My Corner of the World

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Thanks to Wayne & Lee on WNSP-FM in Mobile for having me on their show this morning. They wanted to talk about Memphis & the NCAA tourney & I was glad to join in.

---

What's being written about the Tigers:

Jake Curtis, San Francisco Chronicle - Calipari finally delivers in Memphis
Memphis players have heard about Camby countless times from Calipari, who mentions Camby every chance he gets, calling him one of the 10 best players in college basketball history. Now Calipari is riding Rodney Carney, the Conference USA Player of the Year who was a virtual nobody coming out of high school, and Washington, who became a hero through failure last season, and Memphis native Andre Allen, a walk-on who is an unexpected postseason star.

Dave Reynolds, Peoria Journal Star - Now, the real whirlwind begins for BU
The Tigers, fresh from a second-round Sunday victory in Dallas over Bucknell, generally are considered one of the nation's most athletic teams and, at 81 points per game, are among Division I's top-scoring outfits. But Memphis coach John Calipari was quick to talk up the Braves. "People talk about our athleticism," he said. "But when I watched Bradley play, I saw another level. Their speed and quickness are unbelievable. They really guard you. And their big kid (Patrick O'Bryant) is so good. He and the kid from Texas (LaMarcus Aldridge) are the two best big kids I've seen this year. We're playing an outstanding basketball team."

Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star - Top seeds’ road gets smoother
Memphis coach John Calipari isn't buying the upset talk. "Those guys on TV and radio have to come up with some opinions and some upsets," Calipari said. "We've been a team that was supposed to lose to No. 16 seed, supposed to lose to Bucknell and we have no chance against Bradley. We can deal with that."

---

Bradley became the fourth No. 13 seed to make it to the NCAA regional semifinals. A look at the other three, who made it no further:

OKLAHOMA 1999
• Def. No. 4 Arizona 61-60
• Def. No. 5 Charlotte 85-72
• Lost to No. 1 Michigan State 54-46

VALPARAISO 1998
• Def. No. 4 Mississippi 70-69
• Def. No. 12 Florida State 83-77 (OT)
• Lost to No. 8 Rhode Island 74-68

RICHMOND 1988
• Def. No. 4 Indiana 72-69
• Def. No. 5 Georgia Tech 59-55
• Lost to No. 1 Temple 69-47

---

Billy Tubbs is calling it a career, as the coach announced his retirement at Lamar Monday. That should put former Memphis assistant basketball coach Steve Roccaforte in the head coach's office, as Roccaforte left the Tigers in 2003 to become Tubbs' lead assistant & his likely successor.

---

As first reported on this blog Monday, the University of Mississippi's scheduled interview with South Alabama coach John Pelphrey has been moved to Wednesday. The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss., reports today that Mississippi AD Pete Boone has also received permission to talk to Murray State's Mick Cronin & Cincinatti interim coach Andy Kennedy. Boone also added Rebel assistant coach Tracy Dildy to the mix of candidates.

---

While on the topic of coaching searches, Lionel Hollins, assistant coach on the Memphis Grizzlies staff is being mentioned for the Arizona State job, now open after the dismissal of former Mississippi head coach Rob Evans.

Another rumored name is Mark Turgeon of Wichita State, however his team is a surprise member of the Sweet 16, so he's not free to talk. You can remove Jamie Dixon of Pittsburgh from the list as he has been given a contract extension.

---

Speaking of rumors, it had been whispered for weeks that NFL commish Paul Tagliabue was to soon announce his retirement. He made it official yesterday, stating he will leave office in July.

---

Finally, since retirement news seems to be the theme of the day, Keith Jackson of ABC Sports may call it quits today.

---

Gonzaga's Adam Morrison missed Monday's practice, as the team prepares for its Sweet 16 showdown against UCLA. The team said Morrison was suffering from flu-like symptoms, but it still expected to play Thursday night against the Bruins.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home