Memphis Tigers News Archives

May 2005

Back

05/31/05		Baseball Inks Chris Novikoff for 2006 Season -- Big righthander ready to become a Memphis Tiger (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Although the season is over, Tiger baseball head coach Daron Schoenrock continues to blaze the recruiting trail, signing right handed pitcher Chris Novikoff for the 2006 season. A native of Madisonville, Tenn., Novikoff prepped at Christian Academy of Knoxville where he was a two-sport standout in basketball and baseball. Novikoff was the top hurler for CAK in 2005, ranking third in Class 1A state with a 2.87 ERA. In 39.0 innings of work, he fanned 61 batters and allowed just 16 earned runs to lead the Warriors to a District 3 crown. As a result, he was tabbed District 3 MVP. Novikoff, who has topped out at 87 miles per hour, went 3-2 on the mound as CAK finished the season with a 19-12 record. Novikoff also saw success at the plate, hitting .494 (second in Class 1A) with five home runs, 28 RBI and 16 doubles. As a senior, Chris (Novikoff) posted 14 multiple-hit performances and recorded multiple-RBI games nine times. A center on the hardwood, Novikoff helped lead CAK to a District 3 and Region 2 championships in 2005. He was named the District 3 Player of the Year and Region 2 Tournament MVP. In addition, the six-foot, six-inch postman earned All-District 3 All-tournament honors, All-KIL second team and Prep X-tra third team recognition. "We are extremely excited to have Chris as part of our program," said Schoenrock. "He is a tremendous young man and we feel like his best pitching days are ahead of him. He has a live arm and will add depth to our pitching staff."

05/31/05		Sign Up for the Richie Grant Soccer Camp -- For Boys and Girls Ages 5-18 on July 17-21 (GoTigersGo.com)
		University of Memphis men's soccer coach Richie Grant will be holding his annual camp, The Richie Grant Soccer Camp, for boys and girls ages 5-18 at Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn., on July 17-21. A camp brochure and application form can be accessed by selecting the PDF link above. The Richie Grant Soccer Camp is well known for its instructional demonstrations which use quality collegiate players from the University of Memphis and other programs to support its lead staff. "I believe the success of this camp is influenced by the quality of the coaches we have on staff," Grant said. "We have trained coaches with unmatched enthusiasm for the game, and their passion is reflected in the staff demonstrations." Richie Grant - Camp Director A native of Dublin, Ireland, Grant was an All-American on three occasions as a player at Green Mountain College, Vermont. After playing professional soccer for the Minnesota Thunder, Grant became the assistant coach at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania before becoming the coach at Lambuth University. During his tenure at Lambuth, Grant was instrumental with the growth of the game in West Tennessee as a director of Jackson Soccer Club, and his influence spread throughout the state. In 1999 Grant was named the head coach at the University of Memphis. He was named the Conference USA coach of the year in 2000 and 2004. This past year Grant's team took home the C-USA Championship and a birth in the NCAA Tournament. Grant is heavily involved with the Tennessee State Olympic Development Program and holds the NSCAA Premier License. Coaching Staff • Robert Nicholson - University of Memphis, USSF National, Strength and Conditioning Certified • Carl Schmitt - University of Memphis, USSF A • Paul Conway - Lambuth University, FAI Qualified, ODP, Superclubs National Team • Gerry Cleary - Martin Methodist Women, FAI Qualified, NSCAA National, All American at Lambuth • Chris Leonardi - USJ Head Coach, USSF A, Won 3 conference titles at Lambuth • Jodi Fisher - University of Memphis Women, NSCAA National, Memphis All-time leading scorer Enrollment Information Residential July 17-21 Ages 12-18 $295 Commuter July 17-21 Ages 12-18 $245 Kids Camp July 18-21 Ages 5-11 $100 How to Enroll Complete application and parental consent form, and mail it along with a non-transferable deposit of $150 (or you may send complete camp fee at once). Make checks payable to the Richie Grant Soccer Camp. No telephone reservations or credit cards accepted. If applying after June 1, 2005 send full payment. Those who cannot attend camp for medical or other reasons will be refunded all but a $50 handling fee. (To receive a refund the camp office must be notified 24 hours prior to registration on Sunday) Frequently Asked Questions Q - Is there time to swim? A - Yes, there is an indoor pool available with a qualified lifeguard on duty. Q - How much money should I bring? A - Meals are all-you-can-eat and are included in the cost. In the evenings we have a social room that serves Pizza and drinks. ($1.50 a slice and $1 a drink) Q - Are trainers on duty? A - We have athletic trainers on staff 24 hours a day. Check In/Out Campers will register between 1 and 3 p.m. on Sunday. The first training sessions is Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Camp ends on the Thursday following the closing ceremony at noon. Roommate Policy We can honor your roommate requests if made before June 1st. Confirmation Your cancelled check confirms your enrollment in the camp. Camp Ball Each camper must have a ball at camp. Bring your own ball or purchase a custom-made, hand-stitched Diadora ball. The price of this ball is $15. Camp Insurance The Richie Grant Soccer Camp provides secondary accidental/medical insurance. Medical staff on site 24 hours. Team Discounts Teams of 10 or more are eligible for a $20 discount per camper. Family Discounts Brothers and sisters are eligible for a $20 discount per camper. $15 for non-residential. Please note: Cannot combine discounts. Only one discount per camper. Kids Camp 9 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Monday-Thursday. Kids need to arrive by 8:45 a.m. Goalkeepers The camp will provide highly specialized training for the goalkeepers. Sebastian Vecchio, 2004 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, will provide extensive training for goalkeepers. Every goalkeeper will be trained in the tactical awareness, proper technique and psychological approach to the position. Additional Camp Information Details will be mailed to you upon receipt of application with deposit. Directions and more information about what to bring will be included in that package. For more information, call 901.678.4141 or 901.678.2452. Lambuth University Lambuth University is located in Jackson, Tenn., a growing town of 80,000 people. Lambuth is just 80 miles east of Memphis and 120 miles west of Nashville. Jackson is easily accessible by Highway TN 20, U.S. 45 and 70, and Interstate 40. Stately Georgian buildings connected by shaded walkways and spacious lawns characterize the beautiful 50 acre campus. The campus also features air-conditioned rooms, indoor swimming pool, sand volleyball, and Bermuda grass fields. Camp Schedule Daily Schedule 8:00 a.m. Breakfast 8:45 a.m. Kids and Commuters arrive 9:00 a.m. Session 1 - technical session to goal 11:30 a.m. Lunch/ Kids camp ends 1:00 p.m. Film/ Games/ Indoor/ Pool/ Speed & Agility 5:00 p.m. Dinner 6:15 p.m. Champions League 8:30 p.m. Social Hour - games/ Pool/ Pizza/ Movie on the green 11:00 p.m. Lights Out Sunday 1:00 p.m. Registration 3:30 p.m. Small - Sided Games 5:00 p.m. Dinner 6:30 p.m. Small - Sided Tournament 8:30 p.m. Social Hour 11:00 p.m. Lights Out Thursday 8:00 a.m. Breakfast 9:00 a.m. Champions League Final 11:30 a.m. Closing Ceremonies 12:00 p.m. Check Out

05/29/05		Sound off (Big East, basketball) (Commercial Appeal)
		The U of M should give up its Big East dreams Memphis fans, I am a Louisville fan all the way. I am so excited about leaving Conference USA. I enjoyed the rivalry, but it is time to move on. There are two reasons why Louisville is not playing Memphis anymore. The first reason is John Calipari. Calipari is a whiner and complainer. The second reason we do not want to play you is the reason you want to play us. Memphis wants to play us, to somehow find a way to get into the Big East and leave C-USA. If Memphis could have had better football facilities (Liberty Bowl is horrible), and better fan support (sell out home basketball games), it would have been invited to the Big East. If Memphis can do these things -- upgrade football facilities, at least sell out 80 percent of your home basketball games, tell John Calipari to do more winning with less whining -- the Big East will come. Most Louisville fans would love to have Memphis in the Big East, but Memphis has to prove it wants to be in the Big East. Delando Jones Louisville, Ky. Shawne Williams should worry about success at this level As a rabid Tigers fan, I was glad to read that Shawne Williams will be coming home to attend the University of Memphis ("Draft variables played role in Tiger's choice," May 21). As a citizen and UofM alum, I hope someone close to him has told him that besides, in his words, "coming in to do what it takes to get to the next level," he might find he actually likes going to class: learning philosophy, history, math, and zoology; listening to professors with something to say; reading great literature and discovering what heroes from other times and places have said and done when faced with insurmountable odds and difficult moral choices. Maybe Anthony Rice will take him to lunch one day. I'd be happy to. David Feigelson Memphis

05/28/05		Hyman and Winbush Automatically Qualify for NCAA Championships -- Jumpers record fifth-place finishes at Mid-East Regionals to reach NCAA meet (GoTigersGo.com)
		Bloomington, Ind. - With a pair fifth-place finishes in the triple jump and long jump at NCAA Mid-East Regional Championships on Saturday, University of Memphis jumpers Lisa-Marie Hyman and Brandon Winbush automatically qualified for NCAA Championships, which will be held June 8-11 in Sacramento, Calif. Hyman's qualifying performance came with a bound of 41-07.75" (12.69m) in the triple jump, while Winbush recorded his fifth-place tally with a leap of 24-07.25" (7.50m) in the long jump. Both efforts were the second-longest jumps of the season for the two U of M standouts and gave them automatic spots in at the NCAA meet for finishing in the top-five at Regionals. "I couldn't be prouder of two athletes right now," said Coach Kevin Robinson. "This is a huge step for Lisa and Brandon, as well as our track and field program." Hyman becomes the first Lady Tiger jumper ever to qualify for NCAA Championships and is only the second Memphis woman to qualify for the NCAA meet since 1979. Keenan Gibson was the last Lady Tiger to make it to the championship meet when she competed in the 100m and 200m in 2003. Winbush is the third Tiger to qualify for NCAA Championships in the past two years after Gaute Myklebust and Mate Nemeth competed in both 2003 and 2004. The Bartlett, Tenn., native is the first jumper to qualify since Delvit Rogers participated in the long jump at the 2000 NCAA meet. The two jumpers will return to Memphis on Monday and will have just over a week of preparation time before traveling to Sacramento. In other U of M action from day two of the Regional meet, Janon Busby finished 11th in the triple jump with a mark of 50-00.75", and Chen Edri finished in a tie for 11th place in the high jump and in 13th place in the javelin with marks of 5-07.25" and 137-11", respectively. With the four points each recorded by Hyman and Winbush the U of M women finished in tie for 33rd place, while the men tied for 34th place.

05/28/05		Mother Nature Halts Day 1 of NCAA Mid-East Regional Championships -- Gulyas improves ranking by 20 spots to finish 22nd in discus (GoTigersGo.com)
		Bloomington, Ind. - The action on day one of the NCAA Mid-East Regional Championships was moving along well until Mother Nature stepped in at around 8:30 pm Friday night. Rain and lightning then halted the meet with several events, including the men's long jump, in which Tiger Brandon Winbush was competing, still to be decided. Even with day one shortened, one Tiger did have time to put up a solid effort in his first Regional competition. Sophomore Norbert Gulyas, who ranked 42nd in the Region entering the meet, posted a toss of 160-09" (49.00m) in the discus to move up 20 spots and record a 22nd place finish. Auburn's Edis Elkasevic won the event with a throw of 188-05" (57.43m). After the shortened day one, action at the Mid-East Regional is scheduled to resume this morning with events that began last night to be completed first, followed by Saturday's full slate of competition. Winbush and the rest of the long jumpers, will recommence at approximately 12:10 pm determine their Regional Champion. Following that, the four remaining Regional competitors from Memphis will spring into action at various times throughout the day. Chen Edri, will be the first to compete when she enters the high jump at 12:05 pm before throwing in the javelin at 3:10 pm. Lisa-Marie Hyman and Janon Busby will close out the meet for Memphis when they vie for their respective triple jump titles in the final field events of the meet. The pair of seniors are scheduled to take to the runway at approximately 6:00 pm. Results and recaps from all of Saturday's action will be posted at gotigersgo.com following the completion of competition, while live results for the meet can be followed at www.iuhoosiers.com throughout the day.

05/28/05		Tiger AD Johnson hospitalized (Commercial Appeal)
		By From Staff and Wire Reports May 28, 2005 University of Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson has been hospitalized and is undergoing testing after suffering mild, stroke-like symptoms. Bob Winn, associate athletic director for external affairs, said Friday that Johnson will spend the next several days in the hospital undergoing tests. Johnson's hospitalization forced him to cancel most of the appointments on his schedule through the weekend. ''R.C. is in the hospital,'' said Reva House, Johnson's administrative secretary. ''They think he may have experienced a slight TIA.'' TIAs, or Transient Ischemic Attacks, are short-lived episodes of neurological deficit, usually lasting less than 24 hours. Most TIAs last a few minutes and then subside. Strokes take longer to resolve and reflect a more permanent and serious problem. TIAs are often warnings of a more severe or permanent stroke coming and should be evaluated by one's physician, according to MedicineNet.com. ''He's fine,'' House said after speaking with Johnson's wife, Melba. ''He's just having a battery of tests done.'' House said Johnson was admitted to the hospital Thursday night. Johnson, named the UofM athletic director in December 1995, attended last week's Conference USA spring meetings in Destin, Fla., where he and his wife have a vacation home. -- Phil Stukenborg

05/27/05		There's always lessons to be learned from baseball (Commercial Appeal)
		By Don Wade Contact May 27, 2005 No one knows for certain what Tommy West said in his first private moment with Daron Schoenrock, but maybe it was something like this: "Oh, boy, I have been there and done that." West, after all, took over the University of Memphis football program at a low point. Schoenrock did the same with the baseball program and just come through his first season with a 13-42 record. But all the more reason, Schoenrock says, to heed the advice of a man who has taken the Tigers to back-to-back bowl games. "Tommy actually become a good friend because we're going through some of the same things he went through," Schoenrock said Thursday at USA Stadium, where he and assistant coach Mike Federico were scouting the talent in the state tournament's Class AAA final four. "He told me, 'Set the parameters for your program and don't waver based on winning and losing.' " For Schoenrock, priority one was to become more visible in local baseball circles. "It's 180 degrees different," Bartlett High School baseball coach Phil Clark said of the visibility of this staff compared to previous Tiger coach Dave Anderson's staff. "These guys have seen more of my games this year than the other staff had seen in all their years combined." On Thursday, two of the four teams playing in Class AAA were local -- Houston and Collierville. Nashville Overton and Knoxville Farragut were also playing. Federico said there were at least "10 to 15" legitimate Division 1 prospects among the four teams. The Tigers already have signed two of them: Collierville pitcher/shortstop Marc Ashley and Houston outfielder Trey Wiedman. But there's also a caution flag: This season's Tigers had 27 local players. "There's a misconception that we can win a conference championship with all Memphis players," Schoenrock said. "Tulane (ranked first in the country) doesn't do it with all New Orleans and Baton Rouge players. The key is to recruit the correct local players. "Statistics are very important to professional scouts evaluating my guys, but that's not the sole basis of evaluation," Schoenrock said, adding that it's important to project what a player's potential is. "And that's where seeing guys multiple times helps. The local guys we've signed, we've seen quite a bit." Schoenrock is counting on two incoming Mississippi junior college players to make a big impact, but recruiting the local high schools will continue to be important. "I don't think kids are going to slip through the holes on these guys," Clark said. "The way these guys are working, if they're able to improve facilities, I truly believe they'll be a team that has a chance to compete to play in the NCAA Tournament. Nature of the beast On Wednesday, Collierville senior Marc Ashley pitched a no-hitter to keep his team alive. On Thursday, he was asked to protect a one-run lead in the seventh inning and wound up the losing pitcher as Nashville Overton struck for five runs in an 11-7 victory. So ended a Collierville season that saw the team go 37-7 and reach No. 25 in Baseball America's national poll. Baseball, the cruel game, had pulled one of its dirtiest tricks. Which left Collierville coach Jeff Hopkins (the Memphis coach before Dave Anderson in this small, small baseball world) to try and console Ashley. "He just told me he's proud of the way I played and to keep my head up," Ashley said, eyes still moist. "He said it was his mistake. It wasn't. It was mine. "My arm felt fine. I had good velocity. I just didn't have any movement. They hit a couple off the end of the bat and then they started teeing off. They're a good ballclub." Sophomore Drew Pomeranz had pitched 22/3 scoreless innings before yielding to Ashley. "Bottom line, I'll accept the responsibility," Hopkins said. "I wanted to go into the seventh inning with a senior and not a sophomore, even though Pomeranz is as talented as he is. It blew up in my face. ... "It breaks my heart to see a guy like Ashley go through this. It's a little bit different in high school than in college. They're more tender-hearted, younger. In college, you're dealing with 21, 22-year-old men. They're able to accept failure a little better. They've played longer and the understand the nature of the beast." Less than 15 minutes after the loss, Ashley was trying to do just that: understand the nature of the beast. "It's a game where, if you have a failure, you have to roll with it," he said. "But it's hard when you lose that last one." And now ... the championship game Rhonda Avant, mother of Houston first baseman Grey Avant, is like most parents out here: She appreciates a good game. But at this stage, who needs a good game? On Wednesday, Houston had to rally from a six-run deficit to beat Knoxville Farragut, 10-7. Rhonda spent much of that game pacing. The two teams met again Thursday. "This is a little bit more relaxing, up nine in the sixth," Rhonda said with a smile. Houston went on to win, 12-0, and will play Nashville Overton today for the AAA title. And for this baseball mom, it will close a chapter of life that started a decade ago as Grey began playing competitive baseball and competitive baseball grabbed the steering wheel of family life and took them, well, everywhere. "Hundreds of thousands of baseball games, all over the country," Rhonda said, in only a slight exaggeration. "Vegas, Dallas, Atlanta, Iowa ..." Next year, Grey will be in Jonesboro; he's got a scholarship to play for Arkansas State. And so Mom will make many trips westward. But she's also got two other sons playing sports -- they both like football -- and one is playing competitive baseball. So maybe this isn't an ending as much as it's new beginning. "It's sad one's leaving," Baseball Mom said. "But we've still got a lot more action behind him." -- Don Wade: 529-2358

05/27/05		West, Calipari say no to Cavs -- New Cleveland owner interested in twosome (Commercial Appeal)
		By Ronald Tillery Contact May 27, 2005 New Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has spoken with Grizzlies president Jerry West and Tigers coach John Calipari in his attempt to hire a president, general manager and coach. But Gilbert's ache to build a playoff team in Cleveland won't have him turning Memphis blue. West declared his desire to remain in Memphis, where he is under contract through the 2005-06 season, after Gilbert asked for and received permission to talk. And Calipari disregarded today's Cleveland Plain Dealer report that he is a candidate for the coaching vacancy. "They asked to meet and we talked," Calipari said. "But I'm not a candidate. We've got a good thing going and I'm not looking to do anything. I'm not going to be there. That's not happening. It's just that time of year. I was flattered that they wanted to talk." Gilbert has said the hiring process should be completed in two weeks. This development comes amid reports that Calipari friend and Detroit head coach Larry Brown will become the Cavs' president. Calipari was an assistant coach under Brown with the Philadelphia 76ers and in the college ranks at Kansas. "Even if (Brown) takes that job I'm not going to Cleveland," Calipari said. "We have a nice team and I'm anxious to continue what we're building." Calipari acknowledged that he's talked to other NBA teams. "I'm going to listen," Calipari said, "but the timing is all wrong. I'm very happy here." Calipari's only NBA head coaching job lasted two-plus seasons with the New Jersey Nets. Grizzlies assistant Eric Musselman, Indiana assistant Mike Brown and former Minnesota coach Flip Saunders have interviewed with the Cavs. Gilbert, speaking to CNBC on Wednesday, said the Cavaliers "are undergoing a massive transformation" but he wouldn't talk about specific candidates. "There's a lot of names that are kind of circulating out there and a lot of rumors," Gilbert said. "And unfortunately, or fortunately, I can't comment on any of them. ... There's nothing imminent right now signing with anybody but we're getting very close. We're very excited about the candidates we're talking to." Griz majority owner Michael Heisley didn't hesitate when he received Gilbert's request with regard to West. Not because Heisley is eager for West to leave. Heisley granted Gilbert permission in part because he wanted West to decide his future. Heisley also knew what West's answer would be. "I'll grant anyone permission to talk to anyone in any of my companies," Heisley said flatly. "The bottom line is Jerry's not interested. You're dealing with a different guy. He makes a commitment and that's it." -- Ronald Tillery: 529-2353

05/27/05		Tigers jump at the chance -- Mideast Regional meet could be a launch pad (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact May 27, 2005 U of M Track and Field The following lists Tiger athletes competing in today's NCAA Mideast Regional at Bloomington, Ind. Athlete Event Personal best Janon Busby triple jump 51- Lisa-Marie Hyman triple jump 42-* Brandon Winbush long jump 24-9 Norbert Guylas discus 165-4 Chen Edri javelin 142-1* Chen Edri high jump 5-8* * -- school record One could say the University of Memphis track team will leap into today's NCAA Mideast Regional Track & Field Championships in Bloomington, Ind. Two triple-jumpers, a long-jumper and a high-jumper will be among the five UofM participants. A sixth qualifier, hurdler Daniel Kiss, suffered a severe foot injury at the Conference USA Championships in Houston two weeks ago and will not participate. A seventh, sprinter Austin Hunter, chose not to participate. The Tiger contingent will be led by triple-jumpers Janon Busby and Lisa-Marie Hyman. Busby, a senior from Mobile, Ala., entered this month's C-USA Championships leading the league with a jump of 51 feet, 1/4 inch. The league's indoor triple-jump champ struggled at the championships and finished second. He said he's looking forward to making his NCAA Regionals debut. "(The Regionals) are an opportunity I missed out on last year," he said. "This year I hope to make the most of it." Busby, who is 6-8 and 190 pounds, said he has emerged this season because of assistant coach Kevin Robinson's workout regimen. Busby is ranked 10th in the Mideast Region and 35th nationally. "I don't think he's come close to the potential he has," Robinson said. "He has never grown into his body. I've had him for two years in a weight-training program and he works hard, but his body isn't prepared (to add weight). At 6-8, he doesn't even weigh 200 pounds. He's 190 pounds, skin and bones. The triple jump is a powerful event. You've got to be strong and explosive." Robinson is hoping Busby can erase a difficult performance at the C-USA Championships. He had five fouls in six jumps. Two of the illegal jumps would have been in the 53-foot range. Robinson said Hyman also has an opportunity to advance to the NCAA Championships in June if she remains focused. "If she jumps at, or near, her personal best (42 feet, 3/4 inch) she has a chance to move," Robinson said. "Both (Hyman and Busby) are seniors and have been with me for a while. They have a lot more competitive experience." Hyman said she is confident not only because of her experience, but because she attended last year's NCAA Regionals as a spectator (she sat out the 2004 outdoor season) to support her teammates. "It was difficult to not be able to participate last year," she said. "But I'm glad I went." Busby and Hyman will be joined by long jumper Brandon Winbush and throwers Norbert Guylas (discus) and Chen Edri (javelin). Edri also will participate in the high jump. Robinson said Winbush, who had a personal-best long jump of 24 feet, 91/4 inch at the C-USA Championships, has been "an incredible addition" to the team. "He's just a sophomore," Robinson said. "He spent last year in North Carolina at St. Augustine's College and came back and got involved in our program and has blossomed. "He has worked hard, and I think he'll be a major factor over the next couple of years." Robinson said it's going to be difficult entering the postseason without Kiss, from whom so much was expected. Kiss ranked in the top five nationally in the 110-meter hurdles most of the season. "He was our biggest bright spot," Robinson said. "To see him go down (in Houston) was heartbreaking. He was crushed."

05/25/05		Five U of M Athletes Set for NCAA Mid-East Regional Championships -- Qualifiers to compete in Bloomington, Indiana this Friday and Saturday (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - The University of Memphis track and field teams will send to five athletes to NCAA Mid-East Regional Championships this Friday and Saturday in Bloomington, Ind. Included in the group are Lady Tigers Lisa-Marie Hyman and Chen Edri and Tigers Janon Busby, Norbert Gulyas and Brandon Winbush. A pair of Tigers will open the meet on Friday. Gulyas will be the first U of M athlete to compete, as he will take part in the discus, the first event of the meet, at 12:00 pm Friday afternoon. Winbush, who will participate in the long jump, will be the second Memphis athlete to compete when he springs into action at 6:05 pm Friday night. Edri, the C-USA Female Freshman of the Year, is the only athlete who will compete in more than one event, as she will open competition for the U of M on Saturday, entering the high jump at 12:05 pm and the javelin at 3:10 pm. Hyman and Busby will close out the meet when they vie for their respective triple jump titles in the final field events of the meet. They are scheduled to take to the runway at approximately 6:00 pm Saturday night. In addition, the pair of seniors, who each took home runner-up finishes in the triple jump at the Conference USA Championships two weekends ago, are the top Memphis contenders to reach NCAA Championships. Hyman, with her mark of 42-00.75" (12.82m), and Busby, with his mark of 51-00.25" (15.55m) each enter the meet sporting a ranking of 10th in the region. The next highest rankings come from Winbush and Edri, who rank in 13th in the long jump and high jump, respectively, with leaps of 24-09.25" (7.55m) and 5-08.75" (1.75m). Edri, additionally, sits at 19th in the javelin with a throw of 142-01" (43.30m). Gulyas rounds out the rankings for U of M competitors, claiming the 42nd spot in the discus with his throw of 165-04" (50.39m). Results and recaps for the Mid-East Regionals will be posted at gotigersgo.com following the completion of competition on Friday and Saturday, while live results can be followed at the Indiana University website, www.iuhoosiers.com throughout the meet.

05/24/05		Pair of Former Tiger Tennis Players Advance to Finals of Futures Tourney -- Joe Schmulian and Ben Stapp advance to doubles finals, while Schmulian advances to singles quarters in Mexico (GoTigersGo.com)
		AGUASCALINTES, MEXICO - Former men's tennis players Joe Schmulian and Ben Stapp advanced to the doubles finals of the Mexico F6 Futures tournament in Aguascalintes, Mexico, on Friday. The duo fell 7-5, 7-6 in the doubles finals to the No. 2 seeded team of Sanjin Sadovich (Canada) and Carl Thorsen (U.S.). It marked the end of a strong week of play for both former Tigers, as Schmulian advanced to the singles quarterfinals, before falling 6-2, 6-3 to No. 3 seed Santiago Giraldo from Columbia. Stapp got into the main draw, where he fell to top seeded Victor Romero from Mexico, 6-3, 6-4. Schmulian got into the main draw after defeating three opponents in the qualifying tournament. Schmulian opened with a win over Gustavo Loza from Mexico, 6-2, 6-3, then advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Alex Lane of the U.S. He jumped into the main draw with a three-set, come-from-behind victory 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, over Guatamala's Israel Morales. The tandem is spending two more weeks in Mexico. Stapp was seeded fifth in the qualifying draw, and after receiving a first-round bye, downed Mexico's Luis Diaz-Barriaga, 7-5, 7-6 (4), to earn a qualifying round match against Schmulian. Schmulian downed Brazil's Ranieri Denadai, 6-0, 6-1, then defeated the U.S.'s Vicnente Casariego, 6-2, 6-2 to earn the match against Stapp. Results from Monday's qualifying round were not yet available Tuesday morning. The futures tour results are available from www.stevegtennis.com and selecting 2005 Calendar/Results, then scrolling down to May 23rd and clicking on the q next to Mexico F7. The main draw will be posted under the Mexico F7 link when it is provided by tournament organizers.

05/23/05		Calipari To Appear On Fox Sports Net National Television Show Tonight -- Check local listings for the air time in your area (GoTigersGo.com)
		LOS ANGELES, Calif. - University of Memphis head coach John Calipari will be a studio guest on Fox Sports Net's "Best Damn Sports Show Period" Monday night. Check your local television listings for the air time in your area. Calipari has been a guest on the show on several occasions the past three years, with his most recent appearance coming at the 2005 NCAA Final Four in St. Louis. Calipari will begin his sixth season as the Tigers' head coach in 2005-06. He has a 115-55 record at Memphis, and the 115 victories are the most by a Memphis head coach in his first five years. Calipari's overall record stands at 308-126, and he is one of six coaches to have 300 wins in his first 13 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Calipari joined that elite coaching group which also includes Roy Williams, Everett Case, Denny Crum, Jim Boeheim and Nolan Richardson.

05/22/05		U of M's long season ends -- Charlotte wins finale via 10-run mercy rule (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact May 22, 2005 The Conference USA umpiring crew of Scott Johnston, Hal Rozelle and Todd Henderson was simply following league guidelines. But, in the process, it also was doing a struggling University of Memphis baseball program a favor. Johnston, Rozelle and Henderson called Saturday's C-USA game between the Tigers and Charlotte after seven innings, invoking the league's 10-run rule and awarding Charlotte a 13-2 victory. Some brief confusion ensued as Charlotte coach Loren Hibbs thought the rule had been abolished earlier this month. But he eventually agreed to the decision that ended Memphis's record-breaking season of futility two innings early. The Tigers, in coach Daron Schoenrock's first year, finished 13-42, setting a school record for losses. Memphis, 5-25 in C-USA, failed to win any of its 10 three-game league series. In Saturday's lopsided loss, the Tigers, no-hit earlier this season at East Carolina, didn't get their first hit until Jordan Tolliver laced a double over the first-base bag and down the right field line with two outs in the fifth. Memphis managed only one other hit -- an opposite-field, two-out home run by Eric Smith in the sixth. On a day in which seniors Nick Bradshaw, Chad House, Brandon Rowan, Jordan Hart and Smith were recognized, the Tigers dropped a game that served as microcosm of the team's myriad shortcomings, including a lack of depth and pitching and injuries to key personnel. Bradshaw, perhaps the most savvy starter in the weekend rotation, pitched only to the game's first batter. Hampered by a torn shoulder muscle that severely limited his innings throughout the season, Bradshaw was granted an honorary start and was scheduled to throw only to game's leadoff hitter. Schoenrock said he couldn't have used Rowan, another starter with experience, had he wanted in the senior's final game. An injury to his pitching arm limited him to one inning during the season. Veteran pitching was sorely missed during the season, and the final three days. During the sweep by Charlotte, Tiger pitchers allowed 33 runs on 47 hits. Before this season, Memphis had never lost more than 37 games. Its 13 wins represented the fewest since 1971. ''I hope our returning guys see how a season like this (hurts) and that there'll be a sense of urgency next year,'' Schoenrock said. ''I hope a season like this stays in the back of their minds a bit.'' Schoenrock said the season, and its shortcomings, will stay with him, too. ''I've got to get better at what I do, too,'' he said. ''And I will. That was my first year as a head coach in 19 years. So there were a lot of things I learned along the way.'' He said he expects immediate improvement next season because of a better competition at each position. Fourteen signees will be joined by as many as five key additions during the next few weeks. The Tigers never mounted a threat Saturday. They fell behind 6-1 after three innings and couldn't solve Charlotte righthander Adam Mills, who pitched the complete-game two-hitter, striking out seven. Tolliver broke up Mills's no-hit bid by looking for, and driving, an outside pitch down the rightfield line. He said he's expecting better results after a majority of his teammates take a brief break and play in wooden-bat summer leagues. ''I'm looking forward to next year,'' Tolliver said. ''I'm hoping everyone has a good summer and plays hard, gets better and comes back and competes for positions.''

05/22/05		U of M notebook (football, track) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact May 22, 2005 School lets TSF donors improve football seats For the first time in the football program's history, it will offer Tiger Scholarship Fund members the opportunity to select new season tickets or move their season tickets based on their donation levels. Bill Lansden, associate athletic director for development, said about 1,500 seats remain within the 20-yard lines on the west, or home, side of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and within the 30-yard lines on the east side. Only donors to the TSF may sit within those designated areas. Donations range from $100, which allows the purchase of four season tickets, to $25,000, which allows the donor to purchase up to 14 season tickets. Earlier this year, the athletic department informed season-ticket holders within those designated areas that a donation would be required to retain those seats. The decision resulted in 600 new TSF members. Lansden stressed this will not be a re-seating, rather an opportunity for donors to purchase new or additional season tickets or improve the location of their season tickets. "That we're doing this is a sign of the program growing," Lansden said. "This is a testimony to where (football coach) Tommy (West) has taken the program." The Tigers are coming off back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time in school history. Earlier this month, they launched a Heisman Trophy campain -- another first -- for senior running back DeAngelo Williams, the two-time Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year. Lansden said seat selection will be held June 6-9 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. TSF members who filled out a recent questionnaire will be informed of their upcoming appointment times. Goodbye Kiss Tiger track standout Daniel Kiss, ranked fifth nationally in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.49 seconds, has returned to his home in Budapest, Hungary, to seek further medical care for a foot injury suffered in last week's C-USA Championships in Houston. Kiss, a senior, is not expected to participate in next week's NCAA Regionals in Bloomington, Ind., thereby eliminating him from advancing to the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, Calif., in June. "He hurt his foot pretty bad," said assistant track coach Kevin Robinson. "He suffered tendon or ligament damage to his big toe."

05/21/05		Sound Off (basketball) (Commercial Appeal)
		Sound Off: The Cardinals just aren't that into you It is embarrassing to see Tiger fans acting like the lover scorned in "Fatal Attraction." What does it take to convince them that Louisville is not interested in a relationship? They have never seen the rivalry in the same way that Memphis fans do. They do not see us as equals. We just aren't that important to them. They see us more like a boorish acquaintance that they would rather forget. Forget them and move on. Develop new rivalries. Charles E. Dille Memphis Court martial I'm a University of Memphis Tiger basketball fan who is serving my country in the United States military. I've had one tour in Iraq, and am on my way to another tour in the end of the year. I am really disturbed that we missed the "Big Dance" this year and played really badly our last game against St. Joseph's. I am embarrassed each time we come up short, when we should have won games and get slaughtered by teams we should have shut out. People are from all walks of life in the military, and they come and get in my face when Memphis loses. Antonio L. Alsobrooks Fort Hood, Texas Glorifying all that's wrong with sports I thank The Commercial Appeal for glorifying everything that is wrong with prep, college and professional sports with its glowing tribute to "Team Thaddeus" in last Sunday's sports section. Why does a high school junior need an entourage? Why would The Commercial Appeal waste two pages of a section on such a bunch a money-hungry hypocrites? At least Geoff Calkins had the sense to see through this charade. As for Thaddeus Young having a 4.3 grade-point average and being a member of the National Honor Society, you would think he would be smart enough to see he's being used. I wish Thaddeus Young nothing but success, but the life of an athlete is fragile and short. Is Team Thaddeus going to stick around if its meal ticket is injured in his senior year of high school? Is Team Thaddeus going to stick around if Young's name disappears from NBA Draft consideration? No, it is going to latch on to the "next" big thing. Leo E. Alessi Memphis Is there a sports issue that makes you want to Sound Off? Send an e-mail to sports@commercialappeal.com. Please put "Sound Off" in the subject header and include your name and where you live.

05/21/05		Charlotte Sweeps Memphis With 13-2 Route in Series Finale -- Eric Smith homers in final at-bat as a Tiger (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Charlotte (31-23, 13-17 C-USA) 231 160 0 - 13 17 1 MEMPHIS (13-42, 5-25 C-USA) 010 001 0 - 2 2 1 Charlotte posted 17 hits and Adam Mills allowed just two Memphis hits and struck out seven in seven innings as the 49ers races to a 13-2 win over Memphis in the season finale for both, Saturday afternoon at Nat Buring Stadium. Tiger catcher Eric Smith posted one of the Tiger's two runs with a homer to right centerfield in his final plate appearance in a Memphis uniform. Charlotte posted runs in five of the seven frames, highlighted by a six-run fifth that put them ahead convincingly, 13-1. The 49ers got a pair of RBI-doubles from Adam Willard and Spencer Steedley to go up 10-1. Mike Ambrose brought home runs number 11 with and RBI-single up the middle and Chris Lane capped the scoring with a two-run single. A two-run single to right in the first got Charlotte on the board. Willard drove in a run on a groundball and Kris Rochelle ripped a two-run single to open a 5-0 lead. Memphis got on the board without the aid of a hit in the second when Adam Amar and Chris Newsom each drew walks. Niner first baseman Steedley was then unable to handle a sharply-hit groundball off the bat of freshman leftfielder Brent Moss, allowing Amar to score. The 49ers posted single runs in the third and fourth and then six in the fifth before Smith launched his second career blast in the sixth to close all scoring for the game. Nick Bradshaw was the hard-luck loser for Memphis. Bradshaw faced just one batter in the first inning before being lifted for Chris Davis. However, that batter was leadoff hitter Cory Lane, who singled and later came around to score. Mills was the winning hurler, no-hitting Memphis through 4.2 innings. Jordan Tolliver broke his no-hit bid with a double to the rightfield corner. The Tigers finish the season 13-42 overall and 5-25 in Conference USA play.

05/21/05		Draft variables played role in Tiger's choice -- Number of early entrants, projection in second round swayed Williams (Commercial Appeal)
		By Daniel Ford Contact May 21, 2005 In the end, there were too many uncertainties for Shawne Williams. The 6-9 wing said the record number of early-entry candidates and wide-ranging draft projections played heavily into his decision to forego the NBA and attend the University of Memphis in the fall. "It's a relief for me because everyday, everywhere I go, everybody was asking me what I was going to do and when I was going to do it," Williams said at a press conference held Friday at Senses nightclub. "They were telling me how they'd do it if they were in my shoes, but they can't say that because no one is in my shoes." Williams, a forward from Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute Prep by way of Hamilton High, said he is eligible to play for the Tigers next season and plans to enroll in second session summer classes beginning June 5. Williams was projected as a late second-round pick by most mock drafts and said he thinks a year or two of college basketball will improve his stock. "I'm coming in to do what it takes to get to the next level," he said. "If it takes one year, two years, three years or four, whatever it takes." Travis King, Williams's former AAU coach, said the decision will benefit everyone involved. "He's got a great story to tell, and I'm glad he'll get to tell that story by playing at the University of Memphis and not going to the NBA," King said. "He did have that opportunity. He passed it up, and that's very good for the city of Memphis, the Tiger program and Memphians themselves." Williams told The Commercial Appeal in mid-April that he planned to declare for the draft, but said Friday he never filed the proper paperwork with the league office. The deadline to do so was May 14. "I was going to declare, but so many things can come into play," he said. "At that point nothing is a lock. Anything can happen. ... "One week you'll be this and the next week all this information says (something else). I was affected by information." Talk of raising the age limit for draft entrants likely sparked this year's record 108 early entrants, a factor that also played into Williams's final decision. "There so much going on with the NBA right now, so many negotiations (over an age limit)," Williams said. "I just felt like I didn't want to be out there in all that where anything could've happened. I just wanted to come home." -- Daniel Ford: 529-2343

05/21/05		Charlotte rallies to dump Tigers (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services May 21, 2005 Charlotte scored eight unanswered runs, including six in the seventh inning, to overcome a six-run deficit and become Conference USA's eighth 30-win team in a 9-7 decision over Memphis on Friday at Nat Buring Stadium. With the loss, the Tigers dropped their 10th straight league series. Charlotte closer Adam Walker recorded his school-record 12th save of the year after a scoreless ninth. The 49ers claimed a 9-7 lead in the seventh fueled by a six-hit attack in the inning. O'Brien Taylor reached on a Tiger error before the Niners posted six straight hits, including consecutive doubles by Spencer Steedley, Mike Ambrose and Chris Taylor. Charlotte is 30-23, 12-17 C-USA. Things looked promising for Memphis (13-41, 5-24) early as the Tigers scored two runs in the first on a sacrifice fly by Chad House and an infield single from Cory Barton. After a Charlotte run cut the lead to 2-1, Memphis extended its advantage to 6-1 with a four-run second. The Tigers wrap up their season today when they battle the 49ers in a noon start.

05/20/05		Baseball Losses Six-Run Lead, Falls 9-7 to Charlotte -- Brent Moss posts three hits for Memphis (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Charlotte (30-23, 12-17 C-USA) 010 011 600 - 9 16 2 MEMPHIS (13-41, 5-24 C-USA) 241 000 000 - 7 8 2 Charlotte scored eight unanswered runs, including crossing six in the seventh inning to overcome a six-run deficit and become Conference USA's eighth 30-win team with a 9-7 win over Memphis, Friday afternoon at Nat Buring Stadium. With the loss, the Tigers drop their 10th straight league series. Charlotte closer Adam Walker recorded his school record 12th save of the year after a scoreless ninth. The 49ers claimed a 9-7 lead in the seventh fueled by a six-hit attack in the frame. The inning saw Charlotte's O'Brien Taylor reach on a Tiger error before the Niners posted six straight hits, including consecutive doubles by Spencer Steedley, Mike Ambrose and Chris Taylor. Charlotte claimed the two-run cushion after Taylor scored on a double play groundball off the bat of Alex Bryant. Things looked promising for Memphis early as they posted two runs in the first, on a sacrifice fly by Chad House and an infield single from Cory Barton. After a Charlotte tally cut the lead in half at 2-1, Memphis extended its advantage to 6-1 with a four-run second. Brent Moss, who finished with a team-high three hits, led off rally with a double down the leftfield line and Jordan Tolliver, K.K. Chalmers and House drew consecutive walks to bring him in and make it 3-1. Tolliver came in on a wild pitch by 49er starter Matt Landphair. The inning was highlighted by a throwing error from the Charlotte infield that allowed Chalmers and House to score. Moss' sac fly to center would cap the Memphis scoring and it would be all Charlotte from then on as the Niners posted single runs in fifth and sixth innings to close the gap to 7-3 before the big six-run seventh. Both the Tigers and 49ers will wrap up their seasons on Saturday when they take the field for a Noon start. Saturday is Senior Day for the Memphis as five Tiger seniors will be honored in their final games in front of the home crowd at Nat Buring Stadium. Listen live to the tilt on 91.7 FM as the "Voice of Tiger Baseball" Jeff Brightwell calls the play-by-play action.

05/20/05		Tiger Scholarship Fund Will Host Community Reception in Bartlett -- Tiger fans are welcome to free community reception at the Bank of Bartlett's Wolfchase branch beginning at 5:30 p.m. (GoTigersGo.com)
		The Tiger Scholarship Fund invites you to a community reception on Tuesday, May 24th in Bartlett. The event will take place at the Bank of Bartlett's Wolfchase branch from 5:30pm - 7:00pm. Memphis coaches and staff members will be in attendance. The reception is free and open to the public. The Bank of Bartlett is located at 7894 Highway 64 (Stage Road) near Wolfchase Mall.

05/20/05		Conference USA Spring meetings Atop the food chain -- Tigers pressuring C-USA teams to keep up (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 20, 2005 DESTIN, Fla. -- John Calipari was picking at a chicken sandwich the other day, ripping the thing apart to ensure only the good parts remained. No bread. No skin. No mayo. All the while, he was talking basketball, and the future of Conference USA, which, he insisted, is healthy, just the same. "UAB beat us last year, and they've got a lot of guys coming back," the University of Memphis coach said in between bites here at C-USA's annual spring meetings. "I don't know why people wouldn't pick them to win the league." Calipari, whose Tigers should be ranked in the top 15 of most preseason polls, didn't flinch when he said this. He was serious and meant it as a compliment to UAB. Still, he knows nobody is picking UAB to win C-USA. Not this year. Not next year. Not anytime in the foreseeable future. "I know we've got everything in place," Calipari said. "But we still have to do it." This is not a story about the greatness of Tiger basketball. This is a story about disparity. About advantages and disadvantages. About haves and have-nots. About how one C-USA program -- in terms of financial commitment and most other intangibles -- undeniably sits above all others. "Memphis does have a lot of advantages that some of us don't have," said UTEP coach Doc Sadler. "But they have a lot of history and built to this. You have to give them credit." Give them credit. Then apply the pressure. Because with apologies to UAB and UTEP -- two schools which have had more on-the-court success than Memphis over the past two seasons -- it's now hard to justify any scenario that doesn't involve the Tigers winning league titles on a regular basis. There are lots of reasons why, everything from the fact that no other C-USA program has a comparable budget (roughly $4.5 million), fan base (nearly 15,000 season tickets sold) or list of boosters willing to pay its coach the way Calipari is paid, at a rate of about $1.5 million per year. Then there's this: "Memphis has a lot of good players," said ScoutHoops.com recruiting analyst Jeff Goodman. "They're going to be very talented." Talented this year, and in years to come, assuming Calipari and assistants Tony Barbee and Derek Kellogg continue to attract prospects at the level they've consistently done since arriving at Memphis following the 1990-2000 campaign. Consider that, according to PrepStars.com's final rankings for the Class of 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, the Tigers have signed nine Top 100 prospects, six of whom -- Jeremy Hunt, Darius Washington, Antonio Anderson, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Robert Dozier and Shawne Williams -- should be on this season's roster. The other 11 C-USA members have combined to sign a total of zero Top 100 prospects over that same span, creating a disparity in perceived talent that is startling, even to people who regularly follow this stuff. "There's not another example in any other conference like that," said Rob Harrington, a recruiting analyst at PrepStars.com. "To me, this is one of the more intriguing aspects of all the conference realignments, that Memphis is now in a position where not only should they contend for league titles, but it would really be an upset in any given year if they don't win a conference championship. Really, if they can maintain any continuity at all and keep guys in the program, they should have a big leg up on everybody." Which is not something Calipari denies, by the way. He knows C-USA titles are to be expected, and understands that if he can string a few together, then every other program in the league will have to invest more to keep up. The byproduct? C-USA, as a whole, would improve, which would be a check in the plus column for the UofM. "That's what happened when I was at UMass," Calipari explained. "Temple knew they had to build a new building, or they were never going to beat us. Xavier had to build a new building. The schools just said, 'OK. That's it. It's on.' Like Dayton, they re-did their locker room and lounge. "So I hope everybody will realize that we are not stepping back, and that if you want to compete with us, then you've got to step up to the plate. But you know what? I think these teams will." Regardless, until they do, Memphis and all its advantages should be C-USA's favorite, this year, next year, and every year going forward. Now, it's just a matter of making good on everybody's predictions. "We still have to prove we have what it takes to be that kind of team," Calipari said. "But we're going to find out." -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

05/20/05		C-USA Notes (basketball, football) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 20, 2005 Dallas to host women -- Memphis may get shot for two events in 2007 DESTIN, Fla. -- After further discussions Thursday, Conference USA officials decided to keep the league's men's and women's basketball tournaments separated in 2006. "But we're still going to keep the task force in place and investigate everything," University of Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson said following the final day of the league's annual spring meetings. "I still think it makes sense and is doable. And our goal will be to get everything in place so that (Memphis) can host both of them in 2007." Memphis hosting both of them in 2006 was the first option and seemed likely as recently as Wednesday. But securing a building in addition to FedExForum for the women and moving the entire women's schedule back a week proved too great a task on such short notice, considering C-USA would've wanted to have everything finalized by mid-July. Consequently, the 2006 men's tournament will be in Memphis while the 2006 women's tournament will be held in Dallas at SMU's Moody Coliseum. Basketball two-timers C-USA decided long ago it would play a 14-game basketball schedule with each team meeting eight of the other 11 members once and three additional members twice. This week, it was determined John Calipari's Tigers will get home-and-home series with UAB, Southern Miss and Tulsa. Bowl talk Though C-USA is guaranteed five bowl spots this football season, after that things are up for discussion. The AutoZone Liberty Bowl and GMAC Bowl have extended contracts. But the Fort Worth Bowl, Hawaii Bowl and New Orleans Bowl can all break ties with the league, if they like. Still, Britton Banowsky isn't worried. "Last year, there were 28 bowls. That's (spots for) 56 teams, and there were only 58 teams that were ultimately (bowl) eligible last year," explained C-USA's commissioner. "This year, there are going to be 29 bowls. That's 58 bowl spots. So there's going to be enough bowls to go around." And what about the three bowls with expired contracts after this season? "We're in negotiations right now to extend them," Banowsky said. Furthermore, representatives from the Orange Bowl, Champs Sports Bowl and Senior Bowl took part in these meetings, researching and networking. -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

05/20/05		Williams not on official draft list -- Banks, reportedly with agent, sharpening skills (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 20, 2005 DESTIN, Fla. -- John Calipari said earlier this week that though he had no indication Shawne Williams actually entered the NBA Draft, he'd not rest easy until the league office released its list of early entrants. That list has been released. Now the University of Memphis coach can relax. An astounding and record 108 early entrants -- there are only 60 draft spots -- officially declared for the June 28 draft by last Saturday's deadline. But Williams, a Tiger signee, was not one of them, something reported Sunday by The Commercial Appeal and confirmed Thursday by the NBA. He will hold a press conference this afternoon to explain his decision. Some players of local interest who did declare are Arkansas's Olu Famutimi, Mississippi State signee Monta Ellis and Georgia signee Louis Williams, a Memphis native. Any player who does not sign with an agent or otherwise lose his amateur status can withdraw and return to school so long as he notifies the league office by the June 21 deadline. One player that exit route won't effect, however, is Sean Banks, the former Tiger standout who is also in the draft. He has been working out at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., alongside the likes of Ellis and other draft hopefuls like Florida's Matt Walsh and South Carolina's Carlos Powell. Banks has reportedly hired an agent and will not be returning to the UofM. A 6-8 wing, Banks has first-round talent, most agree. But his troubled past -- including a demise at Memphis that culminated with the New Jersey native being declared academically ineligible in January -- has damaged his stock. Consequently, nobody of note has Banks projected as a first-rounder, though he was a projected lottery pick last preseason. Now, he will likely go somewhere in the second round, if at all.

05/20/05		Lady Tiger dismissed from team -- Basketball's Booker out after fight with volleyball players (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact May 20, 2005 University of Memphis women's basketball player Latrice Booker said she has been dismissed from the Lady Tiger basketball team as a result of her role in an on-campus incident last month involving members of the women's basketball and volleyball teams. Volleyball player Melenaite Fehi Tuivai told police Booker punched her and held her against the wall of an on-campus apartment during the April 23 incident. Tuivai's teammate, Emily Steckel, also said she was assaulted during the incident, telling police she was shoved and pushed up against the wall by Raven Rogers, Booker's teammate. Rogers has completed her eligibility and graduated two weeks ago. Booker and Rogers are scheduled to appear in General Sessions Criminal Court next week to face simple assault charges. Rogers's court date is Tuesday, and Booker's is Thursday. Booker, a native of Winnfield, La., said she met with Dwayne Scott, associate dean of student judicial affairs, last week and was informed she would not be allowed to return to school. The punishment is more severe than the one men's basketball player Jeremy Hunt received earlier this year. Hunt was charged with domestic violence assault in January for allegedly striking his former girlfriend, Rogers's sister Tamika. The incident happened off the UofM campus. Hunt received a two-game suspension administered by the athletic department. University officials said Thursday that Booker's case is being treated differently than Hunt's because Booker's incident occurred on campus. "The difference between disciplinary actions is that Hunt's alleged activities happened off campus," said Curt Guenther, the university's director of communication services. "Hunt's suspension was strictly an act on the part of the athletic department to discipline a player, whereas in this case it was handled not by the athletic department, but by the student judicial affairs system." University counsel Sheri Lipman said the school can "step in and discipline students" for on-campus incidents and for those that occur off campus between university students or at university-sponsored events. Booker, who said she couldn't discuss the incident, played in 26 games last season and averaged 4.2 points. She did not start. As a sophomore she started 18 games and averaged 5.0 points and 3.9 rebounds. Booker would have been the team's most experienced post player for second-year coach Blair Savage. "I met with the dean of judicial affairs, and that was his decision ... to suspend me from the university next year," Booker said. Booker, a sports and communications major, will be allowed to complete her senior project over the course of two summer sessions, the first of which begins June 6. She'll graduate in August. Booker said she'll likely transfer to a NCAA Division 2 school in Arkansas, where she can play her remaining season of eligibility. "I'm pursuing it," she said. "I'm looking to go somewhere closer to home." Booker, who scored a career-high 18 points against Tennessee-Martin in 2003, had a career average of 3.9 points and 2.9 rebounds. Savage said she had sent a release to the Arkansas school Booker is considering. "She was our most physical post player inside and had the ability to score outside," Savage said. "Someone else is going to have to step up." Savage said she regretted the incident and added "we are wrong in what we did and are having to deal with the consequences." Volleyball coach Carrie Yerty declined to elaborate on Booker's punishment, saying only that "the university has made (its) statement." -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

05/19/05		Baseball Unable to Post Third Straight Win in 11-5 Loss to Charlotte -- Tigers pound out 12 hits in losing effort (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Charlotte (29-23, 11-17 C-USA) 120 220 040 - 11 14 1 MEMPHIS (13-40, 5-23 C-USA) 110 000 300 - 5 12 1 Four Tigers recorded multiple hits and Memphis posted 12 hits in the contest, but Charlotte put up four runs in the eighth to claim an 11-5 win in the series finale on Thursday evening. Niners closer Erik Walker tied the Charlotte record with his 11th save after shutting the Tigers down in two and one-third innings of relief. The 49ers four-run eighth came after Memphis had cut the lead to 7-5 with a three-run seventh. Charlotte sent eight batters to the plate and got RBI-doubles from Alex Bryant and Cory Lane to take a commanding 10-5 lead. Adam Willard's single drove Lane in for the final 11-5 tally. The Niners opened the scoring in the first on Willard's sacrifice fly that scored O'Brien Taylor. However, Memphis got a leadoff home run from Jordan Tolliver to tie the contest at 1-1. Tolliver's leadoff blast was the first for the Tigers since Jordan Hart lined a homer over the left centerfield wall in the U of M's first game at Nat Buring last year on Apr. 9 against UAB. Charlotte took the lead for good with two runs in the second on a two-run blast by Chris Lane. Memphis put up a run in the second to cut the lead to 3-2, but Charlotte scored two in both the fourth and fifth innings to go ahead 7-2. The Tigers rallied for three runs in the seventh to close the gap to 7-5. Cory Barton ripped a bases loaded RBI single and Patrick Hope drew a bases loaded walk to make it 7-4. Memphis scored its final run of the game on an infield single off the bat of John Peterson. Chad House led Memphis offensively, with a 3-for 5 night, while Tolliver, Barton and Hope finished with two hits each. Memphis's starter Neil Schenk (1-8) took the loss after giving up seven runs in four and one-thirds innings. Derek McDaid picked up the win for Charlotte. The righthander fanned three and gave up just two runs in six innings. The Tigers and 49ers will hit the field for a 2 p.m. contest on Friday at Nat Buring Stadium. Listen live to the tilt on 91.7 FM as the "Voice of Tiger Baseball" Jeff Brightwell calls the play-by-play action.

05/19/05		2005 Women's Soccer Recruiting Class Ranked #27 Nationally by Soccer Buzz -- Incoming Lady Tigers also ranked 8th in Central Region (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Head coach Brooks Monaghan's 15-member recruiting class of 2005 for the Memphis women's soccer team has been ranked the 27th best in the country by Soccer Buzz, which released the national top 100 recruiting classes today. The class was also ranked 8th in Central Region. The online publication devoted to women's soccer has ranked recruiting classes every year since 1998 and this is by far the highest ranking, both nationally and regionally for a Memphis recruiting class. The previous highest national ranking for a Memphis recruiting class was #46 for the 2003 recruiting class and their previous high for a regional ranking was #11, also in 2003. The Tigers recruiting class last year was ranked 23rd in the Central Region. Memphis was the highest ranked Conference USA school this year at #27, as just one other school, Rice, was ranked in the top 50. SMU, Tulane, UAB, and UTEP were ranked in the top 100. The Tigers #8 ranking in their region was also the highest regional ranking for any team in Conference USA. UAB and Rice, which were both ranked #13 in their respective regions, were the next highest. The Tigers' recruiting class also topped regional rivals and 2005 opponents Ole Miss and Mississippi State both in the region and nationally. Conference USA was ranked ninth out of the 30 conferences plus the independents that sponsor women's soccer. "This is good for our program to get recognition like this and it should also serve to make future recruits aware that there is an up-and-coming program here in the Mid-South," said Memphis coach Brooks Monaghan. "You try to win in everything you do and we did pretty well with recruiting this year. However, these rankings won't mean all that much if it doesn't add up on the field. With that in mind, we will have a lot of work to do when fall practice starts and all throughout the upcoming season to mesh this recruiting class with our returnees and to help all of our players improve so that we can reach our ultimate goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament." Memphis' 2005 recruiting class includes the following student-athletes: Caroline Allen (Little Rock, Ark.), Joanna Alexopulos (Mississauga, Ontario), Alexandra Atkinson (Mississauga, Ontario), Katy Booth (Colleyville, Texas), Lauren Everhart (Sevierville, Tenn.), Kylie Hayes (Piqua, Ohio), Chloe James (Cincinnati, Ohio), Lindsey Joseph (West Chester, Ohio), Asuka Kubota (Saitama, Japan), Maggie Leone (Cordova, Tenn.), Sarah MacGregor (Indianapolis, Ind.), Kate Murphy (Anchorage, Alaska), Laura Pfeffer (Rochester, Mich.), Emiko Schwab (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), and Aika Young (Tumon, Guam). The complete rankings for both the national and regional recruiting class can be accessed along with much more regarding collegiate women's soccer at www.soccerbuzz.com.

05/19/05		A silver lining -- Schoenrock sees hope for '06 (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact May 19, 2005 There will be no winning season to celebrate, no year-end conference tournament to prepare for and no league accolades for first-year University of Memphis baseball coach Daron Schoenrock. But when the season ends Saturday against Charlotte at Nat Buring Stadium, Schoenrock won't label the season a failure. He said despite a school-record number of losses, player suspensions and a lack of pitching depth, there have been successes. "I feel like we've implemented the way the program is going to operate," Schoenrock said. "I'm OK. I can see the future and the direction we're headed and I'm encouraged by that. I think we can be good here quicker than people think. "Selfishly, I wanted to win this year and get to the conference tournament for the second year in a row." Instead the Tigers (13-39 overall, 5-22 in Conference USA) will end the season with a three-game series against Charlotte that begins tonight. Through a difficult four-month season, the Tigers have learned to persevere through adversity and losing streaks. Assistant coach Mike Federico, a former head coach at Meridian (Miss.) Community College, said during the process, the team has gained a grasp of what Schoenrock expects. "Sometimes it's more than wins and losses," Federico said. "It's about accountability and being a good citizen and doing the right things on and off the field. You don't ever want to go through a season thinking you are going to lose this many games, but you also realize in the process (Schoenrock) is building a foundation." While implementing his philosophy, Schoenrock watched a team operate without key contributors. Left-hander Brandon Rowan and right-hander Nick Bradshaw, experienced seniors, were limited. Rowan, who had pitched 95 innings the previous two seasons, made one appearance because of a ligament strain in his pitching elbow. Bradshaw, the most experienced starter, battled through a torn shoulder muscle and was limited to five appearances. Bill Moss, who led the team with a .342 average in 2004, did not play because of a bad back. And among those suspended late in the season for a violation of team policy was leading hitter Ryan Martin. "It's been a tough season," said shortstop Jordan Tolliver. "It hasn't gone the way we had hoped. But you get through it and move on." Schoenrock said the program will move on and be competitive in 2006, when a revamped Conference USA adds national power Rice and the Tigers add a mix of prep and junior college standouts. "We got very aggressive in the early signing period (last fall), probably more aggressive than they've ever been here," Schoenrock said. Drawing upon contacts he made while serving as an assistant to Ron Polk at Mississippi State -- and upon Federico's familiarity with the Meridian program -- Schoenrock put together a strong class. The list of signees includes: Philip Utley, a 6-3 junior college right-hander drafted out of Jackson-Central Merry High by the Minnesota Twins; Jackson State (Tenn.) Community College left-hander Lance Scoggins, a 2004 New York Mets draft pick and a former Bolton High product; Meridian Community College standouts Dusty Davis, Joseph Lieberman and Michael Murray and Middle Georgia College outfielder Will Peterson, a former Texas Rangers draft pick and a base-stealing threat. Among the highly regarded prep standouts are Southaven High's Brach Davis, Collierville's Marc Ashley and Houston High's Thomas Wiedman. "The coaches have done a good job of recruiting," said Tiger freshman outfielder K.K. Chalmers. "They are building a program and taking the right steps to get there." Tolliver played at an Illinois junior college that won nearly 90 games during his two-year stay. He's expecting a Memphis turnaround in 2006. "I might as well say it," he said. "We've got some good players coming in. We'll be good next year. We'll compete against a lot of teams." Despite its shortcomings, Memphis is attempting to finish strong. A win tonight would give the Tigers three straight and their longest streak of the season. They'll also be trying to win a C-USA series for the first time this season. "You look at a college baseball program and you evaluate four areas," Schoenrock said. "You evaluate coaching staff, talent level, facilities and the conference you're in. "Obviously the conference is going to be outstanding. I think we've had an impact on the talent level of players we've attracted (for next year). We've got plans on what we'd like to do to catch up with other teams in our league with facilities (a $2 million project) and I've put a good coaching staff in place." Tiger athletic director R.C. Johnson understands the need to upgrade Nat Buring Stadium to stay competitive in what will be a strong baseball league. He said informal talks have been held to discuss renovating the stadium. While that may take several years to come to fruition, Johnson is confident that Schoenrock will move quickly to upgrade the program on the field. Johnson said he talked recently to Tulane athletic director Rick Dickson, who was unaware of the Tigers' struggles this season when they played at top-ranked Tulane May 6-8. What Dickson noticed in the closely contested series Tulane swept was a glimpse at the foundation Schoenrock has laid. "Rick was impressed by how hard we played," Johnson said. "He told me he was talking to (Tulane coach) Rick Jones and Jones told him 'There's no doubt Memphis is going to have a successful baseball program.' " -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543 ---------------------------------------------- This weekend Matchup: Tigers (13-39) vs. Charlotte (28-23). When, where: Today, 6:30 p.m.; Friday, 2 p.m.; Saturday, noon at Nat Buring Stadium.

05/19/05		C-USA tourney returning -- Officials look at possibility of city hosting women's event at same time (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 19, 2005 DESTIN, Fla. -- The Conference USA men's basketball tournament is returning to FedExForum next March, the league's athletic directors formally agreed Wednesday here at their annual spring meetings. "We're excited," University of Memphis athletic director R. C. Johnson said. "Obviously, it's big for us." But could it get bigger? It appears that way, because C-USA also decided to simultaneously hold its women's tournament in Memphis, if possible. That's the plan. But before finalizing things the league must first research whether it is realistic to undertake the task with such a short timeframe. If it's viable to run the tournaments together in Memphis, that's what will happen. Otherwise, the women's tournament will be held in another C-USA city, perhaps Dallas. "Bringing both events into town at the same time would mean an enhanced economic impact for Memphis," C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said. "It can be a wonderful, wonderful thing if we can figure out a way to do it." Among the things to figure out is the possibility of pushing the women's tournament back a week from its normally scheduled time while maintaining a slot on ESPN for the title game. Also, because it's not feasible for FedExForum to host all the men's and women's games, other venues have to be explored. So C-USA must secure a second building, like The Pyramid, Mid-South Coliseum, DeSoto Civic Center or maybe the Elma Roane Field House. For that, the league has put together a task force designed to research and report back. Taking on that job are Johnson, UofM associate athletic director Lynn Parkes and Lady Tiger basketball coach Blair Savage. Asked when a final decision needed to be made, Johnson didn't hesitate. "Yesterday," he said with a laugh. "Seriously, we're going to try to do it, but there are a lot of issues. So we have to get on the fast track." Though holding both the men's and women's tournaments in the same city at the same time is a rarity in major college athletics, C-USA wouldn't be the first league to do it. The Big 12 has conducted its postseason basketball events in this manner for nine years, which is where Banowsky learned the concept while working in that conference's office prior to taking over C-USA. This past season, for example, Kansas City hosted both Big 12 tournaments. The men played at Kemper Arena and the women played at Municipal Auditorium. "We are the only league that does it, and it's been a success," said Rob Carolla, the Big 12's director of communications. "From a school's stance, all the administrators and fans are in the same city. So they can support both their men's and women's teams at the same time, and that helps make it more of an event." Or, as Banowsky put it, "It can be a festival of basketball. It would be really wonderful." -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

05/19/05		Tiger series with Cardinals appears over -- Move 'a little surprising'; Louisville leaving substantial money on table (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 19, 2005 DESTIN, Fla. -- It appears the University of Memphis is finished playing Louisville in basketball for the foreseeable future. A day after Conference USA commissioner Britton Banowsky told The Commercial Appeal the Cardinals might have to play the Tigers or risk losing an estimated $1.6 to $2 million in NCAA Tournament revenue, Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich indicated he's willing to leave the money behind. Jurich did not return multiple calls from The Commercial Appeal, but he did tell ESPN.com that although a final decision hasn't been made, "we're moving in that direction." "It's a little surprising," said UofM athletic director R. C. Johnson, here in the Florida Panhandle for C-USA's spring meetings. "That's a lot of money to leave behind." True. But there could be more money to be made elsewhere, something that might explain Louisville's decision and help it make financial sense. For Louisville to keep its NCAA Tournament revenue, it would be required to play 10 basketball games -- five at home and five on the road -- over the next five years against C-USA members, at the discretion of ESPN. But if the school replaces those mandatory road games with home games and thus adds five otherwise impossible home games, Louisville could actually generate the same amount or even more revenue, considering the school nets roughly $400,000 per home game. Louisville appears set to leave somewhere between $1.6 and $2 million on the table in order to keep Rick Pitino from being locked into playing anybody he didn't want to play, specifically Memphis and John Calipari, for whom no love is lost. What this means for C-USA is that there is going to probably be extra revenue to divide. Now the league just has to figure out how to divide it. "We talked about it this morning under the assumption this might happen," Johnson said. "We're still trying to decide." One way is to divide it between members who aren't newcomers to C-USA: Memphis, Tulane, Houston, Southern Miss, East Carolina and UAB. Using a middle figure of $1.8 million, each school would get $300,000. Another way is to divide it between all 12 current C-USA members. Using a middle figure of $1.8 million, each school would get $150,000. Then there's a third option, one Johnson explained with a grin on his face. "I stood up this morning and suggested we should get it all because we were the ones who were supposed to play them anyway," he said. "You can imagine the reaction of my compadres. It wasn't fit for print."

05/19/05		C-USA meetings notes (basketball rpi, football instant replay) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 19, 2005 Calipari: Tougher schedule needed -- Tigers need to raise their RPI next season DESTIN, Fla. -- John Calipari walked out of a room at the Conference USA spring meetings Wednesday morning, all smiles and without a care. Then he was asked if he had heard about the Preseason NIT. "No," Calipari answered. You're opening with Wisconsin-Milwaukee. If you win there, you get either Alabama or Miami-Ohio. "Who?" he asked. Alabama or Miami-Ohio. "Oh, geez." So much for those days of opening with two cupcakes, specifically Savannah State and George Mason. This time the University of Memphis is starting -- on Nov. 15 at FedExForum -- with a team that advanced to the Sweet 16 last season and returns four starters. If the Tigers get past that presumably they will meet Alabama on Nov. 17. The Crimson Tide spent most of last season ranked in the Top 20. "It looks like it's going to be another hard schedule," Calipari said. "We're just going to have to be a better team than last year." The Preseason NIT is a 16-team event consisting of two rounds of campus-site games before four schools advance to New York. Other participants are Duke, Boston University, Manhattan, Seton Hall, Sam Houston State, Missouri, Drexel, Princeton, Army, Temple, New Mexico State and UCLA. Anybody from that group could ultimately be a Tiger opponent. Memphis already has nonleague games scheduled with Texas, Purdue and Tennessee (all at home), and Cincinnati, Providence and Ole Miss (all on the road). And then there's this: "We're going to move the East Tennessee State game back to the next year, and we're going to try to move the Austin Peay game back too," Calipari said. "Nothing against East Tennessee State and Austin Peay. Those are good programs with good coaches. We just need to schedule somebody who we think will win more games." Translation? "Now I've got a better feel for the RPI," Calipari said. "So we are looking at teams for strength of schedule (purposes) who we think are going to win a lot of games. I don't care what their name is. If they're Division 1 and they're going to have a good record, that's who we want to schedule so that we don't get drilled (by the RPI) like we just did." Last season the Tigers' schedule was rated 80th, despite games against Syracuse, Maryland and Pittsburgh. The problem was Memphis also played Savannah State (328 RPI) and East Tennessee State (293 RPI). "I cost us with that schedule," Calipari said. "So I have to schedule smarter." Yes to instant replay C-USA football coaches voted unanimously Wednesday to implement an instant replay system for the upcoming season. "It will include referee-on-the-field involvement," C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said. "It's similar to the NFL model." Similar, but not exact. For instance, coaches will not be allowed to challenge calls. That will be up to an official in the press box who watches every play. If he sees something subject to review, he will buzz the referee on the field who will halt the game and watch a replay on a sideline monitor. Banowsky said the plan is for any costs of replay equipment to be covered by the league office, meaning a particular school will not endure additional expenses for the rule change.

05/18/05		Tiger Scholarship Fund to Hold Community Reception Thursday -- Fans are invited to the free reception at Patriot Bank in Millington from 5-6:30 p.m. (GoTigersGo.com)
		The Tiger Scholarship Fund invites you to our next community reception on Thursday, May 19th at Patriot Bank in Millington. The event is from 5:00pm - 6:30pm and will feature Memphis coaches and staff members. The reception is free and open to the public. Approximately 100 people attended the last community reception in Hernando, Mississippi. Patriot Bank is located at 8376 Highway 51 in Millington. An additional community reception is scheduled for Tuesday, May 24th in Bartlett.

05/18/05		Tigers Look to Finish Season Strong in Weekend Series versus Charlotte -- Series game times changed (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Winners in three of its last five games, the University of Memphis baseball team looks to wrap up the season on a positive note when the Tigers host Charlotte in the final Conference USA series of the season. Due the C-USA Tournament that begins on Wed., May 25, this series will be played on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Game times have been changed and are now set for 6:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and Noon, respectively. Memphis has won back-to-back games for the first time since late March when the Tigers pummeled USF 15-5 and then handed Murray State a 10-9 setback. The Tigers knocked off Cincinnati on Sunday before getting a three-hit effort from three pitchers to post a 5-1 win over Arkansas State in Jonesboro on Tuesday night. The win over the Indians snapped a four-game losing to ASU. First baseman Adam Amar has been on a tear for the Tigers as of late, hitting .526 with 17 RBI, six doubles and two homers in the last nine games. The Lake Mary, Fla., native has hit safely in all nine games since the Tulane series and improved his average 14 points, to .313 with a four-hit night Tuesday. He has started in all 52 games and leads the team in hits, doubles, RBI and total bases. Tiger reliever Drew Jaudon continues to pace the pitching staff with a 3.07 ERA. The juco transfer from Itawamba Community College has not allowed an earned run in his last six outings and 13 innings of work. Drew Kimmelman checks in with a 4.50 ERA after hurling a six-inning one-hit gem in the A-State win. In his last two starts, Kimmelman has maintained a 1.64 ERA and has held opponents to just two earned runs in 11.0 innings of work. Charlotte, like Memphis, been eliminated from the upcoming C-USA Tournament. The 49ers are 28-23 after an 11-6 win over Furman on Tuesday night. Sophomore Cory Lane fell just a double short of the cycle and tied the Conference USA record with his 11th triple of the year. Lane, who is hitting .301 on the year, is just one of six Niner hitters with plus-.300 averages. Senior Adam Willard leads the charge at a .363 clip with 16 doubles and 46 RBI. Charlotte is an aggressive team on the bases as four have reached the 10-stolen bases plateau. On the mound Charlotte has a 5.56 ERA and are led by closer Erik Walker and reliever Keith Moreland. Walker is second in the league with a 1.98 ERA and leads all C-USA pitchers with an opposing batting average of just .184. His 10 saves ranks second in C-USA. Adam Mills has a team-high 72 strikeouts in 15 starts and 94.1 innings. Opponents have been successful against the Charlotte staff, coming away with a .308 average. Memphis did not play Charlotte in 2004, but split a two-game series in the 2003 season. The Tigers and 49ers have only met on the baseball diamond nine times, with the U of M holding a 6-3 advantage.

05/18/05		C-USA Meeting Notes (UM vs. UL basketball, football instant replay) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 18, 2005 C-USA meetings notes Banowsky firm on Louisville role -- Says basketball game vs. Tigers up to ESPN DESTIN, Fla. -- Conference USA commissioner Britton Banowsky on Tuesday said the league hasn't begun working on basketball scheduling, and thus there is no definite word on whether Louisville and Memphis will play during the 2005-2006 season. Still, he made one thing clear. If ESPN wants the Tigers and Cardinals to play, then they will play. Otherwise, Louisville will be in violation of an agreement that enabled it to leave for the Big East without forfeiting revenue in exchange for competing against two C-USA schools per season at the discretion of ESPN. "It is fairly cut and dry," Banowsky said, The good news for Tiger fans? "ESPN is going to ask for the game," Memphis coach John Calipari said. "They've already asked for the game." But Louisville hasn't accepted. So the staredown will continue, with four apparent possibilities: 1) Memphis and Louisville play. Or ... 2) ESPN backs off and settles for the Cardinals playing another C-USA team instead. Or ... 3) Louisville voids the contract, forfeits the revenue -- valued at more than $1.7 million -- and schedules how it pleases. Or ... 4) Louisville fights the wording of the contract, wins and avoids the game and keeps the revenue. "We entered into an agreement with some schools that would enable them to leave the league and take some (revenue) with them so long as they scheduled back," Banowsky said. "For those schools that do (like Cincinnati), we'll be able to honor our agreement. For those schools that don't, there's going to be financial implications." An attempt to reach Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich for comment late Tuesday was unsuccessful. Instant replay a must One of the things C-USA football coaches spent Tuesday morning discussing here was instant replay. It appears the league will have it this season, though the format is yet to be determined. "I think it's normal progression," UTEP athletic director Bob Stull said. "I like it." Though most seem to feel that way, Stull has a built-in bias. When he was the football coach at Missouri in 1990 Stull was burned when officials let Colorado have a fifth down that resulted in a touchdown in the final seconds. The Buffaloes won the game and went on to win a share of the national title. "I wish we could've replayed that," Stull said with a laugh. Recruits on-line Can't wait for next basketball season, and the opportunity to see Memphis's star-studded recruiting class? No problem. In the next couple of weeks videos of each incoming freshman will be available at www.coachcalipari.com. "You'll be able to go on there and watch Kareem Cooper play, and go on there and watch Shawne Williams play," Calipari said. "How about that?"

05/18/05		Tigers get a third national TV game -- U of M vs. UTEP will be carried on CSTV (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact May 18, 2005 Conference USA added another opportunity Tuesday for University of Memphis Heisman Trophy candidate DeAngelo Williams to receive national exposure. C-USA announced its TV schedule for the 2005 season, and the Tigers' Oct. 1 home game against league newcomer UTEP was added to CSTV's schedule. CSTV, or College Sports Television, is in its first year of a six-year deal to carry C-USA events. Recognized as the fastest-growing independent cable network, CSTV has agreements with distributors that serve more than 65 million households. Comcast, Time Warner and DirecTV are among the distributors. CSTV is expected to be available on cable systems in each C-USA market by August. The league schedule features a minimum of 31 national games carried by either ESPN, ESPN2 or CSTV. The addition of the UTEP-Memphis game gives the Tigers three nationally televised games for 2005. Earlier this spring ESPN announced it would carry the UofM's season opener against Ole Miss Sept. 5 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and the team's Nov. 1 C-USA home game against UAB. Tiger athletic director R. C. Johnson said the game, originally set for an afternoon kickoff, will start at 7 p.m. to accommodate the national telecast. "We're pretty excited about it," Johnson said. "We're excited that it's on a Saturday. That's something we haven't been able to play (a nationally televised game) at home." Memphis made four national television appearances in 2004, including the GMAC Bowl. Of the two regular-season nationally televised home games, both were weekday affairs. "Interestingly enough, ESPN and CSTV (officials) are down here (at the C-USA Spring Meetings in Destin, Fla.) and it's amazing how the ratings for weekday games are climbing," Johnson said. "But Saturday telecasts are important." UTEP, which joins C-USA this fall, is expected to challenge in the league's newly formed West Division. UTEP will make five national appearances. Williams, the UofM's career rushing leader with 4,062 yards, is the first Tiger to be promoted as a Heisman candidate. Last week the university launched a Heisman campaign by unveiling a Williams-themed model race car. The 2,450 cars available to the public sold out in four days. Williams enters his senior season as the NCAA's active career leader in several categories, including rushing TDs (37), yards per carry (6.2) and rushing yards. -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2005 Tiger football on national TV Sept. 5 (Mon.) -- Ole Miss at Memphis 3:30 p.m.; ESPN Oct. 1 (Sat.) -- UTEP at Memphis, 7 p.m.; CSTV Nov. 1 (Tues.) -- UAB at Memphis, 6:30 p.m.; ESPN2

05/18/05		Tigers to play Wis.-Milwaukee in NIT (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services May 18, 2005 NEW YORK -- The University of Memphis will open the 2005-2006 basketball season with a Preseason NIT game against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament last season. Wisconsin-Milwaukee, making its debut in the Preseason NIT, will take on the Tigers at FedExForum in one of four first-round games Nov. 15. On Nov. 14, Duke hosts Boston University, Manhattan is at Seton Hall, Sam Houston State is at Missouri and Drexel is at Princeton. On Nov. 15, Miami, Ohio, is at Alabama, Army is at Temple and New Mexico State is at UCLA. The second round will be played Nov. 16 and 17 at campus sites while the semifinals are at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 23, with the title game on Nov. 25. Wisconsin-Milwaukee stunned Alabama and Boston College before losing to top-ranked Illinois in the round of 16. Coach Bruce Pearl left for Tennessee after the school's most successful season, and Wisconsin assistant Rob Jeter takes over the program.

05/17/05		Tiger Pitchers Hurl Three-Hitter in 5-1 Win at Arkansas State -- Drew Kimmelman holds Indians hitless through five and one-third innings (GoTigersGo.com)
		JONESBORO, Ark. -- - MEMPHIS (13-39) 000 003 011 - 5 10 1 Arkansas State (31-20) 001 001 000 - 1 3 5 Memphis starter Drew Kimmelman tossed five and two-thirds innings of no-hit ball and Adam Amar went 4-for-4 with a pair of RBI as the Tigers posted its second consecutive win in a 5-1 decision over Arkansas State Tuesday night at Tomlinson Stadium. With the win, Memphis posts its first back-to-back triumphs since Mar. 27th and 29th when it defeated USF and Murray State. Kimmelman faced the minimum through five innings and retired 15 batters at one point in the contest. Kimmelman gave up one hit in his six-inning outing before giving way to the Tiger bullpen. Blake Richardson hurled two innings of scoreless relief before Drew Jaudon closed the game out with a perfect ninth for the 5-1 win. Jaudon has now held the opponent scoreless in his last six outings, 13 innings. Memphis left seven men in scoring position in the first five innings before breaking a scoreless tie with three runs in the top of the sixth. Brent Moss ignited the inning with a leadoff walk and fellow freshman Chris Newsom reached on a fielder's choice sacrifice bunt. Moss was safe at second on a throwing error by ASU pitcher Andrew Bishop. A successful sacrifice bunt by Jordan Tolliver advanced both runners before K.K. Chalmers drew a walk to load the bases. Indian third baseman Mike Siriani misplayed Chad House's groundball as Moss was able to cross the Tigers' first run of the night. Memphis finally got the clutch hit it had been looking for when Amar's RBI-double scored Newsom and Chalmers for a 3-0 lead. Drew Rogers broke Kimmelman's no-hit bid in the sixth when he reached on an infield single. ASU used a Tiger error to put runners on second and third before a groundball by Siriani made it 3-1. The Tigers posted insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings. Amar started the rally with a one-out double in the eighth and Cory Barton provided another clutch to give Memphis a three-run cushion. Brent Moss lined a double to gap in left centerfield and later scored when Chalmers reached on an errant throw by the Indian infield. Along with Amar's four hits, Barton and Newsom added multiple hits in the ballgame. Bishop took the loss on the mound for A-State after giving up three runs in an inning and a third of work. Memphis will now return home for its final three games of the season in a Conference USA series with the Charlotte 49ers, May 19-21. First pitch for Thursday's series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. at "The Nat". Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

05/17/05		C-USA to return to Forum? (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 17, 2005 DESTIN, Fla. -- R.C. Johnson can think of many reasons why the Conference USA men's basketball tournament should return to Memphis. From FedExForum to fan interest, he has no problem listing rationale. But on this day, we asked him to play devil's advocate. All we wanted was one reason the league should consider moving its premier event. "I can't think of any," Johnson said. "I really can't." After that answer, and a quick laugh, the University of Memphis athletic director admitted his bias. But Britton Banowsky isn't biased. He's the commissioner of Conference USA and has no more of a tie to the Bluff City than he does to Birmingham or Houston. So he'd be able to give a reason the event might relocate, right? "Not really," Banowsky answered. "I think our experience last season was positive, from the support we got in the community to the venue, which is world-class with a set-up to Beale Street and a retail area that is perfect for our fans. So as I've said before, as long as the community supports the event, we've got a high level of comfort to play it there." The first session of these C-USA spring meetings came and went Monday with no real developments. But it already appears any forthcoming discussions about the 2006 C-USA Tournament will be nothing more than formality. An official announcement on the site is expected later this week. And barring a change in mindset, the event seems destined to return to FedExForum, meaning Memphis is set to edge other cities like Dallas, Tulsa and Biloxi, Miss., for the right to host what Tiger fans hope will turn into the John Calipari Invitational. "That's the only downside people can say (about the tournament coming to Memphis), that it's our homecourt," Calipari said. "Well, it was at Louisville's homecourt (multiple times). And it was at Cincinnati's homecourt (multiple times). So ... "But I understand (the other side), because I was on the other side and had that same complaint," Calipari added. "But I don't think there's a better place to have it, plus everybody who came last season and brought people with them, they all said, 'Whoa. This is great.'" Great experiences aside, Banowsky acknowledged not everything went perfectly last March for the four-day event, which closed with, arguably, the most gripping ending to any game all year, one that gave Louisville the title over Memphis after a pair of missed free throws by Darius Washington. One problem was that the upper level of FedExForum, save a few diehards, was empty most every session. Even the championship game, an ideal match-up between the Tigers and Cardinals, drew fewer than 11,000. Why? Because the cheapest ticket -- the Bob Uecker special -- cost $40. The solution? This time, the prices won't be as high as the vantage point. "We're talking about re-pricing the house," Banowsky said. "We made a mistake last season because we priced the house consistently throughout. But the seats in the lower bowl, frankly, are better seats than those in the upper bowl. So they should be priced more, and the upper bowl should be priced less to make the event more affordable for everybody." -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

05/17/05		Calipari has reason for optimism on season (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 17, 2005 C-USA meetings notes DESTIN, Fla. -- Forgive John Calipari if he seems a little more giddy than normal for this time of the year. It's just that usually he's either having hip surgery, or losing a player or a recruit. Or all three. But this off-season is going much smoother. Granted, the University of Memphis basketball coach is still noticeably limping. But past that ... "It's good," Calipari said Monday here at the Conference USA Spring Meetings. "It's the first time in my six years (at Memphis) that everybody who is supposed to come is coming and everybody who is supposed to stay is staying." The latest good news came Saturday, when the deadline for underclassmen passed without Shawne Williams filing paperwork with the league office. In other words, it appears he's coming to college, just like Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute Prep teammates Antonio Anderson, Robert Dozier and Kareem Cooper. That foursome is scheduled to join fellow signee Chris Douglas-Roberts of Detroit and a solid group of veterans -- headlined by Rodney Carney and Darius Washington -- to comprise the 2005-2006 Tigers. ESPN's Dick Vitale has already ranked the team 10th in the nation in a (very) early preseason poll. "When you have a point guard the caliber of Darius, you've got a chance right off the start," Calipari said. "And the other good news is that four of the new guys all played together (at Laurinburg). "So we just have to take those four, and what we have coming back, and Chris Douglas-Roberts and just mix them together. But I'm ready to have at it." Carney gets invited, too Calipari said he's received word that Carney will get an invitation to try out for Team USA's Under-21 World Championship team, and join Washington at the trials in Dallas July 21-23. "We're supposed to be getting the stuff in the mail," Calipari said. "So it will be Rodney and Darius." Which means two of the 20 invitees -- or 10 percent -- will be U of M players. That was also the case last summer, when Carney and Sean Banks each earned invitations, though the end result wasn't great considering Carney got cut, and Banks didn't show up. The group of 20 invitees will be whittled to 12 after tryouts. The final roster will compete at the World Championships in Argentina on Aug. 5-14.

05/16/05		Women's Soccer Completes 2005 Recruiting Class with Signing of Aika Young of Guam -- Tigers will now have five different countries represented on 2005 squad (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - Memphis head women's soccer coach Brooks Monaghan announced the signing of Aika Young to a national letter of intent on Monday. The signing of Young completes the Memphis recruiting class of 2005 and gives the Lady Tigers a total of 15 new members to the team for the upcoming 2005 season. Of the 15 newcomers, 14 will be freshmen. Eleven student-athletes signed letters of intent with the Tigers back in February while three additional student-athletes signed in April. Young, a native of Tumon, Guam, is a 5'6 midfielder/forward. As a captain of the soccer team at the Academy of Our Lady of Guam this past year, she led her team to a first place finish on the island of Guam and she was also named to the All-Island first team and has been a two-time All-Island MVP. She will also bring international experience with her to Memphis as she is currently a member of the Guam National Team and has been a member for three years. Also a standout in the classroom, Young has a 4.2 grade point average, is ranked in the top five percent of her class, is a member of the principal's list, honor roll, and the National Honor Society. Young will make Guam the fifth different country to be represented on the 2005 edition of the Tigers, joining representatives from Canada, England, Japan, and the United States. Memphis will have natives of not only five countries on the women's soccer team next year but also will have representatives from 10 different states. Guam is an island country located in the North Pacific, roughly three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to The Philippines. It is currently an unincorporated territory of the United States and has one non-voting representative in the U.S. House of Representatives. "Aika has represented her country so she will bring international experience with her, which is something not many incoming freshmen have," said Monaghan. "We feel that she can come in here and contribute right away and will continue to get better. She is the top player in Guam right now and being in this type of environment will only make her improve."

05/16/05		DeAngelo Williams Race Car Sold Out (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, TENN. - Fans were excited about the U of M Heisman campaign that was unveiled last Thursday, and 2,450 cars were sold by Monday morning. The cars, which were sold for $30 each plus a $5 handling charge, will be mailed out in late August once the cars are sent out to national media outlets.

05/16/05		Tiger Baseball Rounds Out Non-Conference Slate versus Arkansas State on Tuesday -- Tigers look to break four-game losing streak to Indians (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Coming off a close 8-7 win in Sunday's series finale with Cincinnati, the University of Memphis baseball Tigers will wrap up both its non-conference schedule and its road line up against Arkansas State on Tues., May 17. The Tigers are still in search of their first back-to-back wins since wins over USF and Murray State on Mar. 27th and 29th. Memphis is coming off of its first two-win week since early in the year. Adam Amar led the Tiger offense going 10-for-21 with 10 RBI, three doubles and a grand slam. K.K. Chalmers again had a solid week, hitting .368 in five starts and swiping a pair of bases. The duo combined for six of the Tigers' 12 hits in the series finale. Drew Jaudon continued his success on the mound for the Tigers lat week. The junior righthander picked up the win on Tuesday and then earned his second save on Sunday. Jaudon held opponents scoreless on just five hits in 6.2 innings. He now paces the Memphis staff 3.15 ERA. Junior southpaw Chris Davis held Cincinnati to just four hits in five and two-thirds innings of work. He struck out a pair to pick up the win in his first career start. Arkansas State took two of three from South Alabama over the weekend to improve to 31-19 overall. The Tribe held USA to a combined two runs in the first two games of the series. Geoff Desmond leadS A-State, who is hitting .312 as a team, with a blistering .385 average. Six Indians are hitting higher than .310. Desmond paces the team in runs (59), home runs (17), RBI (67), total bases (145) and slugging (.725). Brett Kinning is a close second with a .382 average and 11 doubles, seven round trippers and 36 RBI. The Tribe pitching staff has a 4.91 ERA. Tuesday's starter Michael Williams Jr. has posted the lowest ERA's on the team at 3.04. Opposing hitters have recorded a .229 average against him in 13 appearances. Opponents are hitting .281 against the ASU staff with 40 home runs. Memphis has lost four in a row to Arkansas State after dropping a 10-1 decision last Tuesday. First pitch for Tuesday's contest is set for 6:30 p.m.

05/16/05		Savage Rounds Out Staff With Hire of Emily Owens -- Owens named Lady Tiger Director of Basketball Operations (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Lady Tiger basketball coach Blair Savage filled her final staff opening with the hire of Emily Owens, Savage announced Monday. Owens has spent the past two seasons as an assistant basketball coach and senior woman's administrator at Kentucky Wesleyan College. "We're really fortunate to have Emily join our staff, " Savage said. "She knows all the facets of running a basketball program, from recruiting to all the administrative stuff that goes on to keep both our team and our staff organized." With the Lady Tigers, Owens will be responsible for overseeing the Lady Tiger student managers and will serve as the team liaison for tape exchange and team travel arrangements. At Kentucky Wesleyan, Owens helped a team that finished 5-22 in her first year improve to 12-15 the following season. She was responsible for the team's scouting, film exchange and student hall coordination, in addition to helping in fundraising and camps. She also served on the KWC compliance committee and as the faculty advisor for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. Under her guidance, KWC's women's basketball team had the highest team GPA on campus with a 3.53. She also taught in the Kentucky Wesleyan physical education department. Owens was a student-athlete at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, where she helped the women's basketball tam to the NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen in 1999 after they won the American Southwest Conference Championship. A native of Celina, Texas, Owens received her bachelor's degree in 2000 from Hardin-Simmons while serving as a student-assistant coach at her alma mater. Following Hardin-Simmons, Owens took a position as a graduate assistant coach at Life University, an NAIA program that ranked No. 1 and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament Quarterfinals. Following her time in Marietta, Ga., with Life University, Owens joined the staff at Mercer University as a graduate assistant coach under current East Carolina women's coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener, where she coordinated team travel, assisted in scouting and coaching and conducted pre-season conditioning and game day operations duties. Following one year at Mercer, Owens returned westward to serve as a graduate assistant coach at Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia, Ark. There, she again coordinated film exchange, assisted with on-court coaching, recruiting and scouting and oversaw the student managers. She left Ouachita Baptist to join the staff at Kentucky Wesleyan, completing her master's degree in Sports Administration from Henderson State in December of 2004. Owens replaces Tyler Williams, who joined his fiancée, Brooks Donald, in Hattiesburg, Miss.

05/16/05		Brand new C-USA gathers Name tags will come in handy as altered league holds meetings (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 16, 2005 DESTIN, Fla. -- With sunny skies and sandy beaches as a backdrop, Conference USA has returned to the panhandle, officially, for business. But it's the consummate business/pleasure scenario. Drinks and decisions. Tans and tangents. Swimming and sorting. The next four days are a juggling act of work and play complete with busy mornings and lazy afternoons. All the while, the goal is simple for these spring meetings: Get familiar. Get to work. "We have a fairly full agenda as we complete the planning for the transition of the league," said commissioner Britton Banowsky. "But most of all, I want us to continue to get to know each other and be prepared to work well together as a league." A new league. As in the new C-USA. The one without Louisville, Cincinnati, TCU, South Florida, Marquette, DePaul, Saint Louis, Charlotte and Army. The one with Central Florida, Marshall, Rice, SMU, Tulsa and UTEP. This afternoon at 3, C-USA will formally gather as a fresh, 12-school, all-sport league for the first time here at the Hilton Sandestin resort. Then Tuesday morning, all the athletic directors, football coaches, basketball coaches and athletic faculty representatives will begin meeting in hopes of shaping the future. Lots of issues will be addressed. Two major ones are: Instant replay: Exactly how it would be implemented is unclear, but a discussion on instant replay for football is planned, and the review mechanism is likely to be put into place in some fashion, perhaps as early as this season. The main obstacle is that not all games are televised, and the cost of adding camera coverage for such events can cost as much as $25,000. The C-USA Tournament: FedExForum appears to be the favorite to host the event again, especially considering how the Memphis & Shelby County Sports Authority made good on a "gentleman's agreement" and paid the league a $1 million guarantee it was not legally obligated to pay thanks to a contract never being signed and tournament profits falling slightly short. That plus the fact that Memphis appears positioned to be the basketball power in C-USA makes moving the tournament unlikely, though other cities like Dallas, Tulsa and Biloxi, Miss., are interested in the event. "We hope to have a decision on the 2006 event (this week)," Banowsky said before noting he was pleased with how things went in Memphis last March. After those two items, everything from branding to promotions to scheduling to officiating will be kicked around in meetings. And though the 7 a.m. starts can come early -- especially for those who spend too much time in the hospitality room -- Banowsky assured the impression he's received is that everyone is ready to get going. "I think there is a genuine sense of excitement about meeting and getting these sports seasons under way," he said.

05/16/05		Tigers outlast Bearcats (Commercial Appeal)
		By From Our Press Services May 16, 2005 CINCINNATI -- University of Memphis pitcher Chris Davis held Cincinnati to just four hits in 52/3 innings of work, and Drew Jaudon held off a strong Bearcat charge as the duo helped lead the Tigers to an 8-7 win in the Conference USA series finale Sunday afternoon. Tiger southpaw Davis struck out a pair to pick up the win in his first career start. Jaudon held UC scoreless in 22/3 innings of relief to record his second save of the year. Adam Amar led the 12-hit Tiger attack with three hits, three RBI and a pair of runs scored. Freshman K.K. Chalmers made up for a hitless outing in game two, with a 3-for-4 performance with three runs scored. Freshman Brent Moss also posted multiple hits. The Tigers grabbed their first lead of the weekend in the first. Consecutive singles by Jordan Tolliver and Chalmers got the inning going. Chad House drew a walk to load the bases. Memphis scored its first run on a double play groundout by Amar. Bearcats rightfielder misplayed a line drive off the bat of Cory Barton to allow the U of M to score its second run of the contest. Barton was able to advance all the way to third on the fielding error and then scored on a wild pitch by UC starter Justin Minges to make it 3-0.

05/15/05		Tiger Baseball Holds off Late Cincinnati Rally for 8-7 Win -- Tigers break nine-game C-USA losing streak (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS (12-39, 5-22 C-USA) 303 100 100 - 8 12 1 Cincinnati (24-27, 10-16 C-USA) 000 013 300 - 7 10 1 Chris Davis held Cincinnati to just four hits in five and two-thirds innings of work, and Drew Jaudon held off a strong Bearcat charge as the duo helped lead Memphis to an 8-7 win in the Conference USA series finale Sunday afternoon. The Tiger southpaw struck out a pair to pick up the win in his first career start. Jaudon held UC scoreless in two and two-thirds innings of relief to record his second save of the year. Adam Amar led the 12-hit Tiger attack with three hits, three RBI and a pair of runs scored. Freshman K.K. Chalmers made up for a hitless outing in game two, with a 3-for-4 performance with three runs scored. Freshman Brent Moss also posted multiple hits. The Tigers grabbed their first lead of the weekend in the first. Consecutive singles by Jordan Tolliver and Chalmers got the inning going. Chad House drew a walk to load the sacks. Memphis crossed its first run on a double play groundout by Amar. Bearcats rightfielder misplayed a line drive off the bat of Cory Barton to allow the U of M to score its second run of the contest. Barton was able to advance all the way to third on the fielding error and then scored on a wild pitch by UC starter Justin Minges to make it 3-0. Memphis opened the contest up in with three more runs in the third frame. Chalmers and House both posted singles before scoring on a two-run double to the rightcenterfield gap by Amar. A run-scoring double down the leftfield line by Brent Moss scored Amar and gave Memphis a 6-0 lead. The U of M went up 7-0 in the fourth on an RBI-single to left center, but UC answered with its first run of the game on an RBI-groundout by Brian Beltz to 7-1. Cincinnati stormed back to cut the Tiger lead to 7-4 in the sixth. A leadoff walk by Mark Haske and single by Logan Parker and Jon DeLuca jammed the bases for Jim Olds, whose fielder's choice groundball scored the first run of the rally. A groundball out by Jack Nelson scored Parker, and DeLuca came around to score on a double off the leftfield wall by Erik Eitel. Memphis battled to extend to advantage to four runs with a tally in the seventh. Amar led the inning off with a double down the leftfield line. John Peterson brought him in with an RBI-single to right. However, the UC offense fought back to cut it to a one-run game at 8-7 with a three of runs in the bottom of the seventh. The Bearcats scored all three of their runs on RBI-doubles by Mark Muscenti, Parker and Olds. The Tigers will return to the diamond on Tues, May 17 when they travel to Jonesboro, Ark. to take on the Arkansas State Indians. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

05/15/05		Tiger Basketball Notes (Williams, Westbrook) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 15, 2005 Williams doesn't file for draft -- Decision further bolsters Tiger class The opportunity for underclassmen to officially declare for the NBA Draft expired Saturday night at 10:59 CDT. As expected, Shawne Williams did not file the necessary paperwork with the league office and now plans to enroll at the University of Memphis, multiple sources told The Commercial Appeal. "It's a smart move," said Jeff Goodman, who covers basketball recruiting for ScoutHoops.com. "There are just so many guys jockeying for position at the end of the first round, like 30 guys jockeying for 10 spots. And I don't think he really had much of a chance of being a first-rounder right now. So it's a smart move, and huge for Memphis." Attempts to reach Williams for comment Saturday were unsuccesful. But a press conference designed to allow the 6-9 wing to formally announce and explain his decision is tentativly planned for this week. Barring NCAA Clearing House problems, Williams will join Laurinburg teammates Antonio Anderson, Kareem Cooper and Robert Dozier, as well as Chris Douglas-Roberts of Detroit, as freshmen at Memphis. Four of those five prospects are consensus Top 100 recruits, including Williams, whom PrepStars.com ranked as the second-best player in the Class of 2005. "Memphis's class is right up there with anybody's in the country," Goodman said. "They're going to be pretty good." Arizona star visits Originally, Lawrence Westbrook was raised in Holyoke, Mass. A quick Google search reveals it's the birthplace of volleyball. But Westbrook can't play volleyball. "Nope," said his father, Larry Westbrook. "Not at all." Which is fine as long as Westbrook can get to the rim and defend on the basketball court. That is good enough to earn an all-expenses paid college education. And if John Calipari gets his way, that education will come at the University of Memphis, where the 6-0 combo guard whom Rivals.com ranks as the 81st best junior has spent the weekend visiting. By all accounts, things have gone well. Westbrook has seen FedExForum, the Finch Center and taken a tour of the National Civil Rights Museum. All points proved impressive. "The Civil Rights Museum was great," Westbrook said. "It really opened my eyes to some things." And turned his head to Memphis? Truth is, Westbrook isn't yet ready to commit. But he insisted the UofM is a favorite to land his services, which mostly include scoring, proof being a 40.1 points per game average this season at Chandler High in Arizona, where the family relocated from Holyoke years ago. Larry Westbrook made it clear this decision on college will be his son's decision, and that it won't come until the end of summer, and certainly not before the family decides where Lawrence will spend his senior year. After dominating in Arizona, Westbrook has decided to take his jumper and 3.8 grade point average back to New England, to either Brewster Academy or The Winchendon School. He plans to tour both institutions this week. Then, the focus will shift to college, where Westbrook will ultimately choose between Memphis and other suitors like Connecticut, Syracuse, Stanford, Florida and Illinois. "I'm not sure what I'll do, but I love Memphis," Westbrook assured. "They've made me feel like part of the family, and I could definitely see myself going here." -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

05/15/05		Tiger Notes (track, baseball) (Commercial Appeal)
		By From Our Press Services May 15, 2005 Pair of Tigers place 2nd in C-USA Houston -- University of Memphis seniors Lisa-Marie Hyman and Janon Busby came home with runnerup finishes in their final Conference USA Championship Track Meet on Saturday. Hyman, who was after her fourth overall C-USA triple jump crown, recorded a mark of 40 feet, 71/2 inches on her first jump, but proceeded to foul on each of her final five attempts, to finish runnerup. Busby, the reigning C-USA indoor champion in the triple jump, was in search of his second title in the event. He had to settle for a runnerup finish with a leap of 50-63/4 . Busby added a second scoring performance, as he tied for fifth place in the high jump with a jump of 6-63/4 . Daniel Kiss, the third-ranked 110-meter hurdler in the country, injured his foot in preliminaries, and was unable to compete in event finals. The Tigers ended the meet with a 10th place total of 29.5 points, with Houston totaling 201 points to dominate the men's competition. On the women's side, the UofM moved up two spots from their 13th place finish last season to claim 11th place with a total of 31 points. Houston won the women's title with 137 points. Lady Tiger freshman Chen Edri was named the Conference USA Female Freshman of the Year after tieing for second in the high jump with a leap of 5-83/4 ." Baseball games Briefly: On Senior Night at the UC Baseball Stadium, it was freshman Sean Munninghoff that stole the show as his career-best pitching performance led host Cincinnati to a 10-2 win over Memphis. Munninghoff dominated the Tigers for seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits. The win pushes UC to 24-26, 10-15 in C-USA. Memphis falls to 11-39, 4-22

05/14/05		Cincinnati Thumps Tiger Baseball 10-2 to Claim Series -- Tigers look to salvage a game in series finale (GoTigersGo.com)
		CINCINNATI, Ohio - MEMPHIS (11-39, 4-22 C-USA) 001 000 001 - 2 6 2 Cincinnati (24-26, 10-15 C-USA) 114 040 00X - 10 16 0 Cincinnati starter Sean Munninghoff fanned a career-high 12 Tigers and allowed just one run on three hits, while Logan Parker was a perfect 5-for-5 and LaFringe Hayes was 4-for-5 to lead the Bearcats to a 10-2 win over Memphis to win the series. Memphis has now lost nine straight Conference USA contests. Munninghoff (4-4) earned the win in the contest after giving Cincinnati seven innings of work. The righthander held Memphis hitless through the first three and two-thirds innings of play. For the second consecutive game, Cincinnati took hold of the lead early on the bat of Logan Parker, who's first-inning single to right centerfield brought Mark Haske all the way around from first. Jack Nelson launched a towering blast over the foul pole to give the Bearcats a 2-0 lead in the second. A pair of wild pitches by Munninghoff helped Memphis cut the lead in half at 2-1 in the third stanza. Brent Moss led of the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a wild offering by Munninghoff. He moved to third on Munninghoff's second wild pitch of the inning. Jordan Tolliver produced Memphis' first tally on a sacrifice fly to center to plate Moss. However, UC responded with a four-run third to take a commanding 5-1 lead. Haske got the rally started with a double to the corner in rightfield and Parker drove him in with a double off the top of the right centerfield wall. A two-run single by Erik Eitel and an RBI-hit by Hayes capped the four-run frame. Eitel reached on a bunt single. Kevin Schrader's single to center fell just out of the reach of leftfielder Moss, and Hayes reached on a bunt to load the bases in the home half of the fifth. Haske then dealt the big blow when he belted a grand slam to right center to give the Cats a 10-1 cushion. Memphis posted a run in the ninth on consecutive pinch hits by Eric Smith and Collin Bastien. Patrick Hope's fly ball to rightfield drove Smith for the 10-2 final. Tiger freshman Neil Schenk was touched for his seventh loss of the season. The southpaw allowed six runs on seven hits and walked four in two and two-thirds innings. Memphis and Cincinnati will play the series finale on Sunday, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

05/14/05		Top-Ranked Triple Jumpers Struggle, But Claim Runner-Up Finishes on Final Day of C-USA Championships -- Edri named C-USA Female Freshman of the Year (GoTigersGo.com)
		Houston, Texas - Seniors Lisa-Marie Hyman and Janon Busby entered the Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Houston with each leading their respective conference rankings in the triple jump and looking for multiple C-USA crowns in their specialty event. Their goals were not to be however, as both jumpers struggled somewhat, but still came home with runner-up finishes in their final conference meets. Hyman, who was in search of a fourth overall C-USA triple jump crown, recorded a mark of 40-07.50" (12.38m) on her first jump, but proceeded to foul on each of her final five attempts, to finish with the runner-up tally and eight points for the Lady Tigers. The Kingston, Jamaica native ends her conference career with a total of six top-two finishes in the triple jump, after winning titles outdoors in 2002 and 2003 and indoors in 2003 and claiming three runner-up tallies. Busby, the reigning C-USA indoor champion in the triple jump, was in search of his second title in the event, but it was not to be. The Mobile, Ala., native posted several solid jumps, but could never get off his best effort, and he too had to settle for a runner-up finish and eight points with a leap of 50-06.75" (15.41m). Busby did however, add a second scoring performance, as he tied for fifth place and scored 3.5 points in the high jump with a clearance of 6-06.75" (2.00m). In other top-eight showings, Austin Hunter posted a time of 47.54s in the men's 400m to register a fifth-place tally and four points for the Tigers. The finish marked the third time in the past two seasons that the Jackson, Tenn., native has finished in the top-six in the 400m at a C-USA Championship. He had previously placed third at the 2004 Indoor Championships and sixth at the 2005 Indoor Championships. Bartlett, Tenn., native Brandon Winbush added his second scoring performance of the meet with a bound of 46-11.75" (14.32m) in the triple jump to claim eighth place and one point. Winbush had already taken fifth place in Friday's long jump with a personal-best mark of 24-09.25" (7.55m). Norbert Gulyas followed up his seventh-place finish in the discus on day two with another scoring performance on day three, as he recorded a toss of 49-01.00" (14.96m) in the shot put to claim eight place and one point for the Tigers. The men's 4x100m relay team of Daemien Jefferson, Daniel Bandy, Gary Nemeth and Willie Green rounded out the scoring for the U of M men, as they posted a time of 41.44s to take sixth place and three points. Daniel Kiss, the third ranked 110m hurdler in the country and another U of M hopeful for a conference title, injured his foot in preliminaries, and was unable to compete in event finals, once again missing out on an opportunity for a C-USA crown. The Tigers ended the meet with a 10th place total of 29.5 points, with Houston totaling 201 points to dominate the men's competition and win by nearly 100 points over, second place, TCU, with 105 points. On the women's side, Sheena Ohlig was one of two Lady Tigers to claim a sixth-place tally on the final day of the meet. The senior closed out her career with a personal-best time of 14.16s in the 100m hurdles to move up one spot from her qualifying position and record three points. Daniele Riendeau, who qualified first in the 1500m, was met with stiff competition in the event finals, and came away with a sixth-place finish in a time of 4:39.21 to record three more points for the Lady Tigers. Annette Uzoh rounded out the scoring for the Lady Tigers, registering one point in the shot put with a throw of 41-05.25" (12.63m), which was good enough for an eighth-place finish. The U of M women moved up two spots from their 13th place finish last season to claim 11th place with a total of 31 points. Houston won the women's title with 137 points, while Southern Miss finished second with 116.5 points. On a highly positive note, Lady Tiger freshman Chen Edri was named the Conference USA Female Freshman of the Year after tieing for second in the high jump with a leap of 5-08.75" (1.75m) and placing third in the javelin with a throw 142-01" (43.30m). Both efforts were NCAA Regional qualifying marks and set school records for the U of M and personal bests for Edri, who finished the meet with 13 of the Lady Tigers' 31 points. With Edri's outstanding marks at the C-USA meet, Memphis now has six athletes who have qualified for NCAA Regionals, though she is the only one to qualify in two events. Hyman, Kiss, Busby, Winbush, and Gulyas had all previously qualified for the Mideast Regional competition, which will be held at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., on May 27-28. The U of M track and field teams will return home on Monday and the Regional qualifiers will have two weeks of training before traveling to Bloomington.

05/14/05		Williams rethinks draft plan -- U of M a solid option for basketball standout (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 14, 2005 The deadline for underclassmen to formally declare for the NBA Draft is 10:59 CDT tonight. Barring a change of plans, Shawne Williams will let the deadline pass without action, meaning the former Hamilton High star appears headed to the University of Memphis after all. "He hasn't sent in the paperwork," said Williams's personal trainer, Eric Robinson. "I don't think he's going to." A 6-9 wing, Williams said last month he would enter the draft, at the time believing he could be a first-round pick. But over the past three weeks practically every solid high school and college prospect has also declared, leaving Williams in the second round of most mock drafts. Add the fact that the NBA is trying to implement a restriction that could keep anybody under age 20 out of the 2006 draft, and Williams's option to wait could be beneficial. Even if his stock stays about the same, the Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute Prep standout could be projected as a top-15 pick next year in what many experts believe will be a diluted draft. Williams, already 19, would not be affected by the age limit. "Shawne's a very brilliant kid," Robinson said. "He understands that a lot of college players closed with successful seasons, and there are a lot of underclassmen going in this year, and that next year's draft could be watered down. So that's the main reason he's changing his mind." An NBA official said Friday that the league will not release its list of draft-eligible underclassmen until late next week, after a screening process. But a source close to the UofM said Tiger fans may not have to wait that long to learn Williams isn't on that list, and indicated he could hold a press conference in Memphis as early as Monday to announce his decision. Assuming Williams enrolls and is approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse, the Tigers are probably looking at their best recruiting class of the Calipari era. Williams would likely join Laurinburg Institute teammates Antonio Anderson, Robert Dozier and Kareem Cooper, along with Chris Douglas-Roberts of Detroit, as freshmen. -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

05/14/05		Tiger Football notes (Schaeffer, Model Cars) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact May 14, 2005 Schaeffer situation murky -- Aide says Tigers haven't received ex-Vol's release The mother of former University of Tennessee quarterback Brent Schaeffer said Friday her son has returned home to Deerfield Beach, Fla., but hasn't mentioned the University of Memphis as a possible move. Schaeffer has been granted his release from Tennessee, where last fall he became the first true freshman to start the opening game at quarterback in the Southeastern Conference since 1945. He was granted his release last month, but Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer said Schaeffer could not transfer to any program in the SEC or a school the Vols play during his remaining eligibility. Schaeffer must sit out the 2005 season, but would have three years of eligibility left beginning in 2006. With Memphis on the Vols' 2005 and 2006 schedule, Chandra Schaeffer said Friday it was her understanding that Memphis would not be an option for her son. Asked if her son had inquired about Tennessee waiving the stipulation about transferring to a school on the UT schedule, she said: "Not that I know of." She declined a request to bring her son to the phone. UofM associate athletic director Lynn Parkes, who oversees compliance issues, said Friday compliance had not received a release from Schaeffer. She said compliance is one of three departments that would receive such a document, along with the football office and the athletic director. Schaeffer is reportedly considering six schools, among them Clemson, Texas A&M, Miami (Ohio) and South Florida. As a freshman, Schaeffer completed 18-of-37 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 66 yards. His regular season ended Oct. 30 against South Carolina when he broke his collarbone. Schaeffer had been placed on indefinite suspension in mid-April after being charged with misdemeanor assault stemming from a fight at the UT dormitory. Fulmer announced April 22 that he and Schaeffer had reached "a mutual agreement" regarding Schaeffer's dismissal from the team. Schaeffer also had been reprimanded before the team traveled to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game last fall. He missed a meeting and broke curfew after a fight at a Knoxville nightclub involving several football players during championship-game week. Setting a fast pace UofM officials said late Friday that orders for nearly 1,700 of 2,450 available miniature model race cars promoting Tiger running back DeAngelo Williams for the 2005 Heisman Trophy had been taken. The school kicked off its campaign for Williams, the UofM's career rushing leader, Thursday by unveiling the race car, adorned with school logos, a picture of Williams and his jersey number, 20. Orders are being taken on the school's Web site (gotigersgo.com) and the cars will be sent out in late July.

05/13/05		Edri Adds Another Stellar Performance on Day Two of C-USA Championships -- Winbush sets personal best in fifth-place finish in the long jump (GoTigersGo.com)
		Houston, Texas - The University of Memphis picked up several more strong performances Friday at the Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Houston, but it was once again Chen Edri who stole the show, as the freshman posted another NCAA Regional qualifying mark and school record, on day two of the event. Edri, who was coming off a personal best performance in the javelin on day one of the C-USA meet, actually cleared the winning height of 5-08.75" (1.75m) in the high jump, but was forced into a tie for second place based on number of attempts. The leap however, was still good enough to qualify the Nazaret Ellit, Israel, native for Regionals, tie her personal best and better her own school record of 5-08.00" (1.73m), set just a weekend ago. Edri has now posted two Regional qualifying marks and two school records in the two days of the meet, and with the seven points she earned for the runner-up tie, has logged 13 points for the Lady Tigers. The only other U of M woman to score on day two was Sivan Aballi, who logged three points in the discus. The freshman posted three strong marks in her first five throws, but saved her best for last as she just missed a personal best on her final throw, picking up a mark of 144-09" (44.11m) to take home sixth place. The Lady Tiger squad finished the day with a tenth-place total of 16 points. On the men's side, it was Brandon Winbush who led the way, as the Bartlett, Tenn., native posted a personal best and increased his Regional qualifying mark in the long jump. Winbush got off to a bit of a slow start, fouling on two of his first four attempts, but came on strong at the end, posting a solid fifth jump, before a bound of 24-09.25" (7.55m) in his final effort. The mark gave the sophomore a fifth-place finish and four points for the event, and upped his personal best and his Regional qualifying mark by three inches. Jason Morgan had a strong day in the decathlon picking up a fourth-place finish in the discus with a toss of 117-00" (35.66m) for 577 points and a fifth-place finish in the 1500m with a time of 4:58.49 for 569 points. Those scores propelled the Germantown, Tenn., native to a seventh-place total of 6054 points and picked up two points for the Tigers. On the day, Morgan moved up three places from his tenth place standing entering day two of the event. Norbert Gulyas struggled slightly in the discus, posting marks that are somewhat sub-par for the sophomore, but still managed to record a seventh-place toss of 157-03" (47.93m) to claim two points. Imre Lorincz, who was competing in his first long jump competition of the season after battling injuries, recorded of a leap of 23-07.25" (7.19m) to earn an eighth-place finish and one point to round out the scoring for the Tigers on day two. The U of M men finished the day with a tenth-place total of nine points. In preliminary events, Daniele Riendeau posted a strong race in the women's 1500m, winning her heat and qualifying first overall with a time of 4:41.99. The finals of the women's 1500m are slated for 1:27 p.m. on Saturday. Sheena Ohlig qualified seventh in the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.43s and will advance to finals, which are scheduled for 1:34 p.m. on Saturday. On the men's side, Daniel Kiss had a bit of a tough day in the prelims of the 110m hurdles, as the nation's third-ranked runner won his heat with a time of 14.01s, but qualified second behind Hector Cotto of East Carolina. The finals of the 110m hurdles are slated to begin at 1:40 p.m. on Saturday. Austin Hunter, who finished second in his heat and qualified fifth in the 400m with a time 47.26s, was the only other Tiger to advance, and will compete in tomorrow's final, which is scheduled for 1:50 p.m. Competition on the third and final day of the C-USA Outdoor Championships is set to begin with the men's high jump at 12 p.m. on Saturday. Running event finals are slated to kick off at 1 p.m. when the 4x100m relays will be contested. Live results for the meet can again be followed at www.flashresults.com/flashtexas/, while a full recap and results will be posted at gotigersgo.com following the completion of competition and awards on Saturday.

05/13/05		Baseball Drops Record 38th Game, 7-5 in Series Opener at Cincinnati -- K.K. Chalmers extends hitting streak to 11 games (GoTigersGo.com)
		CINCINNATI, Ohio - MEMPHIS (11-38, 4-21 C-USA) 000 100 040 - 5 7 0 Cincinnati (23-26, 9-15 C-USA) 014 000 20X - 7 13 0 Cincinnati's Logan Parker belted home runs in consecutive at-bats and the Bearcats were able to withstand a late Tiger rally to take a 7-5 win over Memphis in the opening game of this weekend's series. Memphis sets a new single-season record for losses with its 38th setback of the year. The previous record was set in 2000 when the Tigers finished the season with 15 wins against 37 losses. The Bearcats surged ahead early in the contest, on the strength of Parker's two homers. Parker put UC on top 1-0 with his first round-tripper, a solo blast to right centerfield in the second. He then belted a three-run home run that hit Fifth Third Arena behind the rightfield wall. Parker's second home run in as many at-bats gave Cincinnati a 5-0 advantage in a four-run third inning. Jordan Tolliver opened the fourth inning with a solo blast over the leftfield wall to put Memphis on the board. Memphis dodged a bullet in the Bearcat fourth as a pair of singles and walk loaded the bases with one out. However, Tiger starter Stephen Gostkowski was able to work out of the jam, striking out LaFringe Hayes before inducing and inning-ending groundball by Mark Muscenti. A two-out rally by the Bearcats made it 7-1 after seven innings of play. A blooped single to center by Jim Olds scored Muscenti and Jack Nelson followed with an RBI-double down the rightfield line. Memphis fought back to cut the Cincinnati lead to 7-5 in the seventh. Brent Moss, Chris Newsom and Chad House each drew walks to load the bases for Adam Amar. Amar took advantage of the situation and drove a 2-0 offering, from Tony Maynard, over the wall in right centerfield for a grand slam. The grand slam was the first of Amar's career and the second of the year for the Tigers. UC starter Tony Maynard earned his seventh win of the year with a strong seven and two-thirds innings before Amar's grand slam ran him out of the ballgame. Josh Kay came in and shut Memphis down in the final one and one-thirds innings of the game to record his eighth save of the year. Gostkowski took the loss on the mound after giving up seven runs on 13 hits in six and two-thirds innings of action. The Memphis offense was led by Cory Barton's 3-for-4 night. K.K. Chalmers went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. Memphis and Cincinnati will play game two of the series on Saturday, with the first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

05/13/05		High-octane Heisman bid -- U of M showing world what Tiger fans know: DeAngelo's got wheels! (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact May 13, 2005 University of Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson called it "the most clever Heisman Trophy campaign" item he has seen. Tiger football coach Tommy West called the sleek piece "awesome." And DeAngelo Williams, for whom the item was created, said it not only left him speechless when he first saw it, but it nearly brought him to tears. Thursday at the school's Athletic Office Building, the UofM kicked off its Heisman Trophy campaign for Williams by unveiling its campaign entry: a 1:24-scale die-cast stock car. The model, about 71/2 inches long, is awash in Tiger blue and gray and has the UofM logo. It features Williams's jersey number 20 on the door, has his name, signature and picture on the side and two checkered flags on the hood above which is written: The Race is On. Williams, the most prolific running back in the program's history, is being pushed for college football's most prestigious award after amassing 4,062 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns in three seasons. He has led the Tigers to consecutive bowl appearances and is projected to be a top-10 pick in next year's NFL Draft. When Williams announced in January that he'd be returning for his senior season -- and delaying the start of his NFL career -- the campaign, according to athletic media relations director Jennifer Rodrigues, began. "As soon as Tommy said (at Williams's January press conference) DeAngelo was a legitimate Heisman candidate, I knew the pressure would be on," she said. "So everything I looked at from that point on, things I saw as I walked through store aisles was a possibility." Rodrigues, in her seventh year at the UofM, said it was shortly after Williams's January press conference that the idea to promote Williams in a NASCAR-themed campaign struck her. "My husband (Mike) has several Dale Earnhardt (model) race cars on our entertainment center," she said. "He should get some of the credit for this." Taking the concept from the idea stage to completion didn't come without its share of yellow flags. Rodrigues said she had to constantly alter the look to stay in line with NCAA regulations. Certain logos had to be removed. No mention of the Heisman Trophy could appear. "I learned a lot during this," she said. Rodrigues said when she pitched the idea to Shawn Graham of Fallout Design in Cordova, whom she wanted to design a Williams-themed paint scheme, he told her it was a great idea. "And then he said, 'You'll never pull that off,'" Rodrigues said. But Rodrigues said her inspiration to continue came from Williams. "I told him what I wanted to do, but then I told him not to get his hopes up," she said. "He said, 'You'll get it done.' "DeAngelo having faith in me made me work that much harder to get it done." She took the idea to Johnson, and he gave it his full support. "He'd always told us to think outside the box," Rodrigues said. "When he said 'Go for it,' things got rolling. It's been a fun ride." After gaining Johnson's approval, Rodrigues went back to Graham and within four days he produced an attractive paint scheme. The athletic department is covering the $30,000 cost of producing 3,550 model cars, but should recoup the costs if the 2,450 being made available for purchase on the department's Web site are sold. Another 1,000 will be sent to selected media members in late July when the cars arrive. Rodrigues said the university is allowed, per NCAA guidelines, to sell an item featuring a player's likeness and name as long as the player is aware of the item being produced. Phoenix-based Action Performance Companies produced the cars. The model cars are being sold for $35 each (which includes a $5 shipping charge) on the athletic department's Web site. There is a limit of two cars per person. School officials said 50 orders were taken during the first 90 seconds the item was available. Sandra Hill, Williams's mother, attended the press conference Thursday and was fascinated by the model. She held it for as long as her son would allow and later reached for her cell phone and took a picture. "This is so cool," she said. West said Williams is the first player he has pushed for the Heisman. And, West said, he's delighted in how the campaign is being conducted. "It's good stuff," he said. "I remember saying if we're going to (promote Williams) let's do it right, let's do it first class and be unique. Jennifer has done a tremendous job." -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

05/13/05		Calkins: A classy, flashy ride for the drive to New York (Commercial Appeal)
		By Geoff Calkins Contact May 13, 2005 Start out going North on Normal toward Southern. Turn right on Southern. Turn left onto ... According to MapQuest.com, this is how you get from the Memphis football offices to New York City. Total mileage: 1,088. So, Mr. Heisman Trophy Candidate, you think that zippy little car of yours can travel that far? "Why not?" said DeAngelo Williams. "Look at it." He held the car in his hands, not able to let go, not able to stop smiling. It had his miniature picture on the side. His miniature number on the door. His miniature autograph just above the windows. "It's cool," said Williams. "I'm putting one on my desk," said Memphis coach Tommy West. Vroom vroom. Has a Heisman Trophy campaign ever been quite this much fun? The University of Memphis unveiled its Heisman Trophy campaign for Williams Thursday afternoon. It may or may not work, but it sure beats the Byron Leftwich bobblehead. Remember when Ole Miss did a bumper sticker for Deuce McAllister? Memphis did the whole automobile. Remember when Oregon put a giant billboard of Joey Harrington in Times Square? Try pushing that around the dining room floor. "We wanted to do something different," said Memphis media relations director Jennifer Rodrigues. "And it fits DeAngelo." It has an extra gear, like DeAngelo. It's fast on the straightaway, like DeAngelo. It better stay out of the shop, like DeAngelo. "Ain't that the truth," said West. Credit for the idea goes to Rodrigues, who started thinking about the campaign the moment Williams said he'd be coming back for his senior season. West promised Williams the school would stage a campaign worthy of his decision. "No pressure," said Rodrigues. None at all, Jennifer. There have been plenty of Heisman campaigns, most of them memorable for their silliness. Brigham Young sent out a tie for Ty Detmer. Washington State sent out a leaf for Ryan Leaf. Kentucky did not send out a couch for Tim Couch, but you get the general idea. "If we were going to do it," said West. "We wanted it to be first class." Right. And remember, no pressure! The eureka moment for Rodrigues came in her own home, as she was walking through the living room and saw her husband's Dale Earnhardt miniatures. She called Shawn Graham, who does design work for the university, and asked what he thought. "You're crazy," he said. Four months later, Rodrigues and Graham were among those beaming away Thursday as Williams drove the gorgeous miniature out of the showroom. "What I like," said Williams, "is that my offensive line is my pit crew." Memphis has ordered 3,500 of the little cars, 1,000 of which will be shipped to Heisman voters and 2,450 of which will be sold to Memphis fans for $30. "The first minute and a half, we sold 50 of them," said associate athletic director Bob Winn. Coming soon to eBay. None of this will help Williams if he doesn't have a spectacular season, of course, starting with the opener against Ole Miss. Winn has a Dave Ragone bobblehead in his office. Ragone was one of the preseason favorites for the Heisman a few years back. Louisville ordered up several thousand bobbleheads to draw attention to their guy. Only problem? The bobbleheads were late in arriving. Louisville lost to Kentucky in the opener. The bobbleheads were irrelevant before they even landed. Beyond that, the Heisman just doesn't go to players outside the BCS conferences anymore. The last player from a non-BCS conference to win the trophy was Detmer in 1990. That was before the BCS cut schools like Brigham Young out of the title chase, too. Now it's hard to imagine Detmer winning it. Which is why just getting to New York is a heady goal for Williams and the Tigers. The five finalists are invited to the ceremony. Every couple years, there's one from a non-BCS conference. But you have to be a stud, a future All-Pro or No. 1 draft pick. Alex Smith of Utah finished fourth last year. David Carr of Fresno State finished fifth in 2000. LaDainian Tomlinson finished fourth in 1999. Randy Moss of Marshall finished fourth in 1997. Meanwhile, slouches like Leftwich, Ben Roethlisberger and Daunte Culpepper weren't invited. So Williams has a long road to travel and, wait, here's his mother, Sandra Hill, with a pertinent question. "Are they going to make this in full size?" she asked. Now there's an idea. To reach Geoff Calkins, call him at 529-2364 or e-mail ---------------------------------------------------------------- How you can get one More than 2,400 DeAngelo Williams Heisman race cars are available for purchase on the University of Memphis athletic Web site: gotigersgo.com. The cars are $30 apiece (limit two), plus a $5 shipping charge. Cars will be mailed in late August.

05/13/05		Tiger star picks brain of last year's winner -- USC's Leinart, like Williams, decided to bypass NFL (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact May 13, 2005 They've been drawn together by the decisions they've made regarding their football futures. USC quarterback Matt Leinart and University of Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams turned down opportunities to be first-round picks in last month's NFL Draft to return for their senior seasons. As a result, they've run into one another at several events, including the photo shoot two weeks ago in Phoenix for the 2005 Playboy All-America football team. "I asked Matt how his life had changed since winning the Heisman Trophy," Williams said. "I had forgotten he had even won it. Usually when a guy wins the Heisman Trophy, you never forget it. "But I've been around him two or three occasions since the end of last year, and I've asked him how his life has changed. He said, 'Not much, other than speaking at a lot of banquets.' " Leinart will be attempting to win his second straight Heisman Trophy for a perennial national power. Williams will be attempting to become the first Memphis player to garner serious consideration for the prestigious award. Memphis officially kicked off the 2005 Heisman Trophy campaign for Williams Thursday by unveiling a Williams-themed model stock car. Williams is the school's career rushing leader with 4,062 yards and Conference USA's two-time Offensive Player of the Year. Williams said he and Leinart didn't talk extensively in Phoenix, but said when they did speak football was not the main topic. Williams also ran into Leinart in January when he was in Los Angeles as a finalist for the John Wooden Cup. "A lot of people believe when you get a whole bunch of college football players together in the same room that they automatically talk about football," Williams said. "We actually didn't talk about football at all. We talked about other stuff. We talked about everyday life. "We did that because we know in about two to three months we've got to get back to work."

05/13/05		Tigers' Washington to try out for USA Basketball team -- Calipari expects invitation for Carney, too (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 13, 2005 University of Memphis standout Darius Washington has accepted an invitation to tryout for USA Basketball's Under-21 World Championship team this summer. "It's a great honor," said Tiger coach John Calipari. "And at the end of the day, I think (UofM teammate) Rodney (Carney) will be invited, too." Until an official announcement from USA Basketball comes, it's unclear which other 19 players born after Jan. 1, 1984 will join Washington at the tryouts, scheduled for July 21-23 in Dallas. Still, it's safe to assume the likes of Connecticut's Rudy Gay and Texas's Daniel Gibson will also be invited in addition to, perhaps, Carney, a 6-7 wing for the Tigers who tried out last year but did not make the final 12-man roster. If Washington, a 6-2 point guard, makes the cut, he will compete for USA Basketball at the FIBA U-21 World Championships August 5-14 in Argentina. Other countries participating in the event are Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Greece, Iran, Israel, Lithuania, Nigeria, Puerto Rico and Slovenia. Last year's Team USA, led by North Carolina standout Sean May, went 5-0 at the World Championships and won the Gold Medal. This summer's squad will be coached by Saint Joseph's Phil Martelli. Georgia's Dennis Felton and Drexel's Bruiser Flint, a former Calipari aid at UMass, will serve as assistants. -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

05/13/05		Lady Tiger sets school mark in javelin (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services May 13, 2005 HOUSTON -- Memphis freshman Chen Edri went into Day 1 of the Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Houston knowing she had a good shot of scoring in the javelin. No one however, would have predicted the result she posted as the native of Nazaret Ellit, Israel, broke her school record and qualified for the NCAA Regionals in the event while taking home a third-place finish and the first six points for the Lady Tigers. Edri came up with a personal-best toss on her second of six throws, but saved her best for later, when she recorded a mark of 142 feet, 1 inch on her fifth throw to break her previous record and better the Regional qualifying standard. Edri had originally set the school record in the javelin with a toss of 136-3 earlier in the season. Additionally, the third-place finish got the Lady Tiger team on the board on day one after just two events. The U of M's women (6 points) were among three team tied for seventh. Southern Miss led with 20 points. Just two other U of M athletes competed on Thursday. Jason Morgan struggled slightly in the javelin, not making the finals, but the freshman sits in 10th place in the decathlon with 3126 points after five events. Annette Uzoh put up a solid performance in the hammer, narrowly missing a personal best, but her mark of 148-3 was not enough to qualify for the finals.

05/12/05		DeAngelo Williams Enters The Heisman Trophy Race -- Since the conclusion of last season, honors have continued to roll in for the 5-foot-10, 217-pound back (GoTigersGo.com)
		With the return of perhaps the most exciting and dominant running back in the nation for the 2005 collegiate football season, the University of Memphis is poised at the starting line and officially ready to enter the Heisman Trophy race for the first time in school history. University of Memphis Athletic Media Relations Director Jennifer Rodrigues is spearheading a campaign that links DeAngelo Williams to the ever-popular sport of auto racing and places the senior at the starting line of the greatest race of his career. In preparation for this nationwide campaign, Rodrigues ordered over 3,500 1:24 scale die-cast race cars with a special DeAngelo Williams paint scheme, created by Fallout Design of Memphis. The cars, produced by Action Performance Companies, are expected to arrive in Memphis in late July and will be immediately mailed to Heisman voters around the country. In addition, the University has constructed a web site that will feature a video introduction highlighting Williams, as well as updated statistics, biography and photographs. A postcard will be included in the mailout to national media directing writers and Heisman voters to the newly-developed web site, which is: www.racefortheheisman.com. Williams, a senior tailback for the Tigers, jumped into the Heisman Trophy race in January of 2005 when he announced at a press conference that he would return to the U of M for his senior season instead of entering the NFL Draft. Williams had been projected to be a late first round selection in the 2005 draft. The record-setting back rushed for 1,948 yards and led the nation with 22 rushing touchdowns last season. He was featured weekly among the leaders in virtually every NCAA rushing, all-purpose yardage and scoring category, and completed his junior season ranked second in the nation in rushing yardage, second in all-purpose yardage and second in scoring. Combining both power and speed, Williams has amassed 4,062 career rushing yards, 5,498 career all-purpose yards and has scored 41 total touchdowns. Leading the Memphis Tigers to back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time in school history, the Wynne, Ark., native garnered national attention by being named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season in 2004. Williams also was named Associated Press All-America, SI.com All-America, Pro Football Weekly All-America and was a Doak Walker and Maxwell Awards semifinalist last year. Since the conclusion of last season, honors have continued to roll in for the 5-foot-10, 217-pound back. Williams traveled to Los Angeles, Calif., in January as a finalist for the John Wooden Cup and was presented an Award of Distinction by the Touchdown Club of Columbus (Ohio). He was tabbed the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Amateur Athlete of the Year in March and was selected the Tennessee Sports Writers Player of the Year for 2004. Recently, Williams was named to the 2005 Playboy All-America Team and NationalChamps.net preseason All-America first team. ESPN's Mel Kiper has tabbed Williams as "one of the top five players to be selected in the 2006 NFL Draft and the No. 1 running back to be taken," while CBSSportsline.com has rated Williams as the No. 3 player to be drafted in April of 2006.

05/12/05		Tiger Baseball Travels to Cincinnati for Final C-USA Road Series -- Tigers try to post back-to-back victories as season nears end (GoTigersGo.com)
		CINCINNATI, Ohio - The University of Memphis baseball squad will wrap up its Conference USA road schedule this weekend with a three-game set versus the Cincinnati Bearcats. Memphis, who is currently 11-37 overall and 4-20 in C-USA action, will attempt to post consecutive wins since March 27th and 29th when the Tigers defeated USF and Murray State in successive contests. The Tigers claimed their first win of the month on Wednesday, in a 7-3 win over UT-Martin. Memphis' bats have come alive in recent contest, pounding out 46 hits in the last four games. Chad House leads the Tigers with a .306 average, but it has been freshman K.K. Chalmers who has provided the offensive punch for Memphis over the last week. Chalmers, who is currently hitting .285 overall, has a 10-game hitting streak. The freshman has moved to third base, from centerfield, and is hitting .400 four doubles, a pair of triples and a homer in his career-long streak. Memphis relievers have anchored the pitching staff. Drew Jaudon, who hurled four shutout innings to earn the win over UT-Martin leads the staff with a 3.38 ERA, while side-armers Chris South and Tim Senter check in with a 4.01 and 5.06 ERA's respectively. The Tiger pitchers have allowed a program-high 66 home runs this season as opposing hitters have thrived against them, hitting .336. Tiger fielding woes continue as Memphis has committed 103 errors on the year. They are just nine miscues off the program record of 112 made by the 52-11 1994 team. Cincinnati has a 22-26 record overall, but at 8-15 in conference play, still has an outside chance at a C-USA Tournament appearance. The Bearcats are 13-12 at home, but were swept last weekend by TCU at home. UC, who was tabbed to finish 10th in the league's preseason poll, is hitting .280 as a team with 234 RBI and 30 homers. They have been outscored 284-271 on the year. Offensively, the Bearcats are led by leadoff hitter LaFringe Hayes' .333 average. Besides Hayes, just two other Cincinnati hitters have posted averages over .300. Mark Haske and Mark Muscenti are hitting .328 and .303, respectively. Hayes paces the team with six triples and 11 stolen bases, while Brian Szarmach leads the team in power categories with 10 home runs and a .544 slugging percentage. Logan Parker leads the Bearcats with 16 doubles, 42 RBI and 101 total bases. The Cincy pitching staff has an overall ERA of 5.19 and is guided by reliever Josh Kay's 1.43 clip. Kay has logged 37.2 innings in 25 appearances and has fanned a team-high 50 batters. Opponents are hitting just .194 against him. Starter Tony Maynard has 13 starts and leads the Cats with six wins. With 83 innings on the mound, he is the only UC hurler with as many as 45 innings of action. Ten other pitchers have logged at least 10 appearances for Cincinnati. Memphis is 50-26 against Cincy dating back to the 1962 season. The 50 wins are the second-most for Memphis against a C-USA opponent. Memphis has had the upper hand in the series in recent years, sweeping the season series in 2004, 2002, 1999 and 1998. Memphis also won the 1997 series and split a four-games set with Cincinnati in 2001. The Tigers have won seven straight games against the Bearcats dating back to an 8-5 win in the first round of the 2001 C-USA Tournament. The Memphis-Cincinnati series will be broadcast live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM. First pitch for Friday night's tilt is set for 6:30 p.m. local time.

05/12/05		Edri Places Third in Javelin on Day 1 of C-USA Outdoor Championships -- Qualifies for NCAA Regionals, while breaking her own school record (GoTigersGo.com)
		Houston, Texas - Memphis freshman Chen Edri went into Day One of the Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Houston knowing she had a good shot of scoring in the javelin. No one however, would have predicted the result she posted, as the Nazaret Ellit, Israel native broke her own school record and qualified for NCAA Regionals in the event, while taking home a third-place finish and the first six points for the Lady Tigers. Edri came up with a personal best toss on her second of six throws, but saved her best for later, when she recorded a mark of 142-01" (43.30m) on her fifth throw to break her previous record, better the Regional qualifying standard and claim her third-place tally. Edri had originally set the school record in the javelin with a toss of 136-03" (41.52m) earlier in the season. Additionally, the third-place finish gave Edri six points and got the Lady Tiger team on the board on day one, after just two events. The only events to be completed on the first day of the meet were the women's and men's javelin and hammer throws. The decathlon and heptathlon began on Thursday, but will not conclude until Friday. Just two other U of M athletes competed on Thursday, as Jason Morgan participated in the decathlon and javelin and Annette Uzoh took part in the hammer. Morgan struggled slightly in the javelin, not making the finals, but the freshman sits in 10th place in the decathlon with 3126 points after five events, and remains within striking distance of making the top eight. Uzoh put up a solid performance in the hammer, narrowly missing a personal best, but her mark of 148-03" (45.18m) was not enough to qualify for finals. After just the six events on Thursday, the action at C-USA Championships will pick up on Friday with a full schedule of events. Competition is set to begin at 9 a.m. with the completion of the decathlon and heptathlon. Field events are slated to begin at 2 p.m., while running events are scheduled to commence at 4:30 p.m. Live results for the C-USA Championships can be followed at www.flashresults.com/flashtexas, with a full recap and results posted at gotigersgo.com following the completion of competition.

05/12/05		Lady Tiger Tennis Wraps Another Fundraiser -- Bass fishing tournament raises funds for the Lady Tiger tennis team (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis women's tennis program wrapped another successful Lady Tiger Bass Fishing Tournament at Sardis Lake in Mississippi. The tournament order of finish is below: 1. Steve Houst (Ecru, Miss.)/Mike Clark (Oxford, Miss.), 17.75 lbs. 2. Dick Eddins (Southaven, Miss.)/Mike Purtle (Southaven, Miss.), 17.51 lbs. (Big Fish Award 7.29) 3. Marvin Nickels (Blue Springs, Miss.)/Cliff Payne (Coldwater, Miss.), 17.19 4. Jerry Pelegrain (Clarksdale, Miss.)/Richard Burkhalter (Sardis, Miss.), 14.71 5. Gene Smith (Lake Cormorant, Miss.)/Charles Hagan (Hernando, Miss.), 13.69 6. Mark Hill (Hernando, Miss.)/Chris Sanders (Hernando, Miss.), 12.79 7. John Hart (Collierville)/Buddy Graves (Hernando, Miss.), 12.75 8. Larry Hopper (Batesville, Miss.)/Jason Woodard (Batesville, Miss.), 12.22 9. Nick Walker (Batesville, Miss.)/Ben Pennell (Starkville, Miss.), 12.18 10. Jim Ingle (Memphis)/Jeff Ingle (Como, Miss.), 11.99 Thanks again to everyone for their support of Lady Tiger tennis!

05/12/05		Tiger star Kiss surprised all with rapid rise this season (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact May 11, 2005 Had he grown up in the United States, and not Budapest, Hungary, Daniel Kiss wouldn't be preparing for this month's NCAA Track and Field Regionals in Bloomington, Ind. He'd likely be in someone's NFL rookie camp, impressing a club's front office with his size, speed and athleticism. He's 6-5 and 230 pounds, has run a 10.7 100 meters and is the nation's third-ranked 110-meter hurdler. "He'd be somebody's tight end," said Glenn Hays, in his 35th season as the University of Memphis men's track coach. Instead, he's the UofM's premier track athlete heading not only into the NCAA Regionals, but the Conference USA Championships that begin today in Houston. If Kiss appears to have come out from nowhere to challenge for a national title, it's understandable. This is his first outdoor season. He transferred to the UofM from Hungary a year ago, but missed the outdoor season with a stress fracture in his leg. A relatively injury-free season has unveiled a world-class hurdler, whose time of 13.49 seconds -- achieved at last week's meet at Arkansas State -- is the world's 14th best. He has set the UofM record in the event three times this season, including knocking two-tenths of a second (from 13.67) off his school-best mark last weekend in Jonesboro. "For him to lower his (personal-best record) as much as he has -- he was already at an elite level -- for him to drop two-tenths of a second at one meet ... it's unheard of," assistant track coach Kevin Robinson said. "He's still in awe. I think it surprised him more than anybody." Kiss, among a contingent of talented Hungarians to join the program during the past five years, said he is proud of the record and the opportunity to compete for a major college program. "When I was younger my goal was to come to the States and study and (participate in track) because of the competitive atmosphere," he said. "I wish we had the same atmosphere in Europe, but everyone who is talented is in (track) clubs. I like this because of the traveling to different competitions and going against different competitors. I've learned the word talent is much different than it is (in Hungary)." After his performance at the Arkansas State meet, Kiss was named C-USA Men's Track Athlete of the Week for the second time this season. He also qualified for the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, in August. "Athletically, he's always known he's had the talent, but he didn't know he'd realize it so soon," Robinson said. "He's a tremendously gifted athlete." Kiss came to the UofM to follow in the steps of his best friend, sprinter Gary Nemeth. Nemeth, who missed the 2004 outdoor season to train for the Olympics, and Kiss are among eight Hungarians who have participated in track at the UofM during the past six years. Kiss said it was difficult battling through injuries a year ago. He said a minor hamstring pull last fall has been his only major discomfort this season. "Last year he couldn't run for us at all (during the outdoor season)," Robinson said. "He had the stress fracture, and he competed maybe once. Bascially, he was debilitated." As an injury-free athlete, Kiss is blossoming into the competitor many thought he would become. His size and strength are his greatest assets. "He is a very powerful runner," Robinson said. "If he clips a hurdle -- for most runners it would ruin their whole race -- he is strong enough to run through mistakes and bounce back. "He still feels like he hasn't run a clean race, and that's coming from the 14th-best hurdler in the world." Hays said the only other Tiger track athlete he can recall being ranked as high nationally was sprinter Terron Wright, the 1981 60-meter high hurdle national champ. "We didn't expect this from (Kiss)," Hays said. "This is his first full year to compete in collegiate athletics. He's making the most of it." Hays said Kiss excels because of his speed and the fact that, at 6-5, the hurdles "present very little of a barrier." His technique is sound too. Hays said he altered Kiss's training regimen this season to lessen a recurrence of a stress fracture. Kiss has had two in his career. It appears to have worked. He's hitting his stride at a perfect time for college postseason competition. "If he was an athlete in another sport, if he was the 13th-best football or basketball player in the world, he'd be looking at multimillion signing deals," Robinson said. "Track and field does kind of go under the radar. But I think he's going to have a long career, and I would hope his country would take care of him once he gets done here." Kiss has never played football, but he said it's a sport he would have considered had he been introduced to it at an earlier age. "Seriously, I would have given it a try," he said. "But I know it's too late to start and probably I would get injured now because I'm not used to it or the big people who play." ----------------------------------------------------------------- 110 hurdles: top times Following are the top NCAA outdoor times this season in the 110-meter hurdles: 1. Antwon Hicks / Ole Miss / 13.42 / 2. Adrian Ray / S. Houston / 13.44 / 3. Daniel Kiss / Memphis / 13.49 / 4. Eric Mitchum / Oregon / 13.56 / 5. Josh Walker / Florida / 13.57 /

05/12/05		Recruit qualifies for U of M -- Douglas-Roberts gets good news on SAT (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 12, 2005 Chris Douglas-Roberts was concerned. Confident, yet worried. Optimistic, yet realistic that a sub-par SAT score might keep him from qualifying academically and playing at the University of Memphis next season. Then the envelope came in the mail. Now it's no longer an issue. "I'm qualified," Douglas-Roberts, a 6-5 combo guard from Detroit, said Wednesday. "I got the score back. I'm ready to come to Memphis." Coach John Calipari's incoming recruiting class is starting to take shape. At least four of the seven recruits are set to enroll in summer classes next month at the UofM and compete next season, assuming there are no NCAA Clearinghouse problems. And because signees Ricky Sanchez and Hashim Bailey, who just signed on Tuesday, are both going to do a year of prep school barring an unexpected turn of events (Sanchez at IMG Academy in Florida; Bailey at Winchendon Prep in Massachusetts) the only real lingering question mark is Shawne Williams. Will he remain in the NBA Draft? Or will he withdraw his name from consideration and enroll at the UofM? For what it's worth, Williams still hasn't signed with an agent and isn't projected to be a first-round pick, which the 6-9 forward said last month would likely be a prerequisite to him staying in the draft. Regardless, there's no definitive word, though with each passing day the odds of Williams being a Tiger seem to improve, thanks to an increasingly deep draft. "It's still undetermined," said Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute Prep's Chris Chaney, who coached Williams and his teammates to a 40-0 record this past season. "Shawne's still in the draft, but, in my opinion, I think he's leaning a little more towards college now." -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

05/12/05		Tiger Notes (baseball, track, tennis) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact May 12, 2005 Baseball players benched -- Schoenrock suspends five for violating policy The University of Memphis baseball team, in the final stages of a record-setting losing season, is playing its final weeks without several key players. Senior designated hitter Ryan Martin, who leads the team with a .340 average and eight home runs, and junior third baseman Robbie Goss, who has started 40 games, are missing the final three weekends due to a suspension for violation of team policies. Tiger first-year coach Daron Schoenrock also said senior pitcher Daniel de Armas and sophomores Kyle Moffitt and Brad Fly have been suspended for their actions following the team's April 22-24 C-USA road trip to East Carolina. ''It's just some team policies and procedures that were violated,'' Schoenrock said. ''That hurts our team (to suspend players), but as we try to build a program there will be tough situations like this.'' While the college careers of Martin and de Armas have ended, Schoenrock said he'll meet individually with Goss, Moffitt and Fly -- each of whom has eligibility remaining -- after the May 21 season finale at home against Charlotte. Memphis did not qualify for the C-USA Tournament May 25-29 at Hattiesburg, Miss. ''We will re-evaluate things at the end of the season and handle each case individually,'' Schoenrock said. ''Nothing will be determined until the end of the season.'' Martin, a four-year starter, ends his career with 25 home runs, placing him seventh on the school's career list. As a sophomore, the former Collierville High standout earned second-team all-conference honors by hitting .338 with seven home runs. He hit .388 in C-USA games. Goss, a Bartlett High product, was hitting .252 in his role as starter, playing for injured third baseman Bill Moss who is being redshirted. de Armas, who attended Houston High, was 2-3 with a 9.51 earned-run average. In four years at the UofM, de Armas went 7-7, including a victory over No. 9 Mississippi State in 2003 when he pitched a scoreless 10th inning. The five suspended players did not make the trip to last weekend's C-USA series at No. 1 Tulane. The Tigers open a three-game C-USA series at Cincinnati Friday. Schoenrock said he'll use the final seven games ''to continue to evaluate at-bats players have and how they compete.'' ''And we keep trying to teach guys how we want to run this program on and off the field,'' he said. ''I still see guys competing at the plate and on the mound, and that's encouraging.'' C-USA track opens The C-USA Track and Field Championships open today in Houston, and UofM assistant track coach Kevin Robinson said Houston, TCU and Cincinnati should be the favorites. ''They are all really strong,'' he said. Robinson said while the Tigers will have solid individuals participating, including 110-meter hurdler Daniel Kiss and triple-jumpers Janon Busby and Lisa-Marie Hyman, they'll have a difficult time matching last year's sixth-place finish because of a lack of depth. Kiss, Busby, Hyman, thrower Norbert Gulyas and long jumper Brandon Winbush have qualified for the NCAA Regionals May 27-28 in Bloomington, Ind., and will be looking to improve their individual times and distances. Odds and ends The UofM athletic department is in the midst of a four-stop fund-raising tour of the Memphis area. After a stop Tuesday at Hernando, Miss., the entourage that includes coaches and Tiger Scholarship Fund personnel has upcoming visits tonight at the Crescent Center, May 19 at Millington's Patriot Bank and May 24 at the Bank of Bartlett's Wolfchase location. ''We are trying to take our message to the people,'' said Bill Lansden, associate athletic director for development. ''We hope to have at least two of our coaches at each event.'' ... The UofM men's tennis team was one of two teams to receive the C-USA Sportsmanship Award.

05/12/05		Grizzlies guard Miller to lend a hand at Calipari camps (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 12, 2005 It's good public relations, a way to give back and make an impact. So if Mike Miller is looking for a reason to help, he's obviously got plenty. And then there's this one: "I just love working with the kids," the Grizzlies standout said. "It's a lot of fun for me." Thus, Miller will again be assisting with this summer's John Calipari Basketball School, which consists of five camps designed to teach young players proper techniques for everything from dribbling to taking charges. Miller's contribution? What else? Shooting. The 2001 NBA Rookie of the Year and starting shooting guard for the Griz will conduct the "Sizzling Shooting Session" June 22-24 at the Finch Center on the UofM campus. The cost is $125 per camper. And it's money well spent, Miller said, considering it offers something to young Memphians that a kid from, say, South Dakota couldn't possibly imagine. "I went to camps my whole life," Miller said. "But unfortunately, growing up in South Dakota, I never got to go to one with an NBA player or big-time Division 1 players." That, by the way, is another aspect of these camps. Most of the Tigers -- including probable future pros Rodney Carney and Darius Washington -- will be helping, coaching teams, refereeing games and just generally interacting when time permits. The first camp is scheduled for June 6-9. The last is Aug. 1-4. For more information, go to coachcalipari.com or call the UofM basketball office at 678-2346. "We want to have a good time at the camps, but we also want to teach fundamental basketball skills, which is sometimes lacking with the younger kids," said Ryan Miller, Calipari's assistant director of basketball operations who is running the camps now that Ed Schilling has left the staff. "We want to give the kids something they can work on and take home with them because you're not going to get any better in a week. But if you can learn something and then incorporate it to your day-to-day workout, then that's when you can become a good basketball player." Arizona prep to visit Many great players have come from Arizona. But nobody -- not Mike Bibby, not anybody -- has ever averaged more points per game at an Arizona high school than Lawrence Westbrook did this season when he scored 40.1 a contest. Why is this important here? Because Westbrook will visit the UofM this weekend. A 6-0 combo guard with a knack for scoring -- think a poor man's Dajuan Wagner -- Westbrook is scheduled to arrive Friday and meet with Calipari and staff. He'll see FedExForum, the Finch Center and the campus in general, and, if things go well, be close to taking one of the Tigers' scholarships available for the Class of 2006. Connecticut, Syracuse, California, DePaul and several other high-level schools are also recruiting Westbrook. Rivals.com ranks him as the 81st-best prospect in the nation. Blair headed to B.C. Tyrelle Blair has signed a national letter of intent with Boston College, ending any chance of him being a Tiger. A 6-11 center, Blair visited Memphis last month when he was exploring opportunities to transfer from Loyola University Chicago. He will be eligible for the Eagles during the 2006-07 season.

05/12/05		Tigers hold UT-Martin off for win (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services May 12, 2005 Memphis reliever Drew Jaudon held UT-Martin scoreless in four innings while the Tiger offense used a three-run seventh inning to break a 3-3 tie and snap its 10-game losing skid with a 7-3 win over the Skyhawks (11-36) in the final non-conference home game of the season for Memphis on Wednesday night at Nat Buring Stadium. Adam Amar finished 4-for-5 with three RBI and K.K. Chalmers extended his career-high hitting streak to 10 games with a 2-for-4 effort. The Tigers (11-37) opened the scoring in the first after Jordan Tolliver and Chalmers reached on consecutive singles. Amar put Memphis on the board with a single to left center and Cory Barton scored Chalmers on a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. Memphis expanded its lead to 3-0 when Eric Smith hit a Casey Estill pitch over the centerfield wall. The solo shot was Smith's first of his career.

05/11/05		Three-Run Seventh Inning Powers Baseball to 7-3 Win over UT-Martin -- Eric Smith blasts first career home run in victory (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis reliever Drew Jaudon held UT-Martin scoreless in four innings of action, while the Tiger offense used a three-run seventh inning to break a 3-3 tie and snap its 10-game losing skid with a 7-3 win over the Skyhawks in the final non-conference home game of the season for Memphis. Adam Amar finished the night 4-for-5 with three RBI and K.K. Chalmers extended his career-high hitting streak to 10 games with a 2-for-4 effort. The Tigers opened the scoring in the first, after Jordan Tolliver and Chalmers reached on consecutive singles. Amar put Memphis on the board with a single to left center and Cory Barton scored Chalmers on a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. Memphis expanded its lead to 3-0 when Eric Smith deposited a Casey Estill offering over the centerfield wall. The solo shot was Smith's first of his career. The Skyhawks plated runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth to tie the ballgame at 3-3. The UTM comeback was highlighted by a solo home run by Zach Dean in the fifth. Back-to-back doubles by Chad House and Amar put Memphis back on top 4-3. Barton was then hit by a pitch and Newsom reached on a bunt single to load the bases with one out. Patrick Hope grounded to third to score Amar. But Barton was allowed to score from second when UT-Martin second baseman Nick Bruner's throw to first, to double Hope up, sailed wide and into the Tiger dugout. Jaudon (2-3) entered the game in the sixth, and shut the Skyhawks down to earn his third win of the season. The junior allowed just one hit and fanned one in four innings of relief. Martin reliever Jacob Smothers (1-3) took the loss after giving up three runs on seven hits in four and two-thirds innings. Chalmers, House, Amar and Brent Moss each posted multiple hits in the contest for Memphis, who has now won nine straight games against UT-Martin in the overall series. Memphis will now prepare for its final three-game Conference USA road series, at Cincinnati beginning on Fri., May 13. First pitch for Friday's matchup is set for 6:30 p.m.

05/11/05		Men's Tennis Receives C-USA Sportmanship Award -- Team receives second team sportsmanship award (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's tennis team was one of two teams to receive the Conference USA Sportsmanship Award it was announced by the league office, Wednesday. The award is meant for student-athletes, coaches or teams that perform an individual act of sporting behavior or generally conduct themselves with a high degree of good sportsmanship. Fourteen individuals and two teams, Memphis and UAB, were awarded the honors following the C-USA Men's Tennis Championships in Louisville. This marks the second sportsmanship honor in Memphis men's tennis history. In March of 2003, the Tigers received the ITA Team Sportsmanship Award after being nominated by the head coach from Indiana State. This year's Tiger tennis team finished 12-11 overall and was the No. 4 seed for the C-USA Championships, where they fell to USF. Memphis is currently the No. 73 ranked men's tennis program in the country, while first-year head coach Paul Goebel has been asked by the NCAA to serve as an administrator at the NCAA First and Second Round at Ole Miss this weekend. Ten of the Tigers' 11 losses came to ranked opponents, with nine of those being on the road. Memphis graduated three seniors in last Saturday's festivities (Alex Bucewicz, Scott Felsenthal, and Mark Finnegan), and fellow seniors Andrew Olswing and Marten Tamla will graduate next year after transferring into Memphis from other Division I programs. Memphis will return Third Team All-Conference performer James Spence next season, along with fellow senior Alex Jago. Garrison Pilant will be Memphis' lone returning junior, while the sophomore class will consist of Bryan Bankester and possibly Sam Withell, who could return to the program after a year back in his native Australia dealing with a back injury. Withell was a one-year letterwinner with the Tigers before a back-injury benched him. Current Tiger assistant coach Lee Taylor Walker and former Tiger Joe Schmulian join Spence as Memphis' individual recipients in Memphis history of the C-USA Sportsmanship Award. Schmulian recently participated in the Tunica Challenger, where he fell to No. 8 seed Robert Yim, 6-2, 6-2, in the qualifying draw. Former Tiger Ben Stapp also played in the Tunica Challenger, falling 6-3, 6-1 to No. 2 seed Jacob Adaktusson.

05/11/05		Track and Field Teams Prepare for Conference USA Outdoor Championships -- Three athletes sit atop conference rankings entering the meet (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - As the Memphis track and field teams travel to Houston for the Conference USA Outdoor Championships on Thursday-Saturday, May 12-14, three U of M athletes will enter the meet topping the conference rankings in their events. Leading the way is senior Daniel Kiss, who heads the conference list and ranks second in both the nation and the Mideast Region with his time of 13.49s in the 110m hurdles. After posting five of the top six times in the conference this season, the Budapest, Hungary will be a favorite to pick up his first C-USA title, a feat he narrowly missed earlier this year when he finished second in the 60m hurdles at the indoor championships. A second Tiger to lead the C-USA rankings entering the meet is Janon Busby, who has registered the top mark of 51-00.25" (15.55m) in the triple jump. The senior will look for a sweep of the conference triple jump crowns in Houston after taking the indoor title in March. The Mobile, Ala., native will also have a strong chance to score in the high jump, an event in which he ranks fifth entering the meet and placed fourth in at indoor championships. A third senior, Lisa-Marie Hyman will enter her final conference meet in a familiar position, as she tops the C-USA rankings in the women's triple jump with a bound of 42-00.75" (12.82m). The three-time Conference USA Triple Jump Champion, who won an indoor title in 2003 and outdoor crowns in 2002 and 2003, will be a favorite to pick up her fourth medalist honor and become the first Lady Tiger ever to win four conference championships in one event. Outside the conference leaders, numerous athletes sit in position to make significant scoring contributions at C-USA Championships. On the men's side, Regional qualifiers Brandon Winbush and Norbert Gulyas rank fourth in the long jump and discus, with marks of 24-06.25" (7.47m) and 165-04" (50.39m), respectively. Gulyas also sits at eighth in the shot put with a toss of 50-03.25" (15.33m). Additionally, Austin Hunter, who ranks eighth in the 400m with a time of 47.99s, Darius Frye, who ranks eighth in the discus with a mark of 151-04" (46.12m), and the 4x100m relay team of Kiss, Gary Nemeth, Willie Green, and Daniel Bandy, with a time of 40.79s, all sit in scoring position entering the meet. Frye and Green will also have solid chances to enter to top eight in the shot put and 100m, respectively, where they currently rank ninth with marks of 49-11.25" (15.22m) and 10.54s. On the women's side, Chen Edri and Daniele Riendeau are the second highest ranked Lady Tigers entering the meet. Edri sits at fifth in both the high jump and javelin with marks of 5-08.00" (1.73m) and 136-03" (41.52m), respectively, while Riendeau ranks fifth in the 1500m with a time of 4:32.56. Josetta Brooks and Sivan Aballi are the only remaining U of M athletes to go into the C-USA meet with top-eight rankings, as the sit at eighth in the 400m hurdles and discus, after posting marks of 1:03.01s and 144-10" (44.15m), respectively. Just outside the scoring picture entering the meet are Annette Uzoh, Mary Claire Dake and Sue-Ann Bowen. Uzoh ranks ninth in both the shot put and hammer with tosses of 43-01.75" (13.15m) and 148-10" (45.37m), while Dake is ninth in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 11:31.53 and Bowen is tenth in the 400m with a time of 56.21s. The track and field teams will travel to Houston Wednesday morning in preparation to begin competition on Thursday morning. Events are scheduled to begin with the decathlon and heptathlon at 9 a.m. Thursday, and will run throughout the day on each day of the meet. Live results for the C-USA Championships can be followed at www.flashresults.com/flashtexas, while results and recaps for each day will be posted at gotigersgo.com.

05/11/05		N.J. star to play for U of M -- maybe (Commercial Appeal)
		Hashim Bailey signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Memphis on Tuesday. But whether the 6-10 center will actually be a Tiger next season remains undetermined, if not doubtful. Considered one of the top big men in New Jersey, Bailey chose Memphis over St. John's, Pittsburgh and South Florida. Still, it is probable the Passaic County Tech standout won't enroll until 2006. Bailey hasn't yet qualified academically. He averaged 21 points and 14 rebounds per contest this past season. Bailey's signing is evidence the Tigers' connection to New Jersey is still intact. Since Calipari took over prior to the 2000-2001 season, the former coach of the Nets has signed New Jersey prep standouts Dajuan Wagner, Arthur Barclay and Sean Banks. -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

05/11/05		U of M to hype Williams -- School's initial Heisman effort starts for Tiger running back (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact May 11, 2005 The University of Memphis will unveil its plans Thursday for a first in the program's football history: the start of a Heisman Trophy campaign for one of its players. The UofM will begin the Heisman campaign -- a $30,000 enterprise covered by the university -- for senior running back DeAngelo Williams, the school's career rushing leader (4,062 yards) and two-time Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year. Williams, who earned third-team Associated Press All-America honors last year, has helped the Tigers to back-to-back bowl games, a UofM first. Williams announced in January that he would return for his senior season, even though most experts considered him a late first-round draft pick. Some national Web sites have predicted that Williams, from Wynne, Ark., will be one of the 2006 NFL Draft's top five picks. Although school officials are being mum about how Williams will be promoted, Jennifer Rodrigues, the UofM's director of media relations said "it's definitely not a bobblehead." Rodrigues, in her seventh year at the UofM and finishing her first as football SID, said 1,000 of the promotional items -- which have multiple pieces -- will be mailed to selected media members. An additional 2,400 will be available for purchase to the general public for $35, which includes a $5 shipping charge. The media mailings will begin in late July. Rodrigues said it's possible a presale of the promotional piece could be conducted on the UofM athletic Web site (gotigersgo.com). The Tiger program has had its share of high-profile players -- from All-America linemen Harry Schuh (in 1963) and Mike Stark (in 1971) to kicker Joe Allison (1992) and defensive backs David Berrong (1969) and Jerome Woods (1995) -- none was considered for a Heisman campaign. "I'm going into my 32nd football season, and never have we had a player that we could say, without a doubt, is worthy of being promoted as the best player in the nation," said Bob Winn, the former football sports information director and a UofM associate athletic director. "We've had some incredibly good players in our history, but DeAngelo is far and above the most talented. "There's never been a time that (NFL Draft expert) Mel Kiper has gone on the air and said this is the (fourth) pick in next year's draft and the first running back taken." Winn called Rodrigues's idea "the most clever I've seen in years." Williams, who spent last weekend in Phoenix being photographed as a member of the 2005 Playboy All-America Team, has seen the piece. "I love it," Williams said. "It's great. It's really unique." -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

05/11/05		Tiger Notes (baseball, track) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services May 11, 2005 Arkansas State crushes Tigers -- U of M ties baseball mark for season losses Arkansas State starter Stephen Tharp held The University of Memphis to just five hits in seven innings to pace the Indians to a 10-1 win over the Tigers Tuesday night in nonconference action at Nat Buring Stadium. Memphis (10-37) ties a program high with its 37th loss of the season. The Indians (29-18) opened the scoring in the first when leadoff hitter Michael Williams Jr. hit a double to left field. He advanced to third on a fly ball and scored on a wild pitch. The Tigers answered back with a run of in the home half of the inning on consecutive doubles by K.K. Chalmers and Chad House. It was all ASU from then on as Chris Rich and Geoff Desmond roped back-to-back homers in the third for a 4-1 lead. RBI by Bret Kinning and Rich made it 6-1 in the fourth before the Indians put the contest out of reach with four unearned runs in the seventh for the final 10-1 score. Blake Richardson was the loser despite fanning a career-high seven. Tiger honored: After another stellar performance in the 110-meter hurdles at last weekend's Arkansas State Mini-Meet, Memphis senior Daniel Kiss was named the Conference USA Men's Athlete of the Week for May 10. Kiss was previously honored by Conference USA back on April 12. With his time of 13.49 seconds in a victory at ASU, Kiss broke the Memphis record in the 110-meter hurdles for the third time this season, automatically qualified for the World Championships this summer and continued his ascent up the national and world rankings.

05/10/05		Tigers Fall to Arkansas State 10-1 -- Tiger drop record-high tying 37th loss (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Arkansas State starter Stephen Tharp held Memphis to just five hits in seven innings to pace the Indians to a 10-1 win over the Tigers Tuesday night in non-conference action at Nat Buring Stadium. Memphis ties a program high with its 37th loss of the season. The Indians opened the scoring in the first when leadoff hitter Michael Williams Jr. led off the game with a double to leftfield. He advanced to third on a fly ball and scored on a wild pitch. The Tigers answered back with a run of in the home half of the inning on consecutive doubles by K.K. Chalmers and Chad House. It was all ASU from then on as Chris Rich and Geoff Desmond roped back-to-back homers in the third for a 4-1 lead. RBI's by Bret Kinning and Rich made it 6-1 in the fourth before the Indians put the contest out of reach with four unearned runs in the seventh for the final 10-1 score. Blake Richardson was the loser despite fanning a career-high seven ASU batters. The junior allowed six runs on seven hits in four innings of work. Memphis will now prepare for a matchup with UT-Martin on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. at Nat Buring Stadium.

05/10/05		Kiss Earns Second Athlete of the Week Honor of Outdoor Season -- Senior continues to move up rankings in 110m hurdles (GoTigersGo.com)
		Irving, Texas - After another stellar performance in the 110m hurdles at last weekend's Arkansas State Mini-Meet, Memphis senior Daniel Kiss was named the Conference USA Men's Athlete of the Week for May 10. The award is the second weekly accolade of the outdoor season for Kiss, who also took home Athlete of the Week honors on April 12. With his time of 13.49s in a victory at ASU, Kiss broke the Memphis record in the 110m hurdles for the third time this season, automatically qualified for World Championships this summer, and continued his ascent up the national and world rankings. In addition, the Budapest, Hungary native missed breaking the Hungarian national record for the event by only two one-hundredths of a second. Kiss' time currently ranks second in both the nation and the Mideast Region behind only Antwon Hicks of Ole Miss, while the time moved him into the top-15 performances in the world this year for the 110m hurdles. He remains in the eighth position in Trackwire's Dandy Dozen, which is a power ranking of the top 12 athletes in each NCAA event. On top of his national and world rankings, Kiss heads the Conference USA performance list in the 110m hurdles and will enter this week's C-USA Championships as the favorite in the event after posting each of the top three and five of the top six times in the conference this season. The preliminary rounds of the 110m hurdles are set to begin at 5 p.m. Friday evening at the Lewis/Tellex Complex on the campus of the University of Houston, while the finals are slated for 1:40 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

05/09/05		Andy Metcalf's Men's Soccer European Tour Diary (GoTigersGo.com)
		Day 4 - Monday, May 9, 2005 We started out the day by having a training session. It was actually quite warm until it randomly began raining heavily for about 5 minutes. The rain was freezing! It's amazing how fast the temperature changes over here. Well after training we went to the Dutch fishing village Volendam for the afternoon, which was great. The atmosphere was awesome. A bunch of us went to a local restaurant right on the North Sea for some fish and chips. The food was the best I've had since I've been on the trip. We spent a few hours in Volendam and then headed off back to Haarlem. In Haarlem we ate dinner at 5:00 p.m. in about 10 minutes before heading out the door again to see the Ajax second team play the second team of RKC. It was a great game, ending 2-2. There were some great players playing, and the atmosphere of the game was a lot better than the main Ajax team since the fans were so close to the field. After the game, we headed back to Haarlem. When we got to town, we stopped at an Italian restaurant and ate, which was lovely. We then headed back to the hostel. Tomorrow's plans include a relaxing morning, followed by an afternoon at the North Sea. We have our first game tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. in nearby Rotterdam. Dayton and Cormac's corner: In the fishing village coach decided that next season's media guide needed a funny picture. Coach Grant then deemed it necessary that the seniors dress up in native Dutch clothing (a wedding and working man's outfit), however coach declined on the offer of joining us in the picture. On the other hand our assistant coach Robbie "the fearless" Nicholson was the main tourist attraction, as he took it upon himself to swim a portion of the North Sea in his shorts .We don't know how he survived because the average temperature of the North Sea is 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Later we went to the Ajax second team game and afterwards we met a few players and received game programs. Cormac McArdle and Adam Montgomery were lucky enough to get a t-shirt each from one of the player's. Until next time, see you all later! Day 3 - Sunday, May 8, 2005 Hallo iedereen! (Hello to everyone) Today, we split up into two groups, with half the guys going to see Ajax train and the rest going on a bike ride to the North Sea. I went on the bike ride, which was awesome. We left about 10:30 a.m. and finished about 2:30 or 3. We got to see a lot of the beautiful countryside instead of always seeing the city. We rode about 15 miles, but it didn't seem that long at all. When we finally got to the North Sea, it was freezing! We then rode into the nearby town of Zandvoort and ate lunch at a little outdoor cafe, which was very expensive for the portions they gave us. I would have to say that the rumor about Holland being expensive is true! Well I'm going to kick it over to my good friends Dayton O'Brien and Cormac McArdle for their perspective of the day, as they visited the Ajax training ground... Dayton and Cormac's corner: We went to watch Ajax train which was really exciting. Eight of us took one of the vans into the city, which was an experience in itself because of our sketchy directions. We met all of the big soccer stars on the team and got pictures and autographs as well. We then took the party to the stadium restaurant and museum, which was also unbelievable. Anyhow, the whole day was a great experience which was added on to by a good training session and great weather. We actually took a few of the drills that we saw Ajax perform in their session and brought them into our training session. Needless to say, they executed just a little bit better. Well, it's about that time to turn it back to our good teammate Andy. Over and out from Cormac and Dayton....and to all of the mom's out there, we would like to take time out and wish you a very Happy Mother's Day from the entire team...especially to Sheila O'Brien, Karen Metcalf and Ann McArdle. Tomorrow's plans include a visit to a fishing village, a cheese factory and a clog maker after a short training session. It should be a good time. Tomorrow night, the Ajax second team has a game against RKC, so that will be good to watch. Well, we're off to bed. Met vriendelijk groet! (Goodnight to all) Day 2 - Saturday, May 7, 2005 We began the day by having a training session at 10:30 a.m. It was going well until it began raining on us, so it got really cold. After that, we spent the rest of the day in Amsterdam walking the streets and taking in all the sights and sounds. What an interesting place to say the least! I saw many things I would have cared not to, but that's Amsterdam from what I hear. There were also many beautiful buildings and churches there as well so it was definitely a good experience. We rode the train to Amsterdam and back from Haarlem, which took about 30 minutes total. At 7:30 p.m., we saw Ajax play RKC at Amsterdam Arena, which was unbelievable! The atmosphere was amazing, and so was the stadium itself. Ajax won 4-0, so there was quite a bit of action as well. Afterwards, about 11:00 p.m., we spent an hour trying to find a place to eat here in Haarlem, which appeared to be dead even though it was a Saturday night. We finally found a place, "Chef's Burger." It was very good, especially because all of us were starving! Tomorrow's plans include going back to Amsterdam to watch an Ajax training session followed by a trip to the North Sea. Sometime tomorrow night we have a training session here in Haarlem. Well that's about all from here, I'll write again soon. Have a great night! P.S. Hi mom and Tanner Day 1 - Friday, May 6, 2005 What a long, exhausting day! The trip got off to a great start when the computers at Memphis International Airport decided to shut down right when we got there, resulting in a one hour delay for takeoff, and a nice half mile sprint for about half the team. While the rest of us roughed it in coach, Gary Connolly, via his girlfriend's mom, enjoyed the life of luxury in first class for the 8 hr 30 min flight. I don't know for sure, but rumor has it he had his own personal TV, reclining chair with footrest, real dinner china, and a foot massage to top it off. Must have been rough! The flight went smoothly, and we arrived in Amsterdam at 11:30 a.m., which is about 4:30 a.m. CST. Upon arrival, we discovered that the airline lost Gavin McInerney's bag and he would have to make do without it for at least a day. Welcome to Holland, Gavin! From the plane, we went through customs in about two minutes, got the rental vans and were on our way to Haarlem, Holland. We checked in at 3:00 p.m. to the hostel we're staying at, and then we enjoyed a much needed nap. Dinner was at 6:00 p.m., and we enjoyed what we believed to be chicken. There is a training session set for 8:00 p.m. tonight followed by a good night's sleep for everyone. Tomorrow's plans include breakfast at 9:00 a.m. followed by a day of sightseeing in Amsterdam. Tomorrow night, while in Amsterdam, we will be watching Ajax and RKC play. Ajax is one of the premier clubs in the world, so it should be an enjoyable experience for all of us. We won't be back until late tomorrow night, so I'll write again when possible. Have a great day!

05/09/05		Tiger Baseball Returns Home for Two Midweek Contests -- Tigers look to return to winning track (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Despite getting swept by the top-ranked Tulane Green Wave this past weekend, the Memphis baseball team came away with several positives. The Tigers look to build on a weekend that showed promise for the program's future with a pair of home contests against Arkansas State on Tues., May 10, and UT-Martin on Wed., May 11. The Tiger offense came alive over the weekend, scoring 21 runs and pounding out 30 hits against Tulane. After a slow night on Friday, Memphis stroked 13 and 14 hits, respectively on Saturday and Sunday. Adam Amar, Jordan and K.K. Chalmers touched Green Wave pitchers up, as all three hit at least .450 on the weekend. Amar capped his weekend off with a four-hit day that included his sixth home run of the season on Sunday. Tolliver posted six hits in the final two games, while Chalmers was a double shy of the cycle on Sunday. Drew Jaudon continued his success on the mound for the Tigers over the weekend, holding the powerful Green Wave offense to just one hit in two and tow-thirds innings in two appearances. Arkansas State enters the midweek tilt 10 games above .500, at 28-18. The Indians have won four of their last 10, but are coming off of a Sun Belt series win over 2004 NCAA Regional participant Western Kentucky. ASU swings the bat well, holding a .311 team average at the plate. Senior first baseman Geoff Desmond's .377 average paces the team. Desmond also leads the Indians in hits (69), runs scored (56), home runs (16), RBI (62), total bases (133) and slugging percentage (.727). Desmond was ranked tied for 15th in the country in home runs per game and 13th in RBI per game in the last NCAA statistics report. Although Desmond has been the dominant force in the A-State lineup, five other regulars have made substantial contributions and are hitting above .300. Junior college transfer Brett Kinning has a .364 average and 10 of the Tribe's 114 doubles, while leading the team with 13 stolen bases. ASU is ranked in the nation's top-10 in doubles per game. Seven Arkansas State hitters have 10 or more doubles. The Tribe pitching staff has a 5.15 ERA. Much like Memphis, relievers lead the staff as Michael Williams Jr. and Brandon Westmoreland have posted the lowest ERA's on the team at 3.04 and 4.22, respectively. Westmoreland holds a 7-1 record despite having not started a game in his 18 appearances. Opponents are hitting .283 against the ASU staff with 38 home runs. UT-Martin has struggled this year with an 11-35 mark. The Skyhawks are hitting a paltry .232 with 339 strikeouts, while the pitching staff maintains a 5.52 ERA and an opponent batting average of .310. UTM has hit just 12 homers as a team and player is hitting .300 or better. Memphis has won eight straight over UT-Martin, but has lost three in a row to Arkansas State. First pitch for Tuesday's contest is set for 6:30 p.m. at "The Nat", while Wednesday's tilt is slated for a 7 p.m. start to accommodate athletes who are taking final exams this week.

05/09/05		Fans Invited to Community Reception at Timbeaux's in Hernando -- Coach Tommy West and Coach Blair Savage will be in attendance to welcome Tiger fans (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, TENN. - Fans are invited to come out to Timbeaux's on the Square in Hernando, Miss., on Tuesday, May 10, for a Tiger Scholarship Fund community reception. The event is from 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m., and Football Coach Tommy West and Women's Basketball Coach Blair Savage will be in attendance. The reception is free and open to the public. Timbeaux's is located at 333 Losher Street.

05/09/05		No. 1 Tulane beats back gritty effort by Memphis (Commercial Appeal)
		By From Our Press Services May 9, 2005 NEW ORLEANS -- Senior shortstop Tommy Manzella went 3-for-5 with an RBI and junior southpaw J.R. Crowel tied a career-high with 10 strikeouts as the top-ranked Tulane baseball team completed a sweep of Conference USA foe Memphis with a 12-9 win Sunday. The Tigers (10-36, 4-20 C-USA) gave the Green Wave (42-8, 19-5) all it could handle with a 4-0 lead after three, and made the game a nail-biter with four runs in the top of the ninth. But Crowel settled down in the middle innings, and sophomore right-hander Daniel Latham was able to pitch his way out of trouble late. "Once we got in (Memphis's) bullpen, I felt pretty comfortable," Tulane coach Rick Jones said. "Memphis had nothing to lose (late in the game). They had good at-bats, and in the end, they were playing very loose, and that's dangerous." Memphis roughed up Crowel (9-1) early on as third baseman K.K. Chalmers hit a solo home run two at-bats into the game, second baseman Patrick Hope ripped an RBI single, and first baseman Adam Amar hammered a two-run homer to left in the third to stake the Tigers to a 4-0 lead. Memphis cut the lead to 9-5 in the top of the seventh when shortstop Jordan Tolliver hit a leadoff single, advanced to second on a walk by Chalmers and scored on an RBI hit by Amar. Tulane answered with three more runs to give the Green Wave a 12-5 advantage. Tolliver opened the ninth with a double to right, Chalmers followed with a triple to right, and a passed ball allowed another run to score as Memphis cut the lead to 12-7. U of M's Chris Newsome ripped an RBI single through the right side of the infield, and left fielder Brent Moss posted a run-scoring hit to make it 12-9.

05/08/05		Baseball Swept by No. 1 Tulane, fall 12-9 in Series Finale -- Tigers drop ninth straight (GoTigersGo.com)
		NEW ORLEANS - MEMPHIS (10-36, 4-20 C-USA) 202 000 104 - 9 14 1 #1 Tulane (42-8, 19-5 C-USA) 004 230 30X - 12 14 0 Tulane starter J.R. Crowel rebounded from a shaky start to strikeout a career-high tying 10 Memphis batters to pick up a 12-9 win in Sunday's series finale at Turchin Stadium. The Green Wave earned its ninth straight series win over the Tigers with the sweep. For the second consecutive game, the Memphis offense got going early. K.K. Chalmers belted his second career home run to open the scoring. Memphis took a 2-0 lead when Patrick Hope's single found its way through the hole between shortstop and third base to score Adam Amar. Amar gave the Tigers a 4-0 lead in the third when he blasted a two-run shot over the left centerfield wall. Tulane stormed back with four runs in the fourth inning to tie the contest. After recording two outs in the first two batters of the inning, the Green Wave staged a strong two-out rally. Nathan Southard got the rally started by drawing a four-pitch walk. Consecutive singles by Brad Emaus, Tommy Manzella and Micah Owings produced a pair of TU runs. Designated hitter Scott Madden tied the game with a two-run single to right. The Wave took its first lead of the game in fourth stanza. Greg Dini led off the inning with a single. He advanced to third when Tiger third baseman Chalmers' throw to second, on a fielder's choice by Southard, sailed high and wide of Pat Hope. Emaus followed the play with a two-run double to the leftfield corner to put Tulane ahead 6-4. TU extended its lead to 9-4 with three runs in the home half of the fifth. The Green Wave opened the frame with three consecutive walks drawn by Brian Bogusevic, Madden and Joe Holland. Dini lifted a sac fly to right to score Bogusevic, and Matt Barket sent a double off the base of the wall in right centerfield to bring home Madden and Holland for the five-run cushion. Memphis cut the lead to 9-5 in the seventh on an RBI-single by Amar, but Tulane retaliated with a three-run home half of the frame to make it 12-5. The Green Wave seventh was highlighted by back-to-back home runs by Barket and Southard. Memphis did not go down without a fight, bringing the tying run to the plate in a four-run ninth inning. Tolliver led the frame off with a double down the rightfield line and Chalmers followed with his fourth triple of the season to score Tolliver. Chalmers scored on a passed ball to cut the TU lead to 12-7. Chad House then drew a walk and Amar lined a single to the right to put runners on the corners. Chris Newsom's clutch two-out hit scored House and Amar was driven in on a two-out single by Moss for the 12-9 final. Neil Schenk was the losing pitcher for the Tigers. The freshman southpaw fanned four and allowed eight runs in four innings. Amar had four hits and three RBI to lead the Tigers, while Chalmers went 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBI. The freshman was a double shy of the cycle. Tolliver also posted multiple hits in a 3-for-5 effort. The Tigers will now return home for a pair of midweek games against Arkansas State on Tues., May 10 and UT-Martin on Wed., May 11. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

05/08/05		Tulane holds off Tigers' late rally (Commercial Appeal)
		By From Our Press Services May 8, 2005 NEW ORLEANS -- Memphis scored in six of the first seven innings and pounded out 13 hits, but was unable to recover from a five-run Tulane fifth as the nation's top-ranked team held on for an 11-10 win. Memphis touched up Tulane starter and All-American Brian Bogusevic early. Jordan Tolliver led the game off with a single and then scored on a two-run single by Cory Barton. Barton went 2-for-4 on the day with a pair of RBI. Patrick Hope singled through the right side to start the second. Brent Moss then singled and Tolliver reached on a catcher's interference by Tulane backstop Greg Dini to load the bases. The Tigers extended the lead to 3-0 when Tulane shortstop Tommy Manzella misplayed a groundball by K.K. Chalmers, allowing Hope to score. Tulane answered with a run in the second on an RBI-single by Joe Holland, but a run-scoring single by Moss helped the Tiger's regain the three-run advantage at 4-1. The Green Wave posted 10 runs over the next three innings to take control of the game. Tulane sent 11 batters to the plate in a five-run fourth that gave it a 6-4 lead. Tulane was able to plate a pair of unearned runs on a throwing error by the U of M infield. Barton cut the lead to 6-5 with a single to left, but back-to-back doubles brought home two runs to extend the Green Wave cushion to 8-5 after five. The Tiger offense and got a single from Chad House to score Tolliver and make it 8-6, but Tulane answered. This time the Wave put up three scores in the sixth to take what seemed a commanding 11-6 lead. Memphis rallied in the seventh for four runs to pull to 11-10. Consecutive walks by Chris Newsom and Moss set things up for Tolliver, who delivered an RBI-single. Chalmers drew a walk to load the bases and Chad House sent a deep sacrifice fly to center to drive Moss in and cut the TU lead to 11-8. With two outs, Memphis took advantage of an error at short to score Tolliver and House to make it a one-run game. However, that would be the final run Memphis could scratch out. Bogusevic (9-1) earned the win despite giving up five runs on nine hits in five innings. Junior righthander Stephen Gostkowski (1-7) gave the Tigers five strong innings of work, but gave up eight runs on 10 hits. The Memphis bullpen was solid for the second straight game as relievers Chris South, Blake Richardson and Drew Jaudon were able to hold the league top scoring team to two earned runs over the final three innings. Tolliver finished with three hits and three runs scored, while House chipped in with a 2-for-3 effort with a two runs scored and two RBI. Moss posted the first hit and first RBI of his career in a 2-for-3 outing.

05/07/05		Baseball Suffers Tough 11-10 Loss to No. 1 Tulane -- Tigers push nation's top team to the limit (GoTigersGo.com)
		NEW ORLEANS - MEMPHIS (10-35, 4-19 C-USA) 210 111 400 - 10 13 2 #1 Tulane (41-8, 18-5 C-USA) 010 523 00X - 11 13 4 Memphis scored in six of the first seven innings and pounded out 13 hits, but was unable to recover from a five-run Tulane fifth as the nation's top-ranked team was able to hold on for an 11-10 win over the Tigers in Conference USA action Saturday afternoon at Turchin Stadium. Memphis touched up Tulane starter and All-American Brian Bogusevic early in the contest. Jordan Tolliver led the contest off with a single and then scored the first run of the game on a two-run single off the bat of Cory Barton. Barton went 2-for-4 on the day with a pair of RBI. Patrick Hope singled through the right side to start the second. Brent Moss then singled and Tolliver reached on a catcher's interference by TU backstop Greg Dini to load the sacks. The Tigers extended the lead to 3-0 when Tulane shortstop Tommy Manzella misplayed a groundball by K.K. Chalmers, allowing Hope to score. Tulane answered with a run in the second on an RBI-single by Joe Holland, but a run-scoring single by Moss helped the Tiger's regain the three-run advantage at 4-1. That would be the last time Memphis held the lead as the Green Wave posted 10 runs over the next three innings to take control of the contest. Tulane sent 11 batters to the plate in a five-run fourth that gave them a 6-4 lead. The stanza saw the Wave produce four singles as Matt Barket, Holland and Nathan Southard each drove in runs in consecutive plate appearances. The Memphis defense did not help its cause, as TU was able to plate a pair of unearned tallies on a throwing error by the U of M infield. Cory Barton cut the lead to one run at 6-5 with a single to left, but back-to-back doubles by Southard and Brad Emaus brought home two runs to extend the Green Wave cushion to 8-5 after five. The Tiger offense continued to battle and got a single from Chad House to score Tolliver and make it 8-6, but again Tulane answered. This time the Wave put up three scores in the sixth to take what seemed to be a commanding 11-6 lead. But Memphis would not give up and rallied in the seventh for four runs to pull to an 11-10 contest. Consecutive walks by Chris Newsom and Moss set things up for Tolliver, who delivered an RBI-single. Chalmers drew a walk to load the bases and Chad House sent a deep sacrifice fly to center to drive Moss in and cut the TU lead to 11-8. With two outs, Memphis took advantage of an error by Manzella at short, to score Tolliver and House to make it a one-run game. However, that would be the final run Memphis could scratch out as Tulane held on for the win. Bogusevic (9-1) earned the win despite giving up five runs on nine hits in five innings. Junior righthander Stephen Gostkowski (1-7) gave the Tigers five strong innings of work, but gave up eight runs on 10 hits. The Memphis bullpen was solid for the second straight game as relievers Chris South, Blake Richardson and Drew Jaudon were able to hold the league top scoring team to two earned runs over the final three innings. Tolliver finished the contest with three hits and three runs scored, while House chipped in with a 2-for-3 effort with a two runs scored and two RBI. Moss posted the first hit and first RBI of his career in a 2-for-3 outing. The Tigers and Green Wave will wrap up the series on Sunday with the first pitch set for 1 p.m. at Turchin Stadium. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

05/07/05		Busby and Kiss Improve Regional Qualifying Marks at Arkansas State -- Edri sets school record in high jump (GoTigersGo.com)
		Jonesboro, Ark. - Even with only a few athletes competing Saturday at Arkansas State, the U of M track and field squads still put together a number of strong performances in Jonesboro. Leading the way were Janon Busby and Daniel Kiss, who improved on their NCAA Regional qualifying marks in the triple jump and 110m hurdles, respectively. On the women's side, Chen Edri added another stellar performance, setting a new school record in the high jump. Busby posted a leap of 51-00.00" (15.55m) to win the triple jump and better his previous qualifying mark of 50-08.25" (15.45m), which led Conference USA entering the weekend. The senior then added a second victory in the high jump with a personal-best effort of 6-09.00" (2.06m). Kiss, who also led C-USA and ranked sixth nationally in the 110m hurdles going into the meet, recorded a blazing time of 13.49s to win the event. After being off the radar in the national picture entering the season, the Budapest Hungary native will likely enter next weekend's C-USA Outdoor Championships ranked in the top five in the country. As for Edri, the freshman registered her second school record of the season with a clearance of 5-08.00" (1.73m) to win the high jump and break Janeen Gooden's former mark of 5-07.75" (1.72m). Earlier in the season, Edri set the U of M record in the javelin, an event which she also won on Saturday with a throw of 135-05" (41.28m). In addition to the top three performers, several other Memphis athletes posted solid performances on the day. For the Tigers, Brandon Winbush and Norbert Gulyas just missed regional standards with marks of 24-00.00" (7.31m) and 164-05" (50.12m) in the long jump and discus, respectively. Both Winbush and Gulyas had already qualified for NCAA Regionals in their particular events. On the women's side, Maria Majzik recorded a season best in the long jump with a leap of 18-00.00" (5.49m) to win the event. Annette Uzoh and Sivan Aballi each put up two sound efforts in the throwing events with Uzoh logging tosses of 145-00" (44.20m) in the hammer and 41-06.50" (12.66m) in the shot put and Aballi registering marks of 142-08" (43.50m) in the discus and 41-02.25" (12.55m) in the shot put. Following their final regular-season meet, the track and field squads will now have one more short week of preparation before traveling to Houston for the C-USA Outdoor Championships next Thursday-Saturday, May 12-14.

05/07/05		Double Play (University of Memphis Magazine)
		Double Play by Greg Russell With most eyes focused on Heisman candidate DeAngelo Williams, another U of M athlete has quietly made himself a rarity by capturing all-conference honors in not one, but a pair of sports. Random thoughts pass through the writer's mind as he is cast into the unusual position of acting as holder for U of M place-kicker Stephen Gostkowski -- Lucy pulling the ball away from Charlie Brown, for instance. But the most unsettling thought for one not accustomed to holding the ball (the writer of this story has volunteered for a practice kick) is, "What if this 200-pounder misses the ball and takes my finger off?" But Gostkowski doesn't miss -- it's as if he never misses. Check a few of the numbers since the two-sport all-conference star came to the U of M three years ago: nine strikeouts in a near-perfect outing against Air Force to open this baseball season; 20 of 24 field goals made last football season en route to being a semifinalist for the coveted Lou Groza Award. Added all up, it could mean the junior from Madison, Miss., could be the first U of M athlete to be drafted in two sports since football/baseball stars John Bramlett and Russell Vollmer in the early 1960s. It might also mean -- hold onto your seat Tiger fans -- Gostkowski could be drafted by a major league club at the end of this baseball season, throwing him into a situation similar to the quandary star tailback DeAngelo Williams faced earlier this year: Leave after a junior season to pursue a pro career or stay put for a final year of college. "I haven't really thought about it," says Gostkowski. "Whatever happens, happens, but for now I am planning on returning for my senior year, regardless." Chances are, Gostkowski will be back -- he already has been named to one preseason All-America list for the upcoming football season. And on the mound, the junior may need to develop more consistency. No matter what happens, Gostkowski has already left his mark as Conference USA's first-ever two-sport, all-conference freshman selection. You can call me ... Of the six or seven nicknames Gostkowski has, the one he is most accustomed to -- Beaver -- might also be the most telling about his competitive nature. While playing in a hotly contested back-yard hockey game as a third-grader in Buffalo, N.Y., Gostkowski's two front teeth went flying after he hit the ice face first. It is easy to imagine what happened next. "I had to get fake ones put in and they kind of stuck out, so people called me 'Beaver,'" he says. The less-than-flattering look faded as he grew older, but Gostkowski's fiercely competitive nature remained. "We're blessed to have him," says first-year Tiger baseball skipper Daron Schoenrock. "He's a tremendous athlete. He is a very good runner and a good soccer player, too." Gostkowski's expertise at several sports flung open more doors of opportunity than most collegiate athletes have. He came to the U of M as a baseball signee for former coach Dave Anderson, having given up on football after a "terrible" senior season on the gridiron. "After my junior season in high school in football, I was being recruited as a kicker by Ole Miss, Southern Miss and Rice," Gostkowski says. "But I ended up getting benched halfway through my senior high school season -- I lost my job to one of my best friends -- and all of my football scholarship offers were taken away. I let the pressure of recruiting get to me." Baseball, though, was still a viable option -- Gostkowski posted an 8-2 mark and a 1.40 ERA his senior season. Anderson provided the hurler "a chance to play right away" so he chose the Tigers over Ole Miss and Meridian Junior College. But football -- with the Tigers' practice field just around the corner from the U of M baseball stadium -- was never far away. "I wasn't going to play [football] here, but my parents talked me into trying out," he says. "I thought I would give football a try one year and if it didn't work out, I was just going to stick to baseball." Four weeks into preseason drills as a walk-on, Gostkowski endeared himself enough to Tiger football coaches that they offered him a scholarship. He soon also pocketed the job as the team's starting kicker. Three seasons later, Gostkowski was a near miss for the Groza Award, which is given annually to collegiate football's best kicker. He put himself into the Groza picture by hitting 15 of his first 17 field goal attempts before two misfires against Southern Miss late in the season toppled his chances. "You can't look back and say 'What if, what if," says the exercise sport-science major. Gostkowski's 268 career points are the most ever for a Tiger at any position, eclipsing former U of M kicker Joey Allison's 263. Interestingly enough, it was Allison who won the inaugural Groza Award in 1992. With 48 career kicks to his credit, Gostkowski is posed to break Allison's all-time mark of 51 this fall. Impressive too is Gostkowski's range: he made six of seven attempts from 40 yards or longer last year, and has a collegiate best of 50 yards. He once made a 55-yarder in high school. Different sport, same result Six months after earning All-Freshman C-USA football honors, Gostkowski finished a solid baseball season to be named to the C-USA All-Freshman baseball team. His 6-2, 200-pound frame and 90-mph fastball certainly make him attractive to pro baseball scouts. But mixing two sports in college is not always easy -- take a look at Gostkowski's sophomore baseball season. The 3.99 earned run average he posted as a freshman ballooned to a bedeviling 6.66 in his second season. "My arm felt really tired last year," he says. "I felt like I rushed myself trying to catch up with the other pitchers on the team." To complicate matters, Gostkowski was pitching behind three Tiger starters, all of whom signed minor league contracts at season's end. The right-handed hurler was pushed aside, according to Schoenrock. "A pitcher's psyche is very important," the Tiger coach says. "'G' is a very cerebral person. I think he just lost his confidence and got into a tailspin. "This year, we are counting on him -- we're going to keep giving him the ball." Missing fall baseball practice, Schoenrock says, means Gostkowski does have to play catch up. "The biggest thing is getting his delivery ironed out," Schoenrock says. "And this year, with a new coaching staff, learning a new all-around system has been a challenge too." Transitioning back to football in the fall has proven not to be as difficult for Gostkowski. U of M head football coach Tommy West says that missing spring drills may even benefit his kicker. "Kicking is something you can really wear yourself out on," West says. "From a mental standpoint, the time off in the spring does him good." And the winner is ... So if Gostkowski had to make a choice, would baseball or football win out? Not exactly an easy question, he says. "As far as things are run operation-wise, you can't beat college football," Gostkowski says. "There are so many perks to playing, so many fans. The press is always there and you get to travel to a bunch of great stadiums. "But if I wanted to go out and just do something one day, it would probably be baseball. There is so much more pressure kicking field goals -- you could make all your field goals all year then miss a game-winning one and that's all people will remember. In baseball, you have a lot more chances to prove yourself. You can get hit hard in one game, but the next game come back and pitch a no-hitter." The thought of playing pro baseball or football is equally tantalizing if the opportunity is afforded him, the junior says, but coaching baseball after college would suit him fine. "It seems like baseball has always been a part of my life," he says. Gostkowski shows he could have a career in politics too -- he has developed a very diplomatic side. "I love both sports pretty equally," Gostkowski says. "I couldn't see myself giving one up for the other right now." Which comes as good news for Tiger fans and coaches of both sports. ------------------------------------------------ Rock On! Call it Daron Schoenrock's little book of wisdom. When the first-year Tiger baseball coach took the skipper's helm last July, he brought with him a book he wrote over the course of a decade about the different components of pitching. "It is a collaboration of everything I teach on the field -- it breaks down in pretty simple terms what the pitcher's role is in the whole scheme of things," says Schoenrock, or 'Rock,' as his team calls him. U of M hurler Stephen Gostkowski says the book is helping him become a better pitcher because it makes him aware of lesser aspects of the game. "It gives you an idea of what you need to do to get yourself mentally prepared to pitch," says Gostkowski. The book has helped other pitchers as well -- 30 of Schoenrock's former hurlers have gone on to the professional level. Schoenrock joins the Tigers after time spent at Mississippi State and Georgia. His exuberance is already apparent. Besides an aggressive national recruiting effort that resulted in 14 highly touted early signees, Schoenrock is working to start an active booster club and find a way to improve Nat Buring Stadium. Don't expect any first-year miracles -- the Tigers' top three hurlers last year left the team for the minor leagues. "We aren't as talented as last year, but I expect our team to be competitive," the head coach says.

05/06/05		Top-Ranked Tulane Routes Tigers, 13-2 -- Saturday's game moved to 4 p.m. (GoTigersGo.com)
		NEW ORLEANS -- - MEMPHIS (10-34, 4-18 C-USA) 000 002 000 - 2 3 0 #1 Tulane (40-8, 17-5 C-USA) 193 000 00X - 13 18 0 Tulane wasted little time showing why they are the nation's top-ranked team as the Green Wave roared for nine runs in the second inning en route to a 13-2 win over Memphis Friday night at Turchin Stadium. Tulane starter Micah Owings struck out nine in six innings and went 3-for-5 with five RBI at the plate. Tulane becomes the first NCAA team to reach the 40-win plateau this season. Freshman Brad Emaus put the Wave on the board in the first frame with a solo blast over the leftfield wall. Tulane erupted for nine runs in the second stanza, highlighted by a three-run home run off the bat of Owings. The Green Wave sent 13 batters to the plate in the second. Mark Hamilton's two-run shot to left got the frame started. A bases loaded sacrifice fly by Tommy Manzella made it 4-0. Brian Bogusevic lined an RBI-single to left and Owings then launched his league-leading 14th homer of the year--a towering blast that sailed over the light pole in leftfield. Hamilton followed singles by Greg Dini and Joe Holland with a two-run double to the right centerfield gap, giving TU a 10-0 advantage. The Wave got three runs on four consecutive singles to go ahead 13-0 in the third. RBI-singles by Bogusevic and Owings capped Tulane's scoring for the night. Memphis got its two runs in the sixth. Chad House opened the inning with an infield single and Jordan Tolliver followed with a walk. Adam Amar then ripped a double to the gap in right center to score both runners. Owings picked up his sixth win of the season and held Memphis to three hits. Memphis starter Nick Bradshaw took the loss after giving up nine earned runs in an inning and a third. The Tiger bullpen was solid, holding the Green Wave scoreless over the final five innings of play. All nine Tulane starters recorded a hit and seven posted multiple hits in an 18-hit performance. Memphis and the top-ranked Green Wave will play game two of the series on Saturday. The first pitch, which was originally scheduled for 2 p.m., has been moved back to 4 p.m. to accommodate the live television broadcast of the game by Cox Sports. Listen to the live broadcast with the `Voice of Tiger Baseball', Jeff Brightwell on WUMR 91.7 FM.

05/06/05		Tiger Notes (baseball, softball, basketball, track) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact May 6, 2005 Tigers prepare for No. 1 Tulane -- Battered U of M to limp into New Orleans series The University of Memphis baseball team goes somewhere it has rarely gone during the program's history. Tonight in New Orleans it goes against the No. 1 team in the nation. The Tigers (10-32 overall, 4-17 in Conference USA) play at top-ranked Tulane. The Green Wave is 39-8 overall and 16-5 in C-USA. Tulane is ranked No. 1 in the Collegiate Baseball poll and the Sports Weekly poll. Baseball American and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association have the Green Wave ranked second. "This is exciting," first-year Tiger coach Daron Schoenrock said. "But we're kind of limping along. What I'm encouraged by is we've battled and played hard against some great teams. I hope we can do that this weekend." Memphis has lost five straight and eight of 10. Tulane has won eight of 10 and is 25-3 at home. What has vaulted Tulane to the top of the national rankings is a roster filled with experienced, athletic players, including All-America candidates Brian Bogusevic, a left-handed pitcher/outfielder/ first baseman, and right-handed pitcher/first baseman Micah Owings, a Georgia Tech transfer and the C-USA's Preseason Player of the Year. Bogusevic is 8-1 with a 2.57 earned-run average and Owings is hitting .316 with a conference-leading 13 home runs. "Their front-line pitching is very good as is the way they defend the field," Schoenrock said. "They are a tremendous defense and pitching team. And that's how championships are won in baseball. Tulane has some very good athletic position players who defend the field and they have three dominant pitchers." Schoenrock, a former assistant under Ron Polk at perennial national power Mississippi State, is accustomed to preparing to play top-ranked opposition, although it's a rarity for the Memphis program. "You try not to make a big deal of it to your kids," Schoenrock said. "They know about it. They read the papers. You appreciate the opportunity; the opportunity to change the way people think about you whether you win or lose." The Tigers, who have not won a series against Tulane since 1996, are in jeopardy of setting the school record for losses in a season (37 in 2000). Memphis has nine games remaining after the Tulane series. Softball signs eight The women's softball team, which begins play in 2006, has the foundation of its inaugural team. It has received National Letters of Intent from eight players, including two transfers from Central Arizona Community College. The team previously announced Lindsey Sterling of Tipton-Rosemark as its first signee. Two others signees -- Collierville High's Laura Mahoney and Nashville Wilson Central standout Brittany Gooch -- are Tennessee natives. Bridgette McNulty and Kara Ross are the junior college signees. McNulty ranks fourth in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference with 19 homers and Ross is second in the league with a .533 average. Odds and ends Tiger baseball play-by-play announcer Jeff Brightwell was among three honored as College Baseball TV/Radio Broadcaster of the Month for April. ... Monroe (N.Y.) Community College guard Renee Taylor, who is considering the Lady Tigers, may make a decision about her future this weekend. She led Monroe to consecutive NJCAA Division 2 national titles and was the tournament's MVP after scoring 20 points in this year's title game. ... Several UofM field performers, in a final tuneup before the C-USA Championships May 12-13 in Houston, will vie in a meet Saturday at Arkansas State. -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

05/06/05		Tiger Tennis Notes (Commercial Appeal)
		Tigers honored: University of Memphis senior Alex Bucewicz and junior James Spence were each named to the Conference USA All-Conference tennis team in a poll of league head coaches. Bucewicz was a second-team all-conference honoree after capping his four-year Tiger career with an 89-41 mark in singles and a 63-34 mark in doubles. Spence garnered third-team honors in the poll. Spence split time at No. 1 singles with Bucewicz, capping his year with a 13-9 singles mark, including a 5-3 mark at No. 1 and an 8-6 mark at No. 2. U of M signee: Lady Tiger tennis head coach Charlotte Peterson put the wraps on her 2005-06 recruiting class with the signing of Katerina Kuznetsova, Peterson announced. Kuznetsova will come to the Lady Tiger program from Krasnogorsk in the Moscow region of Russia. Kuznetsova is the No. 97 ranked player in Russia.

05/05/05		Two Tigers Named to Tennis All-Conference Team -- Alex Bucewicz earns second team honors while James Spence earns third team honors (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Senior Alex Bucewicz and junior James Spence were each named to the Conference USA All-Conference team in a poll of league head coaches, it was announced by the C-USA office, Thursday. Bucewicz was a second-team, all-conference honoree after capping his four-year Tiger career with an 89-41 mark in singles and a 63-34 mark in doubles. He was 6-9 at No. 1 singles for the Tigers in the spring of 2005, finishing with a 13-10 mark in dual singles for the season. A three-time member of the Conference USA Academic Honor Roll, Bucewicz was named the M-Club Male Student-Athlete of the Week last week. The second-team honor is the first all-conference honor for Bucewicz, who became just the second Tiger in as many years to earn a national singles ranking. Bucewicz was ranked in three different computer rankings for the Tigers, following the lead of current Tiger assistant coach Lee Taylor Walker. Bucewicz was a five-time Conference USA player of the week, including two honors in 2004-05. Junior James Spence is also earning his first career honor, garnering third team honors in the poll. Spence split time at No. 1 singles with Bucewicz, capping his year with a 13-9 singles mark, including a 5-3 mark at No. 1 and an 8-6 mark at No. 2. Spence suffered a wrist injury in the Middle Tennessee match, but managed to finish with a 7-3 mark in his last 10 matches in singles. He also teamed with White Station's Scott Felsenthal at No. 1 doubles, finishing with an 11-9 mark and earning a national ranking during two ranking periods. Spence and Felsenthal shared one C-USA Player of the Week honor after initially breaking into the national rankings. A member of the Tiger 3.0 Club for the last two semesters, Spence will be one of two Tiger seniors returning for the 2005-06 season. He will be joined by Alex Jago, who battled injuries all year to play No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles. The Tigers, currently No. 73 in the country, were guided to a 12-11 record by first-year head coach Paul Goebel. Memphis faced an astounding 12 ranked opponents, including 11 of them on the road. All 11 Tiger losses came to ranked opponents on the road. Next fall, the Tigers will again host the ITA/Southeast Regional championships at the Racquet Club of Memphis. That tournament has called Memphis home over the past two years and features some of the top ranked players in the country from one of the strongest regions in college tennis.

05/05/05		Field Events Prepare for One Final Tune-Up Prior to C-USA Championships -- Arkansas State Mini-Meet will provide a last chance to prepare for the conference meet (GoTigersGo.com)
		Memphis, Tenn. - For a final tune-up before next weekend's C-USA Outdoor Championships, the U of M field event athletes will travel to Jonesboro, Ark., for the Arkansas State Mini-Meet on Saturday, May 7, in hopes of getting a few more solid marks under their belts before the conference meet. All of the Memphis squads had originally been scheduled to take the weekend to allow the athletes to concentrate on finals, while having a break before heading to Houston for the C-USA meet. However, the short trip to Arkansas State provided a great opportunity for the field events, which have several young athletes, to get one more competition in during the regular season. The meet will also give some of the more experienced athletes a final chance to hone their skills and polish their technique before going to Houston. "This will be a small, low-key meet," said Coach Kevin Robinson. "We needed a final tune-up before going to C-USA Championships, and this will give us that opportunity." Competition in Jonesboro is set to begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday and will run throughout the day.

05/05/05		Thirty-Six Student-Athletes Set to Graduate Sunday -- Graduation ceremonies will be Sunday, May 7th (GoTigersGo.com)
		Thirty-six student-athletes are set to graduate on Sunday, May 7th pending the successful completion of exams. The University of Memphis exams end on Thursday, May 5th. Arthur Barclay, Camden, N.J./Camden A three-year letterwinner, Arthur Barclay played an integral role in the Tigers' stretch runs in 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons. As a junior in 2003-04, he helped guide Memphis to the Conference USA regular season crown and an NCAA Tournament first round win. In 2004-05, Barclay led the Tigers to the C-USA Tournament title game and the NIT final four. He will graduate with a bachelor's degree in Race, Relationships and Community. Following graduation, the Camden, N.J., native will join the FedEx corporation, after serving as an intern for the Memphis-based company the past two summers. Jared Bidne, Senoia, Georgia/East Coweta Jared Bidne was a walk-on to the Tiger football team, working with the special teams in 2001 and working as a back-up deep snapper for Rusty Clayton over the past two seasons. Bidne is graduating with a degree in exercise science. Sue-Ann Bowen/D'Abadie, Trinidad/St. Augustine A three-year letterwinner for the Lady Tiger track and field squad...Was the team's top 200m and 400m in each of her final two seasons...Scored at the 2003 Conference USA Outdoor Championships with a time of 55.76s in the 400m. Graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Management with concentration in Human Resources and minor in Finance...Plans to stay in Memphis to work and continue training. Nick Bradshaw, Germantown, Tenn./Christian Brothers Lettered one season on the Tiger baseball team after transferring in from Ole Miss. Received a medical redshirt after an arm injury cost him the 2004 season. Is receiving a degree in Civil Engineering. Alex Bucewicz, Melbourne, Australia/Salesian A four-year letterwinner for the men's tennis team, Alex Bucewicz became the second Tiger in school history to earn a national singles ranking earlier this spring. Bucewicz finishes his Tiger career with a record of 89-41 in singles and 63-34 in doubles. He is graduating with a degree in Exercise Science and wants to work on a master's degree before returning to his native Australia and hopefully working for the Institute of Sport in Melbourne. Daniel Byram, Covington, Tennessee/Covington Daniel Byram transferred to Memphis from Lambuth College in the spring of 2003 and worked as a receiver for the Tiger offense over the past two seasons. Byram is graduating with a degree in English. Marlene Dirnstorfer, Pinsdorf, Austria A 2004 Conference USA Third Team honoree for the women's tennis program, Dirnstorfer capped her three-year Lady Tiger career with a pair of degrees from the U of M, including an MBA which she finished in May of 2005...She finished her career with a 53-35 singles mark and a 51-34 doubles record. In May of 2005, she shared the M-Club Female Student Athlete of the Year Award with volleyball player Heather Watts and was also named the women's tennis team MVP. Daniel Dobson, Garland, Texas/Naaman Forest A four-year letterwinner in men's soccer who was named to the NSCAA/adidas All-Midwest Second Team in his senior year. The team captain in 2004, Dobson earned First-Team All- Conference honors and was named to a National Team of the Week twice while helping the Tigers climb as high as No. 10 in the national polls last season. He became the first Memphis player to ever be picked up by a Major League Soccer team, joining the Kansas City Wizards as a discovery pick on the team's developmental roster. Dobson is graduating with a degree in sport and leisure studies. Justin Dyer, Germantown, Tenn./Christian Brothers A four-year letterwinner in men's soccer who earned C-USA All Conference First Team honors his senior year. A C-USA All-Tournament team selection after helping the Tigers win the conference tournament and capture its second ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. Is graduating with a degree in advertising/marketing and plans to enter the field of sales promotion. He plans to play for the third-straight year in the Premier Development League with the Memphis Express over the summer. Duane Erwin, Huntsville, Ala./Lee Duane Erwin finished his four-year career ranked among the program's top shot blockers, coming in at the No. 8 spot with 155 swats. A member of Tiger teams that played in four-consecutive postseasons, Erwin played in 123 career games and grabbed over 500 rebounds. He was a member of Memphis squads that won the 2002 NIT championship and the 2004 Conference USA regular season title. The Huntsville, Ala., native will graduate with a bachelor's degree in Sport and Physical Education in Urban Communities, and will pursue a professional basketball career following graduation. Scott Felsenthal, Memphis, Tenn./White Station Felsenthal transferred back to Memphis for his senior season after spending his first three collegiate seasons at the University of Washington. At Memphis, the White Station grad went 6-5 at the No. 6 singles spot and teamed with junior James Spence for an 11-9 mark at No. 1 doubles. That doubles duo spent two weeks in the national doubles rankings earlier this spring. Felsenthal is graduating with a degree in criminal justice and plans on attending law school at the Nashville School of Law in Nashville. Mark Finnegan, Kill County, Ireland Finnegan capped a two-year Tiger career with a 6-3 mark at No. 5 singles during the spring season. A transfer from Georgia Southern as a junior, Finnegan was 28-21 in singles as a Tiger after battling a shoulder injury his first year in Memphis. In 2004-05, he teamed with Alex Jago for a 12-6 mark at No. 3 doubles. Finnegan is graduating with a degree in finance. He hopes to become a tennis graduate assistant somewhere while working on a master's degree. Matt Fry, Germantown, Tenn./Briarcrest A four-year letterwinner for the Tiger baseball team, Fry completed his eligibility in 2004. He is graduating with a degree in real estate. Tiara Gilkey, Creve Coeur, Mo./Pattonville Senior Tiara Gilkey became the ninth Memphis volleyball player ever to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career in the match against USF. She ranks second all-time in kills with 1,528. She will graduate with a degree in communications. Her future plans include enrolling into graduate school. Greg Harper, Memphis, Tenn./Wooddale Greg Harper came to the Tigers as a walk-on candidate from Wooddale High School in Memphis. He redshirted as a freshman and immediately became a starter at linebacker in 2000. Harper recorded 46 tackles as a freshman and started nine games. He was the starter at linebacker in 10 games during 2001 and had 73 tackles, two fumble recoveries and one interception in the Southern Miss game. Battling a broken leg, Harper managed to play in seven games as a junior and recorded 37 tackles and a fumble recovery. He is currently ranked fourth on the tackle chart with 80 hits and has one pass interception and seven tackles for lost yardage. Harper will end his career with more than 230 tackles. David Jeans, Florence, Ala./Bradshaw Won the individual title at the 2003 Spirit of America Tournament and teamed with Allan Thomas to win the Spirit of America Team Title in the summer of 200...Qualified for all five events in the fall of 2003, leading the team with a 72.1 average in all five events, leading the team in scoring. Jeans finished third in the Landfall Tradition in North Carolina, where his final two rounds of 68-67 set a new Memphis record for the lowest 36-hole score in school history. Jeans is graduating with a degree in Marketing Management. Jason Johnson, St. Louis, Mo./Pattonville A veteran in the offensive line who was a starter at offensive tackle before suffering a knee injury in the fourth game... Finished the 2003 season having played 338 of a possible 1,000 plays... Actually lettered as a tight end in 2001...Is receiving his degree in criminal justice. Corey Kines, Germantown, Tenn./Germantown Lettered two years on the diamond for the Tigers as a relief pitcher. He is currently working as a student assistant coach on Coach Schoenrock's staff and is graduating with a degree in sports management. He plans on beginning work on his master's degree this fall at the U of M. Yuiko Konno/Chiba-prefecture, Japan/Chiba HS A former First Team All-C-USA player, she will receive her Master's in Liberal Studies. Is playing with the Toronto Links of the W-League this summer before she returns to Memphis to teach Japanese in the fall. Ryan Martin, Collierville, Tenn./Collierville A four-year letterman for the Tiger baseball team, Martin was just the 10th Tiger ever to post at least 25 home runs. Martin earned All-conference honors as a DH in 2003. He is graduating with a degree in Finance. Annika Moller, Boras, Sweden/Sven Erikson Gymnasict A CoSIDA Second Team All-District IV Academic Honoree and Tiger 3.0 Club for seven semesters, Moller is gaduating with a Bachelor's in Social Work and hoping to find a job in social work. Zsofia Nagy, Budapest, Hungary/Budai Nagy Autal A three-year letterwinner with the Lady Tiger track and field team...Has been one of the team's top 200m and 400m runners over the past three seasons...Was the top Lady Tiger finisher in both the 200m and 400m at the 2004 C-USA Indoor Championships. Graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Marketing Management...Has been accepted into grad school and plans to get her Master's degree in Management. Gary Nemeth, Sopron, Hungary/Vas-Villa Three year letterman for the Tiger track and field team...One of the team's top short sprinters...A four-scorer at C-USA Championships in the indoor 60m and 200m and the outdoor 100m...Qualified for NCAA Mideast Regionals in the 200m in 2003...Hopes to attend Graduate school, while continuing to train. Dale Norwood, Memphis, Tenn./Hillcrest A one-year letterwinner for the men's track and field team, after transferring from UT-Martin. He finished fourth in the indoor 55-meter hurdles at the 2000 C-USA Championships. Norwood is receiving his degree in Integrative Studies. Sheena Ohlig, Camden, N.J./Pennsauken A four-year letterwinner with the U of M women's track and field team...Lady Tiger record holder in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.72s...Three-time scorer at C-USA meets, placing fifth in the 60m hurdles at the 2005 indoor meet, fifth in the 100m hurdles outdoors in 2002 and sixth in the 100m hurdles outdoors in 2003....Graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in International business...Plans to come back and work on a second Bachelor's degree in Japanese...Hopes to become a translator and track coach. Monica Powell, Milwaukee, Wis./Whitefish Bay A four-year letterwinner in women's soccer, Powell is graduating with a Bachelor's in Communications and is looking to return to school to get a Master's in Education. John Reilly, Dublin, Ireland/Colaiste Ide A four-year letterwinner in men's soccer who was named to the C-USA All-Conference Third Team his senior season. He was named to the Soccer America's National Team of the Week after scoring the game-winner against East Carolina to clinch the C-USA Regular Season Championship in 2004. After graduation, Reilly will seek a professional soccer career in his native Ireland. He is graduating with a degree in finance. Brandon Roberson, Ripley, Mississippi Brandon Roberson transferred into the Memphis football program from NE Mississippi Junior College. The punter averaged 36.4 yards per punt and pinned the opponent inside the 20-yard-line eight times this past season. Roberson is graduating with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. Raven Rogers, Jackson, Mississippi/Murrah Raven Rogers was a four-year letterwinner for the Lady Tiger basketball program, helping Memphis to one WNIT appearance. Rogers finished her four-year career as 14th in Lady Tiger history with 617 career rebounds. She also added 760 points and 72 three-point field goals and is in the career top 10 in career treys attempted and made. Rogers was a member of the all-tournament team at Memphis in 2004 and Montana. Rogers is receiving her degree in fashion merchandising and hopes to play overseas before working in fashion. Jennifer Sullivan, Jonesboro, Ark./Jonesboro Jennifer Sullivan was a four-year letterwinner for the Lady Tiger basketball program, earning Team MVP honors her senior season. After coming back from a knee injury in high school, Sullivan finished her career with 74 straight starts and with exactly 800 points. A 51.0 percent shooter from the floor, Sullivan is graduating with a degree in Communication. She is hoping to play overseas before starting a master's program. Eric Taylor, Winchester, Tenn./Franklin County Eric Taylor was a mainstay in the defensive front for the Tigers for three years. He lettered during his first season with the Tigers and became a starter in six games as a sophomore. Taylor registered 32 tackles in his second season with Memphis and added for tackles for lost yardage and one quarterback sack. In 2002, he was credited with 30 tackles, 10 tackles for lost yardage and one sack despite playing most of the season with a broken hand. The Winchester, TN, native has had 64 total hits as a senior which include seven tackles for lost yardage, four quarterback sacks and one pass interception which he returned 52-yards for a touchdown in the Tigers' win over Louisville. His interception stopped all Cardinal momentum and helped the U of M to a 37-7 victory. Allan Thomas, Conway, Ark./Conway Helped Memphis to a first-place finish at the 2004 Memphis Intercollegiate by winning individual medalist honors at Colonial Country Club South Course...Was the only player to shoot under par for the tournament...Finished alone in fifth place at the Missouri Bluffs Challenge...Tied for 28th at the Landfall Tradition, where he was the top Memphis finisher...Shot below par in six of his 12 rounds in the fall...Teamed with teammate David Jeans to win the Spirit of America Tournament in Alabama during the summer of 2003. Thomas is graduating with a degree in Math and Physics and will begin his pro golf career this spring. Tristan Thomas, Marietta, Ga./Marietta A four-year letterman who has played in 43 games as a Tiger...Totaled a season-high six tackles in the UAB game...Has recorded 22 tackles in 2004, including 13 solo stops...Also totals two pass breakups and one forced fumble...Currently boasts 71 career tackles...Tallied his only interception in the win over Murray State in 2002...Is receiving a degree in marketing management. Fehi Tuivai, Kent. Wash./Kent-Meridian Two-year letterwinner in volleyball. Tuivai will receive a bachelor's degree in sociology. Upon graduation she plans to pursue a undergraduate degree in psychology, while completing her eligibility of the volleyball court. She then plans to enroll in graduate school to pursue a career in the counseling field. Heather Wilson, Collierville, Tenn./Collierville A walk-on for the Lady Tiger soccer team who formerly attended Mississippi State before transferring to UM. Will graduate with a degree in Psychology and hopes to attend grad school at either Memphis or Christian Brothers pursuing a degree in either Education or Literature. Danny Wimprine, River Ridge, Louisiana/John T. Curtis A four-year letterman who broke virtually every U of M passing and total offense record, Wimprine is the only quarterback in Memphis history to throw for more than 9,000 yards. He ranked fourth nationally with 74 career touchdown passes and was named a C-USA Player of the Week twice in his career. The MVP of the New Orleans Bowl, Wimprine signed a free-agent contract with the NFL's Cleveland Browns. He is graduating with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.

05/05/05		Baseball Set to Take on Top-Ranked Tulane -- Tigers ready for tough task (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Perhaps the strongest team on the Tigers' schedule this season, Tulane currently holds the No. 1 ranking in three of the four weekly polls. At 38-8, the Green Wave leads the country in winning percentage and sits atop the C-USA standings. Tulane has won more games than any Memphis opponent this season. Tulane, who was a unanimous pick to win the league, currently leads Conference USA with a 16-5 league mark. They have won five straight conference series and six of the seven league weekend sets. Their only conference series loss came against Louisville in late March. Tulane opened the season with an eight game winning streak and then proceeded to win 14 of the first 15 contests. Winners of eight of the last 10 games, the Green Wave have been successful in a tough schedule. They hold an 11-3 record against ranked opponents. The Green Wave is unbeatable when they score 10 or more runs in game or when they lead a game after six or eight innings of play. Tulane is a perfect 12-0 when scoring 10 runs, 30-0 when leading after six innings and 34-0 when ahead after eight. They are 17-2 when they score in the first inning and 22-2 when they score first. Tulane at Turchin The Green Wave has been close to unbeatable at home this year, holding a 25-3 record at Turchin Stadium. Tulane's three losses have come against No. 3 Cal State Fullerton and one league loss to Houston. Senior Tommy Manzella leads a talented bunch that has combined to hit .309 for the season. Manzella's .358 average ranks ninth among all Conference USA players. The Wave players, Micah Owings (1st), Manzella (6th) and freshman Brad Emaus (7th) rank in the top-10 in slugging, while Scott Madden's .460 on base percentage paces the league's top team. Manzella is second and third in the league with 69 hits and 45 RBI, respectively. The senior is also second with 20 doubles and 114 total bases. Georgia Tech transfer, Owings leads the league with 13 home runs. Tulane is ranked 30th nationally in team scoring at 7.9 runs per outing, 17th in home runs per game and slugging and 19th in doubles. On the hill, two-way star and All-American Brian Bogusevic, who is 8-1 on the year, leads the league's top pitching staff with a 2.57 ERA (4th in C-USA) in a league-high 84.0 innings pitched. The southpaw has held the opposition to a .230 clip at the plate with 85. Owings also holds a 3.84 ERA. Tulane paces the league with a team ERA of 3.69. The staff has held opponents to a league-best .250 average. Opposing teams have scored three runs or less 23 times this year. Led by Daniel Latham's seven saves, the Wave bullpen leads Conference USA with 15 saves on the year. Tulane leads the league and ranks eighth in the country in fielding at a .976 clip About Memphis Memphis is just 10-33 on the year after dropping three straight to Saint Louis, who was picked to finish 12th in the league. At 4-17, the Tigers have dropped a school-record seven consecutive league series. The Tigers' 33 losses are the most since a 21-33 campaign in 2003 and just four losses away from the program-high 37 losses suffered in 2000. Memphis led by Ryan Martin. The senior DH/leftfielder leads the Tigers in nearly every offensive category. Martin is hitting .340 with a .574 slugging percentage that is ranked 10th in C-USA. He has posted career highs in hits, doubles and homers. His 44 RBI ranks 10 in the league, while his career-high eight round-trippers pace the squad. Freshman K.K. Chalmers leads the league with nine stolen bases in league games. His 13 stolen bases overall ranks fourth in Conference USA. The U of M hits just .264 as a team. Senior Chad House joins Martin as the lone Tiger with averages over .300. After hitting safely in each of the first 12 games, junior Patrick Hope has dipped under .300 at .287. Tiger starters have struggled on the mound, but the bullpen has been solid. Each of the three primary relievers--Chris South, Drew Jaudon and Tim Senter--have ERA's under 5.00. South leads the team with a 3.86 ERA in a staff-best 19 appearances and 21.0 innings. As a whole, the Memphis staff has a 6.97 ERA, which is currently 11th in the conference. Opponents are hitting a league-high .334 against the Tiger staff. U of M pitchers have allowed 58 home runs this year. That total ranks third all-time. Stephen Gostkowski leads the team with 36 strikeouts in 63 innings of work. The Series Memphis trails the all-time series with Tulane 26-30. The series dates back to the 1976 season when Memphis handed Tulane a 15-1 defeat to claim the Metro Tournament title. However, it has been the Green Wave's series in recent years. Tulane has won ever season series since the 1997 season and has swept Memphis in four of the last six years (1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003). The last year Memphis won a series from Tulane was in 1996 when the Tigers claimed a two-game to one win. Last season saw a battle between the two squads at Nat Buring Stadium. Tulane grabbed a 5-2 win in the series opener. Jarrett Grube and J.R. Crowel battled, but Crowel's complete-game effort helped the Green Wave to victory. Derek Hankins outdueled Brian Bogusevic in game one of Sunday's doubleheader. Hank fanned seven in a seven-inning complete game shutout. The Green Wave took the series in the nightcap. The extra-inning battle saw Scott Madden drive in two runs with a single in the eighth to power Tulane to a 6-4 win.

05/05/05		Texas hotshot signs to play on U of M men's tennis team (Commercial Appeal)
		By Jason Smith Contact May 5, 2005 University of Memphis men's tennis coach Paul Goebel announced Wednesday the signing of Houston native Matt Brewer for the 2005-06 season. Brewer, a homeschooled standout already ranked No. 4 in the Southern Sectional after just four months of competition, becomes Memphis's first signee under Goebel, who is in his first season as men's tennis coach. "Matt is probably the highest-ranked Southern Sectional player we have ever signed at Memphis," Goebel said in a statement released Wednesday. "He will come in and could be competitive right away as a freshman. He has a good tennis background and will definitely help our program take another step forward." Brewer, who recently moved from Houston to Memphis, was a doubles quarterfinalist at the Boys 16s Clay Court Nationals in 2004 and finished second at the Boys 16s National Open Singles in 2003. In Texas, Brewer finished the 16s as the No. 2 ranked player in the state and the No. 30 ranked player in the nation. He also ranked No. 18 nationally in doubles before moving to Memphis. Brewer joins a Tiger squad that loses five seniors from a team currently ranked No. 73. "The University of Memphis tennis team is a program on the rise," Brewer said. "I am excited to be part of a program that is improving and hope to be able to step in and make an immediate contribution." Memphis returns just four players for the 2005-06 season: seniors James Spence and Alex Jago, junior Garrison Pilant and sophomore Bryan Bankester. -- Jason Smith: 529-5804

05/04/05		Tigers to Showcase Talent on European Tour -- 10-day tour will take Memphis through Holland, Belgium and Germany (GoTigersGo.com)
		Coming off its best season in school history, the University of Memphis men's soccer team will showcase its talent on a 10-day tour of Europe in May. The Tigers leave Memphis International Airport at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, arriving in Amersterdam on Friday. The team will spend the first five days in the Netherlands before spending a couple of days in Belgium and Germany. Along with sightseeing, Memphis will play at least three exhibition games against semiprofessional teams from region. NCAA rules allow a team to travel during its off-season on a foreign tour every four years. The last time the men's soccer team flew overseas was in 2001 when the team toured Ireland. Excelsior-Rotterdam will be the Tigers' first scheduled opponent in an evening match-up on Tuesday, May 10. Memphis will also play STVV Sint-Truiden in Brussels, Belgium on Thursday, May 12, and Royal Antwerp FC on Friday, May 13, in Antwerp, Belgium. On the tour, Memphis will visit Volendam, a typical Dutch fishing village, a cheese making farm and clog maker in Edam as well as spending time in Amesterdam, Maduradam, The Hague and Scheveningen while in Holland. Saturday the team will attend a soccer match at Amsterdam Arena where FC Ajax will take on RKC. The following Saturday, May 14, the Tigers will attend a Borussia vs. Bayer Leverkusen match-up in Germany. The team will then return to Memphis on Sunday, May 15. Andy Metcalf, the Tigers' top goal scorer from 2004, will provide a diary of the team's European trip. A link to the diary can be found under the feature section of the men's soccer home page at www.GoTigersGo.com.

05/04/05		Lady Tiger Softball Signs Eight for 2006 Squad -- First U of M Softball team to play next spring (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, TENN. - University of Memphis Softball coach Windy Thees announced today that she has received eight National Letters of Intent for her squad that will play its inaugural season in the spring of 2006. Included in the signees are six high school players and two players who will transfer to Memphis from Central Arizona Community College. Among the six high school signees are three Tennessee natives including of Laura Mahoney of Collieville High School, Brittany Gooch of Wilson Central High in Nashville, and Lindsey Sterling of Tipton-Rosemark Academy in Atoka. A native of Chula Vista, Calif., Leila Dolfo will join the Lady Tigers after playing at Eastlake High School under Charlie Sorge. A right-handed pitcher, Dolfo is also a member of the San Diego County Breakers 18U Gold Team, where she plays under Mike Hill. She has helped two different teams to the ASA Nationals, making an appearance there in 2004 with the San Diego Thunder 14U team and the San Diego Renegades 14U team in 2003. She is a two-time Pitcher of the Year and an all-conference honoree. In 2002 she played against the Dutch National Team. As a freshman, she helped her 12U team to the USSSA Championships and was a second-team all-CIF honoree. Dolfo was 15-2 as a junior, following a 13-1 season as a sophomore. In her first three seasons on the mound for Eastlake, Dolfo is 42-5 with a 0.75 ERA. She has also played club softball for eight years. A senior class representative in her senior year at Eastlake, Dolfo was also the ASB Leadership Commissioner of activities as a junior. She has pitched in a number of National Qualifier events and at the ASA Nationals. Dolfo comes to the Lady Tigers from the same club program as fellow signee Tori Gross. Brittany Gooch is a native of Nashville, Tenn., and played for Coach Ashley Putman-Serbian at Wilson Central High. She is a 5-4, left-handed outfielder who has played for the WCHS varsity team since 2001. She has tremendous speed and is a great slap hitter. She currently is a leadoff batter for the Wildcats and had the highest batting average in 2001-02. Last season, she was the captain of her squad and was presented the team's Lady Wildcat Award. She also was named All-District 9AAA. Gooch is also a dedicated student who is a member of the BETA Club and the National Honor Society. She also tutors other WCHS students in math, and is active in the Future Business Leaders of America. She is the daughter of Rodney and Felicia Gooch. Tori Gross joins the Lady Tigers from Ramona, Calif., where she played outfield and middle infield. A member of the San Diego County Breakers 18U Gold team under Mike Hill, Gross played her prep softball for Ramona High School, where she served as the team captain under coach Eben Longfellow. A first-team all-league player as a junior, she led Ramona in triples and received the team's Best Offense award. She was a two-time, second-team all-conference honoree her freshman and sophomore seasons, and as a sophomore, led the team in batting average. Also a strong student off the field, Gross was an all-league academic student. She helped her California LITE 16U team to the ASA Nationals in 2003, and her Norco Fillies 12U team finished third at the ASA Nationals in 2000. A right-handed hitter, Gross is the daughter of Michael and Darlene Gross. Kimberly Hayden joins the Lady Tiger Softball team from El Cajon, Calif., where she has played the last three seasons at Valhalla High for Coach Doug Hartung. A 5-7, right-handed catcher, Hayden has had a stellar career in both high school and in travel ball. Last season at VHS, Hayden helped her squad to its first-ever CIF Division II championship and was named second-team All-CIF for her efforts. Her team also won the league title, and she was honored as a first-team all-league pick. As a junior, she also received her team's Offensive Award as well as a scholar-athlete award. The Union-Tribune also selected her to their Academic Team. In 2003, she was the first sophomore at her school to hit an out-of-the-park homerun. She was named second-team all-league as her squad won the league and was the CIF Division II runners up. Hayden has played for various travel squads including the Breakers (18U Gold), the Renegades (18U), and the Lightning (18U Gold). During the summer of 2002, she was a member of the San Diego Wildcats (14U) squad that won the Triple Crown World Series. She was named the Most Valuable Offensive Player that season. Laura Mahoney comes to the Memphis Softball program from nearby Collierville, Tenn. A two-year letterwinner for coach Mike Bradley, she was a two-year letterwinner her freshman and sophomores seasons at Cypress Creek High School in Orlando, Fla. There, she played second base, shortstop and pitcher. She was a first-team All-Metro and an All-County Honorable Mention honoree in 2003 after second-team All-Metro honors in 2002. Prior to her junior year, Mahoney left the Sunshine State and joined the squad at Collierville High. As a junior, Mahoney hit .444 with six triples and three doubles and successfully stole 36 bases on 37 attempts. As a pitcher, Mahoney pitched eight complete games in 11 appearances. She had three no-hitters and had 73 strikeouts against 11 walks with a 0.32 ERA. Her 2004 team was District, Regional and Sub-State Champions, and placed fifth in the state tournament. An honor roll student, Mahoney is also a member of the Interact Club and the Multicultural Student Association. She is the daughter of Michael and Diana Mahoney. Bridgette McNulty is another Central Arizona Community College (CACC) product who will join the Lady Tigers along with teammate Kara Ross. McNulty, who currently ranks eighth in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference with a .482 batting average, also ranks fifth in the league in hits (95), third in doubles (26), fourth in homeruns (19) and fifth in RBI (81). Recently, McNulty was named to the 2005 NJCAA All-Region first team, along with fellow signee Kara Ross. A 6-0 first or third baseman, McNulty played prep softball at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, Ariz., under coach Steve Glass. Following her prep career, she signed with CACC, a team that has won 11 national championships, including one in 2003. Kara Ross will transfer to Memphis from Central Arizona Community College. She is currently leading the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference in hits (106) and is second in batting average (.533), doubles (28) and RBI (94). Recently, Ross was named to the 2005 NJCAA All-Region first team, along with fellow signee Bridgette McNulty. Ross joined Central Arizona after spending one year at Neosho County Community College (NCCC), where she helped the team to a fifth-place finish at Nationals and was named an All-American while playing catcher and first base. Ross signed with NCCC after a prep career at Olathe East High School in Olathe, Kan., where she was a letterwinner in both softball and volleyball. She helped her softball team to a state championship in 2001 under coach Jeff Hulse and was an all-state selection in 2002-2003. She is the daughter of Kevin and Terri Ross. Lindsey Sterling will join the Lady Tigers from nearby Atoka, Tennessee. Sterling, a pitcher at Tipton-Rosemark Academy, is a three-time member of the Memphis Commercial Appeal All-Metro Team and was a Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Division II All-State honoree. She played at Tipton-Rosemark, a team coached by her dad, Mike Sterling. Earlier this season, she was named the Commercial Appeal Female Athlete of the Week after guiding TRA to a 5-1 mark and the championship of the Covington Invitational. Sterling has already pitched two no hitters on the 2004 season and her Tipton-Rosemark Academy team is currently ranked No. 12 in the Dandy Dozen. Sterling also pitched for the West Tennessee Diamonds U16 Team. She is the daughter of Mike and Katrina Sterling and has one sister, Micha. 2006 Lady Tiger Softball Roster Name Pos. Ht. Cl.-Exp Hometown (High School/Last School) Leila Dolfo P/U 5-6 Fr.-HS Chula Vista, Calif. (Eastlake HS) Brittany Gooch OF 5-4 Fr.-HS Nashville, Tenn. (Wilson Central HS) Tori Gross 2B 5-4 Fr.-HS Ramona, Calif. (Ramona HS) Kimberly Hayden C 5-7 Fr.-HS El Cajon, Calif. (Valhalla HS) Laura Mahoney 2B/SS 5-3 Fr.-HS Collierville, Tenn. (Collierville HS) Bridgette McNulty 1B/3B 6-0 Jr.-TR Phoenix, Ariz. (Desert Vista HS/Central Arizona CC) Kara Ross C/1B 5-9 Jr.-TR Jacksonville, Fla. (Olathe East HS/Central Arizona CC) Lyndsey Sterling P 5-7 Fr.-HS Atoka, Tenn. (Tipton-Rosemark Academy)

05/04/05		Men's Tennis Adds First Signee -- Matt Brewer to join Tigers in 2005-06 (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Head Coach Paul Goebel inked his first Tiger tennis signee for 2005-06 in Matt Brewer, it was announced by Goebel, Wednesday. Matt Brewer, who moved to Memphis with his parents from Houston, is already ranked No. 4 in the Southern Sectional after starting competition in that zone less than four months ago. Brewer, who has been homeschooled in Houston prior to moving to Memphis, was a doubles quarterfinalist at the Boys 16s Clay Court Nationals in 2004 and finished second at the Boys 16s National Open Singles in 2003. He picked up a singles win over the No. 10 ranked player in the USTA Boys 16s at an ITF event in Ft. Worth, Texas in 2004, and won Southern Designated Tournaments in Atlanta and Memphis in 2005 in the Boys 18s. "Matt is probably the highest-ranked Southern Sectional player we have ever signed at Memphis," Goebel said. "He will come in and could be competitive right away as a freshman. He has a good tennis background and will definitely help our program take another step forward." The son of Peter and Nanette Brewer, Brewer finished the 16s in Texas the No. 2 ranked player in Texas and the No. 30th ranked player nationally. He also ranked No. 18 in doubles nationally prior to moving to Memphis. He won the Memphis Bullfrog, the Atlanta Bullfrog in Southerns and is 19-2 in Southern Bullfrog Play. He finished third at the Blue and Gray tournament in Montgomery and was Top 8 at the National Open in Ohio in February. "The University of Memphis tennis team is a program on the rise," Brewer said. "I am excited to be a part of a program that is improving and hope to be able to step in and make an immediate contribution." Brewer said the friendliness of the current players and the quality and character of the coaching staff, as well as the possibility of competing in matches as a freshman, led him to choose Memphis. In Memphis, Brewer has been coached by the teaching pros at the Racquet Club of Memphis and by Ali Hamadeh, a teaching pro at MUS. He has also been coached by Todd Taylor, the Head Pro at Pebble Creek CC in College Station, Texas, and Chad Copenhaver, the Head Pro at Cherokee CC of Knoxville. The Tigers lose five seniors from the 2004-05 team that currently ranks No. 73 in the country following a 12-11 regular season mark. Three of those Tigers are slated to graduate on May 7th. Alex Bucewicz was named the M-Club Male Student-Athlete of the Year last week and is an all-conference nominee. Mark Finnegan was a C-USA Player of the Week one time this season, and teamed with Alex Jago to lead the Tigers with a 12-8 mark in doubles. Scott Felsenthal (Memphis, Tenn./White Station) transferred to his hometown Tigers to complete his college eligibility and will continue his education in law school at the Nashville School of Law beginning in the fall. Seniors Marten Tamla and Andrew Olswing will graduate from Memphis following additional semesters. Both were transfer students to Memphis and lost credits in the transfer process. Memphis will return four players for the 2005-06 season, highlighted by rising seniors James Spence and Alex Jago. Garrison Pilant will be a junior for Memphis, while Bryan Bankester will be the team's lone sophomore.

05/04/05		Recruits show stuff at Finch -- Visit includes games vs. some big names (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 4, 2005 Aaron Holmes walked into the Finch Center Tuesday afternoon well aware he was about to play basketball, less aware of who he'd be playing against. Sure, he expected most of the current University of Memphis team would be there. And they were. But then Holmes got on the court and started recognizing other faces. "And I was like, 'Dang, that's Earnest Shelton,'" he said. "So then I was ready to mix it up. I went and guarded him. "He got me with one move, but I think I did OK against him. I think I 'D'd' him up pretty nice." Holmes, along with Marreese Speights, spent the past two days visiting the UofM. Both AAU teammates will return home to St. Petersburg, Fla., this morning, and take with them a nice story. Lots of nice stories, actually, like dinner downtown Monday night and a trip to FedExForum the following morning. But nothing will top that afternoon of hoops, one that offered the memory of a few hours at the Finch Center playing against nearly every significant prospect -- past, present and future -- who has connections to this city. A Tiger practice or a Best of the Preps ceremony? Truth is, it was hard to tell. The past? Antonio Burks and Scooter McFadgon joined Shelton in some runs. The present? Darius Washington, Rodney Carney and Joey Dorsey were all on the court. The future? Thaddeus Young and Pierre Niles were holding their own, looking nothing like a couple of high school juniors. "That's some of the best runs we've had in here," said Tiger junior Waki Williams. "That's the way it should be." The significance wasn't lost on the out-of-towners, each of whom left impressed. "I've never seen anything like it," Speights said. "I loved it." Regardless, whether Holmes, a 6-4 guard, and Speights, a 6-10 center, will have permanent connections to Memphis still remains undetermined. Both said they had enjoyed their visits, yet each seemed set on exploring more options before making a final decision on college. Holmes, a consensus Top 50 national recruit who was once committed to N.C. State, said he's also considering Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Florida and Florida State. Speights, who will spend next year at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, said he's also considering Miami, Florida, Auburn, Florida State, Cincinnati and South Florida. "But I'm not going to take any more visits until I get to Hargrave," Speights said. "I'm going to wait until next basketball season." Meanwhile, John Calipari and staff will be waiting on an answer. But rest assured, they were aided by Tuesday's developments and a star-studded gym. "I've got along with all the players and enjoyed this visit a lot," Holmes said. "I really had a good time here." -- Gary Parrish: 529-2365

05/04/05		Lady Tigers sign J.C. guard from Miss. (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services May 4, 2005 The University of Memphis women's basketball team announced Tuesday the signing of 5-8 guard Ashley Howard from Holmes (Miss.) Community College. Howard averaged 16.2 points, 5.5 assists, 10.5 rebounds and 3.2 steals per game at Holmes, helping the Lady Bulldogs to a 19-7 record. "Ashley has had a lot of success everywhere she has been," Lady Tigers coach Blair Savage said. "And she averaged 10.5 rebounds a game from the two guard spot, which was a weakness on our team. She was someone we were interested in because she has played both the 'one' and the 'two' in junior college after playing a 'one' in high school. She can really shoot the ball and brings a 3-point game and a slashing-style and fits in our system really well." Prior to her season at Holmes, Howard spent a year at Tuskegee University, where the Tigerettes finished with a 20-10 record.

05/03/05		Lady Tigers Ink Junior College Guard -- Ashley Howard to don Lady Tiger uniform beginning in 2005-06 (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Guard Ashley Howard became Head Coach Blair Savage's fourth signee for the 2005-06 season it was announced by Savage, Tuesday. Howard comes to the Lady Tigers after spending the past year at Holmes Community College in Mississippi, where she was coached by Chanda Rigby. At Holmes, she averaged 16.2 points, 5.5 assists, 10.5 rebounds and 3.2 steals per game, while helping the Lady Bulldogs to a 19-7 record before falling to Northeast in the first round of the Region XXIII Tournament. She recently competed in the Junior College All-Star Game on April 16th at Choctaw Central High School, where she was named Co-Tournament MVP. "Ashley has had a lot of success everywhere she has been," Savage said. "And she averaged 10.5 rebounds a game from the two guard spot, which was a weakness on our team. She was someone we were interested in because she has played both the one and the two in junior college after playing a one in high school. She can really shoot the ball and brings a three-point game and a slashing-style and fits in our system really well. And she has just has had a lot of success everywhere she's been - two state championships in high school, then an all-tournament honor in college, and recently she scored 17 points with 11 rebounds in the junior college all-star game. " Prior to her season at Holmes, Howard spent a year at Tuskegee University, where the Tigerettes finished with a 20-10 record. While at Tuskegee, Howard was named to the SIAC All-Tournament team. A 5-8 guard, Howard is a graduate of Durant High School in Durant, Mississippi. A starter on the girls' basketball team at Durant since eighth grade, Howard helped Durant to two state titles over her prep career. She was named to the Mississippi All-Star Basketball team in 2003, and played in the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star game. She was also a member of the Class 1A Girls All-State Team in 2002. Howard is the second Mississippi-prep product to be signed for the 2005-06 Lady Tiger roster. She joins 6-2 center Sherika Montgomery from Shannon High School in Plantersville. The Mississippi tandem will be joined by Memphis products Paris Leonard (Memphis, Tenn./Wooddale) and Birdie Campbell (Memphis, Tenn./Northside). Howard is the daughter of Deloycie Harris.

05/03/05		Tiger Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament Set for May 9th -- Late registrations still being accepted! (GoTigersGo.com)
		The Tiger Scholarship Fund Spring Golf Tournament has been scheduled for Monday, May 9th at the Germantown Country Club. The schedule of events includes check-in beginning at 11:30 a.m., with a silent auction being set-up from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The silent auction features autographed memorabilia, a Lorenzen Wright signed jersey, a leather travel bag and more. Also starting at 11:30 a.m. will be a burger buffet. A shotgun start will begin at 1 p.m., with the golf portion of the tournament concluding at 5:30 p.m. with an awards ceremony that includes Light Hors d'oeuvres, beer, wine and soft drinks. Cost of participation is $150 per person or $600 per team for the four-person scramble format. Fans are encouraged to form their own teams, or to have the Tiger Scholarship Fund form one for them. Additional support to the Tiger Scholarship Fund can come from tee, team or beverage cart sponsorships. A tee can be sponsored for $150, while a tee and team can be sponsored for $675. A beverage cart can be sponsored for $250. Fees and registration can be billed to either Visa, Mastercard or Discover. To receive a registration form, please call 901-678-2334. Completed registration forms can be faxed to 901-678-5038. Golf-related contests include a putting contest, a longest drive contest, and a closest to the hole and most accurate driver contests. The Germantown Country Club is located at 1780 Kimbrough Drive in Germantown, Tenn.

05/03/05		Tiger Basketball Notes (Recruit Visits, Schedule, Hunt) (Commercial Appeal)
		By Gary Parrish Contact May 3, 2005 Pair of top recruits make campus visits -- Florida guard, center are AAU teammates Aaron Holmes and Marreese Speights, two Class of 2006 basketball prospects from St. Petersburg, Fla., arrived in town Monday night for an official visit to the University of Memphis. Holmes, a 6-4 guard, and Speights, a 6-10 center, are teammates on the Tallahassee Wildcats AAU team. Both will spend today on campus. Once committed to North Carolina State, Holmes is the bigger name of the duo. Scouthoops.com ranks him as the 44th best junior and ninth-best shooting guard in the country. Schedule taking shape The Louisville-Memphis series remains undetermined. But it appears Memphis and Cincinnati will continue to play each other for at least six years, beginning next season at UC's Fifth-Third Arena. After lengthy negotiations, the schools have reached an agreement, and now seem determined to play whether ESPN dictates it or not. "We want to be a national program that plays national teams and yet still keep some rivalries," said Tiger coach John Calipari. "Cincinnati is a school our fans are familiar with. So it's good." As for Louisville, the waiting game continues. Cards coach Rick Pitino has made it clear he doesn't want to play Memphis. But if ESPN and Conference USA demand the contest, it appears the only way Louisville could avoid it would be to opt out of an agreement with C-USA to play two league schools each season for the next four years. Breaking that deal would force Louisville, headed for the Big East, to forfeit NCAA Tournament money earned. The dollar figure is believed to be around $1.8 million. "And it might be more than that," U of M athletic director R.C. Johnson recently told The Commercial Appeal. Hunt's court date reset UofM guard Jeremy Hunt had his court date on a domestic violence charge rescheduled Monday. The 6-4 guard is now due back in court May 25 in a case that stems from his alleged assault of ex-girlfriend Tamika Rogers. -- Gary Parrish, 529-2365

05/02/05		Billikens show no mercy -- Tigers' C-USA tourney hopes grow slim (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact May 2, 2005 Saint Louis 11, U of M 0 This was the Conference USA baseball series the University of Memphis targeted to get itself back into contention for a berth in the league's postseason tournament. Struggling Saint Louis, which entered the three-game series at Nat Buring Stadium 8-31 overall and 4-14 in C-USA play, was going play the part of accommodating visitor. Someone forget to inform Saint Louis of its role. The Billikens beat the Tigers, 11-0, Sunday to complete a sweep of the Tigers and further reduce the U of M's chances of making the eight-team C-USA Tournament May 25-29 in Hattiesburg, Miss. The game was called after seven innings by the league's 10-run rule, which is in effect for Sunday -- or getaway day. The rule may have been a blessing for the Tigers. Memphis, 10-33 overall and 4-17 in C-USA play, was outscored, 21-5, during the three-game set before play was halted. It was the sixth-straight loss for the Tigers, who have dropped nine of 10. ''We came out looking to win the series, or take all three games, and get back in the conference(-tournament picture),'' said Tiger centerfielder K.K. Chalmers. ''But it was one thing after another. We just had a rough weekend. ''It felt like at times we were competing and, at other times, getting down on ourselves after a bad play.'' Memphis had more errors (9) than runs over the weekend. In Sunday's loss, the Tigers managed only three singles -- two of which were infield hits -- against Eric Rohr (2-4). Rohr struck out seven and walked two in pitching a complete-game shutout one year after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. ''I think there was an inning in the first game (Saturday) where we didn't make enough plays and we got down,'' said first-year Tiger coach Daron Schoenrock, the former Mississippi State assistant who replaced Dave Anderson. ''I didn't feel like we quit playing, but we didn't bring the same amount of passion and (an opponent) can sense that. ''But you've got to credit Saint Louis, too. When they got pitches in the strike zone they attacked them. They've got a lot of juniors and seniors. They've got an experienced lineup that's played a lot.'' Saint Louis coach Bob Hughes said the Billikens entered the weekend feeling as if ''we were on a level playing field.'' ''We felt from a numbers standpoint that if we played solid defense and got good pitching we'd give ourselves an opportunity,'' Hughes said. ''The guys got that part of it done.'' Tiger shortstop Jordan Tolliver, who entered the game hitting .286, went 0-for-3. He struck out in the third-inning when the U of M put together its best scoring threat: loading the bases with two out, but failing to score. ''It's disappointing to come out and play the way we played at home against a team we should have won the series against,'' Tolliver said. ''It's almost like we play to the level of our competition.'' Schoenrock said his staff didn't make enough ''quality pitches'' to negate Saint Louis's aggressive approach Sunday. Starter Blake Richardson (1-4) took the loss, allowing six hits and three runs in three innings. Reliever Daniel de Armas followed and was tagged for six runs on six hits in 21/3 innings. Saint Louis finished with 15 hits. The Tigers take several days off for final exams before returning to the field Friday to play at nationally ranked Tulane -- as high as No. 1 in some polls. -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

05/01/05		Baseball Swept by Saint Louis, Shutout 11-0 in Series Finale -- Tigers commit nine errors and score five runs in series (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Saint Louis (11-31, 7-14 C-USA) 012 402 2 -11 15 1 MEMPHIS (10-33, 4-17 C-USA) 000 000 0 - 0 3 3 Saint Louis starter Eric Rohr struck out seven in a three-hit shutout to lead Saint Louis to an 11-0 win over Memphis in the series finale between the two schools on Sunday. The sweep was Saint Louis' first over Memphis since 2002. Tim Landy's RBI-single to rightfield got the Billikens on the board in the second and a two-run double by Bill Musselman extended the SLU lead to 3-0. The Billikens exploded for four runs in the fourth to take a commanding 7-0 lead. The frame was highlighted by a two-run blast over the wall in centerfield. Drew Eder's two-run double over Ryan Martin's head in the left centerfield gap gave Saint Louis a 9-0 sixth-inning cushion. A pair of errors, in the seventh, helped SLU plate its final two runs of the afternoon. A two-out infield error by the Tigers allowed two unearned runs to score for the final 11-0. Memphis made three errors in the contest and recorded just three hits. Martin, K.K. Chalmers and Patrick Hope were the only three Tigers to hit safely in the game. Martin's infield single looked to be a run-scoring hit, but the liner struck the field umpire in the leg, allowing the runners on first and second to advance just base. Blake Richardson took the loss in his first Conference USA start of the year. The junior college transfer gave up three earned runs in three innings. Memphis will take the week off from competition and will return to the diamond on Fri., May 6 when the Tigers battle No. 1 Tulane in New Orleans. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m.

05/01/05		Gulyas Qualifies for NCAA Mideast Regionals in Discus -- Aballi sets personal records in both the discus and shot put (GoTigersGo.com)
		Monroe, La. - Memphis throwers Norbert Gulyas and Sivan Aballi each posted career days in their final meets before C-USA championships, as Gulyas qualified for NCAA Mideast Regionals in the discus and Aballi set personal records in both the discus and shot put. Gulyas' Regional qualifying mark came on a personal-best effort of 165-04" (50.39m), which was good enough for a third-place tally in the discus. The sophomore also placed fifth in the shot put with a toss of 49-11.75" (15.23m). Darius Frye finished just behind Gulyas in the shot put, recording a personal-best effort of 49-11.25" (15.22m) to place sixth. With the mark, Gulyas joins Janon Busby, Brandon Winbush, Daniel Kiss, Lisa-Marie Hyman and Victoria Crawford as the sixth Memphis athlete to qualify for Mideast Regionals, which will be held in Bloomington, Ind., on May 27-28. Aballi's first personal-best came in the discus where she recorded a toss of 144-10" (44.15m), while the second came with a throw 41-07.25" (12.68m) in the shot put. The freshman placed third and fourth, respectively, in the events. Three Lady Tigers posted runner-up finishes on the day. Chen Edri finished second in the high jump with a leap of 5-05.00" (1.65m). Chanel Dunn was runner-up to former Memphis star Keenan Gibson in the 100m with a time of 11.97s, while LaShunda Flake posted a personal-best time of 25.10s to place second in the 200m. In other running events, Sheena Ohlig set a personal best in the 100m hurdles for the second meet in a row, placing third in a time of 14.37s, while Sue-Ann Bowen finished third in the 400m with a time of 58.14s and Mary Claire Dake finished third in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 11:53.78. One Lady Tiger runner, Daniele Riendeau is still set to compete this weekend, as the sophomore will take part in the 1500m at the Cardinal Invitational in Stanford, Calif. The race is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. PST on Sunday night. Following three busy days this weekend, the U of M track and field squads are scheduled for an off week before traveling to Houston, Texas for C-USA Outdoor Championships on May 12-14.

05/01/05		Saint Louis topples Tigers two times (Commercial Appeal)
		By From Our Press Services May 1, 2005 Saint Louis took advantage of four Tiger errors to claim a 3-2 win in a pitchers' duel in the opener, then scored five unanswered runs in the nightcap to complete the sweep of Memphis, 7-3, Saturday in Conference USA action at Nat Buring Stadium. Freshman lefthander Neil Schenk was the hard-luck loser for Memphis in the first game. The southpaw threw a complete game and allowed just one earned run while striking out three. Stephen Gostkowski took the second-game loss after scattering nine hits in five innings. He gave up four runs, three of which were earned. Memphis will look to salvage a game in the three-game C-USA series today. The Tigers will honor ex-head coach Bobby Kilpatrick in a pregame ceremony.

05/01/05		Sound Off: Open letter to coach John Calipari (Commercial Appeal)
		As a long-supporting, long-suffering, now displaced Tiger fan, I have a suggestion for you and the team. I've read or heard that you have some misgivings about the schedule that just landed the team from this past season outside of reasonable consideration for the Big Dance with its less than impressive RPI rating and poor win-loss record. Here's maybe a way around that. Schedule no more than 30 regular-season games. Use some teams from the BCS conferences that aren't all among the most prominent. How about Missouri (that's always been a good game) and Colorado from the Big 12, surely Ricardo Patten couldn't refuse a home-and-home arrangement. Don't play Ole Miss as regularly, they're too close and as a result, too much like a conference game. Play Tennessee ... they're not going to be any good any time soon, then maybe a Florida State (football school, no roundball to think of) and a northeast school to round it all out. But here's another key. DON'T play any school in Philadelphia ... no Drexels, no Penn, no Temple, La Salle or St Joe's ... just don't do it. Don't play Cincinnati or any school there either. Play somebody out west (there aren't but a few good teams out there anyway) and we're all set. Oh, and another thing, just keep in mind that Hakeem and Clyde and all those guys ... they're gone ... it's OK to beat the University of Houston now. And in any case, please don't come down here and stink up the place like you did a few months ago. I can't take the pressure and the abuse ... really! Andre' Jackson Houston

Back