Memphis Roar

Rookie head coach Josh Pastner gets to work out some of the jitters tonight at the Forum.

Fledgling Coaches to Meet at the Forum

 

For a first time in three seasons, local Memphis school LeMoyne-Owen College will make the 2.4 mile journey down Danny Thomas Blvd. and into the FedEx Forum Tuesday night to help the Tigers officially open up their 2009-2010 campaign. The Magicians, who were purged from the Tigers’ preseason schedule by John Calipari three seasons ago, return to the Forum tonight, bringing a definite hometown feel to this season’s opener.

 

Listing a plethora of players from the Memphis area on their roster, the Magicians call downtown Memphis home, which is only fitting. After spending his first off-season repeating a script of humility, Josh Pastner has engrained the main tenet of his public relations campaign into the hearts and minds of all Memphians within earshot. This is about the city of Memphis.

 

“I understand the responsibility this job entails, and I wake up every day and realize it’s a gift to be at this program in city of Memphis,” said Pastner. “It’s not about us. It’s about the city and people of Memphis.”

 

LeMoyne-Owen is simply a microcosm of this principle. LeMoyne-Owen College occupies a beautifully landscaped campus on Walker Avenue in South Memphis and focuses on urban-centered leadership in their curriculum.  So tonight, two like-minded schools and coaches will meet in the FedEx Forum.

 

With an enrollment of roughly 600 students, the 147 year old school’s visit to the Forum will be the beginning of a journey for two rookie coaches. Wet behind the ears, Tigers’ head coach Josh Pastner will not be the only unknown commodity strolling the sidelines tonight.  On the visitor’s end of the court, LeMoyne-Owen first year head coach William Anderson will share in the same growing pains as Pastner.

 

The Magicians return only three of their top six in scoring, who combined for about 89-percent of their offense last season.  Losing their leading scorer from last season, Rasuul Buluu, they will rely heavily upon returning senior point guard Maurice Mickens.

 

For the Tigers, this will clearly be used as a means to get a better feel for what they’ve got under the hood, so to speak.  With a thin roster for this season, this will be the first opportunity to see this team on the floor as a cohesive unit.  With a roster that boasts only eight players with a legitimate shot to see any playing time, the teams put on the court during practice do not allow for a true look at how this roster will function in actual game-situations.

 

Additionally, it will be a chance to get some nerves out of the way for the younger players and the first-year staff.  In order to help with those first game gitters, the Memphis staff has pushed for some of the new members of the team to hit the floor at the FedEx Forum earlier than usual to put up some extra shots.  After practicing at the Forum on Sunday, it’s likely that the change in venue from the Finch Center to the Forum will have little effect on the Tigers.  Since this will be the first time to see both the offense and defense in real-time action, we will spend the majority of the post-game analysis breaking down the offensive sets (which will be based primarily off of the 4-out 1-in offense) and the defensive scheme.