that Tiger fans will welcome Sean Miller. He's a very good coach who will win at Memphis if given the chance. While he may not be a high-profile as Calipari is - and who is - he'll be a very good fit, and that's what the Tigers need.

I, John Calipari...

John Calipari is a good basketball coach, not a great one.  The Kentucky basketball program right now is a good one, not a great one.  They're perfect for each other.

On the surface, Calipari is an outstanding catch for the Wildcats.  It's hard to beat a .762 winning percentage, NBA ties, and the ability to yank blue-chip recruits from all over the country.

Dig deeper and gaps develop.  Not a single thing this man has done in college basketball has been free of blemish.  Not one.  Marcus Camby accepting 40k and hookers over a 16-month period from a lawyer in Connecticut isn't the entire story, either. 

There's also Donta Bright and Lou Roe, whose academics were so questionable other major schools passed on them while Calipari flaunted UMass' options for students with learning disabilities.

...from this day forward, for better or worse, or until stuff starts hitting fans...

Then he bolted to the NBA shortly after the Camby situation started unravelling.

At Memphis, he's developed a nice stable of recruiting side stories, from World Wide Wes to DeJuan Wagner's dad to Reggie Rose to Lord knows what else will emerge.

More importantly (well, at least to Kentucky), on the court Calipari has actually underperformed against expectations in the NCAA tournament.  Memphis was upset in '03, '06, and '09. 

They equalled their seed in '04 and '07, and only (arguably) did better than their seed in '08.  His '93 and '94 UMass teams were also upset.  In fact, not one Calipari-coached team has demonstrably done better than expected in the NCAA Tournament. Not one.

And he's never won a game in a top six conference.

...for richer or poorer, mostly richer since you're paying me an exorbitant amount of money...

Play in a weak conference, rack up the wins with Yankees-level talent for your second-tier conference, and disappoint in March.  Wake up one day and you'll making championship vows as the highest-paid coach in college basketball.

The only school right for him is Kentucky, a school whose fans live in 1968 and think it's the center of the college basketball universe, the only place to offer everything a college basketball coach could want.  "The coach is bigger than the Governor," they say with all the hubris entitled to a team mentally living in a Ruppian utopia.

They're prefect for Calipari because they're the basketball equivalent of Notre Dame and Alabama football. 

Drunk on history and self-righteousness, they often ignore reality, decorum, and any pesky roadblocks in the return for glory, discarding the common rules other programs live by.  "This isn't just another coaching job," indeed!

...to love and to cherish, because that means drinking from the same giant cauldron of hallucinogenic blue liquid...

Truth is, Kentucky is just another coaching job.  It's probably one of the top fifteen in the country, but there's nothing special about it aside from maybe kissing some more butt in the media and booster circles (which is a negative to prospective coaches).

However, try explaining this to a Kentucky fan, and they'll think you're from Mars, which makes the Calipari hire a perfect fit.  Like Kentucky, Calipari sees himself in an echelon above his peers. 

Kid no one can touch?  He'll get him.  He's Italian and he looks good on TV.  Hookers for 20-year olds?  He didn't know about it.  NBA players?  He could handle them, right?

...'til death, or premature contract termination at your massive expense because I've failed to live up to the ungodly expectations set before me, do us part...

The list of coaches who have disliked Calipari is quite an impressive gallery: Calhoun, Chaney, Pitino, Pearl, Martelli, et cetera.  Only through Calipari can they be linked. 

Likewise, Kentucky finds enemies from all over the basketball sphere merely because of the unwarranted swagger they bring to basketball season.

Given their pasts, the marriage of Calipari and Kentucky is an NCAA scandal and a feast of postseason underachieving waiting to happen.  It's like the marriage of Sampson and Indiana on Lexington-style crack cocaine. 

Overrated coach, you may now take this overrated program...

Lewis and Clark, Bonnie and Clyde, Brad and Angelina, and now John Calipari and Kentucky.

It seems as though every major sportswriter in the country can't get enough of this newfound relationship, and rightly so. All indications are pointing to Coach Cal being a huge success at the University of Kentucky just like he was at UMass and most recently Memphis.

However, the one major thing that keeps getting lost in all of this hoopla (no pun intended) is the Memphis Tiger basketball program. The departure of Coach Calipari could have massive negative implications for the future of the Tiger program.

The coach who won 137 games in the past four years, an NCAA record, has just jumped ship, and the staff that recruited the players that won all of those games are likely going with him.

The Tigers will graduate two seniors this year and possibly lose two others to the NBA Draft in June. There have been talks about up to three players transferring to other schools.

And, oh yeah, what about the highly touted, No. 1-ranked recruiting class in the country that was supposed to win a national championship for Memphis next year? Well, it seems as though one by one, they are all looking elsewhere as well.

This leaves the Memphis Tigers with a total of four players for the 2009-2010 season: Pierre Henderson-Niles, Preston Laird, Willie Kemp, and Doneal Mack. Last I checked, you needed at least five players to field a team.

This could mean trouble for the program that has been to four straight NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteens, and there seems to be no quick fix for the Tigers either.

Although the Memphis job has become more attractive over the past few years, many of the top coaches in the country won't likely leave their jobs in the “power” conferences to come coach in Conference USA, especially if there is so much turmoil surrounding the team.

The Tigers can only hope that Tim Floyd from USC, Sean Miller from Xavier, or Mark Few from Gonzaga will be able to look past all of that and realize that Memphis is truly one of the best jobs in the country.

Now, the one thing that the Tigers do have going for them is money, and lots of it. The Memphis boosters are some of the best in the country, and they were willing to give Coach Cal anything he wanted, but it just wasn't in the cards. This will play very favorably however when the Tigers look to hire a new coach.

If all of this comes to fruition, then it could potentially be a devastating blow to the Memphis Tigers basketball program, but if history has anything to do with it then the Tigers will be back, and it'll be sooner rather than later.

The other shoe dropped for Memphis and Kentucky basketball fans this afternoon as John Calipari chose to trade in his blue and gray for blue and white.

The move was contemplated for days by Calipari and the rest of the sports world as the pros and cons were weighed. Questions abound on the other side of the decision though one of the biggest has to be, what now for Conference USA?

For the last four seasons Memphis has been the undisputed champions of C-USA. The Tigers won both the regular season and tournament championships in the new alignment of the league.

Calipari also brought the Tigers back to prominence with six appearances in the NCAA Tournament. This times taking Memphis to the Elite Eight, and one time playing for the National Championship.

Again the question is now what? The era of Memphis dominance appears to be in question as recruits could follow Calipari to Lexington.

The league parity has been there in Conference USA when Memphis is acknowledged to be an anomaly in the league. Perhaps now if the Tigers are not able to recover from Calipari flying the coop then the league could truly show it's balance.

This season Tulsa, UAB, Houston,and UTEP all finished within two games reach of each other just behind Memphis. Going back another four games brings Marshall, UCF, and Tulane into the fold.

With a less dominant performance next season by Memphis could bring the entire league even closer together.

The four teams finishing closest to the Tigers in the final league standings have already proven themselves to be competent programs. The Golden Hurricanes and the Blazers each were invited to the NIT this season. The Cougars and the Miners each saw post-season action at the second CBI tournament. 

The Blazers have been considered the second team in C-USA for the past few seasons and if not for having to release players mid-season could have found themselves in the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row. 

As for Marshall, Tulane, and UCF, each of these programs have been on the rise as of late. Since the arrival of the Herd and the Knights from the Mid-American Conference, both programs have made considerable steps forward and are on the cusp of being in the fold for the post-season.

Also, the arrival of Dave Dickerson at Tulane has turned the program into one of the strongest defensive clubs in C-USA.

So will Memphis be able to maintain dominance, or will someone else step up to claim the top? Only time will tell, yet the talent level is high across the league and it should be interesting to see where things lie after the 2009-'10 season.

The University of Memphis has lost 810 basketball games in the school’s history, dating to the 1920-'21 season when the program began.

In 1973, Memphis lost to UCLA, 87-66, in the National Championship game, falling victim to the single most amazing individual performance in title game history, when Bill Walton famously went off for 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting.

A year ago, Memphis lost to Kansas, 75-68 in overtime, to fall short of a national title, yet again.

There were several Elite 8 and Sweet 16 losses in between, and Missouri just ended Memphis’ 2008-’09 season.

Ladies and gentlemen, never has the Memphis Tiger basketball program suffered a loss like this one.

Never. Ever. Not even close.

John Calipari’s leaving the University of Memphis to become the head coach of the iconic Kentucky Wildcats will simply devastate the Tiger’s program.

Oh, sure, right now only Calipari is leaving. That, we could deal with. In and of itself, the loss is not the end of the world. 

However, even if Memphis lands a top-notch replacement—the name Mike Anderson keeps buzzing around, even though there is no evidence that Memphis has actually begun the process of contacting him—the die has been cast.

When Calipari leaves, expect him to take most, if not all, of his top-notch coaching staff with him. John Robic, Orlando Antigua, and Josh Pastner would all tell Memphis “Vaya con dios.”

Rod Strickland would probably tag along, too.

About the only staff member Memphis would have a good shot at retaining is Richard Hogans, Director of Performance Enhancement. He actually graduated from Memphis in 1999, played a little pro football until injuries ended his career, and came back to the school to work with Calipari’s staff in 2004. 

Now, let’s further examine how this hiring guts the Memphis program.

Memphis famously gives basketball recruits the equivalent of an “escape clause," promising to grant them a release if John Calipari leaves to coach elsewhere. 

R. C. Johnson, Memphis Athletic Director, has confirmed that all receive that addendum to the National Letter of Intent, promising them the option to leave should the head coach not be at the school for any reason.

Nolan Dennis of Texas has already said that he would seriously consider exercising that option.

That means that Dennis, Will Coleman, Darnell Dodson, and Xavier Henry could all be free to follow Coach Calipari to Kentucky, or to re-open their recruitment over the summer.

Coleman and Dodson did not even have Memphis on their radar until Calipari hired Orlando Antigua. Assuming that Antigua heads north with Coach Cal, what would that mean, relative to Coleman and Dodson?

Memphis would have next to no chance of retaining their services, that’s what it means.

The devastation isn’t finished yet, not by a long shot.

DeMarcus Cousins from Alabama will never see the Memphis campus. He has not yet signed an NLI, as NCAA rules prohibit his signing one until April 15. So his verbal commitment means next-to-nothing.

He, too, would either follow Calipari to UK or else re-open his recruitment yet again. North Carolina State, Rice, and Washington were on his short list when he announced for Memphis.

Don’t think we’re finished yet—the bad news piles on.

Wesley Witherspoon, an insanely talented freshman from Georgia, was asked on-camera on Monday if he had come to Memphis to play for Coach Calipari.

“Well yeah, basically,” was the reply.

Would he be willing to sit out a season in order to play for Cal at Kentucky?

Don’t make me answer that one. I think you know as well as I do that he would.

Roburt Sallie, who recently completed his sophomore campaign with Memphis, has been rumored to want to follow Calipari, as well. That one makes little sense, as he has already lost three years due to his bizarre travails (see this article for more details). Maybe we can keep him in Memphis.

That brings us, finally, to the Henrys, C. J. and Xavier.

C. J. Henry plays baseball for the New York Yankees. His contract with the Yankees obligates the team to pay for his schooling. This year, he cashed in on that provision.

He was injured and did not play, but he remains a part of the Memphis team. Tiger fans were looking forward to him suiting up next fall.

C. J.’s presence on the team, in turn, attracted his younger brother Xavier to Memphis. Henry, the younger, wanted one last chance to play with his older brother before heading off into the sunset of the NBA.

With John Calipari gone, what are the odds that the Henrys stay with a gutted Memphis program?

Slim-and-none.

I would speculate that they would head off to Kansas, as C. J. was expected to head to Kansas, anyway (both his mother & father are alumni) before he shocked everyone (including his parents) by coming to Memphis.

Kansas was a finalist for his younger brother, Xavier. Xavier, in Miami for the McDonald's All-American game, is said to have already begun the process of re-opening his recruitment.

Shawn Taggart, a fourth-year junior post player who transferred from Iowa State, is set to graduate in May. Calipari advised him months ago to test the waters of the NBA draft. Taggart stated in an interview on Monday, "I'll see y'all next year, man."

However, what if he impresses NBA GMs and is told he will be a first round pick?

He'd be a fool to return under those circumstances. So we should count him as a "maybe".

Realistically, there are only three players that could be considered locks to return to Memphis: Pierre Henderson-Niles, Willie Kemp, and Doneal Mack, who will all be seniors.

Sallie, who would be a junior, is a fairly decent bet, as I suspect that he does not want to lose yet another year sitting out.

Freshman Angel Garcia, who was ruled ineligible but enrolled at Memphis anyway, appears well on the way to qualifying to play next fall. He has said that he expects to play at Memphis.

That’s it, folks. Five players, only one of whom (Mack) was a full-time starter for the Tigers last year.

A sixth (Taggart) is a "maybe". At least he, too, was a starter.

On top of it all, Memphis is still in Conference USA. 

The Tigers are still signed to face Cincinnati, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Syracuse, and Tennessee next season.

Now, none of this is said in an attempt to engender sympathy. Memphis will move on and attempt to pick up the pieces, just like anyone else would.

However, I have seen far too many people soft-selling the effect that losing Calipari will have on the Memphis program, at least in the short term.

It will be difficult to get a marquee coach in here, and very difficult to find enough talent to fill out the roster.

Once some of these game contracts run out, Memphis will no longer be able to sign games with the premier basketball programs, either.

C-USA is unanimously a wasteland now. At least Big Brother Memphis won’t be pounding them into submission any longer.

In short, do not underestimate the magnitude of the loss of Coach Calipari to the University of Memphis. 

The cupboard is not only bare; it is decrepit, rotting, and moth ridden.

It could literally take years for the program to recover. Barring some future miracle, it will most likely never again be close to what is has been in the past four years.