Trip's Tigers: News Archives March 2007

03/31/07		Practice #8 - Saturday, March 31 (GoTigersGo.com)
		The Tigers finished practice just in time before the rains came today. Today's practice was mainly about working out the bugs from yesterday's extensive scrimmage at the Liberty Bowl. The squad met at the Murphy Complex at 9 a.m. and evaluated the film from Friday for about an hour and a half before taking the field for an 18-period workout. Prior to practice Coach West called the team up for a brief meeting and commended several players on their efforts in the scrimmage. Of the noted players were safeties Brandon Patterson and Dontae Reed, defensive lineman Josh Weaver, receiver Steven Black, linebacker Jake Kasser and offensive linemen Brandon Pearce and Malcom Rawls. Back on the field for the first time this week was receiver Billy Barefield who took a hard hit last Friday and was held out for precautionary reasons. Safety Tony Bell, who missed several practices with a groin pull, played in yesterday's scrimmage. Receiver Earnest Williams was on crutches today after suffering a knee injury on Friday late in the scrimmage. West said that Williams will have an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury. After practice, West offered additional evaluation of Friday's scrimmage. "I thought our quarterbacks did a nice job because none of them made any mistakes that would have cost us the game," said West. "There were no intercepts. We just needed a little more oomph to it." Spring practice has hit the halfway mark and the Tigers return to the field on Tuesday afternoon.

03/31/07		Tigers and Lady Tigers Finish Second at Bulldog Invitational -- Winbush qualifies in men's long jump, Lee in women's discus and hammer throw (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS - In their first team meet of the outdoor season the Tiger and Lady Tiger track teams both turned in strong performances at the Mississippi State Bulldog Invitational with each squad finishing in second-place and a pair of athletes earning NCAA Regional qualifications. Both the Tigers and Lady Tigers easily outdistanced the meet's third-place finishers. The Memphis men's team finished 54 points ahead of Southeast Missouri State while the women's team was 50 points better than Alabama. Senior Gail Lee took home the top individual performance for the Lady Tigers winning the shot put with a mark of 52-11 and the hammer with a throw of 180-00. Lee finished second in the discus with a new personal-best throw of 155-10. The two-time All-American is now qualified for the NCAA Regional in all three events. The top men's performance belonged to senior Brandon Winbush who produced superb distance of 24-08.25 in the men's long jump to qualify for the NCAA Regionals for the third time in his career. The men's throws group was dominate once again. Steffen Nerdal threw 20 feet under his season best in the hammer throw but still managed to win that event as well as the discus. Glen Edwards took first-place in the shot put and Christian McDonald and Jason Theodorakas finished first and second in the men's javelin. Lady Tiger Distance runner Emily Malinowski won the women's 3000 meters with a time of 10:10.11 and finished just two seconds off of her own school record in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a 10:57.52. Chen Edri took the women's high jump event title with a clearance of 5-07, and Ashton Baldwin and Whitney Bolton repeated their performance from last weekend in the pole vault, clearing a height of 11-05.75 to finish in first and second-place respectively. Women's thrower Nikole Jackson topped her collegiate best in the hammer with a distance of 162-01. Gaylon Muhammad tallied eight points for the Lady Tigers with a second-place finish in the triple jump. Amaechi Oselukwue narrowly missed qualifying in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing third with a time of 14.52. Sam James finished third in the 800 meters, coming in at 1:56.76.

03/31/07		Memphis Splits Doubleheader with Southern Miss -- Golden Eagles score five unearned first inning runs (GoTigersGo.com)
		For Immediate Release Contact: Brandon Kolditz wkolditz@memphis.edu, (901) 871-5475 Memphis (21-12, 3-5) 000 300 0 - 3 11 1 Southern Miss (11-25, 2-6) 510 000 x - 6 6 1 Win - Naramore (8-17) Loss - Johnson (8-7) Save - None. 2B - (USM) Harmon (1) HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The University of Memphis softball team had never lost a game this season in 18 opportunities when collecting more hits than its opponent. But five unearned first inning runs by Southern Miss proved too much to come back to as Memphis fell in the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday, 6-3. The Lady Tigers split the doubleheader with the Golden Eagles after compiling 22 hits in the two games, including 11 in the loss. It is the eighth time the U of M has put up 10 hits or more in a game. Memphis falls to 21-12 on the season and 3-5 in Conference USA, while Southern Miss improves to 11-25 and 2-6. Senior third baseman Bridgette McNulty led the Lady Tigers with a 3-for-4 performance with a run scored and had five hits in the two games. Sophomore Kimmi Hayden also continued her hot hitting in a 2-for-4 outing and finished with four hits on the day. Senior Nicki Johnson pitched well for the Lady Tigers after a difficult first inning, but falls to 8-7 on the season. The Tuscan, Ariz., native scattered six hits with three strikeouts and allowed only one earned run. Southern Miss jumped on Memphis early in the second game of the doubleheader, scoring five unearned runs in the first inning. A two-out infield fielding error extended the inning for the Golden Eagles, allowing two-run hits by Kristin Pilgrim and Ashlyn Harmon and an RBI single by Melissa Prouty. USM extended its lead to 6-0 on an RBI single from Jennifer Fox in the second inning. A three-run fourth brought the Lady Tigers within three. The inning began with senior first baseman Kara Ross reaching on a infield fielding error. Senior Christi Morrison was brought in to pinch run for Ross and advanced to second on McNulty's third single in the game. A walk to Lindsay Kelso loaded the bases for Memphis allowing Lindsey Pridgen to score Morrison on a sacrifice fly to centerfield. Freshman Leigh Rowan scored McNulty with a pinch hit single and Leila Dolfo brought in the third run on a two-out single to center. The two teams will play the final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. Live stats and live audio are available with links to the broadcasts on GoTigersGo.com. Notes • Bridgette McNulty had her fourth multi-hit game of the season and had five hits in the doubleheader. The three hits in the game is a season high for McNulty and ties her career best. It is her fifth three-hit game in her career after having four last season. She finished 3-for-4 in the game. • Lindsey Pridgen knocked in her 11th RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to score pinch runner Christi Morrison. It is the fifth run of the season for Morrison. • Leigh Rowan had a pinch hit RBI single in the fourth, her seventh RBI of the season. The hit knocked in Bridgette McNulty, who scored her 18th run. • Leila Dolfo brought in the third Lady Tiger run in the fourth inning with an RBI single to center to score Kelso. The run is Kelso's team leading 20th of the season. • Brittany Gooch had her fourth multi-hit game with two singles. She finished 2-for-3 in the game. • Kimmi Hayden had her seventh multi-hit game of the season with a 2-for-4 performance. • Memphis had its eighth 10+ hit game, accomplishing the feat for the second game in a row. In the doubleheader, the Lady Tigers had 22 hits. • Memphis suffered its first loss of the season when out hitting its opponent. The Lady Tigers are now 18-1 in those games. • Memphis is now 3-2 all-time against Southern Miss.

03/31/07		Baseball Rained Out, Tigers and Golden Eagles Set For Sunday Doubleheader -- First pitch slated for Noon (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Rain in the Memphis area made for unfavorable playing conditions and forced this afternoon's baseball game between the University of Memphis and Southern Miss to be postponed. The two clubs will wrap up the three-game Conference USA series with a Sunday afternoon doubleheader beginning at Noon.

03/31/07		Memphis Cruises to 6-1 Victory at Southern Miss -- Kubesch picks up 13th win in four-hit performance (GoTigersGo.com)
		For Immediate Release Contact: Brandon Kolditz wkolditz@memphis.edu, (901) 871-5475 Memphis (21-11, 3-4) 102 100 2 - 6 11 1 Southern Miss (10-25, 1-6) 100 000 0 - 1 4 2 Win - Kubesch (13-5) Loss - Davis (1-7) Save - None. HR - (MEM) Dolfo (5), Pridgen (2) 2B - (MEM) Ross (5), Dolfo (13) HATTIESBURG, Miss. - In 15 games, only one time has the University of Memphis softball team lost after scoring first. The Lady Tigers improved that mark to 16 with a 6-1 victory over Southern Miss at the USM Softball Complex in game one of a doubleheader on Saturday. Memphis took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a two-out single by sophomore catcher Kimmi Hayden with the bases loaded. The Golden Eagles tied the game in the bottom of the inning with an unearned run, but that would be all they would get as Memphis senior Jenna Kubesch turned up the heat in her 13th victory of the season. The right-hander held Southern Miss scoreless the remaining six innings. Memphis improved to 21-11 on the season and 3-4 in Conference USA, while Southern Miss falls to 10-25 and 1-6. Kubesch scattered four hits with eight strikeouts and no walks, improving to 13-5 on the season. The 13 victories tie her career high. The Weimar, Texas, native retired 15 USM batters in a row after a single in the second inning, before allowing a hit with two-outs in the seventh. Kubesch struck out four in the final two innings. Sophomore shortstop Leila Dolfo paced the Lady Tigers with a 3-for-5 performance, coming a triple short of the cycle. The Chula Vista, Calif., native hit her team leading fifth home run of the season with a solo blast in the fourth inning. Four Memphis players had multi-hit outings. Senior first baseman Kara Ross went 2-for-4 with a run scored, senior third baseman Bridgette McNulty went 2-for-2 with the game-winning RBI and Hayden finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Senior center fielder Lindsey Pridgen also had two RBI in the game, both coming on a home run off the scoreboard in left-center. Southern Miss pitcher Samantha Davis struck out the first two Memphis batters looking to begin the game, but Memphis rallied to score a one before leaving the bases loaded. Junior Lindsay Kelso began the scoring drive after being hit by a pitch and was followed by a single from Ross to left field. McNulty loaded the bases with the second hit batter of the inning allowing Hayden to knock in the first run of the game with a single down the right field line to score Kelso. The Golden Eagles tied the game in their half of the inning on an unearned run scored by Logan James, who led off a single to left and advanced to second on a throwing error. A sac bunt moved James to third and a two-out single to center by Jennifer Fox knocked in the run. Memphis regained its lead in the third, scoring two runs to take a 3-1 advantage. Leandra Hines reached base to lead off the inning on an infield fielding error and was moved to third on a double by Ross. McNulty knocked in Hines with a sacrifice fly to right field and advanced Ross to third allowing Hayden to hit in her second RBI of the game on an infield single. A solo home run to left field by Dolfo gave Memphis a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning. Pridgen added two more runs to the Lady Tiger lead with a two-run shot, her second home run of the season. The two teams will play the second game of the doubleheader before concluding the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. Notes • Kimmi Hayden hit in her seventh RBI of the season with a run scoring two-out single in the first inning down the right field line. Lindsay Kelso scored her team-leading 19th run on the play after being hit by a pitch. Hayden later knocked in her second RBI of the game and eighth of the year on an infield single in the third to score Kara Ross. • Kara Ross hit her fifth double of the season in the third inning. The game also marks her 10th multi-hit game of the season, which leads the team. Ross has six multi-hit games in the past nine contests. • The five doubles for Kara Ross on the season is a career high. • Bridgette McNulty scored the Lady Tigers second run of the game with her first sacrifice fly of the season. McNulty now has 19 RBI after knocking in Leandra Hines, who had reached on an error. The run is Hines' 16th of the season. • Kimmi Hayden had her first multi-RBI game of the season and sixth multi-hit game of the year. She has four multi-hit games in the past seven contests. • Leila Dolfo hit her team-leading fifth home run of the season in the fourth inning. The homer is Dolfo's fourth solo shot of the season and her 13th RBI and 19th run scored. • Leila Dolfo set a new career season high with her 13th double of the year in the sixth inning. The mark is also a Memphis season best. • Bridgette McNulty had her third-multi hit game of the season with two singles. • The 13 base runners left on by Memphis is the most since leaving 13 stranded against Jacksonville earlier in the season on Feb. 16. The Lady Tigers left the bases loaded twice in the game; first and sixth inning. • Lindsey Pridgen blasted her second home run of the season in the seventh inning off the scoreboard in left center. The two-run blast brought in her ninth and 10th RBI of the season. It is her third multi-RBI game of the season. • Leila Dolfo came a triple short of the cycle in a 3-for-5 performance. The three hits ties her career high, which she has accomplished four times and three times this season. • Memphis had its seventh 10+ hit game of the season with 11 in the game. • Jenna Kubesch retired 15 batters in a row after allowing an infield single in the second inning before giving up a two-out single in the seventh. Kubesch allowed only four hits in the game and struck out eight. • Jenna Kubesch picked up her 13th victory of the season, tying her career high. • Bridgette McNulty knocked in the winning-run with her sacrifice fly in the second inning. It is her third game-winning RBI of the season. • Leandra Hines scored the winning run in the game. It is her third game-winner of the season. • Memphis is now 3-1 all-time against Southern Miss.

03/31/07		TIGERS TRIBUTE -- At the end, everyone believed (Commercial Appeal)
		John Calipari thought he was telling the truth. No sandbagging. No deliberate attempt to lower expectations. But ultimately, Calipari and the rest of the country came around. By the time the University of Memphis’ season ended last Saturday with a 92-76 loss to Ohio State in the South Regional final, it was clear that everybody, including their coach, had underestimated the Tigers. Though the conclusion was a letdown, Memphis’ 2006-07 season was a fabulous success on every level: A 33-4 record, matching the supposedly untouchable feat of the 2005-06 team; a second straight appearance in the Elite Eight; a 25-game winning streak, the longest in school history; a 16-0 record in Conference USA and a league tournament title. And finally, a Sweet 16 victory over Texas A&M in San Antonio, which converted any remaining skeptics who questioned the validity of Memphis’ accomplishments. Still, the best could be yet to come. When the Tigers resume practice in October, they will likely be ranked in the top-five of every national poll with the expectation of contending for a national title. Just two years after missing the NCAA Tournament altogether, Memphis has firmly established itself as a basketball power. Memphis head coach John Calipari, right, and tournament MVP Chris Douglas-Roberts, left, celebrate thier CUSA Championship by defeating Houston 71-59. “I’m excited about it,” Calipari said. “This program, it’s taken a long time — seven years, and that’s not dog years. It’s taken a long time to get this thing going on all fronts — academically, the kind of kids we want — it’s taken seven years, and I’m ecstatic about it.” Though Calipari never said it explicitly, 2006-07 figured to be a transitional year for the Tigers. The core that led Memphis to the Elite Eight in 2005-06 — Rodney Carney, Shawne Williams and Darius Washington — had all departed for the professional ranks. Early exits are nothing new to Memphis, but in Washington’s case, he made the jump against the advice of Calipari. And with Thaddeus Young playing at Georgia Tech instead of Memphis, there was no surefire freshman star waiting in the wings. Instead, Memphis would have to rely on the development of its sophomore core including Chris Douglas-Roberts, Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier, all of whom were role players as freshmen. In addition, Memphis would start a rookie point guard in Willie Kemp, would start the season without backup big man Kareem Cooper due to a suspension and would have to get by without the contribution of 6-foot-8 Pierre Niles, who never fully caught up after a preseason injury setback. With all that uncertainty, Memphis’ No. 13 preseason ranking seemed generous. By the end of 2006, the Tigers were almost out of the top 25 altogether. With an atrocious rebounding performance, they had blown a 16-point halftime lead against Georgia Tech. They were never competitive in an 18-point loss to Tennessee. And they couldn’t make a shot when it mattered at Arizona. On Dec. 21, Memphis was an 8-3 team with just one impressive victory, over Kentucky in the consolation game of the EA Sports Maui Invitational. When conference play began, there was legitimate concern that the Tigers’ early missteps would cost them dearly in the NCAA Tournament seeding process, especially if they dropped a couple games against Conference USA opponents. But as the Tigers piled up blowout victory after blowout victory, starting with a stress-free 10-point win at Houston, it became obvious they were developing into a balanced team that relied on crisp ball movement, timely shooting and help defense. Douglas-Roberts, who averaged 15.4 points and shot 54.3 percent from the field, became a go-to scorer with his ability to maneuver through traffic and get to the rim. Senior Jeremy Hunt came off the bench to deliver 3-pointers, making 38.2 percent for the season. Though Anderson’s shooting touch was absent much of the year, he was the Tigers’ lockdown defender and do-it-all guard, filling up his box score with rebounds, steals and assists. When Kemp struggled with his confidence, junior Andre Allen was there to direct the team through tight situations. Freshman guard Doneal Mack, who struggled with all aspects of his game early, began to shoot the ball with precision after Christmas and became a key contributor off the bench. And after getting into foul trouble in early games, junior forward Joey Dorsey found ways to stay on the floor and average 9.4 rebounds, becoming the C-USA defensive player of the year. “We did it a different way,” Calipari said. “We did it where we had to rely on each other.” By dominating C-USA — only Southern Miss and SMU were able to play Memphis within single-digits — the Tigers steadily moved up the polls. After flying cross-country to Spokane, Wash., and beating Gonzaga in overtime, 78-77, Calipari felt Memphis would be in good position for a No. 1 or No. 2 seed if it could finish the season undefeated. Though a No. 1 was probably never realistic, Memphis’ 71-59 win over Houston in the C-USA title game solidified a No. 2 seed in the South Region. Still, the national analysts weren’t convinced. Many of them, including the likes of CBS’ Seth Davis and ESPN’s Dick Vitale, picked Memphis to lose its second-round matchup with Nevada. And the Tigers were dangerously close to doing that after Douglas-Roberts sprained his ankle with 8:11 to go in New Orleans. But Memphis relied on its teamwork and, surprisingly, its free-throw shooting, to advance to the Sweet 16. A 61 percent free-throw shooting team on the season, the Tigers made 71.5 percent in the NCAAs, including two by Anderson with 3.1 seconds left to beat Texas A&M in the Alamodome, where the Tigers were playing a virtual road game in the Sweet Sixteen. Though getting to the Elite Eight exceeded all preseason expectations, coming up short against No. 1 seeded Ohio State was a bitter disappointment. Memphis led by five points midway in the second half but couldn’t hang on. Memphis’ Antonio Anderson, left, sits by himself in the team locker room as the media do interviews after a 92-76 Ohio State victory during their NCAA elite eight game in San Antonio, Tx. “I can’t say it’s more disappointing than last year, but it may be,” Douglas-Roberts said. “It’s tough, tough, tough, tough. Any loss is tough, but in the Elite Eight? Your season’s over. You can’t imagine, because you’re not playing, but it’s not easy.” As disappointing as the finish was, the Tigers can immediately look forward to next season, when they will be deeper, older and more talented. Though unforeseen developments could shake up the roster, none of the underclassmen are expected to test the NBA waters. Dorsey might have been a candidate, but he flopped against Greg Oden in the Elite Eight, showing he could use another year of development. Dozier looked like an NBA player at times in the NCAA Tournament, but he did not for most of the season and will benefit from a rigorous offseason strength-building program. “Guys are going to probably chill for a week and then get right back at it, work on the things you’ve got to do to get better,” Dozier said. “We’ll work out the whole summer and come back and hopefully be prepared like we were last year.” Conditioning will also be a key factor in getting more quality minutes next season from Niles and Cooper, who were non-factors in key games. Calipari expects Mack and Kemp to return with more confidence and build on their solid performances late in the year. Mack finished the season shooting 40.5 percent from the 3-point line, and Kemp showed serious potential as a long-range sniper, making 4 of 5 against Ohio State. Anderson and Douglas-Roberts, the heart-and-soul of this team, are sure bets to be even better next year, especially if Anderson works on his shooting (he went from 36.5 percent on 3-pointers as a freshman to 24.5 percent as a sophomore). “Coach already said, the season is for us, the offseason is for you individually,” Mack said. “The ones who work and get better, those are ones that are going to come in and earn more playing time.” And playing time could be at a premium next year with the Tigers’ incoming recruiting class, which includes top-rated point guard Derrick Rose and 6-5 wing Jeff Robinson, who the coaching staff believes will contribute next season. Plus, Iowa State transfer/former top-50 recruit Shawn Taggart becomes eligible. The 6-11 forward spent this year recovering from ACL surgery and is on track to begin playing again this summer. Again, the Tigers will play a top-notch non-conference schedule, starting with the Coaches vs. Cancer event in November. Memphis will also have home games against Arizona, Tennessee and Gonzaga and a neutral-court showdown against USC and phenom O.J. Mayo. Plus, most of the key players in C-USA are returning, giving the Tigers more competition in the league. Still, Calipari will always have a soft spot in his heart for the 2006-07 team, which overachieved more than any team he’s coached at Memphis. “We had a wonderful year,” Calipari said. “We just won a whole lot of games in a row, most wins again in the school history, most in a row. I can go on and on and on about what this team has done.” – Dan Wolken: 529-2365

03/31/07		TIGERS TRIBUTE -- Tigers fall short of Final 4: Ohio State 92, Tigers 76 (Commercial Appeal)
		March 24:Down three points at halftime, coach John Calipari felt good. And after the Tigers took a five-point lead in the second half, he felt great. But things fell apart with a little more than 10 minutes to go. With Memphis leading 60-57, Chris Douglas-Roberts couldn’t get a layup to go down, Andre Allen couldn’t get a tip-in and Ohio State came the other way. After Ron Lewis missed a 3-pointer, center Greg Oden got the offensive rebound. Douglas-Roberts, trying to prevent a dunk, hooked his right arm around Oden. Oden got the dunk anyway and an intentional foul call, which meant two free throws (he made one) and the ball, which the Buckeyes converted into two more points. That seven-point swing started a quick downhill collapse.

03/31/07		TIGERS TRIBUTE -- Close win advances Tigers to Elite Eight: Tigers 65, Texas A&M 64 (Commercial Appeal)
		March 22: An entire game, a season, and a berth in the Elite Eight turned within the final 11 seconds when Memphis got four opportunities to win. The final one — Antonio Anderson’s free throws with 3.1 seconds to go — was the most obvious. But there were so many smaller moments earlier when this game could have gotten away from Memphis. Like when freshman Willie Kemp made a 17-foot jumper on the Tigers’ first possession of the second half, pulling within 42-39 instead of allowing Texas A&M a chance to extend the lead to seven points. Or perhaps with 15:36 left when Kemp made a 3-pointer, pulling Memphis within 48-46. “Big, big, big,” coach John Calipari said.

03/31/07		TIGERS TRIBUTE -- Second round victory wasn’t easy: Tigers 78, Nevada 62 (Commercial Appeal)
		March 18: Though it felt like Memphis was controlling the game, the Tigers could not get separation from Nevada on the scoreboard. The Tigers went ahead, 54-47, with 14:32 to go, and Marcelus Kemp nailed a 3-pointer to stay within reach. He made another with 13:46 to go to bring Nevada within 56-53. And on it went like this until less than five minutes remained. The key sequence occurred after two Antonio Anderson free throws to give Memphis a 66-62 lead. A strong rebound by Robert Dozier off a missed Denis Ikovlev 3-pointer led to Joey Dorsey free throws on the other end. After he made the first and missed the second, Dozier tipped the rebound to Anderson, who saved it from going out of bounds. An Andre Allen driving layup gave Memphis a 69-62 lead with 3:39 to go, and the Tigers began putting it away from there.

03/31/07		TIGERS TRIBUTE -- Tigers begin path through NCAA Tourney: Tigers 73, North Texas 58 (Commercial Appeal)
		March 16: With three reserves on the floor, Memphis held North Texas scoreless for the final 4:23 of the first half. That allowed the Tigers to go on a 9-0 run, turning a 28-28 game into a 37-28 halftime lead. In that spurt, the Tigers got a dunk from Joey Dorsey , a transition 3-pointer from Jeremy Hunt and two straight baskets by Robert Dozier. Meanwhile, Memphis’ pressure started to bother the Mean Green, which committed three turnovers and had two shots blocked by Dozier in that stretch.

03/31/07		TIGERS TRIBUTE -- Houston falls in C-USA title game: Tigers 71, Houston 59 (Commercial Appeal)
		March 10: All three of Memphis’ games with Houston followed roughly the same pattern: The first 15 minutes were neck-and-neck, a Memphis run late in the first half established a double-digit lead, and the Tigers spent the second half keeping Houston at arm’s length. The key stretch occurred with roughly 10 minutes to go. A 3-pointer by Jahmar Thorpe brought Houston within 58-49, but the Tigers scored the next seven points, including a 3-pointer by Antonio Anderson and two free throws from Joey Dorsey. By that point, Houston was spent and never threatened again.

03/31/07		TIGERS TRIBUTE -- An unbeaten conference season: Tigers 64, SMU 61 (Commercial Appeal)
		March 3: Memphis didn’t wear its alternate “black” uniforms all season until entering Moody Coliseum. And it’s unlikely they’ll ever see the light of day again. No, the Tigers didn’t lose, but they came about as close as possible. After SMU took an early 12-point lead, Memphis had to crawl back into the game and took a 29-28 lead into halftime. And though the Tigers attempted to pull away late in the second half, three straight 3-pointers by SMU ensured it would come down to the wire. A tip-in by Joey Dorsey gave Memphis a 61-58 lead with 1:02 to go, and Jeremy Hunt made 1 of 2 free throws with 22.3 seconds left for a four-point lead. But after Devon Pearson made a deep 3-pointer with 13.9 seconds to go, the Tigers needed two free throws from Chris Douglas-Roberts. And Douglas-Roberts only got them after missing two, then grabbing his own rebound and getting fouled again.

03/31/07		TIGERS TRIBUTE -- Last chance to impress committee ends with victory on road: Tigers 78, Gonzaga 77 (Commercial Appeal)
		Feb. 17: Memphis appeared to be cruising along comfortably with a 55-42 lead, able to keep Gonzaga at a 10 or 12-point deficit for the first nine minutes of the second half. But with one quick sequence, starting with a Micah Downs 3-pointer that cut the lead to 59-52, the game changed. A missed layup by Memphis forward Joey Dorsey off a great feed from Antonio Anderson with 10:17 to go opened the door further, and with 9:31 left, Jeremy Pargo hit a 3-pointer with Chris Douglas-Roberts ‘ hand in his face to bring Gonzaga within 60-55. From that point on, this one was close, with every possession holding significance.

03/31/07		TIGERS TRIBUTE -- Trip out west doesn’t go well: Arizona 79, Tigers 71 (Commercial Appeal)
		Dec. 20: The start of the second half was Memphis’ undoing. After the Tigers led 38-33 at halftime, Arizona needed just 1:12 to erase the deficit. Freshman Chase Budinger swished a 3-pointer on the second possession of the half, and then intercepted a pass at the other end. Jawann McClellan converted it into an easy layup, and Arizona was off on a 22-10 run in a span of 6:47.

03/31/07		TIGERS TRIBUTE -- Cross-state rivals topple Tigers: Tennessee 76, Tigers 58 (Commercial Appeal)
		Dec. 6: Memphis got off to an early 11-7 lead behind back-to-back buckets from Chris Douglas-Roberts , but that was about as much joy as the Tigers got Wednesday night against a Chris Lofton -inspired Tennessee squad.

03/31/07		TIGERS TRIBUTE -- Memphis beats a storied program: Tigers 80, Kentucky 63 (Commercial Appeal)
		Nov. 22: Memphis had built a nine-point lead with 13:30 left, but the Tigers broke the game open over the next 5:06 by outscoring Kentucky 14-0. All of those baskets came from inside the lane, except for Antonio Anderson ’s 3-pointer with 8:22 left that extended the lead to 73-50.

03/31/07		Tigers' lack of 'want-to' peeves West -- Defense shines, but offense in neutral (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact March 31, 2007 Standard procedure during spring football scrimmages calls for head coaches observing the workout on the field -- usually several yards behind the offense -- and not from their accustomed gameday location on the sideline. For University of Memphis coach Tommy West, the vantage point allowed him to get a quick read on his team during the early stages of Friday's 83-play scrimmage at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. And, unfortunately for West, his first impression was an accurate one. West liked half of what he observed. ''It was very obvious from the get-go that our defense came with an attitude,'' West said. "They came to play. They looked like they had a good time playing. They had more want-to than the offense did starting the scrimmage. ''Offensively, there was not near enough want-to to do your job and to come out here and play. I thought they went through the motions at times. We didn't get what we've coached for two weeks offensively. You could really tell, standing behind it, that the defense had a great temperament about them and the offense did not.'' The Tiger offense had its moments Friday. Receiver Duke Calhoun raced under a pass from quarterback Martin Hankins near the defense's 30-yard line and sprinted untouched to the end zone to complete a 63-yard scoring play. Hankins later directed a 65-yard scoring drive with running back Joe Doss ending the 13-play march with a 1-yard touchdown run. Backup quarterback Will Hudgens moved the offense from its 30 to the defense's 8-yard line to set up a 25-yard Matt Reagan field goal. Later, Hudgens moved the offense 50 yards in six plays, getting the TD on a 35-yard pass to junior college transfer receiver Steven Black in the right corner of the end zone. Miguel Barnes (24 yards) and Greg Hinds (five) also had TD runs. But the offense's overall lack of desire/intensity/want-to kept West at the boiling point. ''That's the worst thing I can say about you,'' West said. ''That you didn't bring it out here. We won two ballgames (last year). And we come out here like we're pretty good? Are you kidding me? We were terrible offensively. They need a good kick in the butt to get their tails going. I've been too nice to them ... somebody has.'' West assumed control of the defense four games into last season after dismissing coordinator Joe Lee Dunn. West replaced Dunn and, in essence, himself with Rick Kravitz last month and said the unit has picked up where he left it. The Tigers finished a disappointing 2-10 season with a positive final two games. Against league champion Houston, the defense sacked Conference USA offensive player of the year Kevin Kolb seven times. In the season finale at UTEP, the defense held the Miners to five rushing yards and forced four turnovers. ''I think they're continuing to grow,'' West said. ''We finished pretty good. I think they've taken what we've done and they're moving with it. I'm pleased with Rick and all our defense right now.'' Kravitz said West had to do ''all the dirty work'' to install a new defense during the season, a move that may have cost the team a few games but should pay off this fall. ''We've stayed basic (Friday) so we can learn how to do things and work fundamentals,'' Kravitz said. ''I thought they played with a lot more confidence because they knew what they were doing. And they wanted to get out there and compete, which is always good.'' West said several first-team defenders showed up repeatedly, including junior college transfer linebacker Tommy Phelps, Ole Miss transfer safety Dontae Reed and veteran safety Brandon Patterson, the former Germantown High star. During one three-play stretch, Phelps dropped T.J. Pitts for a 1-yard loss, Patterson followed with a punishing hit on Earnest Williams and Phelps broke up a pass that he nearly intercepted. ''The defense prides itself on want-to and attitude,'' said defensive end Jada Brown, who had a sack and batted down a pass. ''And we take pride in getting to the ball and being a man when you get there.''

03/31/07		Tiger starter Grisham silences Golden Eagles (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services March 31, 2007 College Baseball U of M 8, Southern Miss 1 MEMPHIS -- Ben Grisham delivered a big pitching performance to lead the University of Memphis to its first Conference USA victory of the season, 8-1, Friday in the opening game of a weekend series at Nat Buring. The Tigers improve to 15-11 overall and 1-3 in league play and saw their five-game losing streak come to an end. The Golden Eagles are 17-10 and 1-3. Grisham pitched eight innings of shutout ball, scattering five hits and striking out a career-best six batters. The Tigers jumped on USM ace Ryan Belanger for five runs in the second inning. After singles by Adam Amar and Michael Murray put runners on first and second, Chris Kirkland singled in the game's first run. A single by K.K. Chalmers loaded the bases and a second run came in when former CBHS standout Bill Moss was hit by a pitch. Joey Lieberman then cleared the bases with a double off the leftfield wall to put Memphis up 5-0. Belanger was tagged with the loss after allowing a season-high five runs on 10 hits in six innings of work.

03/30/07		Spring FB: Scrimmage No. 1 (Memphis Edge)
		Tiger coach Tommy West bemoaned his offense's lack of "want-to" in Friday's 83-play scrimmage at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Still, there were some numbers that were hard to dismiss. Quarterback Martin Hankins, firmly entrenched as the starter, went 8-of-11 for 120 yards and a touchdown. On a 12-play scoring drive early in the scrimmage, he went 5-of-6 for 47 yards and would have been perfect had a play not been busted. Hankins' one incomplete pass during the 65-yard drive struck an unsuspecting receiver in the back. Also, backup Will Hudgens went 10-of-16 for 114 yards and a TD, exhibiting a touch on short passes that he previously had lacked. He hooked up with Steven Black for a 35-yard score on a perfectly lofted toss to the right corner of the end zone. And speaking of Black, the junior college transfer continues to be a playmaker. On the scoring pass, he deftly shielded cornerback LaKeitharun Ford on the play to haul in the TD. Black caught a scrimmage-best five passes for 76 yards. He and Duke Calhoun (four catches, 99 yards, 1 TD) could give the Tigers a potent 1-2 receiving punch. Not sure if Miguel Barnes can nudge his way into gaining more playing time than starting running back Joe Doss, but Barnes has the make-you-miss moves and the breakaway speed that no other back possesses. He showed it on several runs Friday.

03/30/07		Grisham Tosses Eight-Inning Gem in 8-1 Win Over No. 29 Southern Miss -- Memphis claims first C-USA win of the year (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - No. 29 Southern Miss (17-10; 1-3 C-USA) 000 000 001 - 1 6 4 Memphis (15-11; 1-3 C-USA) 050 000 12X - 8 14 0 Memphis attacked Southern Miss for five runs in the bottom of the second and Ben Grisham tossed eight innings of shutout baseball as the Tigers snapped a five-game losing skid with a convincing 8-1 win over No. 29 Southern Miss in the Conference USA series-opener Friday night at Nat Buring Stadium. The Tiger offense jumped on Southern Miss ace Ryan Belanger early and never let him settle into a rythm. Adam Amar jumpstarted the five-run second with a lined single through the left side and Michael Murray extended his hit streak to a career-long 12 games with a single to right centerfield in the next at-bat. Chris Kirkland then put Memphis on the board, bringing Amar home on a single up the middle. A single by K.K. Chalmers loaded the sacks for Bill Moss, who was plunked by a Belanger offering for a 2-0 Tiger advantage. Joey Lieberman highlighted the frame with a bases-clearing three-run double off the leftfield wall for the 5-0 lead. Memphis never looked back behind the arm of Grisham, who cruised through five innings before striking out two in the sixth to work out of a slight jam. In the longest outing of his career, the Tiger senior held USM hitless through 2.2 innings before Brian Dozier broke up the no-hit bid with a single to right. Grisham struck out a career-high six hitters and scattered five hits en route to picking up his first win of the year. Chris South worked the ninth. The Tiger used four Golden Eagles errors to plate a pair of runs in the eight and USM got on the board in the ninth on a sac fly by pinch hitter Jordan King. The Tiger offense was led by Lieberman, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI. Kirkland also had three hits and scored two runs. Chalmers, Moss and Amar finished the night with two hits each. Dozier was the lone Southern Miss hitter with multiple base knocks. Belanger was tagged with the loss after allowing a season-high five runs on 10 hits in six innings of work. The two teams will hit the field for game two of the three-game set on Saturday with first pitch set for 2 p.m. at Nat Buring Stadium.

03/30/07		Practice #7 - Friday, March 30 (GoTigersGo.com)
		The Tiger football team made its first trip of the spring to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium for a scrimmage this afternoon. The scrimmage of 83 plays ran for just over an hour and Coach Tommy West commented favorably about the defense's attitude and approach to the scrimmage. "That was a pretty easy scrimmage to assess," said West. "It was obvious from the get go that our defense came in with an attitude today. They came to play. They looked like they had a good time playing and they had more want-to than the offense did." "Defensively, I am a little bit concerned at corner," added West. "We are not mentally tough enough right now. A couple of deep balls got by us that shouldn't have gotten by us. Everywhere else, I thought we battled pretty well defensively." Some of the defensive key plays included two tackles for a loss of 11 yards by defensive lineman Greg Terrell, a batted pass attempt and a sack by Jada Brown and pass breakups by Deante' Lamar, Tony Bell and Dontae Reed. During the 83-play scrimmage there were five touchdown plays. The first score came on the third series with Martin Hankins under center. The first play of the drive was a six-yard pass to Carlos Singleton. Joseph Doss rushed for two yards, but the gain was negated on the next play when Steven Turner dropped Taz Knockum for a loss of two yards. Hankins then found Turner West open for a seven-yard completion and the drive ended with Hankins airing it out for a 63-yard touchdown pass to Duke Calhoun. Hankins also led the next series to a score. That drive lasted 12 plays and was highlighted by a 10-yard run by Miguel Barnes, an eight-yard completion to Earnest Williams and two 12-yard receptions by Steven Black. Knockum caught a seven-yard toss before Doss ended the series with a one-yard run for a score. The offense kept the ball in play with Will Hudgens piloting the next drive, which lasted 15 plays. Hudgens completed eight-yard passes to Knockum and Singleton and showed agility with an eight-yard run before he connected on a long 25-yard pass to Calhoun. Hinds got the ball to the 8-yard line with three consecutive runs for a total of 13 yards, but the squad was unable to score with two endzone pass attempts to Singleton. Singleton was shaken up on the last attempt by a punishing hit by Bell. Hudgens worked two more drives before Matt Malouf was brought in for three straight series. Malouf's first drive ended with a 24-yard touchdown run by Barnes. He also worked the last series of the scrimmage and completed passes to Earnest Williams and Doss during that drive. Hudgens was also in on a score near the 60-play mark. He opened the drive with an 11-yard completion to Black. T.J. Pitts rushed for 11 yards and then lost a yard on the next play in which he was stopped by Tommy Phelps. Hudgens completed a pass to Williams before connecting with Black on a 35-yard touchdown pass. Brett Toney also got some work in at quarterback. During his series, he pulled the ball down and ran twice for a total of 21 yards. The final three plays were rush attempts with Hinds gaining six yards and Henry Harris logging 15 yards. Hinds put on the finishing touch with a five-yard touchdown run. Hankins was 8-of-11 for 120 yards and one touchdown while Hudgens completed 10 of 16 passes for 114 yards and one TD. Leading receivers were Black with five catches for 76 yards and a score and Calhoun who totaled 99 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. On the ground, Barnes finished the day with five carries for 41 yards and a touchdown, Doss recorded 16 yards and a TD on six carries and Williams totaled 13 yards on three carries. "Offensively, there was not near enough want-to to just come out and play and do your job," said West. "I thought we just went through the motions at times. We didn't get what we had hoped out of two weeks, offensively."

03/30/07		Tigers Make Trip to Liberty Bowl For Extensive Scrimmage -- Tommy West pleased with defensive effort (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, TENN. - The Tiger football team made its first trip of the spring to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium for a scrimmage this afternoon. The scrimmage of 83 plays ran for just over an hour and Coach Tommy West commented favorably about the defense's attitude and approach to the scrimmage. "That was a pretty easy scrimmage to assess," said West. "It was obvious from the get go that our defense came in with an attitude today. They came to play. They looked like they had a good time playing and they had more want-to than the offense did." "Defensively, I am a little bit concerned at corner," added West. "We are not mentally tough enough right now. A couple of deep balls got by us that shouldn't have gotten by us. Everywhere else, I thought we battled pretty well defensively." Some of the defensive key plays included two tackles for a loss of 11 yards by defensive lineman Greg Terrell, a batted pass attempt and a sack by Jada Brown and pass breakups by Deante' Lamar, Tony Bell and Dontae Reed. During the 83-play scrimmage there were five touchdown plays. The first score came on the third series with Martin Hankins under center. The first play of the drive was a six-yard pass to Carlos Singleton. Joseph Doss rushed for two yards, but the gain was negated on the next play when Steven Turner dropped Taz Knockum for a loss of two yards. Hankins then found Turner West open for a seven-yard completion and the drive ended with Hankins airing it out for a 63-yard touchdown pass to Duke Calhoun. Hankins also led the next series to a score. That drive lasted 12 plays and was highlighted by a 10-yard run by Miguel Barnes, an eight-yard completion to Earnest Williams and two 12-yard receptions by Steven Black. Knockum caught a seven-yard toss before Doss ended the series with a one-yard run for a score. The offense kept the ball in play with Will Hudgens piloting the next drive, which lasted 15 plays. Hudgens completed eight-yard passes to Knockum and Singleton and showed agility with an eight-yard run before he connected on a long 25-yard pass to Calhoun. Hinds got the ball to the 8-yard line with three consecutive runs for a total of 13 yards, but the squad was unable to score with two endzone pass attempts to Singleton. Singleton was shaken up on the last attempt by a punishing hit by Bell. Hudgens worked two more drives before Matt Malouf was brought in for three straight series. Malouf's first drive ended with a 24-yard touchdown run by Barnes. He also worked the last series of the scrimmage and completed passes to Earnest Williams and Doss during that drive. Hudgens was also in on a score near the 60-play mark. He opened the drive with an 11-yard completion to Black. T.J. Pitts rushed for 11 yards and then lost a yard on the next play in which he was stopped by Tommy Phelps. Hudgens completed a pass to Williams before connecting with Black on a 35-yard touchdown pass. Brett Toney also got some work in at quarterback. During his series, he pulled the ball down and ran twice for a total of 21 yards. The final three plays were rush attempts with Hinds gaining six yards and Henry Harris logging 15 yards. Hinds put on the finishing touch with a five-yard touchdown run. Hankins was 8-of-11 for 120 yards and one touchdown while Hudgens completed 10 of 16 passes for 114 yards and one TD. Leading receivers were Black with five catches for 76 yards and a score and Calhoun who totaled 99 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. On the ground, Barnes finished the day with five carries for 41 yards and a touchdown, Doss recorded 16 yards and a TD on six carries and Williams totaled 13 yards on three carries. "Offensively, there was not near enough want-to to just come out and play and do your job," said West. "I thought we just went through the motions at times. We didn't get what we had hoped out of two weeks, offensively."

03/30/07		Jennifer Sullivan Returns as Lady Tiger Assistant Coach -- Former Memphis player joins the Memphis coaching staff (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Former Lady Tiger basketball player Jennifer Sullivan has returned to her alma mater, joining Blair Savage-Lansden's staff as an assistant coach after spending the last two seasons at Rhodes College. "It feels great to be back at home and working for a coach that I trust and played under," Sullivan said. "I'm excited to be back in Division I athletics." At Rhodes, Sullivan served as an assistant coach to Matt Dean, helping the Lynx to an 18-8 record in 2005-06 and a 16-10 record in 2006-07. She worked with the guards at Rhodes, including guard Ashley Farrell, who led the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) in scoring and was named to the D3Hoops.com All-South Region team following this past season. "We're excited to add Jennifer Sullivan to our staff," Savage said. "It's always exciting to bring back former players and the way Jennifer played over her last two seasons is exactly how she was in coaching over at Rhodes. We're excited to bring that energy and enthusiasm to our staff here at Memphis. In the short time that Jennifer has been here, you can already see her building a good rapport with our returning players." A 2001 graduate of Jonesboro High School, Sullivan capped a four-year Lady Tiger career with 800 career points, 310 rebounds and 99 steals. She played in 102 career games, starting 84 for her career and starting every game in her last two seasons. Her senior year, Sullivan averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while playing under Savage-Lansden. She was named to the Fun in the Sun Shootout All-Tournament Team and the Lady Tiger Classic All-Tournament Team as a senior. She shot 51.0 percent from the floor for her career and at the end of her senior season, she was named the team Most Valuable Player. Sullivan graduated from the University of Memphis with a degree in Communications in May of 2005. In the coaching ranks, Sullivan is joined by former Lady Tiger teammates Jordie Soso, an assistant coach at NCAA Division II Edinboro University in Pennsylvania, and Shannon Hamp, a graduate assistant coach at Southern Miss.

03/30/07		Memphis Holds Successful Silent Auction -- The Tigers silent auction was a huge success (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's soccer team held their annual silent auction last night at the South Campus athletic facility. The Tigers managed to raise $17,500 at the silent auction and had over 125 people in attendance. The guest speaker was Michael Ueltschey. Ueltschey was a member of the University of North Carolina soccer team that won the national championship in 2001. He has been very successful in soccer, where he has played both professionally and internationally. Peter Edmiston from the Soccer Fix Radio Show was the MC for the evening. Kevin Walsh received an award for his C-USA Newcomer of the Year honor that he received during the season. The soccer team was recognized for earning a 3.11 GPA this past season, which is the highest GPA for the Memphis men's soccer team in history. In attendance, supporting the Tigers, was the Memphis women's soccer team. The silent auction was a huge success and included a lot of hot ticket items. The Lionel Messi autographed jersey sold for $1,000, while the Christian Panucci autographed jersey sold for $500. The John Calipari autographed basketball sold for $300, the Tim Howard autographed soccer ball sold for $200, the Tommy West autographed football and the autographed John Grisham book "The Innocent Man," both sold for $100. Grant would like to thank everyone who made the night a huge success. On behalf of the Memphis Tiger soccer team, he wants to thank everyone who donated money, donated items and contributed to the night. He appreciates all the support that you continue to give to the Tigers. Memphis will conclude their spring season on Saturday, April 14, where they will travel to Atlanta to take on the Atlanta Silverbacks. The game is scheduled to kick off at 11:00 a.m.

03/30/07		Southern Miss Hosts Weekend Series with Lady Tigers -- Three-game set begins with doubleheader on Saturday (GoTigersGo.com)
		For Immediate Release Contact: Brandon Kolditz wkolditz@memphis.edu, (901) 871-5475 HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The slate has been wiped clean for the University of Memphis softball team. With 31 games in the book and 29 left in the regular season, the Lady Tigers have started their second half of the season with a perfect 1-0 record. The U of M will look to continue the perfection as the team battles conference rival Southern Miss in a three-game series beginning Saturday at the Southern Miss Softball Complex. The two teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday and close the series with a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday. The Conference USA match-up will pit two teams looking to distance itself from the cellar of the league standings. Memphis (20-11, 2-4 C-USA) and Southern Miss (10-24, 1-5) are eighth and ninth respectively in the nine team conference with the top six teams moving on to the conference tournament. But plenty of time still remains for both clubs to turn things around with three-fourth of the 24-game conference schedule still remaining. In only its second season of existence, the Lady Tigers have three more victories through 31 games than the previous year. The team's .645 winning percentage is fourth in the conference behind Houston, East Carolina and UTEP. But Memphis is still looking for a conference series win after taking only one of three games against UTEP and Houston. Behind the arms of senior aces Jenna Kubesch (12-5) and Nicki Johnson (8-6), the U of M will attempt to bring home a series victory this weekend. Memphis pitching has a combined ERA of 2.87 compared to the Golden Eagles, whose 6.25 ERA is the highest in the conference. Both Kubesch and Johnson are coming off superb pitching performances in a midweek home doubleheader sweep of Tennessee-Martin. Kubesch set a new program record with 12 strikeouts against the Skyhawks and earned her 12th victory, which ranks fifth in the conference. Johnson followed with her most complete performance of the year, allowing only two hits to UT-Martin on six strikeouts and one unearned run in a 2-1 win. On the offensive side, the hottest hitter for Memphis in the past six games has been sophomore catcher Kimmi Hayden. After having only eight hits in 18 games, Hayden has broken out of her slump in conference play, hitting .438 in league competition with seven hits, four RBI and two home runs. Hayden is hitting .471 in the past six games. Senior first baseman Kara Ross and sophomore left fielder Leandra Hines are also swinging big sticks. Ross leads the team in batting average (.322), RBI (22), winning RBI (4), multi-hit games (9) and multi-RBI games (5). She is hitting .300 with five RBI in the past six games. Hines is fourth in the conference in sac bunts with nine and is hitting .291 on the season primarily in the two hole. She is hitting .308 in the last six games with a .438 on-base percentage. Last season, Memphis hosted Southern Miss and won two in the three-game series. The Lady Tigers shutout the Golden Eagles, 4-0, in both games of the opening doubleheader before falling 2-1 in 10 innings in the final contest. This weekend's three-game series can be followed live on the Internet. Live stats are available through Gametracker, while a live audio broadcast is available through Southern Miss' team stream on Yahoo. Links to the live broadcasts can be found on GoTigersGo.com. The Yahoo audio broadcasts require a subscription with packages starting at $4.95 per month.

03/30/07		Memphis Travels to Georgia for the Lady Panther Intercollegiate -- The Lady Tigers will travel to Stockbridge, Ga. (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis women's golf team will travel to Stockbridge, Ga. April 2-3 to compete in the 14th annual John Kirk/Lady Panther Intercollegiate tournament hosted by Georgia State University. The tournament will be played at Eagle's Landing Country Club. Memphis has a very successful history in this tournament. In the Fall of 1994 and 1995, the Lady Tigers were tournament champions. In the Spring of 2006, the Lady Tigers finished second, just one stroke behind Augusta State, the winner of the tournament. Stacey Tate was the champion of the tournament last year and is looking to defend her crown. "Stacey is the defending champion of this tournament," said head coach Jenny Bruun. "She is really looking forward to playing this golf course again." Traveling to Georgia for the Lady Tigers and the line-up for the tournament will be Rachel Larson, Stacey Tate, Meghan Mahoney, Dawn-Marie Conaty and Kathryn O'Rourke. Memphis is looking to take home the crown this year, after falling short last year. "I am looking for my team to go out there and compete like they are capable of this week," said Bruun. "We will be competing against a very strong field and if we come in with the attitude the team has been practicing with the past two weeks, we will be successful. Our last round at LSU was very important for this team and we will continue to build off that performance." For the Lady Panther Intercollegiate, this 17-team field will be the largest in tournament history. Memphis will be competing against tough competition. The Lady Tigers enter the tournament ranked 67th. There are three teams ranked in the top-50 and 10 ranked in the top-100. Louisville enters the tournament ranked 35th, with Campbell ranked 37th and Birmingham Southern ranked 39th. Ranked in the top-100 are Augusta State (55), Maryland (63), East Tennessee State (68), Coastal Carolina (75), East Carolina (76), Mississippi (84), Georgia State (93), Elon (97) and Western Carolina (99). Other teams competing in the tournament are Jacksonville State (112), Arkansas State (124), Richmond (125) and Mercer (131). There are several tournament champions competing at this event. Campbell holds the record for the most wins in the tournament with four. Their last victory was in 2004. Other tournament champions are Jacksonville State and Western Carolina. Jacksonville State won in 2003 and Western Carolina won in 2002. The tournament will consist of 36 holes, with 18 holes on Monday and 18 holes on Tuesday.

03/30/07		Tigers Track Heads to Bulldog Invitational -- Memphis looking for first test of outdoor season (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS - The Tiger track team will leave the city of Memphis for the first time in the 2007 outdoor season for the Mississippi State Bulldog Invitational which head coach Kevin Robinson describes as his squad's first real test of the season. Memphis has competed at two meets at Rhodes University so far this season, however Saturday's meet will be the first time that the Tigers have tapered their training leading into a competition. "This will be our first test of the season," said Robinson. "We've had our two practice meets. We trained through the those two, but we've really prepped for this one." Despite the difficult training, the first two meets were very productive for Memphis. Five athletes earned NCAA qualifying marks, and the Tigers produced four school record-breaking performances. Robinson is taking his best athletes and plans to use them in the multiple events in order to replicate the type of competing they will do a the C-USA Championships in May. "This weekend will give us a really good idea of where we are as a team," Robinson said. "We'll see how we fair against some really good competition."

03/30/07		'Blip' doesn't cancel U of M -- CSS plans to show four games this fall (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact March 30, 2007 Despite a 2-10 season in 2006, the University of Memphis football team will have significant television exposure in 2007. Conference USA announced Thursday four Tiger football games -- including the Sept. 1 opener against Ole Miss at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium -- will be carried by Comcast Sports Southeast regional. The four CSS games join a previously announced ESPN2 game: Oct. 2 against Marshall at the Liberty Bowl. In addition to the Ole Miss game, which kicks off at 2:30, CSS will carry the Sept. 22 game at Central Florida, the Nov. 10 game at Southern Miss and the Nov. 17 game against UAB at the Liberty Bowl. The Central Florida and UAB games kick off at 2:30, and the Southern Miss game at 3:30. "I think we came out pretty good coming off a 2-10 season," said Tiger athletic director R.C. Johnson Thursday. "We were a little concerned about how it would play out. But there's a general feeling that last year was a blip on the screen. We feel pretty good (about the television exposure)." The Tigers will not appear on CSTV, which is available in more than 20 million homes nationwide via cable and satellite. C-USA is in its third year of a partnership with CSTV to carry league games nationwide. CSS, geared toward the Southeastern sports fan, reaches 5.6 million homes in 12 states. Being snubbed by CSTV, at least initially, didn't surprise Johnson. "No, not really," he said. "So many of our (league) teams did well last season. The year before it was us getting a lot of coverage (after a third straight bowl appearance). That's what they like to do ... go with those teams that have had the recent success. If you have a down year, sometimes they move on." Johnson said there are late-season availabilities for the Tigers to pick up a CSTV national appearance, depending on how the UofM fares. "It does give us a chance as the year winds down, and as we are fighting for a bowl, to get a TV opportunity," Johnson said. "It spurs you on a little more." The Tigers made three ESPN appearances in 2006 and had their games against Tulsa and UCF carried by CSTV. -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543 Tiger football: 2007 TV games On Comcast Sports Southeast (Channel 6 on Comcast Cable) Date / Opponent / Time S.1 / Ole Miss / 2:30 p.m. S.22 / at UCF / 2:30 p.m. N.10 / at So. Miss / 3:30 p.m. N.17 / UAB / 2:30 p.m. On ESPN2 O.2 / Marshall / 6:30 p.m.

03/30/07		U of M Notebook: Baseball, Basketball, Football, Softball (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact March 30, 2007 Tigers hoping to regroup -- Schoenrock's club seeking to end slide Southern Miss had the misfortune of opening Conference USA play against seventh-ranked Rice. Memphis' situation was only slightly better. The Tigers opened their C-USA schedule last weekend at No. 22 East Carolina. The Golden Eagles (17-9, 1-2) and the Tigers (14-11, 0-3) will attempt to regroup this weekend when they play one another in a three-game series beginning tonight at Nat Buring Stadium on the UofM's Park Avenue Campus. Southern Miss has dropped three straight -- two to Rice last weekend and one to No. 13 Ole Miss before 6,217 in Pearl, Miss., earlier this week. Memphis has lost five in a row -- the three-game set at ECU and two at perennial Southeastern Conference power Mississippi State Tuesday and Wednesday. Tiger coach Daron Schoenrock said he expects a strong challenge from Southern Miss, which has earned NCAA Tournament trips each of the past four seasons under Corky Palmer. The Golden Eagles are led by two-time all-conference infielder Trey Sutton, who's hitting .367 with two homers and 23 runs batted in. While USM has struggled to hit as consistently as it did a year ago, the Golden Eagles have a solid weekend rotation, paced by right-hander Ryan Belanger (5-1, 1.88 earned-run average). Belanger will start tonight against Ben Grisham. Memphis has been paced this season by infielder Bill Moss, a former Christian Brothers High standout. Moss is hitting .351 with eight homers and 24 RBI. ''I thought our offense really battled those two games in Starkville,'' Schoenrock said, hoping his team is emerging from an early-season slump. ''That's how we we're going to have to win games for a while.'' Schoenrock said the bats will have to carry a team beset by pitching injuries. Two weekend starters -- Philip Utley and Brach Davis -- are out with injuries. Collierville's Marc Ashley, a mid-week starter, has been slowed by a back problem. ''We are dealing with a rotation (shackled) by injury,'' Schoenrock said. ''But I think our guys will pitch well this weekend.'' Lady Tigers add ex-player Former Lady Tiger guard Jennifer Sullivan has been hired by UofM women's basketball coach Blair Savage-Lansden to fill one of two assistant vacancies on the staff. Sullivan, 23, played for the Lady Tigers from 2001 to 2005, including her final season for Savage-Lansden. Sullivan has spent the past two seasons as an assistant at Rhodes College. "It's a great opportunity,'' Sullivan said Thursday. As a player at Memphis, Sullivan was a three-year starter who overcame knee problems to score 800 points and collect 99 steals. Upon graduation, she joined coach Matt Dean's staff at Rhodes, which she described as an ideal situation for her. "I went to a program like Rhodes because I got a chance to get on the floor and coach players,'' she said. ''Had I gone somewhere else, I might not have been more of a director of basketball operations.'' Said Savage-Lansden: ''We are real excited to get her back. She was here when this program was successful and understands what it means to compete at this level. Every day, no matter how she felt, she brought it.'' Odds and ends UofM offensive lineman Andy Smith, a native of Fayetteville, Ga., will be presented the 2007 Georgia Peach of an Athlete Role Model Award April 26 in Atlanta by the Atlanta Area Council/Boy Scouts of America. Smith, a two-year starter, was recognized for his outstanding community service, in addition to his athletic and academic achievements. ... The Lady Tiger softball team will officially open its new UofM Softball Complex on the Park Avenue Campus next weekend against C-USA opponent Tulsa. The Lady Tigers have played five games at the $1.7 million facility, but ceremonies with athletic department officials will be held April 7 before the series finale against Tulsa.

03/29/07		Spring Football: Week 2 (Memphis Edge)
		Several observations as Tiger football wraps up its second week of spring workouts: 1) Good as advertised (maybe better): A priority for West during the recruiting season was to bring in several mid-year junior college players who could have an immediate impact. Early indications are defensive tackle Freddie Barnett, receiver Steven Black, linebacker Tommy Phelps and offensive linemen Terrence Echols and Cody Stubblefield will contribute quickly. Barnett started strong, but has been slowed by injury. He may not play the next two weeks, but he'll be a factor in the fall. Black is a prize, a receiver who can make a difficult catch in traffic as well as stretch the defense. Phelps is a playmaker, always around the ball and pushing starter Heath Grant. 2) If the Tiger running backs remain healthy, it could be a team strength. Senior Joe Doss is a veteran leader, who can get the tough yards inside. Sophomore Miguel Barnes and T.J. Pitts have been impressive in practice, with Pitts looking like the prize recruit he was in 2005. 3) Defensively, new cornerbacks coach Derek Jones has infused a toughness and a swagger. It's a key position for the Tiger defense if it expects to become a dominant unit again. 4) Quarterback Martin Hankins is looking as if he will not be challenged for the starting job. He has completed 14-of-19 in scrimmage situations with no interceptions and a touchdown.

03/29/07		Tigers To Have Five Games Aired on Television in 2007 -- U of M opens season with home game against Ole Miss to be carried by CSS (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, TENN. - Five University of Memphis Tiger football games have been selected for television broadcast in 2007 as announced by Conference USA officials today. In addition to the Tuesday evening meeting with Marshall on October 2 that had previously been announced for broadcast on ESPN2, four additional games have been sublicensed to CSS by CSTV. The four contests to air regionally on CSS include the season opener with Ole Miss on Sept. 1, road games with UCF (9/22) and Southern Miss (11/10), and the rivalry with UAB on Nov. 17 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. CSTV, the expert in college sports, is available in more than 20 million homes via cable and satellite. CSTV is available via satellite on DirecTV's Total Choice Plus package channel 610 and Dish Network's America's Top 120 package channel 152. CSTV is also widely available on cable systems across the country. For more information on how to access CSTV, log on to www.cstv.com. CSS delivers a mix of live sports programming, sports news and in-depth sports analysis that is exclusively geared towards the Southeastern sports fan. CSS has more collegiate sports coverage than any other regional sports network in the country, reaching 5.6 million households across 12 states. CSTV owns the rights to C-USA games through the network's long-term multi-media rights deal with the conference and through a broadcast partnership, has licensed select football games to CSS to air this season.

03/29/07		Baseball Set to Host Southern Miss in Conference USA Home Opener -- Tigers look to snap five-game losing skid (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis baseball team will look to get back to the win column this weekend when Head Coach Daron Schoenrock and the Tigers host Southern Miss in Memphis' first home C-USA series of the season. First pitch for Friday's series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. The Tigers enter the weekend on a five-game losing streak. Since hitting the road, the Tigers have dropped five straight games, including being swept in the C-USA opening weekend at East Carolina. Memphis was most recently swept in a two-game midweek series at Mississippi State. The Tigers squandered an 8-3 lead in the first game of the series to fall 9-8 on Tuesday. Wednesday say Memphis cut an 11-4 deficit to 11-9 with five runs in the ninth only for the rally to fall just short. With its return to Nat Buring Stadium, Memphis looks for its fortunes to change for the better. The Tigers boast a five-game win streak at home after winning the last five games of a season-long seven-game homestand two weeks ago. Memphis is 7-1 at home this year, with its only loss coming to Illinois State--a game in which the Tigers crossed 13 runs. They average 8.6 runs per contest at "The Nat". After being held to one run in the final two games of last weekend's series at East Carolina, Memphis' offense has powered up to hit .368 with four homers over the last two games against a strong Mississippi State club. Bill Moss continues to pace the team in batting average, checking in at .351. The senior, who also has a team-best eight homers, hit .448 with five home runs and 15 RBI at home. Chris Kirkland has swung the hottest bat on the team over the last six games. The junior backstop, who was hitting .154 prior to the series finale with Akron on March 18, has hit safely in each of the last six contests and has raised his average 187 points to .341. Michael Murray sports a team-best 11-game hit streak and has started in all 25 games this year. Reserve infielder Eric Farrell joins Moss and Kirkland as the lone Tiger hitters with averages over .300. The sophomore transfer from Birmingham Southern bats .333 with nine RBI and a pair of doubles. Memphis hits .267 as a team. On the mound, Memphis has a staff ERA of 5.02. Dusty Davis has a staff-best 3.91 ERA to go with three wins. Sophomore reliever Matt Yokley also has three victories and a leads the staff with 28 strikeouts in 18.2 innings of work. McGregor has posted a 3.86 ERA in 18.2 frames since a tough outing versus Ole Miss in the season opener. Tigers pitchers have held opposing teams to a .263 clip at the plate. Southern Miss is in the midst of a three-game losing streak with setbacks to No. 7 Rice in the last two games of last week's opening C-USA series and a midweek loss at No. 13 Ole Miss. They did, however, hand Rice a 9-3 loss in the league opener last Friday. Currently 17-9, USM got the season started with seven straight victories. Since the Golden Eagles are just above .500 with 10 wins in the last 19 games. Two-time All-C-USA pick Trey Sutton leads Southern Miss in nearly every offensive category. He is the C-USA leader in hits (40), while leading the USM offensive attack with 28 runs scored, 23 RBI and eight doubles. Arkansas transfer James Ewing has made an immediate impact on the Golden Eagles lineup, hitting .307 with 12 RBI in 23 starts. His brother Michael is second to Sutton with 18 runs driven in. Pitching is the strong point for Southern Miss. The staff is giving up just over four runs per contest, while holding opponents to .236. Ryan Belanger comes in as one of the leagues top pitchers, with a 1.88 ERA and a staff-best 39 strikeouts in 43 innings of work. His five wins are among the top in the league and opponents hit just .197 against him. Weekend starters Barry Bowden and David Clark have fared well this year. Bowden has a 1-3 record, but averages over a strikeout per inning. Clark is 3-2 with a 5.00 ERA in six appearances, but has a staff-high nine wild pitches. Former starter Patrick Ezell has moved to the closer role and has fit in well. He has six saves and a 1.35 ERA in 11 appearances. Memphis trails the all-time series 35-45 after taking two games in Hattiesburg and then splitting a pair of meetings in the C-USA Tournament last year. Memphis eliminated Southern Miss, 8-5, to advance to the semifinal round of the 2007 Tournament.

03/29/07		Andy Smith to Receive Georgia Role Model Award (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, TENN. - University of Memphis offensive lineman Andy Smith has been selected as the male honoree of Georgia's 2007 Peach of An Athlete Role Model Award by the Atlanta Area Council, Boys Scouts of America. A native of Fayetteville, Ga., Smith was selected based on his athletic and academic achievements as well as for his community involvement. The award is only offered to student-athletes who either compete at a university or college in Georgia, or who are from Georgia. Smith lettered as both an offensive and defensive lineman at Starr's Mill High School before signing with the Tigers. Smith is a key component of the offensive line at the University of Memphis and will be a senior this fall. He started all but one game in 2006 at right guard and was part of an offensive line that allowed just 14 sacks in 2006, which led Conference USA. As a junior, Smith was in on 745 of the Tigers' 766 offensive plays and has logged action on 1,373 plays for his career. A leader on and off the field, Smith earned his bachelor's degree in geography in December. He will work towards a master's degree in geography while he completes his eligibility at the U of M. He was a member of the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and also has earned recognition in the Tiger 3.0 Club for six semesters. His community involvement includes working youth football camps, volunteering on Martin Luther King Day at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis and reading and interacting with elementary school children locally. Smith will be honored, along with University of Georgia softball outfielder Kellie Middleton, at the 24th Annual Awards banquet on Thursday, April 26 in Atlanta. In addition to the amateur/collegiate honorees, the Council is also honoring Special Olympian Josh Jansma, a professional honoree, Dominique Wilkins and Bobby Jones Award recipient Dr. Bernard Mullin of the Atlanta Spirit. Past winners of the Bobby Jones Award have been NFL standouts Archie Griffin, Warrick Dunn and Hershel Walker. "Andy Smith is one of the finest leaders that we have had on our football team since I have been here," said Coach Tommy West. "He wants to be a leader and he wants to be a role model. He understands that you have to lead by example and he does the right things on and off the field."

03/29/07		Bulldogs send Tigers to fifth defeat in a row -- Mississippi State 11, U of M 9 (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services March 29, 2007 STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, then hung on as the University of Memphis scored five of its own in the top of the ninth, giving the Bulldogs an 11-9 victory Wednesday. The Tigers lost their fifth straight game and fall to 14-11 on the season while the Bulldogs improve to 16-6. Mitch Moreland had a two-run single for State in the eighth and Nick Hardy belted a three-run home run later in the inning as MSU entered the top of the ninth leading 11-4. The Tigers got going in the ninth when K.K. Chalmers doubled to center and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Will Petersen. Former CBHS standout Bill Moss singled and Joey Lieberman walked. Then Michael Murray drove in Moss with a single and Eric Farrell cleared the bases with a two-run double that made it 11-8. Chris Kirkland drove in Farrell with a single just out of the reach of leaping Bulldogs second baseman Jet Butler to make it 11-9, but that would be the final run for the Tigers as Hardy tracked down Chalmers' drive to the left-center gap for the final out of the game. Former Houston standout John Lalor picked up the victory for State, striking out three in a pair of scoreless innings in relief. Freshman Dylan Cupples took the loss, giving up six earned runs on five hits in just 11/3 innings. The Tigers return home to host Southern Miss in a three-game series starting Friday at 6:30 p.m.

03/29/07		Old friend pays visit to Tigers -- Fichtner transitioning from college to pros (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact March 29, 2007 For those who had watched Randy Fichtner -- and heard Randy Fichtner -- direct the University of Memphis offense the past six seasons, it was an odd scene Wednesday at the Murphy Athletic Complex. Fichtner was standing calmly on the sidelines, occasionally turning to toss a football to his 10-year-old son, Nate, or chatting quietly with familiar faces or aiming encouraging words to receivers running within earshot. In other words, it was nothing like the animated figure who roamed the practice fields several months ago before being summoned, by former colleague Mike Tomlin, to a higher calling. Tomlin, the new Pittsburgh Steelers coach, hired Fichtner in January to handle the team's wide receivers. Fichtner said he returned to Memphis last weekend to visit his family, which is expected to join him in Pittsburgh in May, in addition to tending to some overdue errands and taking in his son's baseball games. It's been a whirlwind two months for Fichtner, who served as an assistant with Tomlin on the Arkansas State staff in the 1990s. "I'm busy learning the system, I'm busy with the draft and free agency, preparing for mini-camps, all that kind of stuff," Fichtner said Wednesday, before hustling Nate to a baseball practice. "We've got offseason workouts going on now." Fichtner said the staff has a week off while the NFL conducts its annual league meetings in Arizona. He's due back in Pittsburgh Sunday. He said he dropped by the UofM football office Tuesday. "As soon as my wife (Jennifer) said I didn't have to do something at the house, I ran down to campus," Fichtner said. As he spoke to several individuals on the sidelines during Wednesday's spring practice, he never took an eye off the offense. He reminded receiver Earnest Williams to "tuck it away quick ... outwork everybody, you always have." West said he enjoyed having Fichtner drop by. "It seems like he's doing good, he seems like he's happy," West said. "It's always fun when you go learn a new system. And he's working for (offensive coordinator) Bruce Arians, a guy I've known for a long time. He's a good guy and a good coach." At one point during the practice, Fichtner joined West on the first level of the coaching tower. "I just told coach that was the first time I'd ever been in the tower," Fichtner said. "I can remember even playing around when I was here and walking up in the tower. We just never did it. "But I was able to watch the defensive guys work and see all the drills at one time. It was fun. Now I understand why all the pro scouts that came through here used to compliment coach West and the way practice was run. It's organized, it's a quick tempo, there's no wasted time." While Fichtner will return to Pittsburgh to work with his seven receivers -- including Memphian Cedrick Wilson and Hines Ward -- Monday, he looked as if he would have relished the opportunity to coach his former group Wednesday. "I'm sure it was (difficult to stand back and watch)," West said. "He's still one of us." Fichtner said Wilson has kept him updated with what's been going on back home, filling in where his family has left off. He said he and Wilson cheered on the Tiger basketball team as it advanced in the NCAA Tournament, before being eliminated in the Elite Eight by Ohio State last weekend. Fichtner said he tried to offer his congratulations to Tiger basketball coach John Calipari, but he wasn't in when Fichtner visited the athletic office building. "They had a great run,'' Fichtner said. "An awful lot of teams didn't get as far as they did." And an awful lot of coaches haven't gotten to the point where Fichtner finds himself. West said he knew it was only a matter of a phone call once Tomlin was hired. "I thought they would offer him a job, and when they did I didn't say 'What do you think?' I said 'Congratulations,' " West said. ''I think it was a great move for him. If he would have said to me, 'Well, I'm going to think about it.' I would have said 'No, you're not, you're going to take it.' "I didn't want Randy to leave, but that's too good an opportunity. I had a guy at Clemson, Clyde Christiansen, who coaches the wideouts at Indianapolis. He and (Colts head coach) Tony Dungy are best buddies. And when Tony got the Tampa Bay job, I said (to Clyde) 'Good luck.' He actually said he wasn't sure and that he liked college ball. And I said, 'No, that's your buddy. You've got to go.' " -- Phil Stukenborg; 529-2543

03/28/07		Practice #6 - Wednesday, March 28 (GoTigersGo.com)
		Another warm day greeted the Tigers when they took the field for the sixth of 15 spring practices today. Several folks came out to watch the workout as members of the Milan High football team made the drive to Memphis. Former offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner and his son Nate were also in attendance. The practice ended with a 17-play scrimmage that Coach Tommy West seemed less than pleased with. Unlike yesterday's short scrimmage of nine plays that ended in a touchdown, today's scrimmage was marked by three errant snaps and a fumble, which was recovered by Clinton McDonald. The first series was led by Will Hudgens who opened with an eight-yard pass to Earnest Williams. Following a bad snap, Williams gained four yards for a first down. Hudgens completed a six-yard pass to Steven Black and lost a yard on a pass to Taz Knockum to lead to fourth down. Matt Malouf received an errant snap on his first play from scrimmage and ran for 20 yards on second down before the play was blown dead. Malouf tossed a two-yard pass to Williams and T.J. Pitts lost five yards on second down and eight. Malouf then connected with Duke Calhoun on consecutive plays, gaining 11 yards on third down and finishing the series with a 30-yard touchdown pass. The final series was with Martin Hankins under center and again opened with a bad snap. Hankins struck with a seven-yard pass to Black and then found Doss open for a 10-yard completion. Miguel Barnes picked up three yards on the next play and then fumbled on his next attempt, which led to West calling the team up to end practice. "I was disappointed in today's practice," said West. "I thought that we had a hard practice yesterday and I really wanted to follow it up with them coming out here and having a good practice. They did well for a little while and then once we started scrimmaging it was terrible offensively. "There was a lack of focus and a lack of attention to detail," added West. "Everything I hoped we would get out of today, we didn't get."

03/28/07		Ninth-Inning Rally Falls Short in 11-9 Loss -- Memphis set to return home for C-USA battle with Southern Miss (GoTigersGo.com)
		STARKVILLE, Miss. - Memphis (14-11) 000 310 005 - 9 13 0 Mississippi State (16-6) 150 000 05X - 11 14 1 Memphis scored five runs in the top of the ninth, but the rally fell just short in an 11-9 loss at Mississippi State Wednesday night. The Bulldogs clinch a season sweep of the Tigers with the win. Memphis has now dropped five in a row and falls to 14-11 on the year. For the second consecutive contest, Mississippi State got on the board in the first inning. Brandon Turner drew a one-out walk, stole second and then scored the game's first run on a double to the right field corner by Mitch Moreland. State used five singles to expanded its lead to 6-0 in the second. Joseph McCaskill, who produced the game-winning hit on Tuesday night, drew a leadoff walk to ignite a string of three straight singles by Connor Powers, Andy Rice and Mark Goforth. Rice's and Goforth's hits plated McCaskill and Powers, respectively. An RBI-single by Turner made it 4-0 and chased Tiger starter freshman Dylan Cupples. Edward Easley greeted Tiger reliever Brennon Martin with a run-scoring single through the left side for a commanding 5-0 advantage. Brian LaNinfa capped the inning with a bases loaded walk to put the Bulldogs ahead 6-0. While MSU accumulated runs, starter Jesse Carver carved up the Memphis offense, tossing three innings of no-hit ball in his first career start, before Kyle Norrid broke up the both the no-hit and shutout bids with a towering blast over the left field wall. The home run was Norrid's second of the year. The Tiger offense promptly jumped on Carver, as Michael Murray singled up the middle and Adam Amar was hit by a pitch in consecutive offerings. Southaven High products Alex Fennell and K.K. Chalmers then cut the deficit to three runs, 6-3, with back-to-back two out singles. Murray`s single extended his career-long hit streak to 11 games. Memphis continued to chip away at the Mississippi State lead in the fifth when Joey Lieberman lined a Greg Houston offering into the left field stands to make it 6-4. The Bulldogs threatened in the sixth when LaNinfa followed a single by Moreland with one of his own. Easley, who was on second when LaNinfa's single found its way through the right side, raced around to the plate, but rightfielder Ben Grisham made an accurate throw to the plate and Alex Fennell was able to apply the tag for the inning-ending out. State put up five runs in the eighth to put the game out of reach 11-4. A two-out, two-run single from Moreland made it 8-4 and a three-run shot to left by Nick Hardy capped the scoring for the Bulldogs. Memphis staged a comeback in the ninth that was ignited by a double to center by Chalmers. He scored on a sac fly to right field by Will Petersen and the rally had begun. Bill Moss reached on an infield single and Lieberman was then walked. Murray dove in Moss with a single and Eric Farrell's double scored both Lieberman and Murray to close the gap to 11-8. Chris Kirkland plated Farrell with a single just out of the reach of a leaping Jet Butler at second base to make it 11-9, but that would be the final run the Tigers offense was able to produce as MSU centerfielder Nick Hardy was able to track down a drive to the leftcenter gap by Chalmers' for the final out of the game. Brennon Martin was effective in 4.2 innings of relief. The southpaw held the Bulldogs scoreless and scattered five hits to go with a pair of strikeouts. Lalor earned the win after inheriting a two-run lead in the sixth. He struck out three in a pair of scoreless innings of relief. Ricky Bowen closed the game out to pick up the save. Dylan Cupples was tagged with the loss. The freshman was tagged for six earned runs on five hits in just 1.1 innings. The Tiger offense was paced by Murray, who went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. Chalmers and Farrell had two hits each. Turner and Moreland led MSU with three hits a piece. Memphis will return home for its first Conference USA home series of the year-a three-game set versus Southern Miss on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. First pitch for the series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. at Nat Buring Stadium.

03/28/07		Memphis Sweeps Doubleheader with UT-Martin -- Lady Tigers win second game, 2-1 (GoTigersGo.com)
		For Immediate Release Contact: Brandon Kolditz wkolditz@memphis.edu, (901) 871-5475 UT-Martin (14-20) 000 100 0 - 1 2 1 Memphis (20-11) 100 100 0 - 2 3 3 Win - Johnson (8-6) Loss - Harper (6-5) Save - None. MEMPHIS - Senior pitcher Nicki Johnson surrendered just one unearned run in a full seven innings of work, scattering two hits to give the University of Memphis softball team a 2-1 victory and a sweep of its doubleheader of with UT-Martin on Wednesday at the U of M Softball Complex. "We came in really focused today," said Memphis head coach Windy Thees. "Our seniors really stepped up. Yesterday we talked about this is the start of our second season and we had 29 games under our belt and 31 left. We met the halfway point, and we wanted to start our second season on the right foot." Johnson improved to 8-5 on the season and struck out six in the game after retiring the first nine batters to begin the game. Memphis improves to 20-11 on the season, while the Skyhawks fall to 14-20. Memphis scored in the first inning without a hit. Sophomore shortstop Leila Dolfo and sophomore left fielder Leandra Hines began the game with back-to-back walks and advanced to second and third on a sac bunt from junior catcher Lindsay Kelso. Seniorfirst baseman Kara Ross then drove in Dolfo on a groundout to second base. The RBI is Ross's fourth on the day and her team leading 22nd of the season. UT-Martin evened the score at one run apiece in the top of the fourth when Brittany Nash reached base on an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error. A second Memphis error allowed Nash to score from second with two outs. The Lady Tigers had three errors in the game. Sophomore Brittany Gooch singled in the bottom of the fourth to drive in sophomore Kimmi Hayden for the winning run. Gooch went 2-for-2 in the game and knocked in her first game-winning run of the year. Memphis will next travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to take on Southern Miss (10-24, 1-5) in a three-game series beginning Saturday. "We're on a mission to win series," Thees said. "That's our job. When you hit these weekend series, just go out and win. The hardest thing to do is win on the road, but we're focused right now. We're 2-0 in the start of our second season. We're going to go out there and give it our all and take it one game at a time." Notes • Kara Ross knocked in her team-leading 22nd RBI of the season in the first inning and Leila Dolfo scored her 18th run. • Brittany Gooch hit in her third RBI of the season with a single in the fourth inning that gave Memphis a 2-1 lead. Kimmi Hayden scored her sixth run on the play. • Nicki Johnson retired the first nine Skyhawks in order to begin the game. Johnson allowed just one infield hit through the first five innings. • Brittany Gooch had her third multi-hit game with two singles. • Brittany Gooch's RBI single in the fourth proved to be the game-winner. It is the first of the year for the sophomore. Kimmi Hayden scored her third game-winning run of the year.

03/28/07		Kubesch Strikes Out 12 in Memphis Win -- Lady Tigers score five first inning runs in 7-4 victory over UT-Martin (GoTigersGo.com)
		For Immediate Release Contact: Brandon Kolditz wkolditz@memphis.edu, (901) 871-5475 UT-Martin (14-19) 000 004 0 - 4 7 0 Memphis (19-11) 500 110 0 - 7 13 0 Win - Kubesch (12-5) Loss - Myatt (5-6) Save - None. HR - (MEM) McNulty (4) (UTM) Williams (3) 2B - (MEM) Dolfo (12), Pridgen (4) MEMPHIS - The University of Memphis softball team staved off a sixth inning grand slam by UT-Martin and held on for a 7-4 victory in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday night at the U of M Softball Complex. Senior pitcher Jenna Kubesch (12-5) handcuffed the Skyhawks early in game one, recording six strikeouts in the first three innings en route to a career and school high 12 strikeouts for the game. UT-Martin's only runs came off a bases loaded homer by right fielder Megan Williams in the top of the sixth. "That was a great pitch from Jenna," said Memphis head coach Windy Thees. "(Williams) just stepped in the bucket to get that high pitch and took it out. It was a good pitch from Jenna; exactly where we wanted it. We may not call that pitch again to that young lady. "We didn't want anybody to walk in that situation. We've got bases loaded, and Jenna's throwing a great game. We could have gone for outs, but were going for the shutout. If we would have gone for outs, we would have been out of that inning, so I'm going to take those four runs on my ERA." Memphis (19-11, 2-4 C-USA) moved out an early lead as the first five Lady Tigers to the plate hit and scored in the bottom first inning. Two of the five runs came courtesy of a home run by Memphis senior third baseman Bridgette McNulty. It was the most runs that Memphis has scored in the opening inning all season. After two scoreless innings for both sides, sophomore shortstop Leila Dolfo scored on a Kara Ross single in the bottom of the fourth to put Memphis up 6-0. The Lady Tigers scored their final run in the sixth inning when freshman pinch hitter Leigh Rowan singled to drive in Lindsey Pridgen. UT-Martin cut the lead to three runs with two outs in the top of the sixth on Williams' grand slam, but Kubesch recovered, striking out three of the remaining four outs to secure the win. "We got the first five people on hits; it was wonderful," Thees said. "Then we went a little bit cold. I always tell them, when you put the knife to the neck go ahead and slit the throat. But we got the knife to their necks and then kind of walked away. They came back and just knocked us over the head, and we had to turn around and comeback to win it." Notes • The Memphis win is the first for the Lady Tigers who are now 1-2 all-time against UT-Martin. • Jenna Kubesch struck out a Memphis record 12 batters in the game. Kubesch's previous best was 10, a feat matched three times. The previous team record for strikeouts in a game was 11. • Bridgette McNulty lined her fourth home run of the season in the first inning off the light pole in left field. The four home runs tie her for the team lead with three of her teammates. • The five first inning runs for Memphis is the most by the team to lead off a game. The Lady Tigers got the runs on five-straight hits to start the game, knocking out UT-Martin starting pitcher Ashley Myatt before an out was recorded. • Leila Dolfo hit her team leading 12th double of the season to lead off the second inning. Through 30 games, Dolfo has already matched her 2006 doubles total. • Four Memphis players had two-hits in the game; Leila Dolfo, Leandra Hines, Kara Ross and Kimmi Hayden. Ross leads the team with nine multi-hit games and Dolfo is second with seven. Hines now has six multi-hit games and it was Hayden's fifth. • Kara Ross led the team with three RBI. She leads the team with five multi-RBI games. • Bridgette McNulty scored the winning run in the game with her two-run home run in the first inning. It is her second game-winning RBI and first game-winning run of the season.

03/28/07		McDonald Wins Male C-USA Athlete of the Week -- NCAA qualification in the javelin earns first-year athlete conference honor (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS - University of Memphis javelin thrower Christian McDonald was named Conference USA Male Track and Field Athlete of the Week as announced by the conference office Wednesday. McDonald threw an NCAA qualifying distance of 212-00 in the javelin last Saturday at the Lynx Spring Break Invitational at Rhodes College. The mark was a career best for McDonald shattering his previous best in the event by over 20 feet. The Kansas City, Kan. native joined the Tiger track squad in January after competing for one year at Hutchison Community College. McDonald finished sixth in the javelin at the 2006 the National Junior College Athletic Association Championships and earned All-American honors. This is the second straight week that Memphis has had the C-USA Male Athlete of the Week after thrower Steffen Nerdal brought home the award last week. In total, four Tigers have earned C-USA weekly awards in 2007, including throwers Glen Edwards and Gail Lee.

03/28/07		Memphis to Hold the 2007 Silent Auction and Banquet -- Tigers to hold an annual fundraiser (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's soccer team will take a break from the field to host an annual fundraiser. The Tigers will hold their annual silent auction and banquet on Thursday, March 29 at South Campus. The silent auction will take place from 7-9 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7:00 p.m., followed by a special guest speaker at 8:00 p.m. The featured speaker for the evening will be Michael Ueltschey. Peter Edmiston from the Soccer Fix Radio Show will be the MC for the evening. Admission to the event is $5 at the door. Several items will be auctioned off at the event. Some of the items being featured include autographed jerseys, Memphis Tiger sports collector's items and soccer memorabilia. An autographed jersey from Lionel Messi is one of the featured items of the evening. Messi plays for the Barcelona and Argentina soccer teams. Another featured item of the night is an autographed jersey from Christian Panucci, a member of the Roma Italia soccer team. A soccer ball signed by Tim Howard will also be featured at the event. Howard plays for the Everton and USA soccer teams. More information on the silent auction and banquet can be found on the website.

03/28/07		Tiger secondary gets boost -- Coaching duties split for crucial positions (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg Contact March 28, 2007 He's only seen it implemented for a week, but University of Memphis coach Tommy West is adamant. He's never going to stray from the practice again. For the first time in his seven years at the UofM, West is having two assistants -- Rick Kravitz and Derek Jones -- handle the secondary. Kravitz is in his first year as defensive coordinator and will work with the safeties. Jones is in his first season after spending last year at Tulsa and will coach the cornerbacks. ''I don't know that I would ever not have two again,'' said West. ''That position is so critical. It's just hard for one person to watch four (positions). ''And the corners and the safeties have become different entities in the last four years. I'll never have one secondary coach again. You just can't do it.'' West has an incentive to boost the secondary. Memphis was last in Conference USA in pass defense efficiency last season and seventh in pass defense, allowing 230.7 yards per game. Before spring practice began, West cited the defensive backfield as an area the Tigers needed ''to start over.'' ''What I like right now is we've got somebody coaching the corners and the safeties every snap,'' West said. ''They're getting coached. There's no doubt in my mind they're getting better.'' Kravitz, who came to the UofM from North Carolina State, is a proponent of the two-coaches-in-the-secondary philosophy. ''We did it at N.C. State and we did it at South Florida,'' Kravitz said. ''At first, we used to have two D-line coaches, but the game has changed so much. Now we're using nickels (five defensive backs) and dimes (six defensive backs) and it was too many players for one person to try to coach. ''I think it's the way it is with all systems right now. Everyone is trying to get the most out of their personnel. We could have six defensive backs in a game.'' Kravitz said when he was defensive coordinator at South Florida, the secondary duties weren't shared until his final two seasons. Sophisticated offenses demand such attention today. ''You see it more and more,'' Kravitz said. ''It's more eyes, for one, on all four people (two corners, two safeties). They are getting more immediate coaching and we are working on more specific things. We don't have to say we're doing a drill for the safeties and now we're doing a drill for the corners. ''The ability to separate makes a big difference. You get more time for technique and fundamentals.'' He said Jones' impact has been maximized by the decision. Jones said it's a familiar setup for him. A former Ole Miss defensive back, Jones came to the UofM from Tulsa, where he also coached only the cornerbacks. ''I've actually just worked with the corners my last seven or eight years doing this,'' Jones said. ''I think it's very beneficial because what the corners do and what the safeties do is so different, from a technical and a schematic standpoint. ''Being a former corner myself, you just have to be a real stickler to detail. That position is more about technique than anything else. You are talking about the one position on the field that can win or lose a ballgame every play. So you have to give those guys extra attention.'' He said, as does Kravitz, that with so many defenses employing nickel and dime packages, it doesn't make sense for one assistant to coach six players. ''At some point in time all five or six of those guys are doing something different,'' Jones said. Jones worked with the entire secondary at Murray State. It confirmed to him how overwhelming the task can be. ''It's too difficult to do,'' he said. ''You can be working on one drill with the safeties and it takes two (five-minute) periods to do and the corners are just standing there. The tackling is different, the backpedaling is different. ''Safeties don't play hard press coverage on the outside edge. That's something if you're going to hang your hat on being a press team, you have to work that stuff all the time. It doesn't benefit the safeties to watch my corners in individual drills press people.'' Jones said what intrigued him about the Memphis job was its abundance of talent. He knows that coaching, particularly split duties in the secondary, could be beneficial. Players have noticed. ''Now there's more time for one-on-one (instruction),'' said cornerback LaKeitharun Ford. ''We're getting more quality reps.'' Safety Brandon Patterson, a two-year letterman and the veteran of the secondary, welcomes working in smaller groups. ''The more teaching the better,'' he said.

03/28/07		Bulldogs rally, U of M loses 4th straight (Commercial Appeal)
		By Our Press Services March 28, 2007 STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State's Joseph McCaskill blooped a bases-loaded single into right centerfield to score Jeffrey Rea and give the Bulldogs a 9-8 win over the University of Memphis on Tuesday night at Dudy Noble Field. It was the Tigers' fourth straight loss. The Tigers held a 8-3 lead until MSU exploded for five runs in the sixth. The big inning was highlighted by a game-tying grand slam by Brandon Turner. Memphis got three hits from Will Petersen and Chris Kirkland, while State transfer Ben Grisham was 2-for-4 with a double, a homer and four RBI. It was Mississippi State's seventh straight win over Memphis (14-10) and 15th of the last 16 in the series. Reliever Ricky Bowen (3-0) worked 1 inning to pick up the win and starter Dusty Davis (3-1) was the loser for the Tigers. McCaskill had three of State's eight hits, while Memphis managed 15 hits.

03/28/07		Nike tells Cal 'Just do it' (Daily Helmsman)
		By: Tim Miller Sports Reporter Issue date: 3/28/07 If Willie Gregory had his way, John Calipari would join team Swoosh. Gregory, the Director of Community and Business Relations for Nike, said he would like to see Calipari and the Tigers switch to Nike uniforms. "If I ever get Cal to come out of those Adidas basketball uniforms, it'd be better," Gregory said. Because The University of Memphis does not have an all sport deal with an athletic company such as Nike or Adidas, Tiger replica jerseys are not sold in stores. The basketball team has a contract with Adidas while the football team is tied in with Nike. The on-campus bookstore sells basketball jerseys made by Majestic, but they resemble what the players wear only in that they have Memphis across the chest. Calipari and Memphis football coach Tommy West each have exclusive deals with Adidas and Nike respectively. The two coaches negotiated their own contracts that were then reviewed by Athletic Director R.C. Johnson and The University legal council, according to Bill Lofton, associate athletic director. Cash and contracts have prevented the sale of replica Memphis jerseys in the past, but that is about to change. Blue Planet, an exclusively Tiger athletic outfitter, will begin selling replica basketball throwback jerseys this summer. Tentatively scheduled to go on sale in June, Blue Planet founder Bill Alexander said fans will be able to buy the jerseys of former Tiger greats Keith Lee, Anfernee Hardaway, and Elliot Perry to name a few. A price for the uniforms, which will be stitched, has yet to be determined. "The throwbacks take about a year to produce," Alexander said. "It's a high-end product. We've been working on them for about eight months. We're going through some licensing issues right now. It's not something you can do overnight." The jerseys will have names on the back if all goes as planned, and the featured players agree to the release. All proceeds will go to the Larry Finch Foundation. Alexander also said Blue Planet has plans to produce an up-to-date replica jersey of incoming freshman Derrick Rose. Some people may be wondering why Blue Planet is the first company to produce Tiger replica jerseys. Alexander, whose investment firm supports Blue Planet, said it is because he is not concerned with turning a profit. "It's not about the money," he said "We can afford to do it where other vendors don't want to take a hit. It's a hobby and a big deal to us." Alexander graduated from The U of M in 1993. He has 27 family members who also graduated from the school, some of which help him with Blue Planet. "It's a family-type business," Alexander said. "We started Blue Planet because we didn't like the stuff out there. The love of The University is the main reason for this."

03/28/07		Records continue to fall as track team rises (Daily Helmsman)
		By: Shari Lofton Sports Reporter Issue date: 3/28/07 It is hard to believe that only four months ago, The University of Memphis track team was synonymous with losing. However, since the start of the 2006-2007 track season, Coach Kevin Robinson and his staff have managed to resurrect a team that seems to be on the verge of greatness. "We're changing our philosophy and our expectations," Robinson said. "We're not accepting the past and I'm excited to see them develop." The Tigers have literally been erasing the past by setting or tying 24 Memphis track records so far this year. Last week at the Rhodes Open Meet, freshman thrower Steffan Nerdal erased coach Robinson's former school record in the hammer by more than 10 feet. On the same field the following week, Nerdal set another school record in the hammer winning the event by more than 61 feet. "I was excited for Steffan. I wouldn't be doing my job as a coach if my records were still there. I think I only have one or two left," Robinson said. Nerdal is an example of the potential that Robinson saw in his team at the start of the indoor and outdoor seasons. Robinson said that although he knew Nerdal would do great things at The U of M, he had no idea how fast he would adapt to throwing at the college level. "He never threw indoors before this year, and we didn't know how he'd adjust to everything," he said. "I think he's started to scratch the surface of where he can be, and he's only a freshman." Nerdal is not the only freshman making an impact on the record books. Australia native Tina Sherrat broke her first record of the outdoor season in the 800 meter with a time of 2:14.30. In January, Sherrat became the only Lady Tiger to ever run a sub-five minute mile in January. "To run a sub-five minute mile at 17 years old shows that she will only get better," Robinson said. "Her running this year has already improved, and as she gains much more experience, she's become a pleasure to have." In order to perform at such a level this early into a season, Robinson said that a certain degree of commitment and sacrifice is required. While the rest of the student body had a Spring Break and has since been occupied with March Madness, the track team has been training almost every day since the end of the indoor season, having only two days off for Spring Break. Despite continuously training between seasons, the transition from fall to spring could not have come soon enough for athletes like senior sprinter Willie Green and sophomore thrower Christian McDonald. "It's tough on those guys because (during the indoor season) they were at home wishing they could do something," Robinson said. "Instead, they train through the fall and become so anxious to compete that (in the spring) we can't hold them back." Green was not able to compete in the fall due to injury, but coach Robinson said that before the season is over, he expects Green to qualify in the 100 meters for the NCAA Championship in June. On Saturday, Green won the 100 meters with a time of 10.59 seconds. He was only nine hundredths of a second away from qualifying for the NCAA regional championship. McDonald missed the indoor season because the javelin is not an indoor event. Despite the season-long hiatus, McDonald set a new U of M javelin record with a distance of 213 feet. The early success of Green, McDonald and the rest of the team is surprising considering the fact that not only do the Tigers train every day leading up to a meet, they also work out the day of and during their meets. Coach Robinson said that he incorporated this strict regimen to prepare his team for the finish line. Even though it is still early in the outdoor season, Robinson said that he knows his team is tired, but the practice will pay off in May just in time for the Conference USA championship. "We've really been pushing them hard, and I know they're beat up," Robinson said. "It's not about just getting on the track and running. It's about staying motivated and focused on what you want to accomplish at the end. Out in what you want to get out. That's our team motto." Memphis track will continue to train before and during meets when they travel to Starkville, Miss., and compete in the Bulldog Invitational this weekend.

03/27/07		Oden spoils Final Four bid (Daily Helmsman)
		By: Tim Miller Sports Reporter Issue date: 3/27/07 This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for The University of Memphis basketball team. After losing to UCLA in the Elite Eight last season, the Tigers had to cope with the loss of two first