Memphis Tigers News Archives

April 2005

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04/30/05		Saint Louis Sweeps Tiger Baseball, 3-2 and 7-3 -- Tigers host Coach K Day at Nat Buring Stadium on Sunday (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Saint Louis (9-31, 5-14 C-USA) 000 100 110 - 3 9 1 MEMPHIS (10-31, 4-15 C-USA) 000 000 101 - 2 9 4 Saint Louis took advantage of four Tiger errors to claim a 3-2 win in game one's pitcher's duel, then scores five unanswered runs in the nightcap to complete the sweep of Memphis, 7-3, Saturday in Conference USA action. Game one saw the Billikins break a scoreless tie in the fourth. Mark Hankes drew a walk to lead off the frame and a throwing error by the Tigers allowed Bill Musselman to reach while Hankes moved to third. Neil Gaser then grounded into a double play, but Hankes was able to score on the play to put SLU on top 1-0. The Billikens would never trail as they took a 2-0 lead in the seventh after Graser singled to start the inning. Guyre moved him to second on a bunt single. But Tiger third baseman Robbie Goss' throw to Hope, who was covering first, sailed high allowing Graser to take third. Jon Guyre then lifted a sac fly to center to score Graser. Memphis answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh when Goss, who had ripped a double down the leftfield line, scored on a fielding error by the Billiken infield. However, Saint Louis got an RBI-single from Hankes to extend its lead back to two-runs at 3-1 in the eighth. Memphis rallied in the ninth as Pat Hope and Collin Bastien each singled. Jordan Tolliver drove Hope in on a double to center to make it a one-run game. With runners on second and third, SLU elected to intentionally walk Tiger DH Ryan Martin to load the bases. Closer B.J. Rodrigue was able to record the final out and pick up his fourth save of the year. Mark Zielinski was the winner after hurling six and one-third innings. He held Memphis scoreless through six innings. Freshman lefty Neil Schenk was the hard-luck loser for Memphis. The southpaw threw a complete game and allowed just one earned run while fanning three. Saint Louis (10-31, 6-14 C-USA) 020 002 120 - 7 14 0 MEMPHIS (10-32, 4-16 C-USA) 000 210 000 - 3 7 2 SLU jumped out to an early lead in the second on a Scott Peden home run over the right field wall. They tacked on another score on an RBI-single off the bat of Guyre. Memphis bounced back and scored the next three runs to take a 3-2 lead through five innings. A two-run triple to the corner in rightfield by K.K. Chalmers tied the contest and a fifth-inning single up the middle by Martin drove in the go-ahead run. That would be all Memphis could produce as SLU scored the next five runs to claim a commanding 7-3 win. Stephen Gostkowski took the loss after scattering nine hits in five innings. He gave up four runs, three of which were earned. Ryan Bird picked up the win after tossing eight innings and giving up three runs while striking out eight. Memphis will look to salvage a game in this three-game C-USA on Sunday. The Tigers will honor former head coach Bobby Kilpatrick in a pre-game ceremony at Nat Buring as they wrap up Alumni Weekend.

04/30/05		Tiger Notes (soccer, baseball, track, tennis, volleyball, football) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 30, 2005 Soccer team Europe-bound -- Tigers will play in Holland and Belgium The University of Memphis men's soccer team leaves next week for a 10-day tour of Holland and Belgium where the Tigers will play four exhibition games against local professional clubs. Tiger coach Richie Grant said about 20 members of the program, including 15 players, will make the trip, a $30,000 venture that is being covered by a combination of fund-raising efforts and contributions from the players and their families. The team's recent silent auction, held April 21 at Christian Brothers High, raised nearly $9,000. A similar amount was raised last year. The NCAA allows teams to make such international trips once every four years. ''We've been fund-raising for a couple of years for this,'' Grant said. Grant took a Tiger team to Ireland in 2001 and is a believer in the benefits of such endeavors. ''I think what's most appealing is taking players somewhere they wouldn't go if not for a team trip like this,'' Grant said. ''Seeing the camaraderie that develops is exciting too, along with going to Holland and Belgium. They are beautiful countries.'' The team will train at the facilities of Ajax, one of the top soccer clubs in the world, and end its four-game exhibition tour against Royal Antwerp, a feeder club to Manchester United. Grant said it's beneficial to extend the spring season by going on an international trip where ''everyone will play; we'll only have four or five substitutes.'' ''And you get four more opportunities to evaluate players as a high standard,'' he said. What Grant likes about the scheduling of this year's international trip is that it comes in late spring and not weeks before the start of the season. On the program's last trip Grant scheduled the Ireland tour to end shortly before the beginning of the season, and his team did not have ample time to recover. ''I'd like to think we'll have plenty of time to recover this time,'' he said. ''We're going to use it to build team camaraderie rather than prepare for the season like we did four years ago.'' Grant's team made the second NCAA appearance in the program's history last fall, dropping a first-round game at Ohio State. Same time, next year? Tiger baseball coach Daron Schoenrock said he enjoyed playing this year's Ole Miss series on back-to-back midweek nights rather than the normal one-month separation. An early-season rainout forced the games -- Tuesday in Oxford, Wednesday at AutoZone Park -- to be played on consecutive nights. Ole Miss won both, 13-4 in Oxford and 6-5 at AutoZone. Schoenrock said the back-to-back setup gives the nonconference matchup between the Mid-South rivals some added attention ''I love the setup,'' said Schoenrock, a former Mississippi State and Georgia assistant in his first year at Memphis. ''We did this when I was at Georgia. We did it with Clemson. I'm going to work and see what we have scheduled for next year and maybe try to adjust it.'' Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said it may not be feasible to play back-to-back midweek games in the middle of the Southeastern Conference season. ''It gets a little difficult,'' Bianco said. ''Both teams are in the same situation (with weekend conference games). Both teams are in the same boat trying not to use up all your conference pitchers in a midweek game.'' Hurdler Kiss moves up Tiger senior Daniel Kiss is gradually making a move nationally in the 110-meter hurdles. He set the school record with a time of 13.67 last weekend at the Mississippi Open in Oxford. Kiss, a native of Budapest, Hungary, has improved his time in three of the past four meets, and his time of 13.67 seconds ranks fifth nationally. He ranks third in the Mideast Region, trailing only All-Americans Antwon Hicks of Ole Miss and Aries Merritt of Tennessee. Kiss is one of five Tiger track athletes who have qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships next month. Odds and ends Men's tennis player Alex Bucewicz was honored as the Male Scholar Athlete of the Year and women's tennis player Marlene Dirnstorfer and volleyball player Heather Watts were honored as the Female Scholar Athletes of the Year at the 24th M-Club Luncheon, an annual event recognizing senior athletes. ... Watts also was named recipient of the Elma Roane Award, given annually to the female athlete who possesses drive, determination and enthusiasm. ... In its 2006 mock NFL draft, CBS Sportline lists Tiger running back DeAngelo Williams as the third overall pick. ... The women's track program signed distance runner Meghan Shinkwin of Nashua, N.H., to a letter of intent. ... The women's tennis team signed Flavia Russo of Brazil. -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

04/30/05		In illness, Finch still a uniter (Commercial Appeal)
		By Zack McMillin Contact April 30, 2005 The white van from Wheelchair Express Transportation Services delicately made its way through the overcrowded parking lot at Galloway golf course, and the familiar faces congregated at the curb. From the van, Larry Finch could see former players from his days as coach at the University of Memphis, where he is still the program's all-time winningest coach. He could see the man who coached him when he starred for the Tigers and, from 1970-73, used his basketball talent and natural charisma to win games and -- oh, by the way -- bring some healing to a divided and discouraged city. He could see old friends he knew by name and others who came out for the Larry Finch Benefit Golf Tournament on Friday because they considered the man a dear friend, whether he knew it or not. "Lar-ree! Lar-ree! Lar-ree!" they said as a nurse from the Quince Nursing and Rehabilitation Center rolled him through the crowd of people. Finch, now bound to a wheelchair and debilitated physically from the effects of strokes and heart problems suffered in 2002, took his place at a table in the clubhouse, and then the people began coming to him. Elliot Perry, the NBA point guard he recruited from Treadwell, leaned in close and asked him: "Can you still shoot it, coach?" "Can still outshoot you," Finch whispered. "I don't know about that," Perry said, smiling. "We'll see." Ken Moody, the city administrator and former Tiger who helped organize the tournament, served as the emcee. He looked out and made the obvious connection, from 30 years ago when Finch and the Tigers captivated the city with a run to the NCAA Tournament finals to Friday, when every corner of the community came out to show their support. "Look at this crowd and it's whites and blacks, males and females, young and old, and he's brought the city together again," Moody said. "There's no way the Lord would rain on this parade. This is one of His angels." David Porter, the legendary Stax songwriter and golfer extraordinaire, came forward. He and Penny Hardaway, another Treadwell superstar and current New York Knicks player coached by Finch, had made calls on behalf of the tournament and would provide a check for $27,000. To that, Vickie Finch reacted by covering her mouth with both hands, looking like Bob Barker had just told her she'd won a new car. Or maybe a conversion van to help transport her husband. Because of an overwhelming show of support (more than 300 players at $125 each) and donations from all over the country, organizers Moody, Charles Hudson and John Prince raised their goal from $50,000 to $100,000, all of which would go toward helping Finch and his wife with costs of health care and rehabilitation services. They plan to make it an annual event, and former Tiger players are talking about creating a permanent Larry Finch Foundation that would also use basketball games, concerts and even barbecue cookoffs to raise money. "Memphis," Vickie Finch said, "it's not that Larry Finch has always given to you. You have always given to Larry. You live in our hearts, and Larry loves you." Gene Bartow, his old college coach, his "buddy" going back to 1970, said he was watching the Grizzlies practice on Thursday, and he began to wonder if any of them understood the magnitude of Finch's accomplishments -- on and off the court. "Pau Gasol could average 30 points a game for 20 seasons, and he'd be loved," Bartow said, "but he'd never be as loved or as popular as Larry Finch." Some of Finch's old teammates from the 1972-73 team played in the tournament, too: Ken Andrews, Bill Laurie, Doug McKinney and Bill Cook. 'Wild Man' McKinney, as they called him, bopped right up to Finch and started singing an old '70s song. Finch, who is often overcome with emotion at these events, brightened noticeably, and his laughter was unmistakable. What was it the pastor had said earlier, when returning thanks? "He was more than a basketball player, more than a coach,'' said Rev. L. LaSimba Gray. "He was a builder of humanity.'' Larry Finch had done it again. "He's the master," said longtime friend Leonard Draper. "Nobody brings the people of this city together like Larry Finch." -- Zack McMillin: 529-2564

04/30/05		Tigers, Billikens set for two games today (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services April 30, 2005 The rain came three batters into Friday's scheduled series opener between Memphis and Saint Louis at Nat Buring Stadium, forcing the suspension of the game until today. It will resume at 2 p.m. with today's originally scheduled game to follow. Alumni festivities for today include recognition of the 1994 Memphis squad that went 52-11 and was the last Memphis baseball team to advance to the NCAA Regional tournament.

04/29/05		Tiger Baseball's Series Opener Versus Saint Louis Suspended -- Tigers and Billikens to pick up play Saturday at 2 p.m. (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Three batters into the contest the rains storms came down, forcing the suspension of Friday night's series opener between the University of Memphis and Saint Louis. Due to the previously scheduled Alumni Weekend festivities, the Tigers and Billikens will resume play Sat., Apr. 30 at 2 p.m. Saturday's originally scheduled tilt will take place as the nightcap of tomorrow's doubleheader. Alumni festivities for tomorrow include recognition of the 1994 Memphis Tigers that went 52-11 and were the last Memphis baseball team to advance to the NCAA Regional tournament. Several former Tigers will be on hand along with former Memphis head coach Jeff Hopkins. All former Tigers are encouraged to attend.

04/29/05		Hyman Places Third in College Division Women's Triple Jump at Penn Relays -- Memphis athletes struggle in Philadelphia (GoTigersGo.com)
		Philadelphia, Pa. - Senior Lisa-Marie Hyman was the top Memphis performer on the first day of the Penn Relays, as U of M athletes struggled on the first day of the prestigious meet in Philadelphia, Pa. Hyman posted a solid effort in the triple jump, recording a leap of 40-05.00" (12.32m) to place third in the women's college division of the event. Though slightly substandard for the Kingston, Jamaica native, the jump still eclipsed the NCAA Regional qualifying standard and positioned Hyman in front of top competitors from all over the country. In men's action, it was a tough day for all of the U of M athletes. Brandon Winbush, the only Tiger to compete in an individual event on Friday, could only muster a bound of 22-08.00" (6.91m), well off his typical marks, but did manage to finish 10th in the men's college division of the long jump. The pair of Tiger relay teams competing at the meet, the 4x100m and 4x400m squads, logged times of 42.24s and 3:18.88, respectively, each finishing fifth in their heats. Neither team was able to advance to event finals on Saturday. The only remaining Memphis athlete to compete at the Penn Relays will be Janon Busby, who will participate in the men's college division of the triple jump, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday. A majority of both the Tiger and Lady Tiger squads that did not travel to Philadelphia will additionally be in action on Saturday, as the take part in the Indian Classic, hosted by the University of Louisiana at Monroe in Monroe, La. Results and recaps for both the Indian Classic and the men's triple jump at the Penn Relays will be posted at gotigersgo.com following the completion of competition.

04/28/05		Tiger Notes (Williams, Schilling Replacement, Schedule) (GoTigersGo.com)
		By Gary Parrish Contact April 29, 2005 No definite word on Williams A nationally respected Web site has reported Shawne Williams will remain in the NBA Draft, no matter what. A local television station has reported he will be at the University of Memphis, no matter what. Two different outlets. Two different predictions. According to people close to the situation, neither is accurate. "It's premature," said Eric Robinson, Williams's personal trainer. "I don't think anybody knows what Mr. Williams is going to do except Mr. Williams." Several close to the Tiger program told The Commercial Appeal on Thursday that Williams hasn't informed coach John Calipari of any "definite" plan, including that he will be a Tiger, which was reported by a local TV station Wednesday night at about the same time Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute Prep coach Chris Chaney was meeting with his star player. So what did Williams tell Chaney? "He told me he is going to do whatever he can to stay in the draft and make it," Chaney answered. "Now if it gets close to the deadline to withdraw and it doesn't look like he's going to be a first-round pick, he'll probably go to Memphis. But his plan is to try to stay in the draft." Despite the plan, the UofM staff remains cautiously optimistic Williams will in fact be a Tiger, but for reasons other than any assurance from the player himself. Reason No. 1: Williams said from the start that if he wasn't projected as a first-round pick he would likely come to Memphis. Right now, nobody projects him as a first-round pick. Reason No. 2: Williams is currently back at Laurinburg completing curriculum. He's scheduled to graduate next month, and thus will be eligible to compete as a freshman -- barring NCAA Clearinghouse problems -- upon doing so. Add those two things to the fact that Williams hasn't hired an agent, and it's reasonable to assume the odds of him being a Tiger are greater now than even a month ago, thanks to a pair of less-than-overwhelming performances in all-star games and the abundance of other underclassmen declaring and taking first-round spots. Still, nothing is certain, and there seems to be no rush on a final decision considering Williams has until June 21 to withdraw from the draft. "Once Shawne comes back from Laurinburg, I don't know what he's going to do," Robinson said. "He might go through some individual workouts for NBA teams, or he might just start summer school at the University of Memphis. "We just don't know yet." Schilling's replacement Barring a change of plans, John Robic will replace Ed Schilling on Calipari's staff, sources have told The Commercial Appeal. Robic served as the head coach at Youngstown State for the past six years, but the school replaced him at the end of this season and did not renew his contract, which expires Saturday. "He will be one of the people we bring in," Calipari said Thursday, though he declined to be more specific before adding, "as always, we will hire a former player or someone who has ties to us." Asked if Robic qualified as someone with ties, Calipari answered, "Absolutely." Attempts to reach Robic, who worked for Calipari at UMass in the 1990s, were unsuccessful. Still waiting UofM athletic director R.C. Johnson said Thursday he still hasn't received word that the Tigers will have games against Louisville and Cincinnati next season, though he remains optimistic both will happen. Johnson said the C-USA office and ESPN are handling the situation and added that while Louisville has expressed a desire not to play, Cincinnati doesn't seem against the idea. "I've always thought both games would happen," Johnson said. "But they're not set yet." -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

04/28/05		Tigers Host Saint Louis for Alumni Weekend -- Tigers looking to snap string of six straight C-USA series losses (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - After taking a tough 6-5 loss against Ole Miss on Wednesday, Daron Schoenrock and his Memphis baseball team will look to bounce back with an important three-game Conference USA series with Saint Louis beginning Fri., Apr. 29. This weekend has been tabbed as "Alumni Weekend". All Tiger fans and former Tiger players are invited and encouraged to attend. Weekend festivities will be highlighted by "Coach K Day" on Sunday as Schoenrock and the Memphis Baseball program will recognize former Tiger Coach Bobby Kilpatrick. Coach Jeff Hopkins and the 1994 will be honored on Saturday as the program's last team to reach the NCAA Regionals. Memphis and Saint Louis both enter the weekend in tie for 11th in the conference at 4-14. The two teams have a combined record of 18-61. However, Memphis sports a slightly better winning percentage overall with its 10-30 mark. At 8-31, Saint Louis has the most losses of any league team. SLU is led by current C-USA Player of the Week Scott Peden, who ranks ninth and eighth respectively in the league in RBI and home runs. Johnny Sweeney paces the team in average at a .333. The Billikens are hitting a C-USA low .264 as team and have posted league-lows in slugging, home runs and total bases. Billiken pitchers have given up a conference-high 7.85 earned runs a game, while opposing hitters are hitting at a .334 clip, just one point higher than that of opponents hitters against Memphis. Ryan Bird is ranked in the league's top-10 with 53 strikeouts in 65.0 innings of work. Much like SLU, Memphis has posted C-USA lows in various categories such as on base percentage and doubles. Memphis' 330 strikeouts are the most in Conference USA. Despite those numbers, Ryan Martin continues to have success, leading the team and ranking in the conference in RBI and homers. The senior paces the Tigers in doubles, home runs, total bases, slugging and strikeouts. Freshman K.K. Chalmers has been a terror on the base paths for the Tigers. He leads the team and is fourth in the conference with 13 stolen bases. The Tiger bullpen has stabilized the staff's 7.08 ERA as relievers Drew Jaudon, Chris South and Tim Senter all have ERA's under 5.00. Jaudon leads the way with a 4.11 clip in 30.2 innings and 11 strikeouts. The staff has given up 56 home runs, fifth-most in the program's history.

04/28/05		Tiger Senior Student-Athletes Honored -- Heather Watts adds two awards at M-Club Luncheon (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Approximately 50 senior student-athletes were honored at the 24th Annual M-Club Luncheon at Fogelman Executive Center on the University of Memphis campus, Thursday afternoon. The honorees recently completed their respective senior seasons, while 38 of the honorees are preparing to graduate on May 7th. Senior men's tennis player Alex Bucewicz was honored as the Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. A four-year letterwinner for the men's tennis team, Bucewicz, an ITA Scholar-Athlete, became just the second Tiger in as many years to earn a national singles ranking, spending four weeks among the best singles players in the nation. An exercise science major, Bucewicz is also a Memphis nominee for All-Conference USA honors after capping his four-year career with an 89-41 singles record and a 63-34 mark in doubles. He is planning on attending graduate school and returning to his native Australia to hopefully work for the Institute of Sport in Melbourne. Women's tennis player Marlene Dirnstorfer was one of two student-athletes to receive the Female Scholar Athlete award from the M-Club. Dirnstorfer is a three-year letterwinner for the Lady Tigers and was a Conference USA Third Team honoree as a junior (and an all-conference nominee as a senior). The Pinsdorf, Austria, native is currently working on a master's degree after receiving her bachelor's degree in two years at Memphis. A two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete, Dirnstorfer led the Lady Tigers at No. 1 singles and doubles this season, wrapping her three-year career with a 53-35 singles record and a 51-34 doubles mark. A Co-SIDA Academic All-District IV At-Large Second Team honoree as a junior, Dirnstorfer hopes to work in International Business after she completes her master's degree and plans on moving to Australia. Volleyball setter Heather Watts rounded out the award winners with a pair of honors. Watts shared the Female Scholar Athlete Award with Dirnstorfer and was named the 2005 recipient of the Elma Roane Award. The Elma Roane Award is presented each year to the female student-athlete who possesses drive, enthusiasm and determination while maintaining a concern for others. The 2004-05 president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Watts capped her career as one of the most decorated volleyball players in Memphis history. An ESPN Academic All-American and an AVCA Honorable Mention All-America honoree as a senior, Watts was also named a Coca-Cola Community All-American and was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship worth $7,500 back in March. A two-time All-Conference USA honoree, Watts graduated in August of 2004 with her bachelor's degree. Recently married, Watts will be attending physical therapy school at the University of Utah. Elma Roane Award Winners (last 5 years): 2004-05: Heather Watts, Volleyball 2003-04: Veronica Ruiz, Soccer 2002-03: Sabrina Lindemann, Tennis 2001-02: Lauren Jackson, Basketball 2000-2001: April Harriman, Volleyball

04/28/05		Track and Field Teams Split Up for Three Meets in Three Regions of the Country -- Athletes will travel to Philadelphia, Pa., Stanford, Calif., and Monroe, La. (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - The Memphis track and field teams will once again split up this weekend to head to three meets in three regions of the country as athletes will travel to Philadelphia, Pa., Stanford, Calif., and Monroe, La. Jumpers Lisa-Marie Hyman, Janon Busby and Brandon Winbush, along with the men's 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams will travel to Philadelphia for the Penn Relays, one of the strongest meets, college and professional, in the country. Hyman and Winbush, who will compete in the women's triple jump and men's long jump, respectively, and both relay teams will be in action on Friday, while Busby will compete in the men's triple jump on Saturday. If the relay teams advance past the preliminary rounds, both event finals are set for Saturday afternoon. Lady Tiger distance runner Daniele Riendeau will be the only athlete to travel to Stanford as she will look for a 1500m Regional qualifying time at the Cardinal Invitational, one of the top distance meets in the country. The women's 1500m is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sunday night. The remainder of the U of M squads, men and women, will travel to Monroe for the Indian Classic, hosted by the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Competition is set to begin at 11 a.m. with the women's javelin. The first men's event will be the javelin, which is slated for 12 p.m. Running events will begin at 1:30 p.m. with the men's 3000m steeplechase, and all other events will follow in a rolling time schedule. Live results for the Penn Relays can be followed at www.thepennrelays.com, while the Cardinal Invitational will also have live results available at www.gostanford.com. Complete results and recaps for all three meets will be posted at gotigersgo.com following the completion of competition.

04/28/05		Response to Finch event 'tremendous' -- Tourney organizer Moody says coach plans to appear (Commercial Appeal)
		By Jason Smith Contact April 28, 2005 The e-mail was from a soldier in Baghdad. He wanted to know if he, too, could help Larry Finch. "He said he'd been reading about it, and that Larry Finch touched his life. He wanted to send a donation," said Ken Moody, organizer of Friday's Larry Finch Benefit Golf Tournament at The Links at Galloway. Moody, who played at Memphis during Finch's first season as head basketball coach in 1986, said he's been inundated with phone calls and e-mails since announcing plans last week for a benefit golf tournament intended to help with Finch's medical bills. Finch, Memphis's all-time winningest head coach, has been confined to a wheelchair since suffering a heart attack and two strokes in the fall of 2002 and is currently undergoing rehabilitation at Quince Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. "The tournament is full," Moody said Wednesday. "And the donations on top of the tee times have just been tremendous." Moody said he's collected $12,000 to $13,000 in donations for Finch. He also applauded the fund-raising efforts of Chuck House, a long-time Tiger basketball fan and season-ticket holder who, along with Nashville attorney Mike Dodd, has raised around $5,500 in cash for Finch through the memphistigers.org Web site. "What they've done is just awesome," Moody said. "They said they wanted to help. They wanted to start their own fund-raising thing and it's been wonderful. I was just so glad to see them take the initiative to do that." House said Wednesday a $4,850 electric wheelchair was also donated by a Texas businessman. "We're just guys on the Internet, but I was talking to the organizers and they said that this money will make a difference in Larry's life. It'll make his life better," House said. "That just touched me. I thought, 'OK, let's push this.'" Moody said Finch will be in attendance from noon to 1 p.m. Friday afternoon during the tournament, which has ballooned to include some 58 four-man teams. Moody had initially hoped to have 50 teams. "It'll be a long day, but it'll be worth it," he said. "I talked to Coach (Wednesday) and he's in good spirits. He said he can't wait to come out on Friday." -- Jason Smith: 529-5804 ---------------------------------------------- Larry Finch Benefit Golf Tournament What: A four-man scramble to raise money to help with former Tiger coach Larry Finch's medical bills. When: 8:30 a.m. Friday at The Links at Galloway. More information: Call Ken Moody at 454-5216 or e-mail moodykenneth@bellsouth.net.

04/28/05		Rebel reliever snuffs out Tiger rally -- Ole Miss 6, Memphis 5 (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 28, 2005 Tommy West and DeAngelo Williams threw out ceremonial first pitches before the start of Wednesday night's University of Memphis-Ole Miss baseball game at AutoZone Park, but the Tiger head football coach and all-America running back had nothing on another part-time pitcher. Ole Miss outfielder Brian Pettway snuffed out a potential Tiger rally in the eighth -- one inning after he'd driven in the go-ahead run -- by getting Memphis's K.K. Chalmers and Patrick Hope to ground out and he added a perfect ninth to lead the Rebels to a 6-5 victory before about 500. Pettway, the Rebels' leading hitter, made his 11th relief appearance of the season one of his best by retiring each of the five Tigers he faced. He entered the game with one out in the eighth after Robbie Goss had doubled -- Goss's fourth hit of the night -- and promptly coaxed Chalmers and Hope to ground out. His 1-2-3 ninth started with a strikeout of Collin Bastien, who had homered in the fourth to give the Tigers a 5-1 advantage, and ended with a Chris Newsom ground out. Pettway, who entered the game with a .424 average, earned his fourth save. ''We need to use him more,'' said Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco. ''If you ask me what's been the biggest mistake, or the thing you'd do differently, it would be pitching him more. ''We'd like Brian to be able to close games out or be that middle guy, or that setup guy, for Stephen (Head). But they bat so close in the lineup that a lot of times it's difficult, but we've got to learn to do it. He's one of the best arms we've got and, offensively, he's one of the best hitters in the country.'' Pettway went 2-for-5 as the Rebels (29-13) collected 14 hits, including four by Chris Coghlan. Ole Miss had 18 hits in a 13-4 win over Memphis Tuesday night in Oxford. Pettway had a 5.06 earned-run average in his 10 appearances before shutting down Memphis (10-30) Wednesday night. ''I just wanted to come in front of a good crowd, and in as nice a ballpark as I've played in, do my job and get some outs,'' Pettway said. ''I just wanted to throw the ball over the plate and see if they couldn't ground out and just let our defense make the plays. That's what I did. I just threw the ball over the plate and they hit it right to them.'' Memphis coach Daron Shoenrock said it was ''a good ballgame'', but the Tigers couldn't overcome an Ole Miss team that played error-free and hammered out 14 hits. ''I've got to credit Ole Miss,'' Schoenrock said. ''They played an errorless ballgame and they dominated making the routine plays. ''We jumped on them early and they kept coming back. After our four-run (third) inning, they used off-speed pitches effectively against us. In a one-run ballgame you can always trace it back to one or two things, but I'm proud of the way this team battled.'' -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

04/28/05		Texans invite Means to camp -- Good showing could lead to free-agent deal (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services April 28, 2005 University of Memphis defensive tackle Albert Means, who was not taken in last weekend's NFL Draft or signed as a free agent, has been invited to the Houston Texans rookie mini-camp that starts Friday. Means, a second-team All-Conference USA selection as a senior, was considered a potential late-round pick in the seven-round NFL Draft. Means had eight tackles for loss and four sacks as a senior, played in the East-West Shrine Game in California in January and was invited to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in late February. But neither Means or teammates Danny Wimprine and Robert Douglas were picked. Wimprine, the program's record-setting quarterback, signed a one-year free-agent deal with the Cleveland Browns. Douglas, a fullback, inked a two-year free-agent deal with the Tennessee Titans. If Means performs well in the three-day mini-camp it could lead to a free-agent deal. Means, a prep All-American at Trezevant High, signed with the University of Alabama, but transferred to the UofM midway through his freshman season.

04/27/05		Hunt has successful surgery (Daily Helmsman)
		From our press services April 27, 2005 University of Memphis junior Jeremy Hunt underwent surgery to repair an ACL tear and meniscus tear in his left knee Tuesday. Hunt suffered the injury in the Tigers' Mar. 23 NIT game against Vanderbilt. It is the same knee that was injured in February of the 2003-04 season. Hunt will begin rehabilitation of the knee as soon as possible. The rehab process will take approximately six months, and Hunt is expected to return in time for the start of the 2005-06 campaign. The 6-foot-4 guard suffered the injury at the 8:01 mark of the first half when he drove to the basket and was fouled. Hunt left the game at that point, and Darius Washington Jr. shot the two free throws. The Memphis, Tenn., native returned a couple of minutes later, but had to leave the game again. Hunt played in 26 games, starting the last seven prior to the injury. In the postseason (Tigers were 6-2), Hunt averaged 13.7 points and 4.3 rebounds. He shot 45.5 percent from the field and had 18 assists and 18 steals in those seven starts. Hunt scored a career-high 24 points versus Northeastern in the NIT first round and had a career-best seven steals against USF in the Conference USA Tournament semifinals. For the season, Hunt averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. He had 70 assists and 39 steals. Earlier this year, he missed eight games from Dec. 7 through Jan. 9 with a broken bone in his left wrist. He missed the Nov. 26 game against Maryland with a chest bruise. In the 2003-04 season, Hunt suffered his first ACL injury in a Feb. 20 practice. He underwent surgery Mar. 3, and traveled with the team to the Conference USA and NCAA Tournaments.

04/27/05		Three-Run Seventh Powers Ole Miss Past Tiger Baseball, 6-5 -- Robbie Goss posts career-high 4-for-4 night (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - #22 Ole Miss (29-13) 001 020 300 - 6 14 0 MEMPHIS (10-30) 004 100 000 - 5 10 1 Ole Miss scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to complete the season sweep of Memphis in a 6-5 decision Wednesday night at AutoZone Park. Memphis third baseman Robbie Goss had a career night, going 4-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. The Rebels got on top of the Tigers in the seventh after Cooper Osteen drew a one-out walk and Chris Coghlan followed with a single through the left side. Stephen Head ripped an RBI-single through the right side to plate Osteen. Head advanced to second on the throw to the plate and then took third when Tiger catcher Cory Barton's throw to second sailed wide and into shallow centerfield. Head scored the game-winning run when Brian Pettway doubled down the leftfield line. After Ole Miss scored the game's opening tally on a run-scoring double by Coghlan, Memphis answered with four runs in the bottom of the third. Jordan Tolliver and Ryan Martin ignited the rally with singles. Cory Barton tied the contest with a single that brought Tolliver in, and Robbie Goss gave Memphis a 2-1 lead with a single through the right side. K.K. Chalmers drilled a double down the leftfield line to scored Martin and Goss, giving Memphis a 4-1 cushion. Collin Bastien put the Tiger up 5-1 in the next frame on his first home run, a solo blast over the leftfield wall. Ole Miss charged back with two runs in the fifth before the game-winning three-run seventh. Stoney Stone was the winning pitcher for Ole Miss after allowing one run in three innings. Chris Davis was saddled with the loss after giving up three earned runs in two innings. Memphis will open a three-game C-USA series with Saint Louis on Friday. The weekend has been tabbed "Alumni Weekend" as the 1994 team will be honored as the last Memphis team to reach the NCAA Regionals.

04/27/05		Tiger Basketball Notes (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact April 27, 2005 Good news: Hunt surgery goes well University of Memphis basketball player Jeremy Hunt underwent successful surgery Tuesday morning to repair a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee. A 6-4 guard, Hunt's rehabilitation will begin within weeks, and be a familiar routine considering he also spent last season rehabbing a torn ACL. The Craigmont High graduate is expected to spend the next six months recovering, and return in time for the start of the 2005-2006 season, which will double as his senior year. Hunt played in 26 games as a junior. He averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per outing. Cerasoli to Memphis? Seton Hall freshman Justin Cerasoli is on the market and looking for a fresh start. The UofM has scholarships to give, and, like any team, could always use another ball-handler. Still, it doesn't appear Cerasoli will be a Tiger despite published reports speculating otherwise. Though two New Jersey newspapers reported Tuesday morning Memphis is a possible destination for the Seton Hall transfer, a source close to the UofM told The Commercial Appeal such a scenario is highly unlikely. According to the source, Memphis has had no contact with Cerasoli and doesn't plan on pursuing the troubled Chicago native. So why have the Tigers been mentioned? Perhaps because Cerasoli considered the UofM out of high school, and even participated in a camp at the Finch Center in summer 2003. But that all happened before he signed with Seton Hall, struggled this past season and earned a reputation as a problem, not unlike Sean Banks. Cerasoli averaged 6.2 points and 2.5 assists per outing this past season, but any good was overshadowed by lots of bad. He reportedly clashed with teammates all year and tried to be too flashy, much to the displeasure of coach Louis Orr. High expectations again Several media outlets are already speculating about next basketball season. Like last year, Memphis is getting lots of early respect. CBSSportsline.com and FoxSports.com each ranked the Tigers among the Top 20. ESPN's Dick Vitale has Memphis at No. 12, two spots behind longtime rival Louisville. -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

04/27/05		Rebels hammer Tigers -- Ole Miss 13, Memphis 4 (Commercial Appeal)
		By The Commercial Appeal April 27, 2005 OXFORD, Miss. -- Stephen Head hit two home runs and drove in five runs as Ole Miss feasted on Memphis pitching for a 13-4 victory Tuesday night. Ole Miss (28-13) pounded out 18 hits in the victory. The win was the Rebels' (28-13) fourth in the their last five games while the Tigers (10-28) have dropped 16 of their last 18. Head's first home run was a two-run shot in the first inning to give the Rebels a 2-0 lead. He had a sacrifice fly in the second to make it 3-0 and then had another two-run home run in the fourth to extend Ole Miss's lead to 8-0. Head has 14 home runs on the season. Mark Wright and Alex Kliman also homered in the game for the Rebels. le

04/26/05		Ole Miss Wins Series-Opener 13-4 -- Tigers Prepare for Rematch at AutoZone on Wednesday (GoTigersGo.com)
		OXFORD, Miss. - MEMPHIS (8-20) 000 300 010 - 4 5 1 #22 Ole Miss (24-10) 240 210 40X - 13 18 2 Ole Miss All-American Stephen Head went 2-for-3 and launched a pair of home runs to lead Ole Miss to a 13-4 win over Memphis in the series opener between the two schools. Ole Miss has now beaten the U of M in three consecutive games. However, Memphis will get the chance to snap that streak on Wednesday when they host the Rebels in the annual tilt at AutoZone Park. Tiger football head coach Tommy West and Heisman Trophy hopeful DeAngelo Williams will be on hand, as the duo will throw out the ceremonial first pitches. Official first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. Head got the Rebels rolling with his first home run of the evening, a two run blast over the rightfield wall. Head finished the night with five RBI and a pair of runs scored. A three-run shot by Mark Wright highlighted a four-run second inning as Mississippi increased its lead to 6-0. The frame opened with Justin Brashear and Cooper Osteen reaching on consecutive singles and Chris Coghlan drawing a walk to load the sacks. A sacrifice fly by Head scored Brashear for Ole Miss' third run of the game. Memphis cut the Ole Miss lead in half with a three-run fourth. Ryan Martin struck out, but reached on a wild pitch by Rebel starter Anthony Cupps. Adam Amar, who had two of the Tigers' five hits on the night, followed with a single up the middle. K.K. Chalmers put Memphis on the board with a two-run single up the middle. After Chalmers stole his 12th base of the season, Patrick Hope knocked an RBI-double to left to make it 6-3. It was all Ole Miss from the fifth inning on as the Rebs answered back with a pair of tallies in the home half of the fourth on Head's second round tripper of the night. Ole Miss extended its advantage to 9-3 on a fifth-inning RBI-double off the bat of Cooper Osteen. Pinch hitter Alex Kliman gave Ole Miss a 10-3 lead with a leadoff home run to start a four-run seventh inning. Brashear ripped an RBI-single up the middle and an Osteen run scoring double to the gap in left center made it 12-3. The Rebels scoring was capped by a pinch-hit RBI-single by Peyton Farr. Memphis scored a run in the eighth on a fielding error by the Ole Miss. Cupps picked up the win, striking out 12 in six innings. He allowed three earned runs on four hits. Blake Richardson took the loss after giving up nine runs on 11 hits in five innings of work. Tomorrow's game will be broadcast live with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/26/05		Kiss Moves Up National Ranks in 110m Hurdles -- Five U of M Regional qualifiers remain in Mideast and National rankings (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Following another tremendous performance at the Mississippi Open where he broke the school record in the 110m hurdles and improved his Regional qualifying time by over a tenth of a second, U of M senior Daniel Kiss continues to move up the national rankings in his specialty event. As the rankings came out Tuesday, Kiss, who has improved his time and ranking in three of the last four meets, found his mark of 13.67s tied for the fifth-fastest time in the nation for the outdoor season. Additionally, the Budapest, Hungary native has moved up from ninth to sixth in Trackwire's Dandy Dozen, which is a power ranking of the top 12 athletes and in each NCAA event. The Conference USA leader in the 110m hurdles, Kiss currently claims the top four times in C-USA this season and ranks third in the Mideast region for the event, behind only All-Americans Antwon Hicks of Ole Miss and Aries Merritt of Tennessee. In addition to Kiss, four other Memphis athletes have qualified for NCAA Regional Championships and hold down conference and national rankings. Heading the list is Lady Tiger Lisa-Marie Hyman, who leads C-USA and ranks seventh in the Mideast Region and 25th nationally in the triple jump with her leap of 42-00.75" (12.82m). A second Lady Tiger triple jumper, Victoria Crawford, sits 14th in the region and 42nd in the nation with her regional-qualifying bound of 41-00.50" (12.51m). On the men's side, fellow triple jumper Janon Busby leads the way with his C-USA topping mark of 50-08.25" (15.45m), which ranks eighth in the region and 27th nationally. The remaining Tiger to qualify for Regionals thus far is Brandon Winbush, whose leap of 24-06.25" (7.47m) ranks 11th in the region and 34th in the nation. A long list of additional Memphis athletes have legitimate shots at Regional qualifying standards and will have one more weekend of regular season competition along with C-USA Championships to reach those marks. The first of the two opportunities will come as the U of M squads split up for three meets this weekend. In a change of schedule, no Memphis athletes will go to the Drake Relays as originally scheduled. However, portions of the teams will travel to the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa., the Indian Classic in Monroe, La., and the Cardinal Invitational in Stanford, Calif. Follow results for all three meets this weekend at gotigersgo.com.

04/26/05		Women's Track Adds Third Distance Signee -- New Hampshire native Meghan Shinkwin should strengthen middle distance group (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - For the third time this year, the Memphis women's track and cross country team has looked to the Northeast portion of the U.S. to find a stellar distance runner to add to next year's squad, as the U of M recently inked Nashua, N.H., native Meghan Shinkwin to a National Letter of Intent. Shinkwin, from Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, is a standout in the middle distance events. Her time of 2:56.34 in the indoor 1000m ranks in the top 10 nationally among high school athletes, while she currently holds seven Bishop Guertin individual records in the indoor 300m, 400m, 600m, 800m and 1000m and the outdoor 400m and 800m. "Meghan has great ability and really good speed," said women's distance coach Jonas Holdman. "She certainly helps strengthen our middle distance group and should have a major impact next year." In addition to the individual accomplishments, Shinkwin has led her Bishop Guertin team to five Class L State Track Championships, including indoor titles in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and outdoor crowns in 2003 and 2004. For her roles on those teams, Shinkwin was voted MVP for the 2003 and 2004 indoor seasons and the 2004 outdoor season and chosen as team captain her junior and senior years. She was also recognized as the Nashua Telegraph Athlete of the Year for the 2004 outdoor season and the Lowell Sun Athlete of the Year for both the 2003 outdoor season and the 2004 indoor season. Shinkwin, the daughter of William and Robbin Shinkwin, is the third member of the 2005 signing class for the cross country and distance squad, with all three residing in the Northeast. The two previous signees were, fellow New Hampshire native, Carolyn Corbett from Concord and Emily Malinowski from Slingerlands, N.Y.

04/26/05		Jeremy Hunt's ACL Surgery A Success -- Tiger guard is expected to return in time for start of 2005-06 campaign (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - University of Memphis junior Jeremy Hunt underwent surgery to repair an ACL tear and meniscus tear in his left knee Tuesday. Hunt suffered the injury in the Tigers' Mar. 23 NIT game against Vanderbilt. It is the same knee that was injured in February of the 2003-04 season. Hunt will begin rehabilitation of the knee as soon as possible. The rehab process will take approximately six months, and Hunt is expected to return in time for the start of the 2005-06 campaign. The 6-foot-4 guard suffered the injury at the 8:01 mark of the first half when he drove to the basket and was fouled. Hunt left the game at that point, and Darius Washington Jr. shot the two free throws. The Memphis, Tenn., native returned a couple of minutes later, but had to leave the game again. Hunt played in 26 games, starting the last seven prior to the injury. In the postseason (Tigers were 6-2), Hunt averaged 13.7 points and 4.3 rebounds. He shot 45.5 percent from the field and had 18 assists and 18 steals in those seven starts. Hunt scored a career-high 24 points versus Northeastern in the NIT first round and had a career-best seven steals against USF in the Conference USA Tournament semifinals. For the season, Hunt averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. He had 70 assists and 39 steals. Earlier this year, he missed eight games from Dec. 7 through Jan. 9 with a broken bone in his left wrist. He missed the Nov. 26 game against Maryland with a chest bruise. In the 2003-04 season, Hunt suffered his first ACL injury in a Feb. 20 practice. He underwent surgery Mar. 3, and traveled with the team to the Conference USA and NCAA Tournaments.

04/26/05		Liberty Bowl to have noon kickoff -- Ties to C-USA are adjusted for 2005 (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 26, 2005 AutoZone Liberty Bowl executive director Steve Ehrhart said Monday this year's game -- the 12th straight played in the afternoon -- will kick off at noon on Dec. 31. Ehrhart said the combination of a noon kickoff, a Saturday playing date and a New Year's Eve game should give the bowl the opportunity to attract a large local contingent. "We think it's a wonderful date," Ehrhart said. "People will be off from work because it's a Saturday, and they can bring their families. "We debated whether to be on Friday afternoon (Dec. 30) or New Year's Eve. But the Dec. 31 date has worked well for us in the past. The game will be played during the warmest part of the day, and people will still have plenty of time to have a New Year's Eve party on Saturday night." The 2004 game, an exciting 44-40 Louisville win over Boise State, kicked off at 2:30 p.m. While the kickoff is set, there is uncertainty regarding the opponents. The bowl ended its affiliation last year with the Mountain West Conference to send its champion to play the Conference USA champion. While C-USA will provide one of the opponents this year, Ehrhart said it won't necessarily be the champion. C-USA is undergoing a shakeup next season, losing Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida, Army and TCU, while adding UTEP, Tulsa, SMU, Rice, Marshall and Central Florida. The shakeup will result in two six-team divisions, allowing the league to play its first conference title game. Ehrhart said Monday the Liberty Bowl isn't committed to taking the winner of the title game because of the massive changes to C-USA's membership. "We've officially listed (the opponents) on our application as the first selection from Conference USA on one side against a second team to be determined," Ehrhart said. Ehrhart said he submitted the information to the NCAA last week during annual bowl meetings in Phoenix. C-USA officials were not available for comment Monday. "Conference USA knows that is our position," Ehrhart said. "Our contract with Conference USA (to offer the champion) was determined before they announced a championship game. So it was in place prior to them creating a championship game. "We are still discussing it with them. We feel this makes the most sense for both the conference and the bowl with the changes in the conference and the advent of the championship game. We think it's in the best interests for both sides." Ehrhart said inviting the championship game winner remains an option. "This is the first year the league will have people traveling to a championship game," he said. "It's a league in transition. "It may very well be we invite the team that wins that game, but it's something we need to work through this year." As for the C-USA opponent, Ehrhart said he's had discussions with the Big East, the Big 12, the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Western Athletic Conference and with Navy, in addition to the Mountain West. "We are continuing discussions with basically everybody," Ehrhart said.

04/26/05		Artificial turf cheered -- West, Ehrhart tout Liberty's new field (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 26, 2005 University of Memphis football coach Tommy West is looking forward to the installation of an artificial surface at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium for what it can do for his program on non-game days. AutoZone Liberty Bowl executive director Steve Ehrhart calls the switch from natural grass to FieldTurf "a terrific step forward." And Southern Heritage Classic founder Fred Jones said he has "no reservations" about the change. Liberty Bowl Stadium manager Terry Norman and FieldTurf CEO John Gilman announced Monday that FieldTurf had been selected as the new surface, giving the 40-year-old facility its first artificial playing field. Turf installation is expected to begin next month, and the surface is scheduled to be ready before the Tigers' season opener Sept. 5 against Ole Miss on national television. FieldTurf is in use in more than 25 NCAA Division 1-A football stadiums, including Nebraska, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri and Louisville. The infill mix of silica sand and cryogenic rubber, together with a layering process, produces a surface that emulates grass. UofM athletic director R.C. Johnson said Monday that he allowed West and Tiger director of football operations John Flowers to have input in choosing the surface. "Louisville has it, Cincinnati has it and the GMAC Bowl (in Mobile, Ala.) has it," said Flowers, noting the Tigers have played recently at each of those venues. "It's a durable and consistent surface, and you can wear your regular football cleats on it. It's non-abrasive, too. You don't get burned like you did on the old artificial surfaces, and it's softer. It's like playing on a really good grass field." West said he's looking forward to having access to the field if rain makes the Murphy Athletic Complex practice fields unplayable. The Tigers had to reschedule several workouts last month because of wet fields. Ehrhart, whose 2005 Liberty Bowl game will be played Dec. 31 at noon, called it a "terrific surface" and said it will eliminate concern that some players and coaches have had in the past. The natural grass field had been bordered by an artificial surface on the sidelines and beyond the end zones. "There was always the issue of (potential) injuries to players going from the natural grass surface to the sidelines and the old artificial stuff," Ehrhart said. "A receiver would go from catching the ball inbounds on grass to another surface in one step." Flowers called the wall-to-wall FieldTurf surface a welcome change for the same reason. "The old field was dangerous," Flowers said. "There'll be no changing from one surface to the other." -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543 ---------------------------------------------- 'Field' Days The University of Memphis announced Monday that it will install FieldTurf, an artificial surface that emulates natural grass, to replace the natural grass recently torn out of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Who else plays on FieldTurf? 21 NFL teams At least 25 Division 1-A football teams West Memphis High (indoor practice facility)

04/26/05		Tigers to face Rebs tonight (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services April 26, 2005 The University of Memphis baseball team plays the first of two straight games against Ole Miss tonight at Oxford, Miss. On Wednesday, the Rebels will make the trip to Memphis for the annual game at AutoZone Park. Tiger football coach Tommy West and running back DeAngelo Williams will throw out the ceremonial first pitches for Wednesday's game. Memphis is 10-28, but has shown improvement as of late, splitting the last four Conference USA games. The Tigers went 1-2 against East Carolina over the weekend, including falling 3-0 Sunday on a no-hitter by Ricky Brooks. Ryan Martin leads Memphis in eight offensive categories. The senior designated hitter paces the team in average (.340), hits (50), doubles (10), triples (two), home runs (eight), RBI (43), total bases (88) and slugging percentage (.599). Fellow senior Chad House is the only other Tiger hitting over .300. The Tiger pitching staff has struggled this season with a 6.96 ERA -- the highest ERA in program history. Reliever Tim Senter has a team-best 4.15 ERA in 15 appearances and 26 innings of action. The Tiger pitching staff has given up 52 home runs, the fifth most ever given up by a Memphis staff. Ole Miss (27-13) dropped out the polls after losing three straight SEC series, but rebounded this past weekend to take two of three from Georgia. Ole Miss has a potent offense with Brian Pettway leading a group of six regulars that are hitting above .300. Pettway is hitting a sizzling .429 with a team-high 66 hits, 16 doubles and a .747 slugging clip. Two-time All-American and 2004 SEC Player of the Year Stephen Head leads the team with 12 home runs. The two-way star also paces the Rebel pitching staff with a 7-2 record in 13 appearances. The Rebs have hit 47 home runs this year and have outscored opponents by a combined score of 302-190.

04/26/05		Liberty Bowl to unveil FieldTurf (Daily Helmsman)
		Daniel Ford contact April 26, 2005 Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium will have a brand-new look for the 2005 season opener. Stadium manager Terry Norman and John Gilman, CEO of FieldTurf, announced that installation on the artificial surface will begin next month to replace the natural grass field and artificial turf sidelines currently in place. Tigers football coach Tommy West said the new surface has one major advantage over the natural grass field. "The two wettest seasons in this region happen to be during the fall and the spring and our football team generally has to practice and prepare in wet conditions," West said in a statement released Monday. "Now, with the installation of FieldTurf at our stadium, even if the fields at our practice facility are wet, we will have perfect conditions in which to practice." The turf will bring a much-needed facelift to the 40-year-old facility. More than 25 other Division I schools have already made the switch to the new surface. These include Michigan, Oregon, Nebraska, Missouri and Washington. Gilman said The U of M's decision to install FieldTurf will hopefully give the company a presence in the southeast. "This is a tremendous coup for FieldTurf," Gilman said. "All football fans are very familiar with the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. It is one of the most venerable and well-known facilities in the South, which as we all know, is the hot bed of college football. There is so much history and tradition in the 40 years since the Liberty Bowl has been built, and we at FieldTurf are very proud to be involved. "... I am completely confident that the Memphis Tigers' players and coaches, along with the top college teams that will be competing in future Liberty Bowls, will love the playability and the safety of the new FieldTurf field." Although FieldTurf is still breaking into college football, the National Football League is very farmiliar with the state-of-the-art turf. Of the NFL's 32 franchises, 21 currently use field turf.

04/26/05		Wimprine takes one-year contract with Cleveland Browns (Daily Helmsman)
		Daniel Ford contact April 26, 2005 No University of Memphis football players went in the seven rounds of the NFL Draft held this weekend, but that isn't the end of the road for at least two seniors. Quarterback Danny Wimprine was called Sunday and agreed to a one-year free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns. Wimprine set virtually every passing record in his four years at Memphis including most passing yards, touchdowns, attempts and completions. The situation in Cleveland could prove favorable for Wimprine. Of the Browns three quarterbacks, only one, Trent Dilfer, has more than one year of experience in the league. Wimprine will compete with Dilfer, University of Akron quarterback Charlie Frye and second-year quarterback Josh Harris for a roster spot. Memphis fullback Robert Douglas also signed a free agent deal. Douglas stayed close to home, inking a two-year contract with the Tennessee Titans. Douglas helped his stock tremendously after turning in some impressive numbers at The U of M's pro day earlier this month. Douglas' main job this season was opening holes for All-America running back DeAngelo Williams, but the fullback also caught seven passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for two more. Defensive tackle Albert Means was tabbed by some experts as a late round pick, but didn't hear his name called during Sunday's draft coverage. Means' agent, Brian Parker, said he expects his client to sign a free agent deal soon. Parker is also the agent for Wimprine and Douglas. Last year, Memphis had one player drafted -- Pittsburgh selected defensive tackle Eric Taylor in the seventh round. In 2003, tackle Wade Smith and wide receiver Travis Anglin were drafted. They stand as the only two Tigers' offensive players selected since quarterback Steve Matthews in 1994.

04/25/05		Baseball Prepares for Ole Miss Series -- Tommy West and DeAngelo Williams to throw out ceremonial first pitches at AutoZone Park (Commercial Appeal)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis baseball squad will finalize its season-long six-game road stretch on Tues., Apr. 26 when they travel to Oxford for the first of a two-game series with Ole Miss. The Rebels will make the trip to Memphis on Wed., Apr. 27, for the annual tilt at AutoZone Park. Tiger football head coach Tommy West and star running back DeAngelo Williams will throw out the ceremonial first pitches for Wednesday's game at AutoZone. The official first pitch for both games is set for 6:30 p.m. General admission to the AutoZone game is $8 and all U of M students get in free with a valid school ID. Children two and younger are also admitted free. Season tickets for Nat Buring games will not be honored for this game. There will be a free concert by Inner 61, beginning at 5:30 p.m. and the first 400 students will receive a free t-shirt. Memphis is just 10-28, but has shown improvement as of late, splitting the last four Conference USA games. The Tigers enter the rivalry week on the heels of their sixth straight league series loss. Memphis dropped two games to ECU over the weekend, including a 3-0 decision in which Pirate pitcher Ricky Brooks recorded C-USA's first-ever league no-hitter. The U of M was shutout twice in the three game series and was outscored 20-8. Ryan Martin leads Memphis in eight offensive categories. The senior designated hitter paces the team in average (.340), hits (50), doubles (10), triples (2), home runs (8), RBI (43), total bases (88) and slugging percentage (.599). He is ranked in the top-10 in the conference in slugging, RBI, home runs and total bases. Fellow senior Chad House is the only other Tiger that is hitting over .300. Martin collected his 25th career home run and 100th career RBI in the 8-5 win over ECU on Saturday. He is just the 10th Tiger baseballplayer ever to hit as many as 25 round trippers in a career. Memphis is hitting .271 as a team with a league-high 307 strikeouts this year. The Tiger pitching staff has struggled this season and has yielded a 6.96 ERA--the highest ERA in program history thus far. Reliever Tim Senter has a team-best 4.15 ERA in 15 appearances and 26 innings of action. The staff has given up 52 home runs which is currently the fifth most ever given up by a Memphis staff. Ole Miss dropped out the polls after losing three straight SEC series, but rebounded this past weekend to take two of three from Georgia. Ole Miss has a potent offense with Brian Pettway leading a group of six regulars that are hitting above .300. Pettway is hitting a sizzling .429 with a team-high 66 hits, 16 doubles and a .747 slugging clip. To-time All-American and 2004 SEC Player of the Year Stephen Head leads the team with 12 home runs. The two-way star also paces the Rebel pitching staff with a 7-2 record in 13 appearances. The Rebs have hit 47 round trippers this year and have outscored opponents by a combined score of 302-190. They average 7.5 runs per contest. The Rebel pitching staff has been solid, holding opposing hitters to a .272 average while maintaining a 4.07 ERA. Matt Maloney leads the staff with a 2.11 ERA and 69 strikeouts. Ole Miss has fanned 317 on the year. Maloney also has four saves. Pettway also has seen action on the hill, logging three saves in 10.2 innings of relief. The Tigers' oldest rival, Memphis holds a 52-82-1 all-time mark against Ole Miss. The Rebel's and Tigers' history dates back to the 1915 season. The Tigers 52 wins against the Rebs are the fourth most against any opponent, while the 82 losses ranks as the highest. Memphis was swept in last year's series as Ole Miss handed the Tigers their worst home loss in history, 19-0, at AutoZone. Memphis has not beaten the Rebels since a 6-3 win in 2003. The U of M has lost six of the last seven meetings. Due to the rainout on March 22, this year's series will mark the first time since 1991 that the games have been played back-to-back. Tiger fans can listen to the live broadcast of both games, as Jeff Brightwell "The Voice of Tiger Baseball" calls the play-by-play action on WUMR FM 91.7.

04/25/05		Flavia Russo Signs With Memphis for 2005-06 -- Becomes second product of Bollettieri Academy to join Memphis (Commercial Appeal)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis women's tennis team added one more signee for the 2005-06 season as Flavia Russo, originally from Brazil, signed with the Lady Tigers for the upcoming season. "Flavia brings some good, solid experience that she has gained at Bollettieri's in Florida," Head Coach Charlotte Peterson said. "She has a great outlook and is excited about coming and helping the team get up to its former competitive level." Russo is the daughter of Marco and Maria Fernanda Russo and came to the U.S. four years ago from her native Sao Paulo, Brazil. She spent two years at Saddlebrook in Tampa before spending the last two seasons at the Pendleton School/Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. At Pendleton, Russo has played in the Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl tournaments, and has also played in ITF tournaments in Costa Rica, Guadaloupe, Barbadoes, El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago. "Since the beginning, I had a very good impression of the school and the major that I wanted to study (at Memphis) is well-known too," Russo said. "Also, tennis is very important to me and the coach made me feel confident, as well as the team." Russo is planning on majoring in International Relations at Memphis. On the court, Russo has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Brazilian Super National, and has won the Copa NHR de Tenis and the Credicard Campos do Jordao and the Labor Day Championships. She has also competed in the Bollettieri Championships and the Angela Maria Lopera. Russo joins fellow Bradenton product Ekin Zafir of Turkey on the Lady Tigers' 2005-06 signee list. This will be the first signee from both Brazil and Turkey for Peterson. The Lady Tigers capped their 2004-05 season at the Conference USA Championships last weekend tied for 11th place in the standings. Memphis was 5-14 at the end of the season and graduates one, as senior Marlene Dirnstorfer, the Lady Tigers' No. 1 singles and doubles player will cap her three-year Memphis career at graduation on May 7th.

04/25/05		ECU gets no-hitter vs. Tigers (Commercial Appeal)
		By From Our Press Services April 25, 2005 GREENVILLE, N. C. -- East Carolina starter Ricky Brooks threw the first nine-inning no-hitter in Conference USA history to lead the Pirates to a 3-0 win over the University of Memphis in the series finale Sunday afternoon. The sophomore fanned a career-high 14 Tiger batters and faced just one batter over the minimum. Brooks allowed just two batters to reach base. The Pirates got all the offense they needed in the first inning on an RBI-single by Ryan Peisel. Stephen Gostkowski took the loss despite scattering just six hits over seven innings.

04/25/05		NFL teams pass on trio of Tigers -- Douglas, Wimprine reach free-agent deals (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact April 25, 2005 They had the television on Saturday morning when Utah quarterback Alex Smith was taken by the San Francisco 49ers with the first pick of the NFL Draft. And they had it on late Sunday afternoon when Andy Stokes was picked by the New England Patriots with the 255th, and final, selection. University of Memphis fullback Robert Douglas and his mom, Delores Bean of St. Louis, watched every pick as it was announced. They went the distance -- seven agonizing rounds without the decision they were seeking. Douglas wasn't drafted. Neither were two other Tiger hopefuls -- quarterback Danny Wimprine and defensive tackle Albert Means. While they were frustrated at not having ESPN's Mel Kiper analyze their potential, Douglas and Wimprine didn't have an unproductive end to the weekend. Douglas was signed late Sunday as an undrafted free agent by the Tennessee Titans. Wimprine accepted an offer from the Cleveland Browns. ''Of course I wanted to get drafted,'' Douglas said. ''But it didn't work out that way. After the fifth round I didn't want to get picked. I wanted to go somewhere where I'd have a choice. I wanted to go as a free agent, somewhere where I'd be able to make the team. Tennessee may be the best place for me.'' While the Memphis trio went undrafted, several Mid-South area schools had players go on the second day. In the fourth round, Mississippi State offensive tackle David Stewart was taken by the Titans and teammate Ronald Fields, a defensive tackle, went in the fifth round to the 49ers. Also in the fifth, Arkansas linebacker Jeb Huckeba was taken by Seattle. Two Vanderbilt players -- defensive end Jovan Haye and guard Justin Geisinger -- were selected in the sixth round, as was Tennessee running back Cedric Houston. Haye went to Carolina, Geisinger to Buffalo and Houston to the New York Jets. In the seventh round, Ole Miss fullback Rick Razzano was selected by Tampa Bay. Douglas was considered a possible draft choice after a strong NFL Pro Day workout in Memphis. And Means was tabbed a potential late-round pick after being the only Tiger invited to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis earlier this spring. Despite breaking virtually every school passing record in four years as a starter, Wimprine wasn't expected to be chosen. That didn't keep him, or his family, from the television set late Sunday afternoon hoping for a surprise. While a draft call didn't come, a free-agent offer did. Late Sunday Wimprine spoke briefly with Cleveland Browns' quarterback coach Rip Scherer, the former Tiger coach who recruited Wimprine to Memphis. ''Rip called and offered me a chance, he said I was going to get a shot,'' Wimprine said. ''I don't care how I get there, I just want to be up there and competing.'' Brian Parker, the Memphis-based agent for the three Tiger players, called Cleveland ''a great situation for Danny when you factor in his relationship with coach Scherer.'' Parker said he expected Means ''to be in the next wave of (free-agent) signings.'' In his 36-game career with the Tigers, Means had 16 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Douglas, who played linebacker and fullback in his career, became a key member of the Tiger backfield last season. A punishing blocker, Douglas also caught seven passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for two others. Douglas's mom admitted it was painful to endure the 255 picks and not hear her son's name called, but she isn't criticizing how the situation unfolded. ''I told him if he had to be a free agent, Tennessee was the best place because it's in Memphis's backdoor,'' she said. ''It's much closer to me than some team on the East coast or the West coast. ''I think everybody would like to have their name called out, but the way I see it is it's still an opportunity for him to get into the league. I feel like he's still blessed.''

04/25/05		Loyola center mulls future at U of M (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact April 25, 2005 Loyola University Chicago is a fine school in a fine city with lots of fine people. But best as Tyrelle Blair can tell, it's no place for a shotblocker to gain recognition. Exposure. That's the buzz word among most aspiring basketball players these days. So given the University of Memphis was on national television 17 times this past season, it should be no surprise Blair is considering transferring into John Calipari's program. "Loyola just isn't the place for me because I need somewhere where I can get more exposure," he said. "I'm probably not going to average 20 points per game. But at a smaller school, that's what you've got to do to get noticed. So I want to go somewhere where the small stuff I do -- like blocking shots and going in and rebounding -- gets me noticed." A 6-11, 220-pound center, Blair spent the weekend in Memphis growing familiar with the city and, possibly, his future teammates. On Saturday, he played pick-up with the Tigers and fared well against Joey Dorsey, Simplice Njoya and the other big men. Then on Sunday, Blair returned to the Finch Center and worked out again, showing glimpses of promise that could benefit the program, specifically the ability to disrupt shots with his long, lanky frame. Plus -- and this is from the U of M's standpoint-- there are not a whole lot of nearly 7-foot, skilled prospects on the market, not with the NBA eating them up in the spirit of potential. Consequently, Memphis is more than willing to take a look at Blair, despite modest averages of 5.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game during his sophomore season at Loyola University Chicago in which he blocked 50 shots in 30 games. "Tyrelle is still a little raw from playing at (a lower) level," said Memphis forward Waki Williams. "But with the help of Coach Cal and the rest of the coaching staff, he could really be a good player." Blair is scheduled to return to Chicago this morning and probably won't make a decision on his future until next month. Next weekend, the Tallahassee, Fla., native will visit West Virginia. He is also considering Boston College and Texas A&M. No matter which school Blair chooses, he will have to sit out next season per NCAA transfer rules. He could first dress for the 2006-2007 campaign and would have two years of eligibility left.

04/24/05		Baseball No-hit in 3-0 Loss in ECU Series Finale -- Tigers drop sixth straight league series (GoTigersGo.com)
		GREENVILLE, N. C. - MEMPHIS (10-27, 4-13 C-USA) 000 000 000 - 0 0 2 East Carolina (22-16, 8-9 C-USA) 100 002 00X - 3 7 0 ECU starter Ricky Brooks threw the first nine-inning no-hitter in Conference USA history to lead the Pirates to a 3-0 win over Memphis in the series finale Sunday afternoon. The sophomore fanned a career-high 14 Tiger batters and faced just one batter over the minimum. ECU claims its fourth consecutive league win over Memphis with the win. Brooks allowed just two batters to reach in the contest. Chris Newsom reached on a wild pitch after he struck out and Jordan Tolliver followed with a fielder's choice groundball. The Pirates got all the offense they needed in the first inning on an RBI-single by Ryan Peisel. They benefited from a pair of balks to score a pair in the sixth to cap the scoring. A leadoff walk by Jamie Ray ignited the inning and a balk allowed him to advance to second. He then crossed with the Pirate's second tally on another balk by Tiger pitcher Stephen Gostkowski. An infield error by Memphis plated the final ECU run. Gostkowski was the hard-luck loser in the game. The junior righthander scattered six hits over seven innings and allowed just two earned runs. He fanned four. Memphis will now prepare to wrap up its season-long six-game road trip on Tues, Apr. 26 when they travel to Oxford, Miss. To take on Ole Miss. Memphis will return home on Wed., Apr. 27 in the annual tilt with Ole Miss at AutoZone Park. First pitch for both ballgames is set for 6:30 p.m. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/24/05		Hurdlers and Jumpers Shine at Mississippi Open -- Kiss Improves Regional Qualifying Mark; Sets School Record in 110m Hurdles (GoTigersGo.com)
		Oxford, Miss. - On a cool spring day in Oxford, the Memphis hurdlers and jumpers put together several sweltering performances to lead the track and field squads at the Mississippi Open, hosted by Ole Miss. Senior Daniel Kiss highlighted the Memphis exploits, as he improved his nationally ranked and Regional qualifying time in the 110m hurdles, setting a school record in the process. Kiss put together his third stellar race in three trips to Oxford, posting a time of 10.67s 110m hurdles to improve upon his previous time of 10.80s, which ranked fourth in the nation entering the meet. The mark also set a new Tiger record for the event, breaking Olympian Terron Wright's record of 10.79s from 1981. Kiss finished second in the race, just behind All-American Antwon Hicks of Ole Miss, who is currently the top-ranked collegiate hurdler in the country. In addition to Kiss, two Lady Tiger hurdlers had big days at in Oxford. Leading the way was junior Josetta Brooks, who put up her second-consecutive solid performance in the 400m hurdles logging a time of 1:03.73 to break TriNikka Davis' Lady Tiger record and post back-to-back victories in her specialty event. Fellow hurdler, Sheena Ohlig added her best performance of the season, setting a personal record of 14.40s in a second-place tally in the 100m hurdles. Tiger 400m hurdler Larry Harris also had his best performance of the season, logging a time of 55.07s for a second-place finish. The jumping events, which have been a strong suit of the U of M squads throughout the season, produced two further victories along with a runner-up finish. Janon Busby posted two solid performances, claiming a first and a second-place finish. The senior's victory came with a personal-best leap of 6-08.75" (2.05m) in the high jump, while he finished runner-up to All-American Brandon Atkinson of Ole Miss in the triple jump with a bound of 50-00.00" (15.25m) to best the Regional qualifying standard for the fourth time of the season. Lisa-Marie Hyman registered the second victory, taking her third triple-jump title in five meets with a mark of 41-00.00" (12.70m), which bettered the Regional qualifying standard, although the senior had previously qualified with a school-record leap of 42-00.75" (12.82m). In other jumping action, Chen Edri placed third in the high jump with a leap of 5-05.00" (1.65m), also placing third in the javelin with a toss of 123-10" (37.75m). The U of M throwers saw a pair of athletes, Norbert Gulyas and Sivan Aballi, put up two top-four performances apiece. Gulyas registered two top-three showings, finishing second to former U of M star Stein Syverson in the shot put with a season-best effort of 50-03.50" (15.33m) and placing third in the discus with a toss of 161-00" (49.08m). Aballi recorded two top-four performances, placing second in the discus with a heave of 141-08" (43.17m), while posting a fourth-place toss of 40-06.25" (12.35m) in the shot put to record a personal best in the event for the third meet in a row. The running events produced several more solid results for both the Tigers and Lady Tigers. Leading the way was Willie Green, who set a personal record in the 100m for the third time of the season, placing fourth in a time of 10.54s, and missing a Regional qualifying time by just four hundredths of a second. Green the men's 4x100m relay team, then, fell just off of its season-best performance of 40.79s from last weekend, but still placed second with a time of 41.03s. Sue-Ann Bowen was the top finisher for the Lady Tigers in the running events, placing second in the 800m with a personal-best time of 2:19.33. The U of M track and field squads will be back in action next weekend, as they are expected split up for three meets in three different areas of the country. Several men's sprinters are scheduled to travel to Philadelphia, Pa., for the historic Penn Relays, while the men's throwers and jumpers, along with their Lady Tiger counterparts, are slated to head to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Drake Relays. The remainder of the women's team will take the road for Monroe, La., for the Indian Classic, hosted by the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

04/24/05		Sound Off: A fan of Finch (Commercial Appeal)
		I just sent a check to the "Friends of Larry Finch" to help with his rehab expenses. He provided so much joy to me and my family as a player, coach, and as a role model that we just had to help, even though my wife, a professional fund raiser, says the donation can't be taken off our taxes because it is going to help an individual. But we decided that's OK anyway because Larry is worth it. I hope others do the same. I was in a rehab hospital just a few months ago, so I know some of what Larry is going through. If you have enjoyed Larry's life you, too, should think about helping. It has been almost 30 years since I left Memphis, and over 35 years since I was graduated from Memphis State University. But events and people like Larry Finch have helped me relate from a distance. Dick Byrd Phoenixville, Pa.

04/23/05		Tiger Baseball Sinks ECU, 8-5 -- Sunday's rubber-match slated for 11 a.m. first pitch (GoTigersGo.com)
		GREENVILLE, N. C. - MEMPHIS (9-27, 3-13 C-USA) 230 110 100 - 8 10 1 East Carolina (22-15, 8-8 C-USA) 000 200 300 - 5 15 2 Memphis grabbed the lead early and never looked back en route to an 8-5 win over ECU in game two of the Conference USA series. Freshman pitcher Neil Schenk scattered 12 hits and struck out four in six and one-thirds innings of work to pick up his first collegiate win. Freshman K.K. Chalmers went 3-for-5 with his first collegiate home run. The Southaven High product was a triple shy of the cycle. The Tiger freshmen weren't the only stars of the afternoon for Memphis. Senior DH Ryan Martin had a 2-for-4 outing and Jordan Tolliver went 3-for-5 with three runs scored. Martin knocked his career-high eighth homer of the season and 25th of his career, placing him in a four-way tie for seventh all-time. He also drove in his 99th and 100th career runs on the drive. After being two-hit in Friday night's series opener, a more aggressive Tiger offense showed up for game two. Chad House drew a walk to leadoff the game and Tolliver followed with a single to center. An RBI-ground ball by Adam Amar put the Tigers on the board, and a sacrifice fly by Robbie Goss made it 2-0. Memphis struck for three more scores in the second to chase ECU starter Scott Andrews after an inning and two-thirds. Andrews was saddled with the loss. The frame was highlighted by Martin's two-run bomb that hit the light pole in right centerfield. A two-out rally in the fourth resulted in a Tiger run to put them up 6-0. Tolliver, Martin and Amar posted consecutive hits, with Amar's single through the right side driving in Tolliver. The ECU offense came alive in the home half of the fourth. Singles by Ryan Peisel and Drew Costanzo started the rally. Jake Smith reached on an infield error to load the bases. An RBI-fielder's choice by Jay Mattox cut the lead to 8-3. Dale Mollenhauer's single scored Costanzo. Memphis answered back with a run in the fifth when Chalmers tucked a line drive over the wall just inside the rightfield foul pole for his first collegiate home run. Chalmers came through in the seventh with a clutch RBI-double that scored Cory Barton from first and gave Memphis an 8-2 advantage. The Pirates made a charge to cut the game to a three-run contest at 8-5 in the seventh. Three straight singles by Mark Minicozzi, Adam Witter and Peisel loaded the bases. Minicozzi came in to score on a wild pitch by Tiger reliever Drew Jaudon. A bases loaded single to left off the bat of Smith brought a pair of ECU runs in. Amar also posted multiple hits and RBI in the contest, going 2-for-5 with a pair of runs batted in. Memphis and East Carolina will wrap up the series with the rubber match on Sunday. The first pitch, which was originally scheduled for 1 p.m., has been moved ahead to 11 a.m. Eastern to accommodate the Tigers' travel schedule and remain in compliance with new NCAA game rules. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/23/05		Tiger Notes (basketball) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact April 23, 2005 Loyola of Chicago center could transfer to U of M Loyola University Chicago basketball player Tyrelle Blair is visiting the University of Memphis this weekend and could transfer into the program by the summer semester. A 6-11, 220-pound center, Blair averaged 5.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this past season for the Ramblers. The sophomore started 23-of-30 contests and recorded a team-high 50 blocks. If Blair transfers to Memphis, he would have to sit out next season per NCAA rules. The native of Tallahassee, Fla., could first dress for the Tigers during the 2006-07 campaign and he would have two years of eligibility remaining. Recruit waiting for score Memphis signee Chris Douglas-Roberts recently took the SAT. On Friday, the Detroit native said he's optimistic his score will meet freshman eligibility requirements. "The score should be back next week," Douglas-Roberts said. "I feel good about it." A 6-5 guard, Douglas-Roberts is one of two Memphis signees who has yet to qualify academically, the other being Ricky Sanchez of IMG Academy in Florida. Consequently, these are stressful times for the Tiger staff, which finds itself possibly heading into next season shorthanded if Shawne Williams remains in the NBA Draft, and, in a worst-case scenario, only three of the six UofM signees enroll. The situation breaks down like this: Though it hasn't happened yet, Douglas-Roberts is expected to get his test score, and move to campus June 5. Those close to the program aren't too concerned he won't make it. Meanwhile, the staff isn't counting on having Sanchez available next season, though it reiterated Friday there is still a possibility the native of Puerto Rico could earn a sufficient SAT score and enroll at Memphis. If he doesn't, however, the 6-11 wing would likely re-enroll at IMG Academy. As for Williams, his future remains unclear. The 6-9 wing told The Commercial Appeal last week he will declare for the NBA Draft, but only remain in if he is projected to be a first-round draft pick. At this point, Williams doesn't appear to be first-round material. So who knows? But for what it's worth, the former Hamilton High star is scheduled to return to Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute Prep on Sunday to complete class work that will ensure his eligibility if he decides to use it. Williams has until June 21 to withdraw from the June 28 draft. -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

04/22/05		Baseball Tigers Shutout by ECU, 12-0 -- Saturday's game moved to 1 p.m. Eastern (GoTigersGo.com)
		GREENVILLE, N. C. - MEMPHIS (9-27, 3-13 C-USA) 000 000 000 - 0 2 5 East Carolina (22-15, 8-8 C-USA) 331 202 10X - 12 15 1 The Memphis defense committed five errors to help ECU to six unearned runs, while the Pirate pitchers struck out 14 Tiger hitters en route to a 12-0 shutout Friday night in the series opener. The win was the sixth straight league win for the Pirates. Memphis' offensive struggled against ECU as just five Tigers reached base in the game. Ryan Martin went 2-for-3 and was the only U of M player to hit safely. ECU scored often and early in handing the Tigers their second shutout of the year. Back-to-back RBI-doubles by Mark Minicozzi and Adam Witter got the Pirates on the board in the first. Adam Peisel followed with a run-scoring triple to put ECU up 3-0. A Dale Mollenhauer triple ignited a three-run second inning. He then scored on an infield error by the Tigers. A sac fly by Minicozzi and a single by Witter gave the Pirates a commanding 6-0 cushion. ECU tacked on a run in the third and two more in the fourth to make it 9-0. A two-run single off the bat of Mollenhauer in the sixth extended the Pirate lead to 11-0. An RBI-single by Witter capped the scoring at 12-0. Witter and Mollenhauer each went 4-for-5 on the night to lead the Pirate offense. Witter added four RBI and a run, while Mollenhauer posted two RBI and two runs. Four ECU hitters recorded multiple hits. ECU roughed up Memphis starter Daniel de Armas (2-3) for four extra base hits in his one and one-thirds innings of work. The senior gave up five runs, four of which were earned, in a losing effort. T.J. Hose (3-3) was the beneficiary of the potent Pirate offense as he picked up the win. The freshman hurled six innings of shutout ball, gave up two hits and faced just four over the minimum. Pirate reliever P.J. Connelly was perfect, striking five of the nine batters he faced in three innings of scoreless relief. Memphis and East Carolina will play game two of the series on Saturday. The first pitch, which was originally scheduled for 2 p.m., has been moved ahead to 1 p.m. Eastern due to the threat of inclement weather. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

04/22/05		Southern Miss Ends Women's Tennis Season With 4-1 Win -- Lady Tigers Wrap Year With 5-14 Record (GoTigersGo.com)
		Southern Miss used a 4-1 win over Memphis to advance in the C-USA Women's Tennis Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas, Friday night. The 4-1 USM win marks the end of the Lady Tiger season, giving Memphis a record of 5-14 on the year. Match 14 - (8) Southern Miss 4, (12) Memphis 1 Records: Southern Miss (13-6), Memphis (5-14) Singles 1. Marlene Direnstrofer (Mem) def. Nicola Slater (USM) 6-2, 6-2 2. Sherry Price (USM) def. Andrea Feichtinger (Mem) 6-2, 6-0 3. Nikhila Narra (USM) def. Brooke Cowie (Mem) 6-4, 6-1 4. Jennifer Sibille (USM) vs. Kristin Noble (Mem) - DNF 6-3, 1-5 (USM leading) 5. Grace Kammerer (USM) def. Christina Wieser (Mem) 7-5, 6-0 6. Ali Blackett (USM) vs. Alex Tjioe (Mem) - DNF 7-6(6) 2-2 (USM leading) Doubles 1. Sherry Price/Nikhila Narra (USM) vs. Marlene Direnstrofer/Brooke Cowie (Mem) - DNF 8-7 (Mem leading) 2. Mireia Gol/Luiza Borges (USM) def. Andrea Feichtinger/Alex Tjioe (Mem) 8-3 3. Raluca Baicu/Alex Smith (USM) def. Kristin Noble/Christina Wieser (Mem) 8-5

04/22/05		Men's Tennis Upset at C-USA Championships -- Falls to USF, 4-1 (GoTigersGo.com)
		LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Sixth-seeded South Florida upset fourth-seeded Memphis 4-1 Friday in the quarterfinals of the 2005 Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center. The teams began the match playing doubles outdoors. The Tigers' Alex Bucewicz and Marten Tamla defeated Andreas Maroldt and Marc Jaeger 8-3 at No. 2. Mark Finnegan and Alex Jago beat Juan Barragan and Dillon Brozyna 8-5 at the No. 3 spot to clinch the doubles point. The teams moved inside when inclement weather set in and had to wait out a tornado warning before beginning the singles matches. When singles finally began, Maroldt tied the match at 1-1 as he defeated Jago 6-4, 6-3 at No. 4. Brozyna topped Scott Felsenthal 7-6, 6-3 at No. 6 to give the Bulls a 2-1 lead. Kiendl defeated Bucewicz 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 at the top spot to make it a 3-1 match. Barragan outlasted James Spence 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 at No. 2 to clinch the match. USF will face top-seeded Tulane in a semifinal match Saturday at noon. Match Summary * USF 4 * Memphis 1 Singles 1. Uli Kiendl, USF def. Alex Bucewicz, MEM 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 2. Juan Barragan, USF def. James Spence, MEM 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 3. Marten Tamla, MEM vs. Federico Barton, USF 6-4, 6-7, 2-1 susp. 4. Andreas Maroldt, USF def. Alex Jago, MEM 6-4, 6-3 5. Marc Jaeger, USF vs. Mark Finnegan, MEM 2-6, 7-6 (3), 3-2 6. Dillon Brozyna, USF def. Scott Felsenthal, MEM 7-6, 6-3 Order of finish: 4, 6, 1, 2 Doubles 1. Spence/Felsenthal, MEM vs. Kiendl/Barton, USF 7-4, susp. 2. Bucewicz/Tamla, MEM def. Maroldt/Jaeger, USF 8-3 3. Barragan/Brozyna MEM def. Finnegan/Jago USF 8-5 Order of finish: 2, 3

04/22/05		Men's Soccer Silent Auction Once Again a Success -- Event raises over $8,750 toward Tigers' tour of Europe in May (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - With the generosity of alumni and supporters the University of Memphis men's soccer program enjoyed a successful silent auction on Thursday, raising over $8,750 toward funding the team's tour of Europe in May. "The success of the silent auction is the success of a lot of people's involvement, time and energy," said Memphis head coach Richie Grant. "It really is an amazing Memphis soccer alumni and friends of the program effort. The money we raised goes a long way to helping our players go to Europe as a group. This has been a significant assistance to the trip we're taking." Following an extravagant dinner organized by the Tiger Scholarship group at Christian Brothers High School's Heffernan Hall, Northeastern State University soccer coach Charlie Mitchell delivered a motivating speech about players having confidence in their ability. Along with coaching current Memphis men's soccer assistant coach Robert Nicholson at NSU, Mitchell played professionally with the New York Cosmos alongside the legendary Pele in 1976. "Charlie had a wonderful message for the players," Grand said. "He valued confidence as one of the most important qualities that a player could have. He said the reason you should have the confidence is because the coaching staff recruited you. Obviously we see something in them in the beginning that draws them into our program. They should have that confidence to know they were recruited with a plan in mind for them." Among the items that were auctioned off was a framed Kansas City Wizards jersey signed by 2004 Memphis team captain Daniel Dobson who recently signed with the Major League Soccer team. Other items included a dinner at Cal's Steakhouse with head basketball coach John Calipari and items from local soccer stores Soccer USA and Soccer Stix. Trust One and First Tennessee were also large sponsors to the evening. The evening was emceed by former U of M soccer player Gareth O'Sullivan who scored 37 goals and 15 assists in his 74 games for Memphis from 1989-92. O'Sullivan is third all time in goals scored at the school. "Gareth is one of the best players to come out of the university," Grant said. "He has a great personality and knows how to work the crowd." The Tigers have raised nearly half of the total cost for funding the team's trip to Europe on May 5-15. Memphis will play three exhibition games against professional level teams in Belgium and Holland. Soccer programs are allowed one foreign trip every four years in addition to the normal spring schedule.

04/22/05		Women's Tennis Advances With 4-0 Win at C-USA Championships -- Faces No. 8 seed Southern Miss Friday at 6 p.m. (GoTigersGo.com)
		FT. WORTH, TEXAS - The University of Memphis women's tennis team (6-13) advanced in the consolation bracket at the Conference USA Women's Tennis Championships with a 4-0 win over Saint Louis, Friday. Saint Louis came into the tournament with just four healthy players, thereby forfeiting the No. 3 doubles match to start the match. Memphis claimed the first point as the No. 2 doubles team of Andrea Feichtinger and Alex Tjioe downed the team of Tina Grasso and Tara Grant, 8-4, to put Memphis ahead 1-0. The score quickly jumped to 3-0 Memphis, as Saint Louis had to default the No. 5 and 6 matches to the Lady Tigers, and when Germantown's Kristin Noble wrapped up a 6-0, 6-0 sweep of Grasso at No. 4 singles to close out the match. It's the second match-deciding victory Noble has had in her three-year Lady Tiger career, as she clinched the deciding match in a win over Marquette two years ago as a freshman. The Lady Tigers will advance to a Friday evening match against No. 8 seed Southern Miss at 6 p.m. The winner of that match will play for ninth place in the league standings, while the losing team will tie for 11th with the losing team of the Charlotte/Cincinnati match. No. 12 seed Memphis 4, No. 14 seed Saint Louis 0 Doubles No. 1 - Marlene Dirnstorfer / Brooke Cowie (UM) led Amanda Hellberg / Rachel McCullagh, 5-4, dnf No. 2 - Andrea Feichtinger / Alex Tjioe (UM) def. Tara Grant / Tina Grasso, 8-4 No. 3 - Kristin Noble / Christina Wieser (UM) received a default Singles No. 1 - Amanda Hellberg led Marlene Dirnstorfer (UM), 5-4, dnf No. 2 - Andrea Feichtinger (UM) led Tara Grant, 6-2, 2-1, dnf No. 3 - Brooke Cowie (UM) led Rachel McCullagh, 6-4, 2-1 No. 4 - Kristin Noble (UM) def. Tina Grasso, 6-0, 6-0 No. 5 - Christina Wieser (UM) received a default No. 6 - Alex Tjioe (UM) received a default

04/22/05		Tigers Series Finale With East Carolina Moved to 11 a.m. -- Tigers prepare to climb back into C-USA tourney race this weekend (GoTigersGo.com)
		GREENVILLE, N.C. - The start time for Memphis' Conference USA series finale on Sun., April 24 with East Carolina has been moved back two hours. The contest that was originally scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday will now start at 11:00 a.m. (EDT) to accommodate the Tigers' travel schedule and remain in compliance with the NCAA's new nine-inning game length policy.

04/22/05		Memphis women add aide (Commercial Appeal)
		By PhilStukenborg Contact April 22, 2005 University of Memphis women's basketball coach Blair Savage filled her top assistant position Thursday with the hiring of a coach with strong Memphis and Mid-South area ties. Jay Bowen, a Craigmont High and Christian Brothers University graduate, filled a position left vacant by Tom Cross, who returned to the WNBA as player personnel director for the Houston Comets. Bowen, 44, spent the past season as head coach of the boys basketball team at Lafayette High in Oxford, Miss., after spending the previous two years as director of basketball operations for the Ole Miss men's team. It will mark the first time in his nearly 20-year basketball career he has worked with a women's team. "It is new and it's exciting," Bowen said. "But coaching is coaching. I see it as a new challenge." Savage recently completed her first season as women's coach at 13-16. She called the addition of Bowen "a tremendous help to our program." "He brings something to the staff in his knowledge of the game and his X's and O's background," she said. "All of his former coaches commented on his strong basketball background." A 1984 CBU graduate, Bowen spent three seasons as a CBU assistant coach under Dave Loos, a former Tiger player and assistant basketball coach. His 1990-91 East Central Community College team went 21-6. His 1996-97 Jackson (Miss.) Academy team went 33-2, winning the Class AAAA state title and earning Bowen Coach of the Year honors.

04/22/05		Basketballs and Bibles: Schilling will answer to a higher calling (Daily Helmsman)
		Tim Miller Sports Reporter April 22, 2005 Faith and basketball may be an odd combination to some, but it?s not to Ed Schilling. Schilling, an assistant coach for the University of Memphis men?s basketball team, announced last week he was leaving the team in pursuit of a higher calling. A native of Indiana, he is returning home to pioneer Champions Training Academies, an effort to combine ministry and basketball. ?We?re starting from scratch,? Schilling said. ?I?m the owner, the director, the whole deal.? Through CTA, Schilling hopes to pass on his knowledge of basketball to young athletes while also incorporating his faith. ?We want to make a difference in teaching fundamentals to the young talent,? he said. Schilling said he believes athletes were more fundamentally sound entering college 10 to 15 years ago than they are today. Schilling will begin his mission on May 2 and will be working with the likes of David Logan and Romain Sato. Logan, a senior guard for the University of Indianapolis, was recently selected as the 2005 Division II Bulletin Player of the Year. Sato, a guard out of Xavier University (Ohio), was selected no. 52 in the 2004 draft by the San Antonio Spurs. Schilling is excited about the chance to help further develop the skills of players like Logan and Sato at his academies. But how will he implement his faith with his basketball lessons? It starts with the trust between teacher and student. ?(When athletes) see that you don?t have an agenda,? Schilling said. ?Then they know you?re just trying to make them better. There is a natural trust that begins to build in the relationship. They get interested in what makes you tick.? Once a solid foundation of trust is built, Schilling said he weaves faith and devotion to God in with basketball. Waki Williams, a junior forward at the U of M, benefited firsthand from this combination. ?He taught us that if you believe in something,? Williams said. ?Everything will work out through the power of prayer.? Schilling regularly held a chapel service before games, but he didn?t force the service on any of the players. ?It?s not something he wears on his sleeve,? said Tony Barbee, an assistant coach. Schilling strongly believes in the combination of ministry and basketball and believes it is something that he was meant to do. ?I felt that the Lord wanted me to do this,? Schilling said. ?I?ve been coaching since I was 22. This is how the Lord wants me to use the talent he?s given me.? Although he is looking forward to the opening of the new academies, he leaves Memphis with a heavy heart. ?I?m grateful to the University and city for how great they?ve been to me and my family,? Schilling said. The University is grateful to him as well. ?We?ll be losing a great basketball person, but more importantly we?ll be losing a close friend,? Barbee said. ?He?s a genuine person. When he says something he means it.? As for the team he?ll be leaving behind, Schilling said the Tigers would be just fine. ?I think the sky is the limit for them,? he said. ?...(But,) no matter how much talent you have, you have to keep that edge by staying dedicated. The kids all know this now.? Schilling will also leave behind a close friend in head coach John Calipari. Schilling and Calipari have coached together at the University of Massachusetts, the New Jersey Nets and The U of M. ?If he?s with you, he?s on your side through the good and the bad,? Schilling said. ?He?ll be there for me whether it?s basketball deals or contracts. Just to have a resource like him is great.? While Calipari will miss his long time assistant, he understands why Schilling is leaving. ?This is an incredible opportunity for Ed,? Calipari said in a statement released last week. ?Ed is passionate about his faith and the game of basketball, and this will allow him to combine both of those desires.?

04/21/05		Track and Field Squads Travel to Ole Miss for Third Time of Season -- Ready for Mississippi Open after strong performances last weekend (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Coming off several of their strongest showings to this point in the season, the Memphis track and field squads will return to Oxford, Miss., for the third time of the season, this time for the Mississippi Open, hosted by Ole Miss on Saturday, April 23. Last weekend, the U of M teams traveled predominately to the Jace Lacoste Invitational in Starkville, Miss., while also sending Lady Tiger athletes to the Sea Ray Relays and the Lee Calhoun Memorial Invitational. Even with the squad spread thin, the women saw strong performances at all three meets. At the Lee Calhoun Memorial, junior Josetta Brooks set a personal best in the 400m hurdles and a season best in the 100m hurdles, claiming victories in both events, while at Sea Ray, sophomore Daniele Riendeau broke her own school record in 1500m. In Starkville, Victoria Crawford placed second in the triple jump. Chen Edri set a season best and school record in the javelin and another season best in the high jump. Annette Uzoh added personal records in the shot put and hammer, while Sivan Aballi recorded a career best in the shot put. For the men, the highlights were just as prevalent. Seniors Janon Busby and Daniel Kiss led the way, with Busby setting a season best and improving upon his Regional qualifying mark in the triple jump and Kiss winning the 110m hurdles in Regional qualifying time, though he had previously qualified earlier in the season. Brandon Winbush set a season best and improved his Regional qualifying leap in the long jump. The 4x100m relay team of Daniel Bandy, Willie Green, Kiss and Gary Nemeth claimed a victory, setting a season best and narrowly missing a Regional qualifying mark, while Norbert Gulyas, Jason Morgan and Cody Rushing each set personal bests on the day. Entering this weekend's meet, five U of M athletes have qualified for NCAA Regionals, which will be held Friday-Saturday, May 27-28, in Bloomington, Ind. For the women, Lisa-Marie Hyman who currently ranks sixth in the Mideast Region and 18th in the nation and Crawford, who ranks 13th in the Mideast Region and 33rd in the nation have both qualified in the triple jump. On the men's side, Kiss, Busby and Winbush have punched their tickets in the 110m hurdles, triple jump and long jump, respectively. Kiss' presently ranks the highest of any U of M athlete, sitting third in the Mideast Region and sixth in the nation, and also ranking 10th in Trackwire's Dandy Dozen for the 110m hurdles. Busby ranks seventh in the region and 24th in the nation, while Winbush is ninth in the region and 25th in the nation. Several additional Memphis athletes have opportunities to reach Regional qualifying standards and will hope to gain ground this weekend. Competition at the Mississippi Open is set to begin at 12 p.m. Saturday with the Women's hammer and javelin throws, and will continue throughout the day. The first running events, the 4x100m relays are slated for 2:50 p.m. Live results for the Mississippi Open can be followed on Ole Miss' website, www.olemisssports.com, while complete results and recaps will be posted at gotigersgo.com after the conclusion of the meet.

04/21/05		Women's Soccer Signs Three More Student-Athletes for 2005 Season -- Signees include one from Indiana, one from Ontario, and one from Japan (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Memphis head women's soccer coach Brooks Monaghan on Thursday announced the signings of three more student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. The three additional signings give the Tigers a total of 14 signees this spring after 11 student-athletes inked Letters of Intent on National Signing Day back in February. Joining the Memphis recruiting class of 2005 are Alexandra Atkinson of Mississauga, Ontario, Sarah MacGregor of Indianapolis, Ind., and Asuka Kubota of Saitama, Japan. Atkinson, a 5'7 defender out of Father Goetz High School, will be the second recruit to come to Memphis next year from Mississauga, joining club teammate Joanna Alexopulos, who signed with the Tigers in February. She has been a member of the Dixie Blaze club team, and helped lead the team to the 2004 National Club Championship. Her play on defense contributed to the team allowed just two goals in the national tournament as well as just two goals in the Ontario Cup, which the team won as well. She has been the captain of her club team and also participated in basketball for her high school. She will join Alexopulos as members of the Tigers that hail from Ontario and will be the third member of the team from Canada, also joining junior-to-be Beth Keating, who hails from Alberta. "Alexandra will be a strong addition to our defense," said Monaghan. "Having lost the seniors that we lost on defense, we feel that we found a very good defender to help replace what we lost. She is a very hard-nosed and strong, physical defender. She is strong in the air and we expect her to come in and to contribute early on." Kubota played this past season at NAIA Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tenn. where she garnered first team NAIA All-American honors.This past year at Martin Methodist, Kubota scored 18 goals and recorded 22 assists for a total of 58 points, which was second on the team. She led the team in assists and was third in goals while playing in and starting 15 games. She had five multiple-goals games, including a four and a three-goal game. She also recorded multiple assists in seven games. A forward who can also play midfield, she has also been a member of the Under-19 Japanese National Team. Kubota, who will be a sophomore in the fall, will be the second Japanese player on the Tigers, joining junior Shoko Mikami. "Asuka is a very technical player that is going to bring a lot to our team. She is definitely a playmaker and a goal scorer," said Monaghan. "She is all around great soccer player and someone who is going to be relied upon to score some goals for us. The experience that she has playing at the National Team level is a big bonus for us. We expect her to come in and make an immediate impact, especially since she has been playing at the collegiate level for an entire year now." MacGregor, a 5'5 midfielder from Brebeuf Jesuit Prep in Indianapolis, will be the second native of Indiana on the Tigers in 2005, joining fellow Hoosier State native and senior Robyn Smart. MacGregor has been a member of the soccer team for four years and also participated in track for one season. She has been named All-District and All-County three years straight. Her club team, Dynamo FC, has played in the State Cup finals for six straight seasons and has won the State Cup twice in those six years. MacGregor has been the team captain and also played two years on the Olympic Development Program state team. Also an excellent student, she has been named Academic All-State and is a member of the National Honor Society. "We feel very fortunate that we found Sarah so late in the recruiting process and we feel that she will be one of the.kids that slipped through cracks," said Monaghan. "She has the potential to do well at any program so we are especially fortunate to get such a good player this late. She is a very fit, technical player that will definitely add depth to the midfield and has ability to come in and make an impact and contribute from the beginning."

04/21/05		Jay Bowen Joins Lady Tiger Basketball Staff -- Comes to Memphis after spending the past year at Lafayette High School in Oxford, Miss. (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Lady Tiger basketball coach Blair Savage filled her top assistant coaching vacancy with the hiring of Jay Bowen it was announced by Savage, Thursday. Bowen joins the Lady Tiger staff after spending two years as a Director of Basketball Operations for the Ole Miss men's basketball team, and the past year as the head coach of the boy's team at Lafayette High School in Oxford. "The hiring of Jay Bowen is a tremendous help to our program," Savage said. "He brings something to the staff in his knowledge of the game and his Xs and Os background. All of his former coaches commented on his strong basketball background. He has the contacts and the basketball knowledge to really benefit our program. He has been in the game a long time, and he knows what it takes to get it done. And since he's a Craigmont grad, his Memphis background is something we are really excited about." A graduate of Christian Brothers University in Memphis in 1984, Bowen went on to serve as CBU's assistant men's basketball coach, helping the 1986-87 squad to a second place finish in the National Catholic Tournament. He moved to Armstrong State College in Savannah, Georgia in 1987, where he served as a men's assistant basketball coach while the program moved from NCAA Division I to II. Bowen stayed at Armstrong State from 1987-88 before becoming a graduate assistant coach at Ole Miss from 1988-1989. Following Ole Miss, Bowen moved to East Central Community College, where he recruited 12 freshman to help rebuild the ECCC program. In 1990-91, the ECCC squad posted a 21-6 record, the best-ever record in 30 years and the third-best in school history. He was voted the Area Coach of the Year in 1991 and guided ECCC to its first state championship the following year. His success at ECCC led to an assistant coaching position at Georgia State University in Atlanta where he handled the recruiting duties for the Panthers, whom he joined in 1991. In 1994, Bowen was promoted to the top assistant coaching slot, where he coordinated the defense and the implementation of the motion offense. In May of 1996, Bowen returned to the state of Mississippi, assuming the Head Coach's job at Jackson Academy. There, he guided his team to a 33-2 record, an undefeated regular season, a Conference Tournament championship and the AAAA State Tournament. He was also named the AAAA Coach of the Year. In June of 1998, Bowen took the head basketball coaching job for the East Central Community College team. Guiding a team that had not had a winning season in five years, Bowen guided ECCC to a winning record, and had 12 players signed to NCAA Division I scholarships in th