The final buzzer sounded at just past 9 pm ET as No. 15 Georgetown put the finishing touches on a 70-59 victory over Memphis at the Verizon center, wrapping up what was a crisp, two-hour basketball game.
It wasn't until 10:45 pm, however, that Memphis head coach Josh Pastner finally emerged from his team's locker room in the bowels of the Verizon Center. For the second time in the span of 10 days, the Tigers had a team meeting in an effort to cure what ails them, this one lasting just 15 minutes less than the game itself.
"We just had a team meeting and needed to air a few things out," Memphis head coach Josh Pastner said after the game. "It was the right thing before we got to Christmas break. It was a good open discussion. I love those guys, no one in there is happy to be 6-5. Have we played a tough schedule? Darn right. But we're too good to be sitting at 6-5."
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Thursday, December 22, 2011
What's plaguing Memphis, and why they needed a two hours team meeting after losing to Georgetown |
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
POSTERIZED: Joe Jackson with a nasty dunk in a loss |
The USA U-19 team got lit up by Lithuania over the weekend, losing 101-72.
That's embarrassing. I don't care how good Lithuania's 19 year olds are. We are America. We shouldn't lose in basketball, period. A 29 point loss is like my beer league softball team beating the Yankees.
We got a measure of revenge, however*, as Joe Jackson threw down a nasty dunk in transition (go to the 2:05 mark):
*(Actually, we got no revenge. None. We lost by 29 in basketball to another country. That should never, ever, EVER happen.)
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Saturday, March 12, 2011
Joe Jackson leads his hometown's team to the NCAA Tournament |
You have to feel good for Memphis point guard Joe Jackson.
The consensus top 25 freshman and Memphis native was expected to be the guy that carried the Tigers return to glory this season, but things hadn't gone quite as planned. For a month down the stretch of the season, the freshman struggled, as freshman are wont to do.
And it weighed on him.
In a basketball town like Memphis, the natives tend to get restless. And when a native son is struggling, you know there are going to be people in your ear.
Which is why this win has to feel so good for Jackson, as well as the Tigers.
Memphis was down double digits for much of the second half, but Jackson and fellow freshman and Memphis native Chris Crawford sparked the comeback. It was Crawford's three that tied the game at 65. And after a UTEP free throw, it was Jackson drawing a foul with 7.8 seconds left and hitting both foul shots that sent the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament.
More impressive?
This was a road game. The Conference USA Tournament was played in El Paso. Memphis beat UTEP in the title game. For a team led by a group of freshmen, that is quite a feat.
The Tigers struggled down the stretch of the season, which is why they needed this win to ensure that they would be participating in the NCAA Tournament, but you shouldn't immediately write this team off. They will probably end up being placed somewhere in the 10-11 seed range. And they have the talent to win at least a game.
The Tigers won 13 games against top 100 teams this season. They also went 13-1 in games decided by five points or less. This team had a habit of playing to the level of their competition, but they did beat some quality opponents and they won some close games.
It also needs to be mentioned that, despite all of the issues that Memphis, Butler, and Gonzaga have had this season, all three programs will be headed back to the NCAA Tournament courtesy of their leagues auto-bids.
That should be a testament to the quality of the programs at those three schools.
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Monday, November 16, 2009
Maybe Memphis won't miss John Calipari as much as we thought |
Josh Pastner came into Memphis with the reputation of being a great recruiter, but this is starting to get absurd.
It started with Will Barton back in June, as Pastner went into Baltimore and snagged the talented 6'6" wing and his brother Antonio.
Next came point guard Joe Jackson, a Memphis native who was all but guaranteed to be a Tiger since the first time he picked up a basketball, who committed early in November.
Both Will Barton and Jackson are top 15 recruits nationally. Put them on the court with Elliot Williams, Will Coleman, and a healthy Angel Garcia, and you got yourself a top 25 team.
But Pastner was far from done.
No doubt Pastner is smiling after this past week.
(photo credit: The Hoops Report)
In October, another Memphis native, 6'4" swing man Chris Crawford who was an AAU teammate of Jackson, committed to the Tigers as well.
But the real fireworks started on signing day last Wednesday. The day kicked off with Pastner landing a commitment from 6'8" forward Hippolyte Tsafack before inking both Barton's and Jackson to their LOI's.
Then on Saturday, another top ten recruit, 6'6" wing Jelan Kendrick from Atlanta, called an impromptu press conference to announce that he had signed a letter of intent with Memphis. This was a big surprise to the recruiting world, as Kendrick had been emphatic that he was bypassing the fall signing period. But Kendrick played with Jackson and Crawford for the Memphis Magic AAU team that won the Adidas Super 64 tournament in Las Vegas, and was convinced by the success they had over the summer that he would have a shot at a national title.
Pastner still wasn't done. Just this afternoon, Tarik Black, a 6'7", 230 lb power forward out of Memphis that also happened to be a member of the Memphis Magic, announced his intentions to play for the Tigers.
All told, Pastner's recruiting class consists of three five-star, two four-star, and two three-star recruits. Assuming everyone returns to school, take a look at this line-up:
Pretty talented, huh?
Could the Memphis Magic Elite be the second coming of Michigan State's Flintstones?
With a roster depleted by defections and injuries, next season may not come soon enough for some Memphis fans.
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Friday, September 11, 2009
Joe Jackson to commit tonight |
Well, that's at least what his facebook status is saying. And as you know, Jackson loves dropping hints on Facebook.
So where is Jackson headed? While his final three is coming down to Tennessee, Kansas, and his hometown Memphis Tigers, just about everyone believes he will spend next year playing for Josh Pastner.
Which begs the question, as asked by Gary Parrish: is there a better recruiter out there than Pastner? And yes, that includes John Calipari.
You see, if Pastner he will have two top 10 recruits from the class of 2010 committed to Memphis (the only school that can say as much), the other being Baltimore's Will Barton.
Now, I have been known to get a bit excited when it comes to exaggeration, but before any Kentucky fans out there disagree with me, remember this fact. Whether or not they have been scrubbed from the record books, Coach Cal has reached two Final Fours. His teams, especially of late, have churned out first rounders. Scandals and rumors aside, he is easily one of the top five coaches in the college game today.
Josh Pastner?
He's a 31 year old former assistant that has never been the head coach of a team. Ever. Not even a single game.
And he's on the brink of landing his second five star recruit for next season.
That's impressive.
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Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Is Joe Jackson headed to Memphis? |
It has pretty much been assumed that Josh Pastner was going to land Memphis native Joe Jackson, a top 10 point guard in the class of 2010.
But has he already committed? This picture, which is the profile picture for Jackson's facebook account, would lead one to believe so.
Joe Jackson wearing a Memphis jersey.(photo credit: facebook)
I don't want to speculate too much, because this could just be a case of Jackson repping the city he is from. It also looks a bit different than the jerseys the Tigers wore last season.
But Memphis fans can dream, right?
And landing Jackson would be a dream come true, especially for Pastner. Imagine a 2010-2011 Memphis team with a starting back court of Jackson, Will Barton, and Elliot Williams. Continue reading...
Monday, July 27, 2009
JOE JACKSON TALKS RECRUITING: We mention Joe Jackson, a top 15 recruit from the class of 2010, earlier today in our post about Josh Selby. Word is that Jackson is considered a lock to stay close to home and head to Memphis.
Last week, TheShiver.com landed an interview with Jackson where he talks recruiting. His top five right now? UConn, Kentucky, Tennessee, Memphis, and Kansas.
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