“It was a spur of the moment thing,” Doneal Mack said of kissing the M in the center of the floor. “I felt like that was my way of saying thank you to the whole city, the program, the fans, everyone that was there for me the last four years.”

Willie Kemp had a career-high 10 assists, Doneal Mack had 14 points including 2-of-4 from deep, and senior walk-on Aaron Jacques made some memories by adding 3 points in his single minute of action. Memphis (23-8, 13-3 Conference USA) saved its best play for the last home game. As the last two minutes ticked of the clock, a standing ovation of 17,000+ honored the Tigers, the seniors, their faith, and was a testament to the hope of all Memphis fans.

“That’s one of the moments you’re always going to cherish,” Mack said of today’s game. “It was great to give [Kemp] his career high with me hitting my last three.”

“This has been the greatest four years of my life. I can honestly say that.”

The Tigers shot 48% from the field, 47% from deep, outrebounded Tulsa, and forced the Golden Hurricanes in to 13 turnovers. Will Coleman played his best game of the year scoring 15 points (only 7-of-14 from the FT line), grabbing 9 rebounds (4 offensive), and forcing Tulsa center Jerome Jordan into foul trouble. Jordan, who finished with a team high 19 points, was limited to just 22 minutes and the majority of his points came as the game was winding down and out of reach for the Golden Hurricanes. Angel Garcia played 12 minutes and scored 11 points before fouling-out. Wesley Witherspoon added 11 points and 8 rebounds while Elliot Williams scored a quiet 10 points including 2-of-4 from deep.

The day truly belonged to the seniors. Willie Kemp held Tulsa’s leading scorer Ben Uzoh to just 6 points in his 39 minutes on the court. Kemp’s career-high 10 assists cemented his reputation as one of the most unselfish players for the Tigers.

“I had a lot of ups and a lot of downs,” Kemp said. “I stuck it out and left everything in God’s hands. This year, the ball is back in my hands and I’m just trying to lead my team.”

Doneal Mack’s 14 points fell into familiar territory as his two three-pointers turned the game in to a familiarly bad dream for Tulsa. The student section chanted for Aaron Jacques when time was winding down on the game. The crowd went crazy as he a made a free throw; then roaring shortly after as he made an offensive put-back against Tulsa center Jordan.

The Tigers defense was the highlight for the team. They held Tulsa to just 19 points in the first-half. Tulsa shot just 40% from the field and made only 1-of-10 from deep. Tulsa allowed the Tigers to grab 11 offensive boards and were blocked 6 times by the Tigers. The 22 point victory for the Tigers was eerily similar to their home wins against Tulsa last year – the regular season blowout, 63-37, and the 64-39 beatdown in the C-USA championship game.

This win was important to the seniors and the fans, but even moreso to a possible at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. If the Tigers make it to the C-USA championship game, it would mean at least 25 wins for the Tigers and a good case to be made to the selection committee.

As the Tigers exited down the tunnel, Kemp and Mack stopped to sign some autographs and high-fived the cheering fans. The two seniors smiled and walked-out as slowly as they could, glancing back briefly at the court. They know what it means to be a Tiger.

“The fans coming out and supporting us. These have got to be some of the best fans in the nation,” said Kemp about what he will remember the most.

“We call ourselves the last of a dying breed. We’re the last two of the seniors,” Mack said. “Things happen for a reason, but it’s good because I’ve still got Willie by my side.”

And that is the moral of this story. Some people may come and go, but there will always be those that are by your side no matter how many valleys you go through together. Those people that just stick around. Highs and lows, Willie Kemp and Doneal Mack have gone through their journey as student athletes at the University of Memphis together. They have given countless hours, had their lives put into the court of public opinion and bled blood for the sake of the Memphis program; blood that now, after four years, runs Tiger blue.

“This program has done wonders for me. I’ve given blood, sweat and tears back to the program, so this is going to be an emotional day…My blood is blue. I overcame a lot of adversity,” reflected Mack. “I think about how Cal used to treat us and us being sad and arguing. It’s good that I’ve overcome all of those adversities and I can stand here today and say, ‘I have no regrets.’ ”

Two seasons ago, Mack almost made a decision that would not only have changed the color of his metaphorical blood but also would have lengthened that list of regrets. Frustrated by playing time and his role on the team, Mack transferred out of Memphis for a week to the University of New Orleans. Mack’s father told Sporting News that the family was “not getting the positive feedback” they expected from the coaches and that transferring seemed the prudent option. Mack, though, realized right away that he had made a mistake.

“When I was down there, it didn’t feel right. It felt like I was leaving my heart still in Memphis,” Mack said. “Once I realized that, I felt I made a big mistake.”

Now two years later, Mack reflected on those events saying, “During that two week period, that was really my lowest point. It’s different when you go from one program to another and you see that it’s not the same; that you don’t have a whole city behind you. You don’t have a fan-base behind you. You don’t have a program that cares for you as much as the Tiger program. For me to overcome that and get back, my only objective was to fight for playing time. For me to be a senior now, playing a big role in this program and this team, it’s a big accomplishment.”

So, Mack returned and will now be remembered not for his abrupt transfer but for his desire to weather the storm despite the hardships. Mack could have stuck with a bad decision. He didn’t. Mack could have left or thrown in the towel when Calipari left. He didn’t. Mack could have spent time back in his hometown with friends and family this past summer instead of staying in Memphis getting to know a new staff and a few new teammates. He didn’t.

“I knew I had to do whatever it takes. I stayed here the whole summer,” said Mack. “It’s crazy. Ten months ago we didn’t know where we were going to be. To me, we persevered. No one saw us being second in the conference and 22-8. To me, I think we made the best of the situation.

Mack stuck around. He persevered yet again. Apparently that is Doneal Mack’s thing.

WHO:

WHEN: 8:00pm CST on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

WHERE: Bartow Arena - Birmingham, AL

TV: CSS

RADIO: AM600

In the last meeting between Memphis and UAB, Wesley Witherspoon scored a career high 29 points and the University of Memphis Tigers secured a big conference win as Memphis defeated UAB 85-75. That game included 31 lead changes and 10 ties, coming down to which team wanted to win more. The Tigers hustled, scrapped, and came up with key defensive stops late in the game to pull past the Blazers.

“Losing is not an option,” Witherspoon said after the game.

Sitting in a tie for second place in Conference USA’s standings, both the Tigers and the Blazers have solidified a first-round bye in the upcoming conference tournament in Tulsa, OK. Relieved as they may be, neither team is taking this rematch lightly.

“There is still a lot of basketball to be played for,” Josh Pastner said on Monday. ”I think Wednesday’s game is going to be fun. It should be a great atmosphere. There is a lot at stake for both teams.”

In the city of Birmingham, one sentiment has been repeated in every media avenue available - print, television and even radio – and that one thought is that this is a must win for Mike Davis and UAB. Earlier this week on The Opening Drive (94.5 FM WJOX’s morning radio show), Jay Barker dubbed this “the most important game of Mike Davis’ career”. In today’s publication of the AL.com newspaper, Kevin Scarbinsky states, “That’s why tonight’s game is the most important game Davis has faced in his UAB tenure. It’s his best team against the least formidable team his nemesis has had or will have in years, and it’s in his house.”

For Memphis, this is just another game. At this point in the season, this game is not the end-all-be-all for the Tigers. This is far from the most important game of Josh Pastner’s coaching career. The continuation of Memphis’ season rests squarely on the shoulders of a Conference USA tournament championship. Memphis needs to win at least one of their two remaining games to ensure either a 2 or a 3 seed. If they drop to the 4th seed, they would have to play Tulsa, Marshall or UAB in the quarterfinals and then likely UTEP in the semi-finals. This would be a much harder path to winning the CUSA tourney.

“We control our own destiny,” said Pastner. ”We’ve got to first do our job and that is to win games.”

UAB, on the other hand, believes they are still fighting for an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament.

In the last game, Memphis struggled keeping Aaron Johnson out of the lane. The under-sized, Mighty Mouse point guard snuck between cracks, bounced off of Memphis’ bigger defenders and carved his way to a game-high 8 assists. Leading the way for UAB was Elijah Millsap with 18 points and 9 rebounds (7-of-11 shooting). The Tigers caused problems for the UAB offense most of the night, switching up defenses on occasion and making the Blazers adjust to different defensive looks on offense. The employed man-to-man, a 2-3 zone, a 3-2 zone and even a triangle-and-two.

Expect this game to be different. Memphis versus UAB in Bartow always is. There is always more adrenaline. It is always a tad bit sloppy. There will be more emotion; from the fans, the coaches and the players. There will be more noise. For UAB, there is more on the line.

If UAB wants to keep their at-large bid alive, they must win tonight. In the words of Wesley Witherspoon, “Losing is not an option.” Otherwise, Memphis will have one more team with that much more at stake in the conference tournament.

NOTES OF IMPORTANCE

- Doneal Mack has not practiced over the last week. The doctors have cleared him and he will play at UAB.

- The game time has been changed from its original 6 p.m. tip to an 8 p.m. start.

- Roburt Sallie is now shooting 41.7% from three on the season, hitting  58 of 139 attempts. He is now at 44.1% for his careet (113 of 256).

When the game finally started, it was neck and neck the entire first half with neither team able to pull ahead by more than three points. UCF came out on fire, shooting 56.6% from field, including 60% from the three-point line, in the first half. The Tigers only managed to shoot 41.9% from the field, but were able to go into half up 37-34 by shooting 45% from the arc and scoring 14 second chance points.

“We are glad we got the ‘W’. We had to grind and gut that one one,” head coach Josh Pastner said. “UCF shot the daylights out of it. When a team shoots like that, it’s usually a recipe for an ‘L’.”

The Tigers looked like they would blow the game open by extending their lead to 11 points during the first 3 minutes of the second half. UCF battled back after Will Coleman picked up his fourth foul and was forced to sit. The Knights were able to eventually gain the lead back, thanks to continued hot shooting (50%) and forcing the Tigers into eight second half turnovers. The Tigers trailed by three with just over seven minutes to go when Doneal Mack converted a big four-point play after being fouled on a made three-point basket. The Tigers never trailed again.

Memphis was led by 15 points a piece from Doneal Mack and Roburt Sallie. The combination of Mack and Sallie provided the Tigers some much needed bench scoring that they have not had in several games this season. Neither started due to being disciplined for a “very minor” situation.

“Rob Sallie and Doneal Mack, I had to discipline them for a very minor situation, but they kept a great attitude, kept positive,” explained Pastner. “They came in and both played great and won us the game. Those two guys really stepped up and picked up the slack.”
 

In addition to scoring, Sallie provided excellent defense for the Tigers, irritating his opponents with relentless pressure and forcing a shot-clock violation in the second half.  Elliot Williams and Wesley Witherspoon both struggled shooting the ball, but still managed 10 and 12 points respectively. Willie Kemp was the fifth Tiger to hit double figures, adding 10 points.

The Tigers were able to dominate the boards, outrebounding UCF 34-20 including 13 offensive rebounds. D.J. Stephens had 7 rebounds, and Elliot Williams had 8 rebounds in addition to 7 assists. Angel Garcia converted a three-point play on his first offensive possession for the first points of his career. On his first defensive possession, he blocked a shot. He played just 3 minutes, but showed some flashes of ability.

In speaking about pulling Garcia after only three minutes, Pastner responded, “I said, ‘Angel, you’ve been good in practice. Don’t make the game complicated. I want you to shoot, pass or go to the post. I don’t care if a guy gives you an inch, shoot it. You can score.’”

The Knights were led by A.J. Tyler, who scored 18 points and had 6 rebounds. Marcus Jordan added 10 points with 7 assists and no turnovers. Jordan was able to get into the lane at will, where he either dished the ball to an open teammate or finished strong at the rim.

Next up for the Tigers is a Saturday road trip to Tulsa.  The Golden Hurricanes were tied for second in the CUSA standings coming into their game tonight against Southern Miss.

“It’s going to be an absolute battle. It will be a great test for us. Our speed and athleticism, we will have to utilize that,” explained Pastner.

Soundbite of the Night

“We just want to move on and try to build something new. It was different not seeing him out there. He’s someone that will be a friend for life. People don’t have one single clue of what he’s been thru in his life. If people understand what he’s been thru, they would have a different perspective.” – Roburt Sallie on losing Pierre Henderson-Niles

Here is an eye-opener for fans. Maybe it is time for some Memphis fans to take a page out of Josh Pastner’s book. Put simply, it is about time some people remember that it’s not about them. Sometimes, as fans, it’s easy to sit up in an ivory tower, watching intently while thinking that the players that entertain so many owe you something. They owe you nothing. They owe media nothing. What they get in opportunities and scholarship money from the school they give back equally in time, work, blood, sweat and tears. They give up their privacy. They have bartered it away only for fans to later discuss their looks, habits, social life, coordination, skills, jump-shot and so on. It’s time for a reality check. Do everyone a favor, look in the mirror and say the following: “This is not about me.” 

Box Score

In a game that included 31 lead changes and 10 ties, it came down to which team wanted to win more.  The Tigers hustled, scrapped, and came up with key defensive stops late in the game to pull past the Blazers.

“Losing is not an option,” Witherspoon said after the game.

UAB was led by Elijah Millsap’s 18 points and 9 rebounds, connecting on 7 of 11 shots from the floor. The Blazers managed to gain small leads on the Tigers throughout the game, but were never able to pull away.  The Tigers caused problems for the UAB offense most of the night, switching up defenses on occasion and making the Blazers adjust to different defensive looks on offense. The employed man-to-man, a 2-3 zone, a 3-2 zone and even a triangle-and-two.

Memphis’ win on Wednesday puts the team only one game back from first place in the conference. The game was considered a “must win game” by many, and the Tigers delivered.  

After the game, Elliot Williams said: “We needed a game like this against a tough team. A game like this, winning at home in front of a great crowd, it builds a team’s morale. It’s a game we needed.”

Williams played an instrumental role in the Tigers’ victory, finishing the game with 25 points and 7 assists. Williams made plays driving to the basket, to both the left and the right, while finishing with contact.  Williams also electrified the crowd with a behind-the-back pass to Doneal Mack, which led to a monstrous dunk at the end of the game. The dunk brought thousands to their feet in applause and capped off a great second half run for the Tigers.

Wesley Witherspoon came out energized from the beginning and ended the night with a career-high 29 points. He drove the to basket scoring on dunks, layups, and And-1’s while also continuing to stroke it from the mid-range. Not only that, Witherspoon hit 12 of his 14 freethrows while chipping in two steals and two blocks. Will Coleman also jump-started the late run with some big blocks. He finished the game with 9 rebounds and 7 blocks.

Memphis has now won 11 straight home games over UAB. The Blazers have not won a regular-season game in Memphis since Jan. 2, 1999.

MISS THE POSTGAME INTERVIEWS?

Here they are:

Head Coach Josh Pastner

Wesley Witherspoon

Elliot Williams

Davis Said What?

UAB head coach Mike Davis had a few things to say after the game, none of which involved any acknowledgment of the Tigers.

“We just didn’t execute the game-plan,” Davis said. “We let two guys beat us. We had a great gameplan setup for this game and for some reason we just didn’t execute it.”

Davis didn’t stop there: “We talked about fouling guys hard and we didn’t do that…We panicked at the end, we just panicked”

And the icing on the cake? “Everytime we get ready to play someone, they are playing well [in reference to Rice this Saturday],” Davis added.

Despite claims that he can play a team with less scholarship players and with the lack of acknowledgment of a superior team, Davis seems well trained in the excuse department.

EXTRAS

- Despite being cleared for play, sophomore forward Angel Garcia did not get to see his first game-time action as a Tiger on Wednesday night against the Blazers.

- Former Tiger Cedric Henderson was in the crowd.

- ESPN Recap

- ESPN Box Score

“I knew coming off a loss Wednesday, an emotional loss with a lot going on with the public and everything, I felt that it was going to be really important for us to get a ‘W’ here,” said Memphis head coach Josh Pastner.

 
Wesley Witherspoon caught fire early on for the Tigers, scoring 12 of his 20 points in the first half. The Tigers could only contain Houston’s Coleman for the beginning of the first half; then Coleman caught fire and unleashed on the Tigers. Coleman and the Cougars picked away at an early eight point deficit, taking the Tigers into the half tied 39-39.

 
The second half was all Memphis as Roburt Sallie and Doneal Mack took over for the Tigers while Elliot Williams sat out due to foul trouble. Memphis shot 61.2% from the floor for the game and proved to be too much for the Cougars in the second half. Houston had trouble answering Memphis’ second half runs, although Coleman had no trouble getting to the rack or pulling up for jump shots at will. Coleman proved to be the only problem for the Tigers in the second half, finishing with a game high 32 points. For the Tigers, Roburt Sallie added 20 points while Doneal Mack had 17 and Willie Kemp finished with 11 for Memphis, who now sits at 14-5 overall (4-1 in C-USA).

“In the first half, I had a lot of good looks. I just didn’t make them. Coach got on me for a second at the half and said I’m too good of a shooter, I’m one of the best shooters in the country and there’s no way I should be missing open shots,” explained Roburt Sallie. “And when he said that, it kinda stuck in my head. The team relies on me to shoot and knock down open shots, and that’s what I have to do. That’s what I did in the second half.”

The Tigers will travel to West Virginia this week to take on Marshall on Wednesday.
 
Sights and Sounds
 
Officials Tom O’Neill, Warren Evans, and Bret Smith were the source of quite a few questionable calls in the game, prompting the crowd to fill the stadium with boos at numerous times Saturday night.
 
 
Head football coach Larry Porter and head basketball coach Josh Pastner both had recruits in the building Saturday night. Adonis Thomas, a big time Tiger prospect for 2011 can be seen here.

The Tigers struggled against the Pirates early in the game, finding it hard to get in a good rhythm on offense. “Of our 16 games this season, I thought (the first half tonight) was our worst half,” Coach Pastner said. Although the Tigers took a 33-26 lead into half time, the game was left wide open, as the Tigers had opportunities in the first half to increase their lead and could not follow through.

Memphis was led by sophomore Wesley Witherspoon’s season high of 22 points and Doneal Mack’s 15 points. Witherspoon’s play was crucial for the Tigers because the Tigers have needed players besides Elliot Williams to contribute on offense. Witherspoon knocked down important jump shots and worked his way into the lane for lay-ups, causing problems for the Pirates the entire game.

The Pirates were led by junior point guard Brock Young, who despite his small size, displayed tremendous hustle and quickness.  Young used his quickness to blow by defenders and to separate himself for a shot. Unfortunately for the Pirates, Young did not receive enough help from teammates to keep up with the Tigers in the second half.

Elliot Williams helped the Tigers gain momentum in the second half with a fast break lay-up, and Wesley Witherspoon added to the run with another fast break basket.  From there, the Tigers opened the lead to 55-43 and never looked back, beating the Pirates 77-57.

“Coach Pastner stressed to us, ‘One more pass, one extra pass.’ Also, we had guys coming up to the high post, taking (the entry pass) there and working it (to) the opposite (side of the floor). We just had a good offensive game as a team,” Williams said. Williams finished the game with 8 points, but he was an important part of the Tigers’ second half run. Willie Kemp and Will Coleman also had solid games, finishing with 13 points and 8 points respectively.

Mack Reaches Milestone

Near the beginning of the second half, senior guard Doneal Mack connected on a long-range shot, putting him in a group that only forty-five previous Tigers have ever reached the 1,000 point club.

“It’s a great honor,” Mack said after the game. “Four years later, with me being in the thousand point club, I’m just humbled to be one of the players in that club.” Mack has come a long way since his freshman year, accompanying the Tigers on deep tournament runs and providing sparks on offense with his outside shooting. Mack’s presence has been a key component for the Tigers’ success.

“I’ll always love this program. I can’t picture myself anywhere else,” said Mack.

The University of Memphis men’s basketball team squares off tomorrow against Southeast Missouri State and is looking to rebound, in more ways then one.  The Tigers, who were dominated by UMass on the glass and in the paint, hope to bounce back after a tough road loss. The Tigers (7-2) look to improve their record at home against the Redhawks of SE Missouri State (4-7) at noon on Tuesday.

Hopes were high and the Tigers were on the verge of becoming a ranked top twenty-five team before Saturday’s loss to UMass.  The Tigers struggled to keep the Minutemen off the boards and battled with foul trouble most of the game.  The Tigers were out-rebounded 44-24 against UMass, yet they still led the game by one point with only a few seconds left in the game.  Freshman DJ Stephens lost a defensive rebound that was put up and in by UMass, resulting in the Tigers’ second loss of the season.

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks

The Redhawks are coming off a 116-60 victory over Williams Baptist, a game in which all fourteen Redhawks players scored. The Redhawks are led in scoring by a pair of talented guards: Anthony Allison (10.5 ppg) and Dereck Thompson (10.2 ppg). Southeast Missouri State is quite undersized compared to the Tigers, with their tallest player being 6’8” 230 lbs.  With a heavy guard-led offense and lean big men, look for the Redhawks to try to penetrate the Tiger defense and find the open shot.  Despite boasting a 38% three-point percentage for the season, the Redhawks do not attempt many outside shots.

What to Expect

Fortunately for the Tigers, the Redhawks’ strengths are not in the low post. Although SE Missouri State is not a bad rebounding team, the Tigers win the height and weight battle down low. If the Tigers are out-rebounded Tuesday afternoon, it will not be because of personnel.

Look for the Tigers to get out in front early, pushing the ball up the court and forcing turnovers with pressure defense. The Tigers average five turnovers a game less than SE Missouri State, and four blocks more than the Redhawks.

The Tigers will look to see if senior Doneal Mack’s hot hand continues against the Redhawks. Mack led the Tigers with 23 points against UMass and will need to remain a key offensive threat this season to accompany Elliot Williams.  Also worth watching is Will Coleman and Pierre Henderson-Niles’ aggressiveness on the boards on Tuesday and how the big men will respond after a disappointing loss.  Barring a mental lapse and a total lack of focus, the Tigers should handle SE Missouri State with ease.  Although most believe Tuesday’s game is a sure-fire win, there will be many things to watch for from the Tigers, which should provide for an entertaining game.

Memphis connection

-SE Missouri State assistant coach Jamie Rosser played at Overton High School in Memphis and is a former coach of the Memphis Magic 16-17 year olds.

-Another assistant coach for the Redhawks, Jeremy Case, was a member of the Kansas Jayhawks 2008 National Championship team who beat the Tigers in the finals.

A Tribute to Bartow

The Tigers will pay tribute to Coach Gene Bartow during Tuesday’s game. Bartow was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in November and was the head coach of the Tigers from 1970-1974.  Bartow led the Tigers to the NCAA national championship game in 1973 and also won consecutive Missouri Valley Conference championships (1971-1972, 1972-1973).