Memphis Tigers Basketball

The word “change” seems to be the word of the year so far.

President Barack Obama used it during his run for the White House and it was even heard for the election for mayor in Memphis.

However, politics are not the only thing seeing change in Memphis.

The Memphis Tigers will launch a new year with a new coaches and new players across the board, but that has not stopped the Memphis faithful from continuing to support their team.

In Memphis Midnight Madness, 18,000 loyal fans packed into the FedEx Forum to see the introduction of the new look Tigers. At one point, the gates had to be closed due to a full house.

Not bad for a fan base that was supposed to disappear once the tough times came.

New Memphis coach, Josh Pastner, was hired based on potential and possibly because he was the last option out there for a head coach.

He certainly has not disappointed from a recruiting standpoint.

From the day he was hired to today, Pastner locked up Will Coleman, Latavious Williams (who later decided to play in China due to academics), and brought in Will Barton, Antonio Barton, Joe Jackson, and Chris Crawford for the 2010-2011 season, giving Memphis the No. 2 recruiting class in the country behind Ohio State according to Rivals.com.

The players have also noticed changes in coaching philosophies and coaching tactics.

Calipari was known for his antics during the games and having no problem with "cursing" to get his point across.  

Pastner is seen as a calmer and quieter guy who likes to pull players out and correct them instead of giving them that tough love that Calipari liked.

Although Pastner is not seen as a "tough" coach on the court, senior guard, Doneal Mack, has already pointed out that Pastner deals with off court issues more strictly.  

Personalities are not the only thing seeing change in the Memphis program.

For the first time many Memphis fans can remember, this year’s team will actually focus on shooting the three ball.

The Dribble-Drive system under Calipari focused on penetration to the lane and points in the paint by the guards.

Memphis was ranked 217th last season shooting the three ball.

This year’s team has a lot of firepower along the wings and most of those players are not shy to take the outside jumper.

Robert Sallie was near the end of the bench for much of last season for his subpar defense, but when he was given time, he shot lights out and proved to be the Tigers most consistent shooter.

Doneal Mack is hard to read. He can look like one of the best shooters in the country when he gets hot, but when he is cold, it is best for opposing defenses to just leave him wide open.

Willie Kemp took the role of a shooter during his sophomore season when Derrick Rose stole his starting job. Kemp has always been a good shooter, but has not been given any confidence since his freshmen year.

He will now be relied on heavily as he is the favorite to be the starter at point guard as the start of the season nears.

The team’s dark horse this year could be freshman walk-on, Drew Barham. The original Southern Illinois signee was one of the best shooters in the city last season and has really been impressing coaches thus far with this hard work and shooting stroke.

It is rumored he can be part of the eight man rotation, which is rare for a freshman walk-on.

With this said, this may be the most difficult season since the first three years of Calipari. The team lacks depth, lacks rebounders, and is very young. As of now, fans should not expect another 30 win season or even another C-USA crown.

Josh Pastner has brought excitment to a fan base that was supposed to be dead after John Calipari left for the bluer grass of Kentucky.

Pastner is yet to show if he can coach, but his impressive recruiting class and the enthusiasm he has brought to the city have really made Tiger fans see a “change to believe in.”

Shawn Taggart, 24, the former University of Memphis standout who decided to forego his final year of college eligibility to pursue his dream of playing professional basketball, has been signed to a contract to play for Ironi Nahariya of the Israeli Premier League.

Shawn Larell Taggart, son of Charleine Taggart, was poised to be become a fifth-year senior at the U of M in 2009-’10. He is a highly skilled big man with shooting touch out to three-point range and a burgeoning post game.

Taggart averaged 20.2 points per game, 10.3 rebounds per game and 4.0 blocks a contest as a senior at Mt. Zion Christian Academy in Durham, NC, leading the team to a prep school national title.

He followed that performance up by being named to the All-Big 12 Freshman team in 2005-’06 before transferring to Memphis.

During preseason drills over the summer of 2006, he tore the ACL in his right knee and was forced to spend his transfer year rehabilitating the injury, setting back his progress.

He was a reserve on the 2007-’08 Tiger team that went 38-2 and fell in the National Title tilt to Kansas, 75-68. Taggart was the first big man off the bench for that team and even started 9-of-39 games, averaging 17 minutes per contest while scoring 5.8 ppg and snaring 3.9 rbp.

He also chipped in with 37 blocks on the year, shot 50 percent from the floor and converted 64.6 percent of his free throws. He scored 12 points against Texas in the Elite Eight and came back with seven points and seven rebounds against UCLA in the Final Four. He closed the year out with two points and three rebounds versus Kansas.

He became a starter upon the graduation of Tiger post man Joey Dorsey. He pitched strongly forward to average 10.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, and 1.4 blocks per game in 25 minutes for a team that played it’s way to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Taggart stands 6’10” and filled out to 238 pounds by the time he left the U of M. He graduated with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in May of 2009.

At his relatively advanced age, Taggart had little to gain from returning to Memphis and entered his name for consideration in the NBA draft in April 2009. He signed with an agent in June, thereby officially ending his college basketball career.

He is joining a Nahariya squad that plays in the highest league in Israel’s professional basketball ranks. The 12-team Premier League, known as Ligat HaAl, includes one of the most renowned non-American franchises in the world, Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Maccabi, founded in 1932, has won 48 Israeli Premier League titles, the Israeli States Cup 36 times, the European Cup five times, and the Triple Crown (Israeli Premier, Israeli Cup and European Cup all in the same season) a record five times.

Nahariya was relegated to the second league in 1994, and the third league in 1996 before climbing back up to second season in 1999 and regaining premier status in 2001, where they have remained since.

Ligat HaAl teams play once a week from late October till late April, when postseason play begins for teams which qualify.

From their home city in Northern Israel, head coach Yakov Gino and his Nahariya charges went 10-12 in the regular season in 2008-’09, advancing to the Ligat HaAl Winner’s Cup, where they fell to Hapoel Jerusalem, 3-0, in the best-of-five series.

Nahariya scored 81.3 ppg (and surrendered 79.1) last season. The team subsequently re-tooled their roster for 2009-’10.

Leading scorer Ron Lewis (18.5 ppg) fled to the Euroleague, and the only other player who participated in all 25 games for the team, Yogev Ohayon, jumped ship for rival Hapoel Jerusalem.

Taggart will be competing for time with 1997-’98 C-USA Player of the Year DeMarco Johnson, who played for North Carolina-Charlotte at the time.

Johnson, 6’9”, 245 pounds, scored 21.1 ppg and nabbed 9.0 rpg during his senior year as a 49’er. He had a cup of coffee in the NBA with the New York Knicks in 1999-’00, playing just 37 minutes in five games. He has traveled the world playing ball since.

He played in Italy (with various clubs) from 1998 through 2005; in Spain with Etosa Alicante in 2006; and briefly in Greece with the prestigious Olympiacos, also in 2006.

In January 2006, Johnson played in Slovenia before settling in Ligat HaAl in the spring of 2007. He played with Ironyi Ashkelon for the balance of the season and into 2008. He moved over to Maccabi Rishon LeZion in January 2009, and now has landed with league rival Nahariya.

Other Americans on the squad include recently signed former American collegians Tasheed Carr (St. Joseph’s), Marc Egerson (Delaware), Kyle McAlarney (Notre Dame), and UAB’s Paul Delaney. Delaney will be a familiar face for Taggart. Delaney’s Blazers met Taggart’s Tigers four times in Shawn’s two years of participation.

Nahariya sports purple and white uniforms, and play their home games in the 3,000 seat  Ein Sara Sport Hall. Their 2009-‘10 season begins on Sunday, October 25 versus Elitzur Maccabi Netanya.

Check back for periodic updates on Taggart’s progress, as well as reports on Robert Dozier with Kolossos Rhodes in Greece.

A lot of people are sleeping on Memphis basketball.

Just to review: yes, we’re aware that John Calipari is no longer the head coach here in the Bluff City.

Yes, we know that Josh Pastner, who mere days ago turned 32 years of age, is now sitting in the captain’s chair for Tiger hoops.

Yes, the country’s consensus No. 1 recruiting class was subsequently wrecked. The bulk of it (DeMarcus Cousins, Darnell Dodson and John Wall) headed to Kentucky with Calipari; Nolan Dennis landed in Baylor, and only Will Coleman stuck with Memphis.

Yes, we realize that Martin Ngaloro, an intriguing prospect from France, tore up a knee and might never step foot on campus. Angel Garcia’s knee injury did not escape our notice, either.

Yes, there are only eight scholarship players available to Coach Pastner: Will Coleman, Pierre Henderson-Niles, Willie Kemp, Doneal Mack, Roburt Sallie, D.J. Stephens, Elliot Williams, and Wesley Witherspoon.

Yes, yes, that’s just three seniors (PH-N, Kemp, and Mack), one 23-year old junior (Sallie), one junior college transfer (Coleman), a sophomore who transferred from Duke (Williams), a sophomore returnee (Witherspoon), and a true freshman (Stephens).

Yes, even with walk-ons, there’s no way the Tigers will come close to having a full complement of 15 basketball players this fall. Likely, there will be only 12 young men on the roster.

Nor have we forgotten the stench associated with Derrick Rose and his SAT scores. First, the school was in the news non-stop for losing a head coach; then, the media hounds were publicizing the twists and turns in the Rose saga.

All of that aside—and yes, it’s a considerable amount, admittedly—things are not nearly as bleak as some people are making it out to be.

Before you pronounce me insane (you might be right, I’m just not willing to use this particular issue as proof positive!), hear me out on this one. . .

The first thing to remember is this: the 2009 edition of the Tigers is an extremely talented basketball team. The top seven in the rotation is comparable to any except the ultra-elite in the country.

Williams was a five-star recruit coming out of Memphis, and was fully expected to have a break-out campaign as a sophomore at Duke. Henderson-Niles and Kemp were both four-star, top 75 players as preps. Mack was top 50 and scored 31.1 points per game as a senior at Statesville Christian in North Carolina.

Coleman was a junior college All-American and one of the top 5 JUCO prospects this spring. Sallie was California JUCO Player of the Year two seasons ago. Witherspoon shot up recruiting boards like a rocket after his junior season in high school, and was a consensus top 50, four-star prospect.

Now, it’s true that just about everyone on that list has been overshadowed by other players on the Memphis team over the last two or three years.

But when Willie Kemp had to compete with Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year) and Tyreke Evans, selected No. 4 overall in this summer’s draft, is there really any shame in being the back-up point guard?

Henderson-Niles played behind Joey Dorsey, who is expected to soak up minutes with the Houston Rockets this season, and Shawn Taggart, who is cashing checks in Europe right about now.

Witherspoon teethed as a true freshman behind just about all the upperclassmen on the team, as he played every position on the floor at some point (albeit, he was at the “one-in” power forward/center position for only a few possessions in a single game last year).

Mack was a starter, but deferred a larger role in the offense to NBA draftees Antonio Anderson, Robert Dozier (getting paid to play in Greece), and Evans.

Sallie spent a considerable portion of the season in Calipari’s doghouse, backing up Mack and being a designated zone-buster, limiting his ability to show off his all-around game.

The point is: yes, a lot of talent is gone; but an impressive amount is still on campus. And anyone who thinks these kids don’t have talent and ambitions of playing professional ball is simply fooling himself.

These kids have seen guys like Anderson (Charlotte Bobcats), Rodney Carney (Minnesota Timberwolves), Dorsey (Houston Rockets), Chris Douglas-Roberts (New Jersey Nets), Dozier, Evans (Sacramento Kings), Jeremy Hunt (formerly NBADL, now looking for a contract), and Rose (Chicago Bulls) go on to greater or lesser paydays.

They played with these guys every day in practice! They saw the dedication, hard work, and talent that go into making it to “the next level.”

You don’t think they want to cash in, too?

And they have a coach—Pastner—who was quite literally born to run his own program.

When Josh reached the tender age of 16, his father, Texas coaching legend Hal Pastner, turned over the AAU operation, the Houston Hoops, to his teen-aged son.

Josh recruited players, set up the schedule, arranged transportation to games, booked hotels, promoted the team, sold tickets, got his players publicity—the works.

In 1999, Josh Pastner took the Houston Hoops to the 1999 Nike National Summer Championship in San Diego.

Pick up on that.

At the age of 22, Josh Pastner coached his all-star team to an AAU national title.

Just a fluke? I think not. In the summer of 2000, Pastner and the Hoops copped the AAU Global World Championship.

Pastner has done a remarkable job in every phase of his capacity as Memphis head coach.

First he appointed Willis Wilson and Glynn Cyprien as his assistant coaches. Wilson is an experienced teacher and one of the most respected men in college basketball, having developed many pros while at Rice. Cyprien is one of the best recruiters in the college basketball ranks, delivering Daniel Orton to Kentucky, for instance.

And speaking of recruiting, don’t look now, but Pastner—who will have up to 10 scholarships available for 2010-’11—has already begun signing a monster of a recruiting class.

He has snared five-star swingman Will Barton, five-star combo guard Joe Jackson, four-star shooting guard Chris Crawford, and Will Barton’s three-star brother, Antonio, a point guard.

He is squarely in the running for five-star forward Jelan Kendrick, four-star post player Tarik Black, and darkhorse big man Freddy Asprilla, who left Florida International after averaging 14 points and 9.3 rebounds per outing as a freshman.

Asprilla was not granted his release by FIU, so he is sitting out the 2009-’10 season and will have two years of eligibility left...if he does not jump straight to the NBA (GMs are already asking him to consider tossing his name in the hat at the 2010 Draft).

This isn’t a season preview; I want to see the team practice in person a few times before I write that.

It’s just my fair way of putting people on notice: the cupboard isn’t quite bare at Memphis. Some of you might think so, some of you might hope so, but you’re wrong.

It says here that the Conference USA title still goes through Memphis.

If you like what you read here, check out my blog Ballin' is a Habit or follow me on twitter @ballinisahabit. For the complete list of the BIAH 2009-2010 season preview, click here.

2008-2009 Record: 33-4, 16-0 C-USA (1st)

Key Departures: Tyreke Evans (17.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.9 apg, Robert Dozier (12.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg), Shawn Taggart (10.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg), Antonio Anderson (10.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.5 apg)

Key Returnees: Doneal Mack (8.7 ppg), Roburt Sallie (5.8 ppg)

Newcomers: Elliot Williams, Will Coleman, DJ Stephens, Malik Thomas, Tyler Foster, Drew Barham, James Harvey Jr.

The Memphis basketball program had an off-season to forget.

It started with John Calipari bolting for greener pastures in Lexington, and taking his loaded recruiting class with him. It continued with the school being stripped of its 38-win,Final Four 2007-2008 season. It ended with the Tigers losing three kids who would have contributed significant minutes this season; Latavious Williams decided to play pro ball overseas while Martin Ngaloro and Angel Garcia both suffered season ending injuries.

But that doesn't mean the Tigers will be devoid of talent this season, as they do add two potential stars to a group of proven role players.

The biggest addition, figuratively, was guard Elliot Williams, a former McDonald's All- American who was cleared to play this season after transferring from Duke to be closer to his ailing mother. Williams should fit in perfectly with this Memphis squad as he is a tough defender and an athletic slasher. He showed flashes of promise on the offensive end as a freshman at Duke, and with the Tigers losing their three leading scorers, they will be looking for someone to help handle the offensive load.

The rest of the Memphis back court consists of names that you should recognize. Willie Kemp and Doneal Mack, both heading into their senior seasons, seem like they have been Tigers forever.

Kemp will have his work cut out for him. He started as a freshman, but with one-and-dones Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans handling the point guard duties the past two seasons, he was relegated to a bench role. If Memphis wants to win another C-USA title, they are going to need a big year out of Kemp at the point. As I said before, there isn't really a big time scorer on this team like there has been the last few years. For the Tigers to be successful, Kemp is going to have to be able to get in the lane and create.

Mack is the Tiger's leading returning scorer. Known primarily as a shooter, he has struggled with that aspect of him game a bit as his percentages have dropped from 41% as a freshman to just 33% last year. He is streaky, however, and if he can build some confidence early in the season he can be a dangerous weapon for the Tigers.

The x-factor for this team may be Roburt Sallie. Sallie has been a bit of a basketball vagabond, bouncing around from school to school (he originally committed to Nebraska) before finally settling with the Tigers last season.

It took him a while to really break into the Memphis rotation, but he is a tremendous shooter, knocking down 47 percent of his three's. When he gets hot, there may not be a better shooter in the country. Anyone that doubts that should take a glimpse at what he did in last year's tournament—16-24 from deep in three games, including a 35-point performance (including 10-15 from deep) where he single-handedly kept the Tigers in their first round game against Cal St. Northridge.

The biggest addition, literally, for the Tigers during the off-season was forward Will Coleman, a Junior College transfer. Coleman is a freak of an athlete, checking in at 6'9", 255 lb with a 40" vertical. Coleman may be more Joey Dorsey than Blake Griffin at this point in his career, but there's no denying the potential of someone who can do this. 

His front court mate will be senior Pierre Henderson-Niles. Niles has constantly battled weight problems since enrolling with the Tigers, but word out of Memphis is that Niles is down to 278 lb. A top-30 recruit before he put on the weight, Niles has a soft touch and quick feet for a big man. If he ever figures it all out, he could end up being a tattooed Big Baby.

The other two players expected to get minutes for the Tigers are sophomore Wesley Witherspoon and freshman DJ Stephens.

Witherspoon is a rangy 6'8" wing that is good enough with the ball that he played some point during his freshman season. A fantastic athlete with all the tools you ask for in a prototypical NBA wing, last season he showed that he still needed a lot of polish on the skills aspect of his game.

Stephens was a late signee by Pastner after Latavious Williams decided to head to Europe. The 6'5" forward out of Texas is a fantastic athlete (reports say he has a 43" verticle), but not much more should be expected out of him outside of a few dunks and some defense.

Outlook: Depth is going to be the biggest issue for the Tigers this season. 

They only have eight healthy scholarship players, and just two true post players. If Memphis wants to win this season, my personal feeling is that they are going to need to rely on their defense.

They have athletes at every position, and if they can play a pressuring defense (and not necessarily in the full court as mush as a smothering half court defense), they should be able to force a lot of turnovers. And with the athletes on this team and the lack of a truly developed offensive weapon, an emphasis on the transition should suit them just fine.

While the conference won't be a cakewalk for the Tigers like in years past (especially with how good teams like Tulsa, Houston and UTEP should be), they should still be considered the favorite heading into the season. But if the Tigers disappoint in the non-conference (big games are Kansas, @ UMass, Tennessee, @ Syracuse, and Gonzaga), that sentiment could change rather quickly.

On Friday, Memphis got some good news about its future -- and bad news about its immediate present.

Memphis, already down to nine scholarship players, saw that number dwindle to eight when coach Josh Pastner announced sophomore forward Angel Garcia had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will miss the 2009-10 season.

The news came the same day that local high school prospect Joe Jackson announced he had verbally committed to Memphis for 2010-11.

Garcia, a 6-foot-11 forward and a native of Puerto Rico, was hurt during individual workouts on Thursday. He was expected to be a major contributor after missing last season because of NCAA eligibility issues.

Memphis already had lost forward Martin Ngaloro of France, who also tore his ACL and will remain in France this season.

Jackson, a 5-11 point guard at (Memphis) White Station High School, chose the Tigers over Kansas and Tennessee. He said he had known "since my ninth-grade year" that he wanted to stay home and play for the Tigers, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

"I wanted to stay in the city and be part of the Memphis tradition," he said, according to the report. "The fan base, they support the players from Memphis, and they're going to stick with you through the ups and downs, so that's why I really wanted to play for Memphis."

Jackson is slated to join shooting guard Will Barton, of Baltimore's Brewster Academy, at Memphis in 2010-11.

Barton is ranked fifth overall and the No. 1 shooting guard in Scouts Inc.'s ESPNU 100. Jackson is ranked 21st in the ESPNU 100 and is fifth among point guards.

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As a high school underclassmen, Pierre Henderson-Niles was one of the most dominating inside presences in the country. As a junior, he peaked as high as 33rd in the country, according to Scout.

But that is when the hefty PHN started to put on weight. At his heaviest, he was tipping the scales at 347lb, a weight that would make NFL lineman jealous. At the start of the summer, Niles was checking in at 327lb.

This summer, however, things have changed. Memphis head coach Josh Pastner has gotten his senior forward to buy into a workout regimen and a strict diet, which has helped him drop an impressive amount of weight, trimming down to 278lb.

Combined with the loss of the Tigers starting front court, this change in PHN's body has led Gary Parrish to believe the big fella could be poised for a breakout season.

It does make sense. Niles, along with JuCo transfer Will Coleman, will be logging a ton of minutes up front this year. And with a svelte new body and healthier diet, he should be able to handle the increased minutes.

But before Memphis fans out there go predicting an All-American season, let me forewarn - this isn't the first time we've heard about Niles getting into shape. At right around the same time last year, news started to leak out that John Calipari had been able to whip Niles into shape, as he found himself below 300lb for the first time in a long while.

The outcome?

Not exactly the kind of breakout year some expected. Niles did boost his numbers to 2.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, and 12.4 mpg (up from his career stats 1.1, 1.5, and 5.6), but he still was a relatively ineffective option off the bench (he only reached double figures once in scoring and twice in rebounding).

So will PHN finally grow into his potential this season?

Who knows, your guess is as good as mine.

But it is also besides the point.

You see, 347lb is not a healthy weight for anyone. Its one thing if you are an offensive lineman - you need that weight in order to earn your paycheck - but it is a completely different beast when you are a 6'8" basketball player that size. Clearly, Niles had some extremely unhealthy habits that, if left unchecked, would not only derail a once promising basketball career, but could endanger his life down the road.

More than the possibility of a professional basketball career, more than the chance to excel at your hometown school, this weight loss makes me believe that Niles could be in for a lifestyle change.

Think about it. In dropping from his heaviest (347) to his current weight (278), Niles lost 20% of his body mass. That is a lot to lose while still keeping up the strength and caloric intake necessary to compete at a high level of basketball.

I want to see Niles turn into the player that everyone thought he would be in high school.

But it is more important for this young man to get himself prepared for a long and healthy life after basketball.

Hopefully, he has done just that.

Talent. Dedication. Hard work.

These are some of the key ingredients in the soup of life; it only makes sense that the attributes would be crucial to the success of a young basketball star signing a scholarship at a Division I basketball powerhouse.

Jartavious Pierre Henderson-Niles was three-for-three coming out of high school. As an athletic big man—6’8” tall, 265 chiseled pounds, with soft hands, nimble footwork, and a jumper out to 18 feet—he certainly had the talent.

As a junior at Ridgeway High School in Memphis, TN, he was the AAA state tournament MVP as his 34-5 Roadrunners took home all the marbles. Pierre averaged 18 points and nine rebounds per contest on the year and went for 16 and 12 in the victorious title tilt.

He then helped The Patterson School to a 34-3 mark and a No. 3 national ranking from Scout.com during his senior campaign.

He was ranked as high as the 37th best recruit in the country (by YouthPrepStars.com) as a senior.

His years of dedication and hard work showed in his unusually polished all-around game. Here’s what Jerry Meyer of Rivals had to say about Henderson-Niles in his May 2, 2005 scouting report:

“Niles has a body for both the NBA and the NFL. A rock down low, Niles loves to spin to his right shoulder when his back is to the basket. Also shoots a nice turnaround jumper to that shoulder. Also handles the ball well and can step out and hit the three. Teases as a small forward, but is best suited as a skilled power forward. Would have trouble defending a small forward on the perimeter.”

In an October 2006 interview, then-Memphis head coach John Calipari gushed over his prized freshman big man.

“I think Pierre Niles could be the 'X' Factor for us because he brings something unique,” Coach Cal said at the time. "He’s huge and he can make nine straight free throws. He’s got great hands and feet.”

Henderson-Niles started running into problems when he injured a knee that summer and was forced to take time off recuperating from surgery.

He rediscovered a long-lost love: eating.

“It’s hard not eating certain foods. I’m so used to fast food and my grandma’s cooking,” Pierre admitted. “It’s hard to diet every day, but I’m trying.”

His weight ballooned to upwards of 300 pounds. He knocked some of that weight off, but with little frontline depth, when junior Joey Dorsey ran into foul troubles, Henderson-Niles was thrust into games and expected to perform.

It was not a pretty combination.

Pierre looked sluggish and lost when he was on the floor. Tiger fans got to the point where they couldn’t stand seeing him at the scorer’s table.

He ended his freshman campaign with averages of 7.4 minutes, 1.6 points, and 2.2 rebounds per contest, while shooting a dismal .421 from the field and .438 from the line in 25 games (out of 37).

He was instructed to go home and get into better shape. The ultimate goal was for him to play weighing in at 270.

Big Daddy P, as a group of Tiger fans began calling him affectionately, skied up to 330 pounds over the summer, finally reporting in September at “only” 306.

Calipari could not hide his feelings.

“Obviously, at our pace, he’s not gonna be able to stay in the game a long time,” said a clearly disappointed Calipari. “At some point, Pierre has got to want to get his body right.”

BDP appeared in just 26 of 40 games that season, and his minutes per night plummeted to 3.8. His point (0.7) and rebound (0.8) averages were abysmal; he was barely contributing to the team.

However, his willingness to mix it up in the paint never waned. When the senior Dorsey was in the midst of a long string of lackluster performances, Calipari had this to say about his reserve power forward:

“How about Pierre Niles? He’s just got to get his body right and I’ll play him. But he’s got to get his body right. He went in and looked at me and said, ‘If (Joey Dorsey) doesn’t want to get balls, coach, I’ll go in and get balls.’”

Calipari took the precaution of making Pierre sign an incentive-laden contract for playing time over the following summer. If the big junior-to-be couldn’t get down to 280, he would not play basketball.

Rumors placed Big Daddy in the 345-350 range over the summer.

When he reported at about 292, Calipari relented and allowed Pierre to play, anyway. Henderson-Niles saw action in 36 of 37 games, and his playing time pitched dramatically forward to a respectable 12.6 minutes per game. He ended up averaging 2.4 PPG and 3.6 RPG with a .480 field goal percentage.

Calipari’s move to Kentucky might have been the best thing to ever happen to Pierre Henderson-Niles. The relationship between the two was strained, at best, largely due to Pierre’s weight issues; otherwise, Cal loved him dearly.

“This kid’s a great kid. I’m gonna give him three, four, five chances because he’s a great kid,” Cal said in a 2008 interview. “He’s a nice kid—he’s not a (knucklehead)—so he’s getting more chances than the normal guy.”

It once appeared that he was out of chances to contribute to the Tiger program, though. An insane recruiting class was coming in, and with Calipari’s fast-moving, free-flowing DDM offensive system, the probability was that BDP was going to average fewer than five minutes per contest again as a senior.

Calipari-to-Kentucky meant new life for Pierre.

His weight has been pretty much under control, and he is currently 280 pounds. He’s still losing weight, and he could challenge the 270-pound mark by the time this season starts.

He was at 327 in April.

It’s right on time for new head coach Josh Pastner too, because two big men that the team was going to rely on—6’10” veteran Shawn Taggart and 6’8” five-star recruit Latavious Williams—both opted to play professional ball overseas, Taggart in Europe and Williams in China.

So that leaves BDP, incoming Joey Dorsey-clone Will Coleman (6’9”, 270), and Angel Garcia, a 6’11”, 250-pound freshman who sat out last year with injury and eligibility issues, manning the post for Memphis.

As a senior, Henderson-Niles will be looked upon to provide leadership, steady play, and toughness to a Tiger team that is thin, literally and figuratively.

Pierre is once again the “X-Factor” for the University of Memphis basketball program. In some ways, he has come full circle. It’s a fresh start for a young man in need of one.

At one point last season, when Niles was weighing in the 300-305 range, Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets watched Tiger practices and ran hurriedly up to Coach Cal to find out the name of No. 4.

Calipari told him it was Pierre Henderson-Niles, a player who was a great kid but too heavy to play much. He lamented that if only the big guy could lose some weight, the team might be able to do something with him.

CP3 replied that he would gladly have Pierre on the Hornets running pick-and-rolls as is.

So the talent and footwork are still there.

He has shown his dedication by completing an often maddening journey to get himself into tip-top shape.

He states that he’s worked hard on his game, and even though he’s stronger now, his quickness and hops are back.

He looks like shredded steel, thanks to the hard work with strength and conditioning coach Richard Hogans.

“I never even felt this good when I was in high school,” Pierre said in a recent on-air interview. “This is the best shape I’ve ever been in.”

So in addition to being talented, dedicated, and hard-working, it’s good for a prospect to be in the right place at the right time. PHN has fit that description twice in his Division I career.

It’s all up to him to take full advantage of this last chance to shine.

What a strange couple of weeks in College Hoops have just passed. I am not even going to touch the Pitino story.  We will save that for another day.

But, I do have a serious gripe with the John Calipari/Memphis situation and as the Reverend of The First Church of Bracketology, it is hard for me to just sit back and be quiet. 

All I hear from people, time and time again, is how John Calipari is dirty and it is ‘only a matter of time’ before it catches up to him. It’s a simple thought because in these times of steroids and hanging chads, there is a natural skepticism from anyone when someone the other side excels to the top.

John Calipari has coached two Final Four teams and both times they have been vacated.  That’s right, Memphis too.  See, it’s happening again.  But, what is he guilty of? What has he done wrong?  What rules has he broken?

…I’m still waiting.

Exactly.  According to the NCAA, absolutely nothing.

In the case of UMass, it was Marcus Camby who took money from an agent, forcing the NCAA to retroactively declare him ineligible thus vacating their Final Four and their wins. Honestly, anyone that knows college sports knows that coaches sometimes break the rules to recruit a player – which may involve money – but a coach is never going to suggest that his player break the rules freely on his own.  If Cal knew anything about the Camby taking money from an agent beforehand, it would be to advise him against it because he knows the repercussions.  And, if he knew about it after the fact, he certainly would not blow the whistle. The argument that Cal was behind that is ridiculous Roveian spin. I have argued this many times with the Barstool Pundits I have met over time.  It goes a little something like this:

BP: Well, you know he know he was paying Camby anyway.

Me: I don’t believe that.

BP: Come on, we all know that.

Me: Really, What evidence do you have?

BP: You just know it.

Wow, so simple. We have many lawyers who are members of the Church of Bracketology, and I’m sure that none of them would even think of walking into to a court room with that as his or her case (I like to believe that my friends are a little bit intelligent.)   I have not seen any evidence to make that case, so until then I do not believe that Cal was involved with Camby’s incident.  But, I will also admit that it is possible that Cal has some violated rules to get where is. I am not going to just ‘know that’ because he seems to be very very good at his job.  I think I am the only person who ever asked the question, “Could he just be that good?”

With Memphis going down this week, the Barstool Pundits have now made their case, so they think.  Seriously, that tells you something when the same coach has another Final Four vacated for playing an ineligible player.  However, once you dig into the case, unlike the UMass case, which was pretty straight forward, you find some major problems with how the NCAA handled it. First, the NCAA Clearinghouse ruled Derrek Rose eligible to play by NCAA rules. Calipari started him. Then the NCAA says his SAT scores were ruled invalid, thus making him ineligible.  When Memphis questioned the NCAA Infractions Committee because the NCAA Clearinghouse made the error, the Infractions Committee said the Clearinghouse couldn’t be trusted to be accurate.  Really??  They are the same organization!  There is so much more to the Rose case too which screams of incompetence, it is amazing that this got as far as it did without a smoking gun.  But, that is another story.

Despite what the Barstool Pundits believe, in both the UMass and Memphis situations, the NCAA did not rule that John Calipari committed any infractions.  Therefore he is not punished, so the NCAA had each school’s Final Four vacated.

The question still stands – Is he that good?  There is no doubt that he is ‘that good’ of game coach, ‘that good’ of an ambassador to the community and the media.  But, is he ‘that good’ of a recruiter to land top players at little schools.  Or, is he just ‘that good’ at hiding it all; the Ronald Reagan of college hoops, which nothing sticks to?  Since my agenda is to enjoy college hoops and not rip people down without evidence because they ’seem shady’, I will believe the first one.

Reverend M.J. Raycroft

The First Church of Bracketology

www.churchofbracketology.com

The great success of the Memphis Tigers during the 2007-08 season has been erased from the record books, but it's not like Back to the Future (sorry for the 1985 reference) where the very existence of Alex P. Keaton was at stake if he couldn’t power up the DeLorean and get back to the Reagan years.

This isn't the case. It still happened. We all remember it, and always will. The Tigers still went to the Finals. Chris Douglas-Roberts still missed those two free throws to allow Mario Chalmers to hit his big shot. Kids are still buying Derrick Rose’s no. 23 Tigers jersey.

The technology doesn't exist (I don't think) to zap the memory of that season from our brains. That would be something.

Bleacher Report’s Senior Writer Leroy Watson deftly details the situation in his story Memphis Appealing NCAA Decision, but Is that Enough? and raises the question of just how serious the ramifications are for cheating.

Anyone would be naïve to believe what happened at Memphis doesn’t happen all over the country. It always has and it always will.

So all eliminating wins really does is hurt Memphis in the endowment. They have to cough up some cash. It somehow doesn't seem that severe.

Then again, this isn't about student-athletes or abiding by the rules. It's big business and producing big bucks and fattening that bottom line. And the powers that be want business to run as smoothly as possible.

It marks the second time both Memphis and coach John Calipari had to vacate a Final Four season. The Tigers were stripped of their 1985 appearance (Dana Kirk ended up doing some time) and Calipari’s UMass team lost its 1996 berth.

I still vividly remember watching Keith Lee and the Tigers in 1985 as a 16 year old in Boise, ID. I still think Lee was one of the best college players never to make in the NBA.

I lived in Las Vegas and watched Rick Pitino's Kentucky Wildcats with Tony Delk and Antoine Walker beating Coach Cal's UMass Minutemen with Marcus Camby in 1996—one of the more exciting (top 10) National Semi-Finals I can remember.

The fact that the NCAA has stricken from the record UMass's appearance doesn't change the excitement and drama you feel as a fan.

It still happened. Maybe it won’t be in the record books for some future civilization to discover, but it will always be talked about.

Think of Michigan's Fab Five. Steve Fisher can still claim the best recruiting class ever with Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson. They came to Ann Arbor in the Fall of 1991 and lost in the national title game—to Duke in 1992 and to North Carolina in 1993—two years in a row.

Will anyone forget Weber's infamous timeout call in 1993 just because the school vacated the wins?

It still happened.

They’re still selling Webber no. 4 Wolverine jerseys.

So in all these cases, they give up the wins and cough up the money, but are likely still making money because of the merchandise they sell.

The punishment seems so insignificant—a little like the original 10-game suspension for the first steroid offense in baseball. It just wasn’t going to prevent anyone from cheating.

If the NCAA were serious about stopping such practices, the penalties would be far more severe, as in huge bucks. In the case of Memphis, not only should the school pay, so should Calipari. The penalties should follow the coach.

Under the current system, Coach Cal was in position to cash in huge in Lexington despite his rule breaking past. That should somehow be rectified. Any suggestions are welcome.

Kentucky sells a lot of merchandise. Good for them, good for the SEC, good for the NCAA. Why get in the way of the cash flow?

Ashley Judd and the rest of the Wildcats fans should enjoy the wins now, because they might not count later, but even if they don’t, they still got to witness the spectacle.

It’s a little like eating a great meal, or seeing a kick ass concert, or good times with a friend, and then having someone tell you it didn’t count.

It still happened.

Until the memory zapping technology is in the hands of the NCAA, more serious ramifications for breaking the rules are necessary.

Or, the players could be paid, attending class could be optional, and the hypocrisy of big time college sports could end.

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In the NCAA, the multitude of scandals is troubling.

It normally results from coaches providing unlawful benefits that manipulate an appealing superstar to develop a relationship with one of the premier programs.

It could also, however, result from coaches making illegal phone calls to recruit athletes.

Normally, though, it involves coaches tampering with recruits unjustly in some shape or fashion, all to obtain talented prospects.

Flirting with athletic stars is one (wrong) thing, but violating academic rules are pehaps even more grievous deceptions.

Such infractions are an embarrassment as the NCAA hunts down and punishes universities with traditional pride, clouding memories of recent successes.

Such is the plight of the Memphis Tigers, humbled by an academic scandal that threatens the accomplishments of the past few seasons.

The Tiger basketball team celebrated. They amassed victories. They energized an entire community. And they were dominant, frequently pounding opponents in Conference USA in lopsided fashions.  

But years ago, the team was forlorn and unstable, as a disengaged atmosphere permeated the program. Then, John Calipari instituted a superb program and changed dynamics with his clever-minded structure and charisma.

The main reason he allured recruits and built a compelling program was his charismatic influence.

Another reason was Memphis began showing the possibilities of advancing far in the NCAA tournament over the last few seasons.

Unfortunately, it would appear that these games were never won legitimately, meaning the Tigers might not have been as pure as advertised.

So now, the NCAA says the winning never happened, and accomplishing a glorious Final Four appearance, instead of being given an asterisk, was stricken from the books altogether.

They took away wonderful memories of Derrick Rose, who had a dazzling freshman season, leading the Tigers past their long-suffering Elite Eight lapses.

The ruling by the NCAA left the impression that the Tigers didn’t come up short, but came up dirty, smearing the university's image and ruining Calipari’s and Rose’s legacy in the process.

More embarrassingly, this was one of the premier programs in the country, and they were accused of committing one of the most outrageous scandals in college basketball. It wasn’t point-shaving, illegal recruiting or bribing a player, but academic fraud that forced Memphis to vacate its Final Four and 38 victories from the 2007-08 season.

That’s literally a shame, when a student-athlete's actions corrupt an entire program for disgusting blunders that shamelessly confirm an infamous reputation among a prosperous program.

And now, Memphis is being stripped of their flourishing season, and it makes you think no more of the record-setting year, when they went an entire season 38-2 to overwhelm the NCAA committee and bracketologists.

You can tear pages out of the history books and dispose of them. Sadly, though, Memphis might have erroneously infringed a policy that’s prohibited among NCAA rules in accepting the ineligible freshman sensation Rose, who is alleged to have had someone else take his SAT test as a high-school senior in Chicago.

So now, the Memphis administration are scapegoats, taking the critical punishment of someone else’s potential violations.

Memphis fans once had confidence that Calipari wouldn’t retrace his infamous background.

Thirteen years ago, Calipari was identified as a con artist at Massachusetts. He didn't carefully evaluate and monitor the program, and acknowledged that he had no notion star player Marcus Camby was taking improper gifts from a sports agent until the that Camby admitted that he received imprudent benefits.

The NCAA was investigating UMass when Calipari opted to avoid further issues, joining the Nets as Head Coach and Director of Basketball Operations. Instead of standing up, he ran from the scandal and cast shame on the Minuteman.

Once again, Calipari claims that he was unaware of scams and the alleged unlawful pampering of the explosive guard Rose, who was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2009 and emerged into a well-rounded product.

If he can revive the Bulls, Chicagoans will forget academic fraud was ever committed by the star-studded player. But, of course, the infractions remain eternally with Memphis athletics.

They’ll face the most scrutiny, after never managing to take full accountability of the fraud smearing its reputation. And for the rest of his life, fraudulent testing could haunt Rose.

Meanwhile, Calipari should have learned more about Rose’s eligibility and confirmed if he was acceptable academically. As investigators unmasked facts of Rose’s alleged sneaky habits to cheat on exams, his brother received $1,713.85 in forbidden benefits from the University of Memphis.

Though the school said Reggie Rose had been billed, they have not yet received a dime.

It’s tough to pull one over on the NCAA, particularly when suddenly Rose was granted college eligibility to take the SAT in Detroit.

That’s strange, and hard to affirm after he repeatedly (three times) failed the easier ACT. It’s obvious he wasn’t a genius at test-taking, but a floor general who qualified to play might have shamed himself simply to fulfill a lifelong dream.

Calipari could’ve and should've known, avoiding the ramifications that were involved.

Instead of standing up to wrongdoings, he rather ignored the potential infractions and refused to worry about past.

Then again, maybe he had no indications that fraud was smudging the program, though this is highly unlikely.

Spirited fans in Lexington will probably let depravity slide, understanding Calipari is an ambassador and savior in reviving aspiration at Kentucky, one of the premier college programs in the nation.

He might finally have a clear message for bypassing and staying conscious of what develops. He’s now running a very demanding program with high expectations and traditional values.

After all he’s the ambassador to the state of Kentucky.

But unfortunately, the alleged infractions were severe enough to vacate a miraculous season and Final Four memories for Memphis.

Sometimes, you have to learn the hard way. And Calipari is one of them. Memphis, unfortunately for the school, is another.