Go ahead and bookmark the guys over at GoHSSN.com. They will be streaming a good number of this summer’s AAU tournaments along with high school and prep events and games once their season starts again next fall.

 
Practically the entire city was stuck to their seats, eyes glued to their televisions watching a great Memphis vs. Kansas rematch. While current Tigers were performing in St. Louis, some future Tigers performed in what ended up a fantastic high school game right here in the city of Memphis. Tuesday night, the Ridgeway Roadrunners hosted the Sheffield Knights, and what a loaded game it was. Around seven o’clock, Ridgeway’s basketball gymnasium filled out to capacity as fans from Sheffield and Ridgeway prepared for a shootout. There were also some well known names who came out to see the some of the future stars of Memphis basketball, including Memphis Magic point guard and Tiger commit Joe Jackson, AAU Memphis Magic coach Eric Robinson, and Tiger great Penny Hardaway.

6′8″ big man Tarik Black, who signed a letter of intent to play for Memphis earlier this week, was expected to provide size, athleticism and defense against a hot-shooting Sheffield. He definitely kept the Roadrunners in action, playing every minute of the 44 minute overtime showdown. From the opening minutes, Black had high energy and was not only the biggest man on the court, but also one of the fastest.  One thing that really keeps me watching Black is that even though he struggled, shooting 0 for 3 from the line in the first half, as the game progressed, he got better and better. In the second half, he took better looks, made most of his free throws, and jumped higher and more frequently, showing little or no signs of fatigue. He got some pretty clutch offensive rebounds and “and-1″ opportunities that sent the game into overtime, and almost a second overtime.

Sheffield has a strong shooter in 6′5″ SG Chris Crawford, also a recent Tiger commit. Last night, strong wasn’t the word. More like star or hero. Crawford drained three pointers like it was a warmup. In the second quarter, he shot 3 of 4 from the arc. Back to back to back. Chris will be a huge asset to the Tigers’ perimeter game, something they have struggled with since the loss of key 3-man Jeremy Hunt. Ridgeway had no answers to shut down the top scorer, and whenever the Roadrunners would pull a lead, the Knights would dish it back out to Chris. In fact, I don’t remember ever seeing Sheffield at the free throw line and it NOT being #23. Chris drove to the basket aggresively, enjoying a little showdown with his Memphis Magic teammate, Tarik. It wasn’t always perfect though, as we saw in the fourth quarter when Black got a key block on Chris’ easy two pointer.

Ridgeway had a hard time using their key asset. Sheffield put Tarik out of business mostly with double- and triple- team defenses. Not to discredit, Black used his Joey-like size and athleticism to block a lot of shots, get in shooters’ faces, and grab plenty of rebounds. A key attribute about Black that amazed me was his speed and athleticism in transition. Time and time again, he slapped the glass and was still the first man down the court, awaiting the fast break play. He had great position in getting down the court for a pass, but the Roadrunners rarely got the ball down the court in time for any action. When Tarik did get the ball, he unleashed on the rim, even getting a technical foul on a great dunk in the first quarter.

Ridgeway is a well coached team, combining high athleticism with successful play-running. The point guard was great at drawing Tarik’s defender away from him long enough for Tarik to slam it in. Every player is a contributor on Ridgeway’s team, something I did not see as much of from Sheffield. They distributed the ball very well, scoring down low with PF Brandon Lewis and getting some mid-range points from SF Marterrace Brock. Expect to see Ridgeway’s team continue to get better and better, and to run deep in State. However, they were just not consistent enough to survive the overtime against Sheffield and Chris, who ended with 35 points while playing all 44 minutes.

Chris was extremely confident in the game against Ridgeway. Before warmups, he led his team around the school with his head held high, listening to music and smiling at friends. He seems to really enjoy competing against Black, which shows their bond as teammates.

After the game, I talked to Crawford briefly about what it was like to play against Black and others, and how playing on the same team over the summer helped him and his team prepare for the game. He responded, “Well, there’s really not much you can prepare for. (Tarik’s) a beast. He’s a competitor and I really wanted to play against him so I can show him who’s best.” When asked how he felt about the signings of teammates Jelan Kendrick and Black, he commented, “I feel good. We love them, and I know we got the team to do it. We’re gonna be good. Go Blue, and let’s go win a national championship.” During the preseason, there were comments made that even though Kentucky’s team was full of freshmen, they were something to fear because they had an obvious passion to come in hard, put in the extra work, and win. Clearly, by the recent comments made by Chris, Jelan, Joe and Tarik, our freshmen will be ready to win. Jelan also commented, “We all know what it takes. We have an understanding that we all have to leave our egos and just get better. We want to win. We want a national championship.”

The comfort level of the guys playing together relieves some of the doubts about having so many freshmen. They are a close-knit family who knows each others’ strengths and weaknesses and that should make up for many of the freshman errors than can occur early in the season. One thing is for sure, these high school stars from Memphis are very exciting to watch. They got “next”, and we’ll all be in the stands watching.

Notes on Tarik Black:

Tarik is extremely fast and athletic. He dominates the paint on the high school level, often being the biggest man on the court. He is confident and active, which are great assets in his position. He wasn’t afraid to get in someone’s face and go for the block, rebound, or layup in a clogged paint. As active and aggressive as he was, he did not foul excessively, even in a high-emotion game. He is smart, and thinks quickly, but maybe could dictate a little more control as a star on the team. He could improve on body control and keeping his composure in the post. Also, packing on a good 25 pounds wouldn’t hurt. He is very athletic, but not quite big enough to be the main big man after Will Coleman leaves.

Notes on Chris Crawford:

Chris was the main shooter on his team. He shot often and well, however he took a few rushed shots when he could have passed to an open man. This shouldnt be a problem next year with Memphis with all of the shooters and ball handlers we will have. The spread of talent should take pressure off any one shooter, and expect for the Tigers to have options on the perimeter. He was quick and aggressive, and got open to take good looks from the arc.

*** Not all statements made in this article are not the consensus opinion of Memphis Roar and its staff. This is a guest column, which is a feature done by reader submission. If you would like to submit an article, please see the Reader Submissions page. ***

Tarik Black committed to the University of Memphis shortly after returning from his official visit to the University of Florida on Sunday. Black is rated by Scouts, Inc at a 94, coming in at #54 overall in the class of 2010 and the #14 power forward. Here is his most recent evaluation by Scouts, Inc:

“He is one of the most efficient players in this class, regardless of position. Black understands his role on the floor better than most big men and relishes in the fact he can defend, block shots and control the boards.”

Memphis Roar’s Clark Merriam had this to say about Black:

“An inside presence that will never go unnoticed, Black turned heads and grabbed attention with his monstrous blocks and dunks, often providing a much needed spark for his Magic team. Black worked a great deal over the summer on his offense. Inserting an effective hook shot/leaner, Black makes use of his body and is becoming a great all-around power forward. Black also displayed a good awareness on the court, finding the open man, and passing out of double teams down low. One thing Black can continue to improve on is his post-up moves on offense. Black has shown great improvement and can continue to develop on offense.”

With Black’s commitment, the 2010 Memphis class is now made up of seven total players. Black joins local players Joe Jackson and Chris Crawford to go along with national names like Will Barton, Antonio Barton, Jelan Kendrick and Hippolyte Tsafack.

Josh Pastner’s first recruiting class as a head coach is now the hands-down number one recruiting class in the country. Not only is this the best class in the nation for 2010, but it is one of the best classes assembled in the history of college basketball. No other team can lay claim to six 90-or-better rated prospects by Scouts, Inc. Discuss Black’s commitment here.
 

2010  Player Commits (not including Tarik Black)
NAME	POS	HT	WT	SCHOOL	RANK	GRADE	STATUS	NOTES
Will Barton	Shooting Guard	6-6	161	Brewster Academy (NH)	SG #1	97	Signed
Joe Jackson	Point Guard	5-11	175	White Station H.S. (TN)	PG #5	95	Signed
Jelan Kendrick	Shooting Guard	6-5	186	Wheeler H.S. (GA)	SG #4	95	Signed
Chris Crawford	Shooting Guard	6-4	189	Sheffield H.S. (TN)	SG #34	92	Signed
Hippolyte Tsafack	Power Forward	6-8	230	The Miller School (VA)	PF #41	91	Signed
Antonio Barton	Point Guard	6-2	170	Notre Dame Prep (MA)	PG #62	87	Signed

Check out Tarik Black’s highlight footage from the River City Showdown here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7l0B1PAv_E

Here is an interview with Black done over the summer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmpLzTf2U-Y

Pictures of Tarik Black in action can be seen in the River City Showdown tournament picture galleries below.

Photoshoot Album

RCS Day 1 Album

RCS Day 2 Album

RCS Day 3 Album

Starting at 1:30pm, the first semi-final game of the day is between the Cavaliers and the Nuggets. The Cavs are led by 2010 Memphis commit Chris Crawford and 2012 big-man Jarnell Stokes. On the other side, the Nuggets are led by Todd Mayo and Jarekus Bradley. The Nuggets are the only remaining undefeated team in the Super 80 league.

The second and final boys’ game of the day will be the Hawks versus the Pacers. The Hawks are led by two relatively unknown quantities on the Memphis scene in Brandon Wright and Chris Brewer. The Pacers feature Joe “The Real Thing” Jackson and Tarik Black.

Click the image for a map to Laussanne

Super 80 summer league director Eric “Cowboy” Robinson says that the Super 80 is where the action is at if you are a hoops fan.

“Right now, our leading scorer has been Joe Jackson,” Robinson said. ”Brandon Wright has been consistent every Saturday leading his team. He is a 6’3″ wing from Hillcrest High School. He’s very athletic. He’s a lefthander and has been playing very well. The kid that’s just popped onto the scene has been 2010 guard Virgil Davidson who is also from Hillcrest HS. There’s lot of action going on.”

For those that live in the area, events like this that are put on in the early fall are ways for area players to continue playing and to gain momentum going into their upcoming high school seasons.

“Well, basically this is a version of the Bluff City Classic where we have some of the top players in the city playing in a fall league,” said Robinson. ”It’s put together to keep these kids off the streets and to help keep them in shape for their upcoming high school season. This is the third year and we really want it to be for all competitive basketball players.”

Sheffield High School’s Chris Crawford, who recently committed to the Tigers, has been scorching the nets the past two weeks since playoff action has started.

“Chris Crawford in the playoffs has been spectacular. In the first round he dropped in 43,” Robinson said. ”He had a game winner where he battled Carlos Denton, and Chris put his team on his back. He hit a fadeaway jumpshot from the left elbow to win the game. In the second round Chris hit a three from the hashmark in the last few minutes to tie them up, went to the other end and got a steal, then threw an alleyoop to Stokes to win the game.”

If you have the afternoon free and want to catch some high-level local action on the hardwood, head out to Laussanne. Admission is $5 per person for all four games (there are two girls’ games to start the day).

Jordan’s weekly column, normally titled “The Leftovers”, will be dubbed with a new name this week. Since there is nothing “leftover” about him, this week’s edition will be called “The Main Course: Chris Crawford Edition”.

With the recent commitment of Austin Hollins to Minnesota, most of the Tiger Basketball Nation’s attention has turned to the recruitment of guard Chris Crawford.

Crawford is rated a 92 in ESPN’s high school basketball player rankings for the class of 2010; he’s listed at 6’4 and 185lbs and popped on the radar of many division-1 schools after his performance this July in Las Vegas during the Adidas Super 64 AAU tournament. Crawford’s AAU team is the Memphis Magic Elite and his teammates include most notably Joe Jackson, Tarik Black, and Adonis Thomas. He is the star of his high school basketball team at Sheffield High.

Many scouting reports note his great ability to catch and shoot from beyond the arc as well as his ability to shoot on the move with a highly accurate jump shot. He is a two-guard but can play very similar roles to the ones recent tiger Antonio Anderson played. MemphisRoar’s own Clark Merriam wrote the following scouting report on Chris Crawford after watching him the June River City Showdown AAU tournament this year:

Silent but deadly threat for the Memphis Magic Elite squad. Crawford possesses an excellent long-range shot and when he is hot, not even a blindfold could stop him from hitting from deep. Crawford’s role on the Magic did not ask him to penetrate and score, but Crawford did show flashes of good athletic ability. One thing to note is that Crawford is also an excellent passer. A high percentage of transition baskets by the Magic were initiated by an excellent Crawford pass. Crawford is also a good rebounder. A few small things that Crawford can develop on is keeping a positive attitude, no matter the outcome on the offensive end, ball-handling, and honing in on some defensive skills.

My take on Chris Crawford is very similar. He has a future as a four-year college basketball player. Crawford hustles and plays harder than most of his opposition; you can constantly find him scrapping on the floor for rebounds and lose balls. He has well above average shooting abilities and can finish at the rim, but it is his ability to run the court with great vision should make him most appealing to a coaching staff who would like to play an up-tempo style of basketball.

There are seemingly three major programs involved in the recruitment of Chris Crawford: Tennessee, Memphis, and Mississippi State. Crawford has taken recent visits to UTK and Mississippi State, and has spent plenty of time in the city of Memphis in contact with the University of Memphis basketball program. With Crawford’s decision definitely coming Thursday, I thought it would be a nice time to look at the factors going into his decision. A brief examination will hopefully shed some light on all the factors that go in to a young kid’s big college decision.

1) Academics

This is not in reference to which of the three universities involved has a better academic program (I’ll let the message boards handle that topic). This is all about Chris Crawford’s current grades. This issue may have once been a big issue in the recruitment of Crawford; however, Crawford has apparently been bearing down and working hard toward much better grades. If a college commits to a recruit and the recruit commits to the university, and the recruit does not qualify, well then the university probably missed out on another recruit who would have qualified. These issues put programs in rough waters. Grades and eligibility are key issues looming over the heads of many big basketball programs.
2) Playing Time

Most every recruit sets a goal of one thing after college; a professional sports career. In order to get recognized, these kids desire the spotlight. It is probable that most recruits will get their fair share of playing time. The key, though, is WHEN they will get the playing time. Will the recruit get the opportunity to play 20+ minutes in their freshman year, or will these minutes come in a junior or senior season? Recruits who are accustomed to being the star player on their high school or AAU team sometimes find it very difficult to accept their identity as a “role player” in a very competitive program.
So, which program has the most minutes to offer? The 2010 Memphis Tigers will likely see a starting three guard trio involving Will Barton, Joe Jackson, and Elliot Williams; however, the Tigers will find themselves in need of minutes off the bench with the graduation of Doneal Mack and Willie Kemp. The Tigers may also lose Roburt Sallie due to his age, 24, at the end of the year. There will be plenty of minutes available in the Tiger rotation. The University of Tennessee and Mississippi State programs are apparently offering more immediate playing time to Crawford then the University of Memphis may initially have for him. As earlier noted by Commercial Appeal writer Dan Wolken, the playing time issue has been used by both Tennessee and Mississippi State in their recruitment of Crawford. The idea of being an immediate premier player on a Division-1 basketball program is enough to make any high school kid smile.

3) Hometown Hero Syndrome

Location, location, location. Playing college ball in your hometown makes it a lot easier for all of your friends and family to attend the games, doesn’t it? With Joe Jackson’s recent commitment to the University of Memphis, the smell of hometown hero seems to be floating in the fall air. Dreams of kids to play for their hometown basketball programs are hard to recruit against. Imagine getting a call from your favorite childhood sports team and on the other end is the coach asking you to play for them. The question may be, is that phone ringing? Feeling wanted is a life-long desire for nearly everyone. Which program is making him feel wanted? Is it his hometown program? Is FedEx Forum the place where Chris Crawford’s dreams can come true? Does that even matter to him?

Just take this topic in context. There have been many basketball recruits that dreamed of being hometown heroes only to go elsewhere. Every situation is different and the recruit must choose what situation he thinks is best for his family and future career. Being able to do what’s best for your career in your hometown, that is just a big red cherry on top.

4) The Other Intangibles

To very quickly acknowledge the other factors that may go into Chris Crawford’s recruitment and commitment:

Coaching Staff- who does Crawford gel with, who can he learn from?
Playing Style – which team will play Crawford’s style of basketball?
Teammates – picking your friends for the next three or four years is a big decision
School Academics – it really does matter to some
Publicity- who has the best market for Crawford’s future?
National Championships – every kid dreams of winning, what program gives Crawford a shot?
Family- grandmothers and parents are sometimes the most important recruitment factors

When will Chris Crawford decide? It appears Thursday is the day. Who knows his decision already? There are some and they are not talking, publicly at least.

There has been much speculation as to which college Crawford will attend in 2010. While reckless speculation abounds, others being called upon to speak are remaining tip-lipped. There is one thing everyone knows for sure: Chris Crawford’s entire camp is being extremely quiet. No public leans towards one university; no Facebook photoshopped pictures; no tweeted hints; no leaked rumors with credibility are out there. This may be the best kept secret in Memphis sports since Derrick Rose’s SAT score. As with Rose’s SAT score, the hidden shall become known. We will all find out sooner than later.

After Thursday, the speculation will finally be over, egos will either be inflated or deflated, and Tiger Nation can either rejoice or simply let it go.

I refuse to speculate where Chris Crawford will go. What I know, who I know, or even if I know anything, well that’s all pretty debatable. What I do know is that a lot of people who think they know, have no idea. Recruiting information is a very tricky business. The most valuable information hardly ever comes from the recruit (with the exception of Joe Jackson). The family and the coaches tend to know a lot more than they let on. The fun part is when they actually hint at something. My biggest piece of advice is to take it all with a large grain of salt.

The debates all are ridiculous. Just like Austin Hollins, Chris Crawford will make the decision he feels is best for him. Crawford is a tremendous basketball talent with a bright future and any Division-1 school should feel privileged to have him.

Whether Crawford is going to choose the Tigers or not, there are plenty of Memphis fans out there of the opinion that Tiger blue just look real good on Crawford (as evidenced on our message board).

Notes: The Leftovers will periodically refrain from its normal stupid commentary routine to actually address important Tiger issues. It will probably be more the exception than the norm. Hopefully, we can laugh a little more next week.

MEN’S SCHEDULE TAKING SHAPE

The summer has come and gone. With the summer evaluation period behind the men’s basketball coaches, they now turn their attention to the fall. No more sitting on the baselines, idly watching the future stars run by. The 2009-2010 non-conference men’s basketball schedule was just announced at GoTigersGo.com. The very first chance for fans to get a sneak peek at this year’s team will be at Memphis Madness, which has been set for Friday, October 16th. The first exhibition game will be held on November 3rd and the regular season opener will be on November 13th.

2009-10 Memphis Basketball Schedule (Non-Conference/Exhibitions Only)

Nov. 3 - LeMoyne-Owen (exhibition)
Nov. 9 - Christian Brothers (exhibition)
Nov. 13 - Jackson State
Nov. 17 - vs. Kansas (St. Louis, Mo.)
Nov. 20 - Tennessee Tech
Nov. 24 - Central Arkansas
Nov. 30 - Oakland
Dec. 5 - Arkansas State
Dec. 9 - Montana State
Dec. 12 - vs. Arkansas-Little Rock (North Little Rock, Ark.)
Dec. 19 - vs. UMass (Boston, Mass.)
Dec. 22 - Southeast Missouri State
Dec. 28 - IUPUI
Dec. 31 - Tennessee
Jan. 3 - Houston Baptist
Jan. 6 - at Syracuse
Feb. 6 - Gonzaga

BOOST MOBILE ELITE 24 ANNOUNCED

ESPN Rise announced the complete rosters for the 4th annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 held at the famed Rucker Park.The event showcases 24 of the top high school basketball players regardless of class, chosen based on their performances at AAU tournaments and national summer camps. Eight of the players named to the game have already committed to colleges, which include Dion Waiters to Syracuse, Terrence Ross to Maryland, Myck Kabongo and Tristan Thompson to Texas, Austin Rivers to Florida, Jared Sullinger to Ohio State, Kendall Marshall to North Carolina, and Will Barton to Memphis. The event will take place on Friday, August 21 at 7 p.m. E.T. and will be televised on tape delay Saturday, August 22 at 7 p.m. E.T. on ESPNU.

In addition to Will Barton, other Memphis prospects to keep an eye on are Cory Joseph (’10), Joe Jackson (’10), Perry Ellis (’12), Roscoe Smith (’10), and Tobias Harris (’10). Memphis Roar is working to have someone in attendance to cover the game.

Due to his age and class, Perry Ellis sticks out like a sore thumb on this list. Ellis is one of only two rising sophomores that was invited to the game (DaJuan Coleman was the other). With this invitation being a rare honor for a player who just finished his freshman year of high school. Ellis averaged 19.5 ppg in his first season of high school basketball and helped lead his Wichita Heights team to a one-loss season, culminating with a state championship. This will be Ellis’ first action back after injuring his ankle at the LeBron James Skills Academy in July.

“My husband and I are very honored to have our son Perry invited to the 2009 Boost Mobile Elite 24 Event at Rucker Park in New York,”‘ Perry’s mother Fonda Ellis said.

Perry will have the benefit of being somewhat familiar with some of the other players playing in the event after being invited and playing in some of the premier events throughout the summer.

“Perry has met several of these players already this summer either at the Vince Carter Skills academy and/or the Lebron James Skills Academy/King James Classic,” Fonda Ellis said.

As for the honor of being invited and playing in the event, that is somthing that the entire Ellis family is aware of.

“I told Perry that this is a great experience for him that not everyone gets to play at Rucker Park,” said Fonda Ellis of the event. “There is quite some history there and to be part of that is a once in a life time experience,” added Fonda Ellis.

In addition to the game, the invitees will also have a chance to help out in the community, something that the Ellis family is very happy and proud to do.

“The players will also be doing a community service project in N.Y. and that is something that Perry will be able to share with people his whole life,” said Fonda Ellis. 

Memphis Roar was also informed that the Ellis family has tentative plans on being in attendance again at this year’s Memphis Madness on October 16th.

CRAWFORD CANCELS

Earlier this week, we were informed that Chris Crawford was planning on visiting Knoxville, TN for an elite camp. Having a chance to speak with someone close to the Memphis Magic yesterday afternoon, we confirmed that Crawford changed his mind, cancelling his trip to Knoxville. On Tuesday, Crawford sat down with his mother and a few others to discuss his recruitment and the upcoming school year. As a result, it was decided that a trip to east Tennessee may interfere with the renewed and concentrated focus going into Crawford’s senior year at Sheffield High School. With classes beginning next week, Crawford cancelled and is now looking forward to taking care of business in the classroom the same way he took care of business on the court in July.

OTHER NOTES

- The University of Memphis Alumni Association Nashville Club is putting on a Nashville Tiger Golf Class. The Second Annual Nashville Tiger Golf Classic will be held on August 15, 2009 at the beautiful Gaylord Springs Golf Links in Nashville, Tennessee. For more information, please visit the Nashville Tiger Golf Classic Website.

- The University of Memphis will hold a Vision Forum on August 22nd. If you did not get an invitation to the Vision Forum and would like to attend, please contact Shawn Carter to express your interest in attending.

Shawn M. Carter
Coordinator, Alumni & Constituent Programs
University of Memphis
635 Normal Street
Memphis, TN 38152
901-678-5016 (phone)
901-678-3035 (fax)

- The 2009 Memphis Rebounders Golf Classic will be held at the TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tn on Monday September 21, 2009. The format is a four-man scramble (allowing for two mulligans per player) and will include the following: player gift bags, drinks on the course, and 3 flights with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards given. The first place awards will be autographed basketballs signed by the coaching staff, and the 2009/2010 team. The balls will be in acrylic cases with special engraving. This is a truly a one of a kind award donated by Tiger Gift Shop.  Second place will be engraved Silver Plates. In addition, Coach Pastner, Assistant Coaches, former players and other celebrities will attend. The cost is only $200.00 per player and $800.00 per team. Hole sponsorships only $250.00, see application for further sponsorship opportunities. You can register online at the Tiger Gift Shop.

- GoTigersGo has put up their official 2009-2010 Tiger Football Wallpaper.

Fifty or more top high school basketball prospects will be attending this year’s CampPros Elite Camp in Memphis, TN. The camp will take place this Friday, July 31^st, at the Streets Ministries facilities on Vance Avenue. Players from Birmingham, AL, Jackson, MS, Cincinnati, OH, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, and all over the state of Tennessee, will be traveling to the Bluff City to showcase their skills against great local and national talent.

Streets Ministries, founded by Ken Bennett, has been reaching out to students in inner city Memphis for over twenty years and has served as a beacon of hope for underprivileged youth. Bennett, a graduate of the University of Memphis, has served as team chaplain for the Memphis Tigers since 2004. Despite the recent coaching changes, Bennett has established a good friendship with head coach Josh Pastner and plans on remaining team chaplain with the Tigers for the foreseeable future.

Twenty-two years after starting Streets Ministries with just a van and a basketball, Bennett has teamed up with BEAC to hold a premier basketball camp featuring top local and national talent. Whether supporting Streets Ministries, the city of Memphis, or a top basketball prospect, the CampPros Elite Camp is an event you do not want to miss!

Who is playing?

Two complete, local teams will be at the camp: Memphis Magic and M33M. The teams will be split up some, to feature 3v3 and 5v5 games.

Notable names: Joe Jackson, Tarik Black, Adonis Thomas, Chris Crawford, Jelan Kendrick, Mardracus Wade, Ray Parks Jr., and many more!

Cost?

The cost of admission is only $10 for the public to watch and $5 for students.

When is a good time to come?

An All Star game will take place at 6 p.m.

There will be a skills and drills time for the players in the morning and the afternoon will feature 3v3 and 5v5 games leading up to the All Star game at 6 p.m.

Where?

The Streets Ministries facility at 430 Vance Ave.

How can I help?

If you or anyone you know is willing to volunteer to help with this event, one can fill out the volunteer application attached to the article or email contact@beaconline.net

A 6′8″ 230lbs monster in the paint, Tarik Black has already shown that he is ready to bust onto the national scene this summer with his relentless motor, superb athleticism and ability to rebound the basketball.

“[This summer,] I just want to work on my game and get better…all aspects,” said Black. “I really just want the ball in my hands on offense, so I can get experience and get better on that end of the court. I want to try to work on my offensive game and prove what I know I can do.”

At the Real Deal in the Rock, Black showed up in a big way against All Ohio Red and the #3 overall rated player in the 2010 class Jared Sullinger. Black controlled the game with his hustle and made Sullinger work for everything he got. He also controlled the boards and made his presence felt on the defensive end with some timely blocks. Read the full scouting report from the Real Deal event here.

Despite branching out and getting recognized on a national level, Black is making it clear that he’s a hometown guy. “I’ve always like Memphis and always thought of them as a big choice,” explained Black.

When we asked Tarik to give us his own description of his game, he gave an answer that will make fans of teams like Memphis, Tennessee, Duke, and Ole Miss salivate. “I’m intense and I never back off. I never stop on either end of the court,” Black said. ”I’ve heard some people compare me to Amare Stoudamire and that’s a huge compliment. I want to play just like he does….with a motor that never stops. Defense…rebounding…shot blocking and just hustling on both ends.”

It has become even more important for new head coach Josh Pastner to focus locally with the likes of Duke (recently visited Black), UNC (in love with Adonis Thomas) and Kentucky (will make Joe Jackson a priority) trying to come in a lure away the big talent. With that in mind, Black said that he really likes the way that Pastner is focusing on the locals.

“I’ve talked to Coach Pastner a lot and we talk about how we can adapt a game to different talents. I think he’s doing a really good job,” said Black. “There are, and always have been, a lot of really good players that come out of Memphis. It would be nice to keep some of them here and see what we could do.”

Black, who is likely be at the power forward position in college, only wants one thing from the Tigers’ coach.

“I just want him to be real. I just want to know what I need to work on and what I need to do to keep moving up to the next level,” replied Black.

During the interview, we learned that Tarik is really taking his recruitment seriously, does not list schools “out of respect” because he doesn’t “want to leave one off and people read into it or anything”, and that he plans on narrowing things down at some point this summer and will likely make a decision by the beginning of his senior season.

Now here is where we are going to mix this spotlight up a little bit. We enjoyed interviewing Black so much that we HAD to put some of the funnier questions and answers in here. Just wait until you get to the last four questions/answers!

Q: Who is your favorite college basketball player to watch?

A: “Johnny Flynn from Syracuse…I really liked watching him in the tournament and stuff.”

Q: Who is your favorite NBA player?

A: “Amare’ Stoudamire…definitely…if I’m not at school or at practice or at a game…I’m sitting around studying his game.”

Q: Do you have any superstitions or anything before a game?

A: “I’m very superstitious, but I wouldn’t say that I have any one superstition before a game. Mine is more like when someone says, ‘don’t break your leg,’ I just try to knock on wood….like 24/7 I’m knockin on wood. Like 3 times, I’m knocking. I’m very much superstitious.”

Q: What is your favorite TV show?

A: “I don’t really like TV shows that much, but I like a bunch of cartoons…..like Avatar, Narodo….stuff like that.”

Q: What do you like to eat before a big game?

A: “Before a game…nothing really…just whatever they give me, but I LOVE to bake cookies…talkin about the ones you go and get at Kroger and then bake. I bake those and then I eat them….yeah, I kill those things….plus chocolate covered donuts.”

Q: Tell us something that people may not know about you:

A: “I’m a big science geek…I love science. I like chemistry and biology a little, but I really like anatomy and physiology and stuff like that…but the funny thing is, I don’t really want to be a doctor or anything….I don’t like messin with people’s bodies, I just like learning about what’s in them.”

Thanks again to Tarik for his time and to Eric Robinson, head coach of the Memphis Magic, for allowing us to do the pictures. Hope you guys enjoyed this as much as we did.