Trip's Tigers: News Archives April 2008

04/30/08		Women's Soccer Highlight and Slideshow Videos Now Available -- End of the Year Highlight Video and 2007 Soccer Video Slideshow (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis women's soccer teams End of the Year Highlight Video and 2007 Soccer Video Slideshow are both now available on All-Access. The highlight video is under the highlights section and the slide show is available under the features/interviews section, free of charge. At the annual women's soccer banquet that was held on Friday, April 25 many team awards were announced. Junior defender Maggie Leone received the Spirit award, for the athlete who is always cheering and congratulating her teammates throughout each match. Junior defender Kate Murphy took home the Tiger award, which is given to the teams' hardest worker. Freshman midfielder Vendula Strnadova grabbed the Newcomer of the Year award. Junior midfielder Emiko Schwab took home the biggest award of the night as she was honored with the Most Valuable Player award. All awards were voted upon by the women's soccer team. Below are the following links to each of the videos: End of Year Women's Soccer Highlight Video http://all-access.cstv.com/cstv/player/player.html? code=mem&sport=w-soccer&category=Highlights%20%28MediaType %29&media=67757 /8108/secure_!/mem/07-08/video/w-soccer/ 04apr/video_080429_67757.wmv 07-08 Women's Soccer Video Slideshow http://all-access.cstv.com/cstv/player/player.html? code=mem&sport=w-soccer&category=Features%20%26%20 Interviews%20%28MediaType%29&media=67758

04/30/08		Ole Miss pounds out 10 hits to sweep Tigers (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg (Contact) Wednesday, April 30, 2008 The plans are in place for 36-year-old Nat Buring Stadium, the Park Avenue Campus baseball facility for the University of Memphis, to undergo a $3 million renovation after the season ends. If it will reverse the UofM's fortunes, the first wrecking ball can't come too soon. Tuesday night before 737, the Tigers committed three errors -- all in the seventh inning -- and stranded 12 runners (seven in the middle innings) to drop a 10-1 decision to Ole Miss. It represented the 10th straight loss at Nat Buring Stadium -- the Tigers (16-28) haven't won at their home field since March 23 -- and the 10th consecutive loss to Ole Miss. Ole Miss's Logan Power went 2-for-3 with a home run and three runs batted in to lead the Rebels (29-17) and Tim Ferguson went 2-for-5 and scored three runs. Memphis, outscored 42-8 in its past three games at Nat Buring, was limited to seven hits by three Rebel pitches. Left-hander Brett Bukvich (2-1) started and held the Tigers to five hits in 51/3 innings. Relievers Rory McKean and Wade Broyles pitched 32/3 scoreless innings. ''We executed in almost every situation we had to,'' Power said. ''And we some great pitching from (Bukvich) and McKean and Broyles. They did a really good job. That was huge for us.'' The Tigers fell behind 3-0 after five innings and trailed 6-1 after seven. A four-run eighth made it 10-1. ''Our offense has a hard time scoring if we're behind,'' Tiger coach Daron Schoenrock said. ''If you force us to try to bunch hits, without being able to hit and run and bunt and steal, then we're going to have a hard time. We've had a hard time all year getting two-out hits and outhitting teams.'' Tiger starter Brennon Martin (4-2) kept the Rebels off balance in the first four innings, holding them to two hits and a run. ''Early on it was hard for us to put together anything offensively,'' said Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco. ''Then you looked up and we had a couple of innings where we didn't get a lot of hits, but we were productive and got some bunts down and stole some bases and hit with runners in scoring position. ''We were able to push across a few runs later in the game. We haven't been playing good defense lately, but it was nice to see us turn some double plays.'' Ole Miss took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on a leadoff home run by Power. Power deposited a changeup just over the 318-foot mark down the leftfield line. The Rebels added two more in the fifth when designated hitter Kyle Mills reached on a one-out walk and scored on Ferguson's double to right-centerfield. Ferguson hustled to third on the throw home and scored on catcher Brett Basham's squeeze bunt. Memphis struck for its lone run in the sixth. Brett Bowen walked, went to third on Tyler Huelsing's infield single off first baseman Matt Smith's leg and scored on a single by Trey Wiedman to cut the Rebels' lead to 3-1. Ole Miss broke the game open in the seventh, taking advantage of Memphis's generosity. The Tigers committed three errors in the inning -- two by shortstop Chad Zurcher -- and grabbed a 6-1 lead. The Rebels batted around in the inning, scoring twice on errors. The other run was scored by Jordan Henry, who reached on an error and came across on a single by Cullan Kight. Schoenrock said it was an uncharacteristic performance by Zurcher, the freshman from Knoxville who has been a consistent player. ''He has been outstanding this year, but the game just got him a little bit tonight,'' Schoenrock said. ''I don't think it had anything to do with the speed of the game. It just happened. He's been a warrior all year and settled into that position nicely.'' The Tigers loaded the bases with two out in the fourth, but didn't score. In the sixth left the bases full after scoring their only run. ''We just couldn't muster any offense,'' Schoenrock said. ''We had opportunities in the fourth and sixth and couldn't get a big hit to fall for us. But when you give a team like Ole Miss freebies -- the errors (in the seventh) -- they're going to find a way to score runs when you give them gifts like that.''

04/29/08		No. 25 Ole Miss Rolls Past Memphis, 10-1 -- Late-inning rallies send Tigers to 10th straight loss to Rebels (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - No. 25 Ole Miss (29-17) 000 120 340 - 10 10 1 Memphis (16-28) 000 001 000 - 1 7 3 For six innings, Memphis hung in with the 25th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels, but a three-error, seventh inning and a four-run eighth sealed the Tigers' fate in a 10-1 loss on Tuesday evening at Nat Buring Stadium. The loss was Memphis's 10 consecutive to Ole Miss and completes the Rebels fifth straight season sweep of the Tigers. Memphis starter Brennon Martin and Ole Miss starter Brett Bukvich locked up for a scoreless pitcher's dual in the first three frames, before Rebels outfielder Logan Power tucked a solo homer inside the leftfield foul pole to break the scoreless tie. An RBI-double by Tim Ferguson and a safety squeeze by Brett Basham fueled a two-run third and chased Martin to his second loss of the year. Memphis got a single by Trey Wiedman scored Brett Bowen for the Tigers' lone run of the night and cut the Ole Miss lead to 3-1. That would be it for the Memphis offense and the defense then made three miscues to help the Rebels score three unearned runs in the seventh to stretch its cushion to 6-1. Power struck again in a four-run ninth, knocking a two-run single to left. Power led the Rebels with two hits, two runs scored and three RBI. Ole Miss out-hit Memphis 10-7. Cody Overbeck and Tim Ferguson added hits each for Ole Miss. Martin finished the night with five strikeouts in 4.2 innings. He allowed just three runs on four hits, but took the loss. Memphis pitchers struck out 11 Rebels in the game. Bukvich hauled in the win after giving up one run on five hit in 5.1 innings. He struck out four and walked four. Memphis will continue its race for a C-USA Tournament appearance this weekend as it travels to Houston for a three-game set with the Cougars.

04/29/08		CSS Selects Two Tiger Football Games To Televise This Season -- Tiger football set for six television appearances in 2008 (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, TENN. - Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) announced today that the network has selected two Tiger football games for broadcast this coming season. The two additions give the Tigers six televised games for the 2008 campaign. CSS, which is only available through a cable provider, will air the September 13 meeting between Memphis and Marshall in Huntington, W. Va., as well as the October 18 match-up between Memphis and East Carolina in Greenville, N.C. In addition to the CSS games, Memphis will have three contests carried by CBS College Sports, including the Conference USA opener with Rice at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on Sept. 6. CBS College Sports has also arranged to air the Thursday, Oct. 2, game with UAB in Birmingham and the Oct. 25 game with Southern Miss in Memphis, which has been tabbed as the U of M's Homecoming Game. The Tigers added the Louisville Cardinals to the schedule this season for the first time since 2004 and that game will be broadcast nationally by ESPN on Friday, Oct. 10, at the Liberty Bowl. Conference USA television contracts allow for additional games to be selected for broadcast later in the season. About CSS Network CSS is a 24-hour sports channel serving approximately 5.8 million cable subscribers across twelve southeastern states. Launched in 1999, the network is a partnership between Comcast Corporation and Charter Communications. CSS carries a full slate of college sports programming including over 45 live football games, 110 college football replay games, more than 160 men's and women's live college basketball games and 60 live baseball games, as well as a comprehensive mix of sports news and in-depth sports analysis geared toward fans in the Southeast. For more information on CSS, or to find out how you can get CSS on your cable system, log on to www.css-sports.com.

04/29/08		Ashley Murdock Named Second Team All-Conference USA -- Becomes first Lady Tiger to earn post-season honors since 2004 (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - - St. Agnes graduate Ashley Murdock became the first Lady Tiger tennis player since 2004 to be named to the All-Conference USA team it was announced Tuesday by the league office. Murdock was voted to the second team by the league coaches, giving Memphis its first all-league player since Marlene Dirnstorfer earned third team honors in 2004. Murdock capped her first season in Memphis with a 15-4 overall mark, including a 9-4 record at No. 1 singles and a 4-0 mark at No. 2. She closed the season with a six-match winning streak as she helped the Lady Tigers to a nine-win season after the team won just one match last season. Murdock also teamed with fellow sophomore Marjorie Ondeck at No. 1 doubles throughout the spring, posting a 6-6 mark at No. 1 and a 3-1 mark at No. 2. The duo won two straight matches to close out the season after being paired together after Murdock joined the Memphis roster in January after transferring from LSU. In Memphis history, just four other players have received All-Conference USA honors. Christina Ladyman was the program's lone four-time honoree, while Sabrina Lindemann was honored three times. Monica Gonzalez-Gordo was honored both years she was in Memphis and Dirnstorfer earned her third-team honor in her senior season. The Lady Tigers have no seniors graduating off the 2007-08 squad, so will return seven letterwinners next season, including Murdock. Three of those players are Memphis natives. Both Murdock and junior Kristin Chamberlain are graduates of St. Agnes, while freshman Lindsey Wiseman just finished her first collegiate season after graduating from Briarcrest.

04/29/08		CSS to show two Tiger football games (Commercial Appeal)
		University of Memphis 2008 football games against Marshall and East Carolina will be televised on Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast, the school announced today. Those two games -- Sept. 13 at Marshall and Oct. 18 at East Carolina -- bring to six the number of scheduled television games for the Tigers in the fall. CBS College Sports -- formerly CSTV -- will air the Rice game on Sept. 6, the UAB game on Oct. 2, and the Southern Miss game on Oct. 25. The Tigers will play Louisville on ESPN on Friday, Oct. 10 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. CSS is available only through a cable provider. Conference USA television contracts allow for additional games to be selected for broadcast later in the season.

04/29/08		Memphis freshman Zurcher showing he's no lightweight (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg (Contact) Tuesday, April 29, 2008 Shortly after the University of Memphis signed infielder Chad Zurcher to a National Letter of Intent in November 2006, the responses, as Tiger assistant Jerry Zulli recalls, were not particularly flattering. "People thought we were crazy for signing him," Zulli said. "He weighed about 145 pounds and he was getting the bat knocked out of his hands (by overpowering high school pitchers)." As the Tigers prepare to face Ole Miss at 6:30 tonight at Nat Buring Stadium -- the Rebels' first appearance on the school's Park Avenue campus in eight years -- Zulli's finding fewer of his peers questioning the decision. Forty-three games into his freshman season, Zurcher has emerged as one of the U of M's most consistent players, giving the Tiger defense a solid middle infielder and the offense a dependable No. 2 hitter. A keen understanding of the game and an admirable work ethic have helped Zurcher progress, along with a much-needed boost in another area. Zurcher weighed 135 pounds during his senior season at South Doyle High in Knoxville, but he'll carry 160 pounds with him when he sprints to his shortstop position tonight. "I feel strong with the weight I've added so far," Zurcher said. "I feel I can do more." The numbers support him. Zurcher went 10-for-19 (.526) in four games last week to boost his average to a team-leading .295. He leads the Tigers in hits (46) and runs (32), ranks second in doubles (9) and stolen bases (9) and third in runs batted in (23). Zurcher also has been the team's most difficult to fan, with only nine strikeouts in 156 at-bats. "He is not going to wow you, he is not going to hit the ball in the trees," Zulli said. "But if you watch him for seven straight days, he is going to stand out." For a freshman, Zurcher, whom the U of M staff thinks eventually can handle 185 pounds, has been comfortable at the plate, regardless of situation or the opponent. He had a key sacrifice bunt in extra innings earlier this month against Mississippi State -- after going 0-for-5 -- to help the Tigers to a 9-8 win at AutoZone Park. In a game at Middle Tennessee State last week, he had two hits in the 14th inning and scored the winning run. Three weeks ago in a one-run loss to seventh-ranked Rice, Zurcher went 4-for-5 with three doubles and five RBI. And from March 8 to April 6, he hit in 19 straight games, four shy of the school record. "I've learned I've just got to be aggressive," he said. "When they throw a fastball, you've got to be ready to hit it. And you've got to be ready to hit a mistake (pitch)." Acclimating himself to the college game remains an ongoing process, but Zurcher has enjoyed the challenge. He's gotten hits off Rice's Ryan Berry and Tulane's Shooter Hunt -- two of the nation's top pitchers -- and went 1-for-3 with a two-run single against Tulane lefthander Matt Petiton, who entered last weekend's game with a 1.71 earned-run average. "In the Rice series, going against Ryan Berry on a Friday night, I felt he got the best of me a few times, but I felt I battled him and battled even more as the weekend went on," Zurcher said. "It was a great feeling knowing I can do it if I just go up there and play the way I always have." Tiger coach Daron Schoenrock said he never envisioned Zurcher maintaining his grip on the No. 2 spot in the batting order, but said Zurcher has earned the position. Zulli said Zurcher is "driving the ball a lot better" than the staff thought he would. "He has grown up an awful lot," Schoenrock said. "His tools are somewhat limited, but he makes it up with his motor. That's what has allowed him to succeed at this level. He is getting some invaluable experience." As one would expect, Zurcher grew up a Tennessee fan, but chose Memphis because of his comfort level with the coaching staff. He said Kentucky and Clemson showed some interest in him, but Memphis recruited him the hardest. Zulli said Zurcher has become a solid college baseball player because of his work ethic. "What I like about him is he shows up seven days a week," Zulli said. "He plays because he loves the game. He's got a high baseball IQ and he's very mature for his age. "Now, he has to work to make plays in the field and he has to work in the batter's box. But that's OK. He is going to be a very good player." Tiger baseball vs. Ole mIss What: Makeup for game rained out on April 1 When, where: 6:30 p.m. today at Nat Buring Stadium Tickets: $5 for age 13 and up; $3 for ages 6-12; children 5 and under and U of M students free

04/28/08		Baseball Set for Makeup Tilt with Ole Miss at Nat Buring Stadium -- Tigers welcome Rebels to home stadium for first time since 2000 (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis baseball team will wrap up its season series with Ole Miss on Tuesday, April 29, when the Tigers host the Rebels at Nat Buring Stadium at 6:30 p.m. About the Tigers The road has been tough for the Tigers in the 2008 season, and the weekend versus Tulane was more of the same as Memphis was outscored 32-7 en route to being swept by the Green Wave in a two-game, rain-shortened series. Sunday's series finale was rained out. Freshman Chad Zurcher had a solid week for the Tigers, hitting .526 (10-for-19) in four games. That raised his batting average to a team-high .295 clip. The bright spot in the Memphis lineup, Zurcher leads the team in hits and runs, while ranking second in doubles and stolen bases. Tiger pitching took a hit in the ERA over the weekend, but still remains under 6.00. Scott McGregor leads the starter pitching corps with a 4.14 ERA. He also has a staff-best 48 strikeouts--two shy of his career-high 50 K's set in 2007. Behind McGregor, Neil Schenk and Marcus Barnes have been solid left-handed middle relief options out of the bullpen. Schenk, a senior, has a staff-low 2.20 ERA and holds opponents to a .209 batting average. He has fanned 33 batters. Barnes has 31 K's to go with a 3.96 ERA. Tuesday starter Brennon Martin is 4-1 with a 4.76 ERA. Scouting the Rebels The Rebels have gone 11-6 since playing Memphis on April 2, to improve to 28-17 on the year. In that stretch, Ole Miss swept No. 6 Vanderbilt and won the series against LSU (1-2). However, the last two weekends have been unkind as they have suffered series losses at No. 10 South Carolina (1-2) and at home versus Arkansas (1-2). With seven .300 hitters in the lineup, the Rebels swing to the tune of a .304 team batting average. Logan Power's .357 batting average leads the crew, while Munford High product Cody Overbeck hits at a strong .351 clip. Overbeck, who has accounted four 102 Rebel runs, is the team leader with 61 hits, 41 RBI, 13 doubles and 12 home runs. Power is second on the squad with 60 hits and 37 runs driven in. Fuller Smith hits .348 with 10 doubles and four homers, while Matt Smith adds 10 round-trippers. The Rebels have been thrown out just five times in 45 stolen base attempts. Jordan Henry is the team leader with 10 bags. On the hill, Ole Miss boasts a team ERA of 3.64. Of the Rebels' 15 pitchers, only four have ERA's over 5.00. Scott Bittle and Rory McKean both have ERA's under 2.00, at 1.72 and 1.77, respectively. Bittle combines an opponent's batting of .116, a staff-high 86 strikeouts and six saves to the gaudy ERA. McKean, who claimed the decision on April 2, is a perfect 4-0. The Memphis-Ole Miss Series The Memphis-Ole Miss rivalry is one of the longest standing series for the Tiger baseball team. The series goes way back to the 1915 season with Ole Miss holding an 89-52-1 advantage after defeating Memphis 5-4 in Oxford on April 2. The Tigers have dropped nine straight to the Rebels and have been swept in seven (1999-2000, 2002 and 2004-07) of the last nine season series. Since the 1999 season, Ole Miss has claimed 17 of 20 games. The last Memphis win came on April 23, 2003, when it snapped a six-game skid with a 6-3 win over the Rebels in Oxford. Then-true freshman Stephen Gostkowski kept the Rebels off the scoreboard in his three innings of work, allowing just one run and striking out three in his first outing as a collegian in his home state. The Rebels have not played at Nat Buring Stadium since April 25, 2000--eight years and three days ago--when they posted an 11-5 win over the Tigers. Last Time Ole Miss 5, Memphis 4 Memphis jumped out to a 4-0 lead with four runs in the first inning and Brach Davis fanned a career-high seven in five innings, but Ole Miss came back to score five unanswered runs to send the Tigers to their sixth straight loss in a 5-4 decision at Oxford-University Stadium. Davis cruised through the first four stanzas, no hitting the Rebels and tying his former career-high with six strikeouts. The southpaw gave up his first hit in the bottom of the fifth as Michael Guerrero grounded and infield single just under the glove of Bowen at third. From there the Ole Miss offense gained momentum with Zach Miller following Guerrero's single with a single to right centerfield. Both Guerrero and Miller had two hits each to lead the Rebels. Jeremy Travis gave Memphis the big blow two batters later. The Ole Miss rightfielder blasted his home run of the year over the leftfield wall to cut into the Tiger lead for a 4-3 contest. Catcher Brett Basham then reached on a push-bunt single. After Davis was called for a balk on a pick-off throw to first, Logan Power drove Basham home with an RBI-single to knot the tilt at 4-4. Ole Miss completed the comeback in the sixth on a home run by Guerrero for the 5-4 lead. Memphis could only manage to get one hit and two base runners over the final three innings of play. Philip Utley was the losing pitcher after giving up a run on two hits in one-third of an inning. Neil Schenk and Matt Yokley also worked in relief, with both holding Ole Miss scoreless. Yokley fanned two in one inning. Ole Miss reliever Rory McKean was the winner. He gave up just one hit in two innings of relief work. Cordova High product Nathan Baker came on the in relief of Irwin in the first and scattered five hits in 4.2 innings. Scott Bittle and Justin Cryer each logged an inning of work, with Cryer earning the save.

04/28/08		Calipari To Guest Host On Fox Sports National TV Show Tuesday and Wednesday -- The Tiger mentor has been a regular on BDSSP the last three years (GoTigersGo.com)
		LOS ANGELES, Calif. - University of Memphis head coach John Calipari will serve as a guest host on Fox Sports Net's "Best Damn Sports Show Period" (BDSSP) on Tuesday, April 29 and Wednesday, April 30. Check local television listings for broadcast times in your viewing area. The 2008 Naismith National Coach of the Year has been a regular on BDSSP the last three years, and appeared as a guest on the show recently during the Tigers' run to the NCAA championship game. Calipari took the Memphis hoops program to heights not seen in the Bluff City in quite some time, while also hitting some personal milestones in 2007-08. The Moon, Pa., native guided the Tigers to the NCAA Final Four, the program's first since 1985, and the NCAA title game, the school's first championship game appearance since 1973. Memphis, under Calipari's guidance in 2007-08, won an NCAA Division I record 38 games (38-2 record) in advancing to the NCAA title contest. The Tigers, which began 2007-08 with a school-record 26-straight wins, moved into the No. 1 spot in the national polls in January and remained there for a school-record five-consecutive weeks. The 2007-08 Tigers also completed quite possibly one of the best three-year runs in NCAA Division I history. Memphis posted a 104-10 record since 2005-06 - all under Calipari - and the 104 victories are tied for the most in a three-year period in NCAA Division I history. The 104 wins also make Calipari the winningest coach in a three-year span in NCAA Division I history. On Mar. 8, the Tigers defeated UAB to win their 30th game of 2007-08, and the victory placed Memphis and Calipari in elite company. The Tigers, 30-1 at that time, became the second program in NCAA Division I history to win 30 or more games three-straight seasons (Kentucky was the other program/1947-49, 1996-98). For Calipari, he became the second coach in NCAA Division I history to post three-consecutive 30-win seasons, joining Kentucky's Adolph Rupp who did it from 1947-49. In late February, Calipari won his 400th game as a collegiate head coach, and his overall record stands at 412-136. He is only the second head coach in the history of NCAA Division I basketball to reach the 400-win plateau in his first 16 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Roy Williams is the other coach to do so. The Naismith National Coach of the Year award was Calipari's second of his career, as he also received the same honor for the 1995-96 campaign while directing the UMass Minutemen to the 1996 NCAA Final Four. Calipari is only the second coach to win the Naismith Award twice since the honor's inception in 1987. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski is the other coach to do so, taking home the award three times.

04/27/08		News and Notes on a Rainy Sunday (Memphis Edge)
		Posted by Dan Wolken John Calipari�s new contract, as we wrote about yesterday, is a significant development in every way. Though it�s never wise to get into absolute predictions with regard to coaching tenures, the sheer numbers involved in this deal � essentially, he�ll make $3.35 million per year � will make it very difficult for Calipari to leave Memphis any time soon. Simply put, he�s now priced himself out of all but a few jobs. It would take one of those mega-blockbuster contracts � probably from an NBA team � to pull him away. Even at that, let�s just say an NBA team next week offered Calipari a contract worth $5 million per year. How much of the total contract would be guaranteed if he got fired after three years? He�s got $16.75 million guaranteed if he stays at Memphis for five years, and really, it�s even more than that because the deal will pretty much roll over every year. Plus, he lives in a state with no income tax, and from what I understand, the annuity part of his deal is also an advantageous tax situation. And, of course, the other part of that hypothetical situation is that an NBA owner would have to be willing to spend that kind of money on Calipari, which is probably less likely given the track record of college coaches in the NBA. The significance of this deal cannot be overstated. When you�re paying your college basketball coach this amount of money � and only Billy Donovan, Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams are in the same pay grade � it�s an amazing commitment by the school and especially the boosters. I had heard rumblings before the NCAA Tournament that R.C. Johnson was meeting with boosters to look at ways to sweeten Calipari�s deal, and obviously they came up big in a major way. And I don�t think anybody could make a serious case that it�s not money well spent. There is no coach in the country who means more to his program than Calipari. At the same time, Memphis has been very good to Calipari, and not just financially. He�s been able to establish a brand here; for potential recruits and fans on a national scale, �Memphis basketball� has certain connotations that are beneficial to him both as a coach and a personality. Calipari is also in a situation where he can win big if he�s able to recruit � and all indications, at this point, are that recruiting is not being hurt at all by being in Conference USA. If Calipari stays at Memphis for 10 more years, he walks into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Other notes: � They re-finished the floor at the Finch Center, and it looks amazing. The new floor also includes the new college 3-point line, which will be an interesting development to keep an eye on. � After talking briefly with Wesley Witherspoon and his mother yesterday, I�ll be shocked if he doesn�t commit to Memphis this week. Shocked. � Departure date for China is set for May 26 with a return for June 2 or 3rd. The problem is, how many players will Calipari be able to take? Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Joey Dorsey are no-gos. The incoming recruits can�t go. Memphis may actually end up bringing along a few players from other C-USA teams to fill out the roster for the three exhibition games against the Chinese national team. � Nothing official yet, but Andy Allison and Shyrone Chatman are pretty much set to go to UMass with Derek Kellogg. Memphis is basically operating right now with a three-man staff in John Calipari, John Robic and Rod Strickland. With Calipari and Strickland hosting Witherspoon�s on-campus visit, the Tigers only had one representative out on the road this weekend. Robic went to Akron to see the King James AAU Tournament. � There has been a lot of chatter on Internet message boards about the status of Hashim Bailey, who was injured fairly early in the season and did not play at all after that. Just informed speculation here, but I don�t expect Bailey to be on the roster next year. There was a reference on Zagsblog this week to Bailey possibly transferring to Marist or UMass. I�d say the odds of something like that are pretty good, though I�m not sure Bailey is good enough to play for UMass. � Nothing is really happening yet on the Tigers� schedule for next season, but Calipari would LOVE to put together a Kansas-Memphis rematch of the national championship game as the big opener to the college basketball season. Put it on ESPN and give the sport a made-for-TV event to start the season. How about Saturday, Nov. 8 in St. Louis as a lead-in to Alabama at LSU, which certainly will be the College GameNight broadcast? I could also see a potential Memphis-Louisville game in New York, as it seems Rick Pitino would actually be agreeable to that. I highly doubt Memphis will be in any sort of holiday tournament next season, but a Louisville or Kansas game would be a great addition to an already very difficult non-conference schedule. � Memphis won�t have anybody coming into FedExForum next season as good as Tennessee or Georgetown, but Ohio State and Syracuse could/should both be top 25 teams. And don�t forget about Cincinnati. The Bearcats� returning roster stacks up very well, and I wouldn�t be shocked at all if they�re a top-25 team heading into Memphis next season.

04/27/08		Calipari's new contract signed through 2012-2013 (Commercial Appeal)
		By Dan Wolken (Contact) Saturday, April 26, 2008 John Calipari's new contract with the University of Memphis not only makes him one of the five highest-paid coaches in college basketball, but also includes staggering financial incentives that would be difficult for any potential suitor -- college or pro -- to match. According to the new five-year deal, which was signed Friday night, Calipari will make $2.35 million annually in base salary. But the key part is a new, donor-funded longevity bonus that will total $5 million if he stays at Memphis through the 2012-13 season. Previously, Calipari was set to receive a $2.5 million annuity at the end of the 2010 campaign, which would be his 10th in Memphis. That has been replaced by the new $5 million bonus, which Calipari will receive incrementally over the course of his new deal. So essentially, Calipari will make $3.35 million per year guaranteed with the opportunity to make more through bonuses for things like player graduation rates and NCAA Tournament success. Florida's Billy Donovan is the highest-paid coach in the country at $3.5 million annually. The contract also includes raises for assistant coaches and bonuses that would elevate them to among the highest-paid at their positions should Memphis reach future Final Fours. Calipari said the new deal, in his mind, elevates the Memphis coaching job to one of the top five in the country "in every way." It's a long way from the contract angst between Calipari and athletic director R.C. Johnson two years ago, when Calipari nearly left Memphis for N.C. State. After that episode, Calipari was bumped up to $1.3 million. After he flirted with Arkansas last March, Calipari's package was raised to $1.8 million annually. This time, the Memphis administration proactively went to Calipari before the Tigers began their run to the NCAA Tournament championship game and quickly hammered out details of the contract. "We just said, this is what it is, and I said, 'Fine,'" Calipari said. "They made an offer and I said, 'That's good with me. There was no negotiation really. "I'm appreciative of R.C. and the administration here to try to make this position -- and it's not me personally -- one of the best in the country. Now you're talking about a position that is one of five -- the position of head basketball coach at the University of Memphis. I was excited." The announcement coincided with the official visit of recruit Wesley Witherspoon, a 6-8 wing ranked among the top 50 players nationally in the 2008 recruiting class. Though Calipari had previously agreed in principle on the new contract -- The Commercial Appeal first reported it on April 15 -- the fact that it remained unfinished for 10 days had apparently caused some concern in the recruiting world. At the same time, Calipari's name was being thrown around in media reports as a possible candidate for NBA openings, notably the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls. In reality, those two developments had nothing to do with one another. "I was like, what is everybody talking about?" Calipari said. "Well, I haven't signed? I haven't been on the campus. What happens on the Internet -- stuff explodes, and it's not accurate." The truth is, Calipari had been criss-crossing the country visiting recruits and had not sat down with the university's legal counsel, Sherri Lipman, to put the final touches on the document. And even a signed contract would not hypothetically prevent Calipari from leaving Memphis if he chose to do so. However, Calipari's new financial package has significantly narrowed the number of jobs he could even consider taking. Calipari said as much Saturday in response to the idea that his name will likely still pop up in connection with future college and pro openings. "What this contract has done you wipe out 99 percent of the stuff," Calipari said. "I told (university officials) that. I appreciate what they're doing. It's not only what they're doing with the base salary stuff. There's a longevity bonus which ends up, yearly, wiping out there are no other places. This is it. This is the place. We've decided the University of Memphis coaching position should be like this. "My name has been thrown around on AAU jobs, high school jobs, every job. And that's part of what we have to deal with. But it's like, the university and the city thinks they have to deal with it? I've got to deal with it in recruiting. What do you think another coach throws out the minute they go in? 'He'll never be there' Well, I'm nine years now. ... We have a good thing going. Why would I want to leave? I don't want to leave. I have no desire to leave." And that's good news for Johnson, who began meeting with donors early in the season to secure the funds for this contract. "It's a great day for the university and Tiger basketball," Johnson said. "John and I agreed on this some time ago, but as John said, he's been gone a lot, I've been gone a lot and our university counsel has also been out of town. We wanted to get it done and we did. I'm really excited, and I think everyone else is excited too. It's a great day." Calipari is sixth among active coaches with a 75.2 winning percentage and is the only coach in history to take two programs from outside the power conferences to Final Fours. His next victory at Memphis will be No. 220, tying him with Larry Finch for the school record.

04/27/08		Wave pounds Tigers again (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg (Contact) Sunday, April 27, 2008 Tulane 15, Memphis 3 There was a two-run loss to Southern Miss last weekend in a Conference USA game in New Orleans. And there was a heartbreaking four-run loss to rival LSU last week. After having two games -- and portions of its confidence -- slip away, Tulane has shown in the first two games of its series against the University of Memphis that it has no intention of repeating those breakdowns. Memphis has been in the unfortunate position of being next on the Green Wave's schedule. Saturday at Nat Buring Stadium, Tulane unleashed its fury on the UofM for the second straight day, whipping the Tigers 15-3 behind an 18-hit attack. The win followed a 17-4 Green Wave victory in Friday night's opener. In the two wins by Tulane (29-13-1, 8-5-1 in C-USA), the Green Wave have pounded 32 hits. Anthony Scelfo, who went 5-for-6 Saturday, has gone 8-for-12 in the series and scored seven runs. ''We've played well the last two days,'' said Tulane coach Rick Jones. ''We had a very tough loss against Southern Miss last Sunday. And then we had a game get away from us (against LSU) on Tuesday. ''We were a club that had some questions when we came into town. It's been good to see us have these two days. But the maturation process of this team is still ongoing. I'm anxious to see how we play (today).'' Tulane will be attempting to sweep its first C-USA series of the season today beginning at 1 p.m. Memphis (16-27, 4-10 in C-USA) will be trying to avoid being swept for the third time in five C-USA weekends. After falling behind 2-0 early Saturday, the Tigers fought back with two runs in the bottom of the third as Chad Zurcher lined a two-run single past third. Brett Bowen and Daniel Kaufmann, who had singled ahead of Zurcher, scored. But after the third inning, Memphis managed only two more hits, one of which was an infield single by Eric Farrell in the eighth. Tulane never stopped its offensive onslaught. It bounced back with two runs in fourth, getting run-scoring doubles from Scelfo and Seth Henry, and put the game away in the sixth. The Green Wave batted around in the inning, scoring six times on five hits. Sam Honeck's two-run homer made it an 11-2 game. ''The thing I was impressed with was, offensively, when they came back and scored those two runs we came right back and had those two-out doubles to get the three runs and then we started stretching the lead from there,'' Jones said. ''Those rebound innings, when you can come back after somebody scores, swings the momentum back in your favor. That was good to see.'' Tulane finished with seven extra-base hits, including two doubles by Scelfo. Rob Segedin went 3-for-4 and Andrew Rodgers 3-for-5 as the Green Wave finished with a double-digit hit total for the fourth straight game. ''The story was we had a hard time putting their hitters away,'' said Tiger coach Daron Schoenrock. ''(Memphis starter) Brach (Davis) worked them to a lot of deep counts early in the game, a lot of 3-1 and 3-2 counts. ''Their approach at the plate was very disciplined. They did a great job pitch-counting Brach and they did a great job late in the count.'' One day after facing Shooter Hunt, perhaps C-USA's best pitcher, the Tigers confronted lefty Matt Petiton, whose numbers were as impressive as Hunt's. Petiton (5-0) entered with a 1.71 earned-run average. Against Memphis, Petiton limited Memphis to three hits and two runs in six innings. ''With the exception of the third inning, he managed the strike zone,'' Jones said. ''He kept hitters off balance. I thought he mixed a good changeup with a fastball that he spotted on both halves. And he minimized his pitches (62 pitches in six innings).'' Petiton retired the first six hitters he faced and breezed through a four-pitch fourth inning. In the fifth he made a great stab of a one-hopper back to him off the bat of Kaufmann. ''(Petiton) did a good job working the fastball on both halves, which we felt he would do coming in,'' Schoenrock said. ''You couldn't sit in a zone or a location. That's two good pitchers in two days picking on a young lineup where things have to go well for us (to win).''

04/27/08		College basketball: Memphis' Calipari signs contract extension (Jackson Sun)
		The Associated Press April 27, 2008 MEMPHIS - Memphis coach John Calipari signed a contract extension through the 2012-13 season that includes an annual raise of $500,000 and a $5 million bonus if he stays through the end of the contract. Calipari's new contract will pay him $2.35 million per year. Calipari took the Tigers to the national championship game this year, the program's first Final Four since 1985 and first NCAA final since 1973. Memphis lost 75-68 in overtime to Kansas. Calipari said the offer was made a month ago, but recruiting and other duties kept him too busy to sign the deal. He said other schools used that against him by implying he was still looking at other jobs. "What this contract has done is wiped out 99 percent of that stuff, and I told them that I appreciate that. It's not only the base salary, but it's also the longevity bonus which wipes out the others. There are no other places. This is the place," Calipari said Saturday at a news conference. The Tigers had an NCAA Division I record 38 wins this season and captured their third straight Conference USA regular season and tournament titles. Calipari won his second Naismith National Coach of the Year award, joining Mike Krzyzewski of Duke as the only coaches to win more than once. His Tigers are 104-10 over the past three seasons, tied for most victories in a three-year stretch in NCAA Division I history. Calipari will have to virtually start from scratch next season. All five of the starters from this year's team are testing themselves in the NBA draft, and Calipari is confident freshman point guard Derrick Rose, junior All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts and senior Joey Dorsey should hear their names called. "One of them may be the top pick in the draft, another may be in the top 15 and the other may be taken in the 20s. If you look at our staff, they all got jobs. So from all of this we all have benefited," Calipari said. Athletic director R.C. Johnson said he was excited to get the deal signed, and acknowledged there were some nervous moments the last few weeks. "You always worry about everyone in your department. Obviously, John is a much higher profile coach or else you all wouldn't be here today," Johnson said. "We had a great year in Tiger athletics, and we have a great staff so you always worry about trying to get everyone back. When you have success, people tend to move on and get offers."

04/26/08		Tulane Wins Series with 15-3 Win over Memphis -- Memphis tries to avoid sweep on Sunday (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Tulane (28-13-1; 8-5-1 C-USA) 110 306 220 - 15 18 1 Memphis (16-27; 4-10 C-USA) 002 000 010 - 3 5 2 For the second consecutive outing, Memphis was unable to stay with Tulane as the Green Wave raced to a 15-3 win to take the series on Saturday. Tulane used an 18-hit offensive attack and its pitcher limited Memphis to just five hits in the contest. The game was close through five innings of play, with Tulane clinging to a 5-2 lead, but the Green Wave bats broke things open with six runs in the sixth and two more in both the seventh and eighth to take control, 15-3. For the second consecutive game, Memphis got all of its run production from one player. Friday night it was Tyler Huelsing's grand slam that brought in all four runs. Saturday it was freshman Chad Zurcher who drove in the Tigers three scores. Zurcher, the Tigers' leading hitter, tied the game at 2-2 in the third with a two-run single that plated Brett Bowen and Daniel Kaufmann. That would it for the Tiger offense until the eighth inning, when Zurcher's infield single scored Eric Farrell. However, while the Tiger offense was held scoreless from the fourth to seventh innings, the Green Wave attack came alive. TU struck for three runs in the fourth to take a 5-2 lead, before blowing the game open in the sixth. In the fourth, Sam Honeck walked to lead off the inning and back-to-back doubles by Anthony Scelfo and Seth Henry made it 4-2. Henry came around to score on a single by Rob Segedin. A two-run shot to right by Honeck highlighted the Wave's sixth inning. Brach Davis took the tough loss for Memphis. The southpaw gave up five runs on eight hits and struck out three. Wave starter Matt Petiton went six innings and gave up two runs on three hits to pick up his fifth win in as many decisions. Tulane was led offensively by Scelfo, who went 5-for-6 with five runs scored. Segedin and Andrew Rodgers had three hits each. Memphis will look to salvage a game in the series on Sunday, when they take on the Green Wave in the finale. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Nat Buring Stadium.

04/26/08		Calipari Signs Contract Extension Through 2012-13 Season -- Tiger mentor is only second head coach in NCAA Division I history to have over 400 wins in first 16 years (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - University of Memphis Director of Athletics R.C. Johnson announced Saturday that John Calipari has signed a contract extension which will keep the renowned head coach at the helm of the Tiger basketball program through the 2012-13 season. Calipari's new contract now has a total guaranteed package of $2.35 million annually which reflects a $500,000 increase over his 2007-08 salary. In addition, if Calipari remains the Tigers' head coach through the 2012-13 campaign, he will receive a donor-funded longevity bonus of $5 million. CALIPARI ACCOMPLISHMENTS � Graduated 15 of last 17 seniors at Memphis; in addition, had an 80 percent graduation rate during his time at UMass � Won 412 games in his first 16 years as a collegiate head coach; only Roy Williams had more victories in that span of time � Sixth active winningest coach in NCAA Division I history by percentage (75.2 percent) � Winningest head coach in NCAA Division I history for a single season with 38 victories in 2007-08 � Winningest head coach in NCAA Division I history for a three-year period with 104 victories from 2006-08 � Second coach in NCAA Division I history to have three-straight 30-win seasons (Kentucky Adolph Rupp's was the first from 1947-49) � One of three coaches in NCAA Division I history to guide two different schools to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament (Roy Williams and Bill Self are the other two) � One of five coaches in NCAA Division I history to guide two different schools to a No. 1 national ranking (Frank McGuire, Ralph Miller, Roy Williams and Eddie Sutton are the other four) � Only coach in NCAA Division I history to direct two different non-BCS schools to a No. 1 national ranking and the NCAA Final Four � 2008 Naismith National Coach of the Year, marking the second time he received the honor (one of two coaches to receive it twice since award's inception in 1987; Duke's Mike Krzyzewski is the other) � Directed two non-BCS schools to six NCAA Tournament Sweet 16s, five Elite Eights, two Final Fours and one championship game appearance � Guided Memphis to eighth-longest regular season win streak in NCAA Division I history with 45-consecutive victories from 2006-07 through 2007-08 � Directed Tigers to a 26-0 start to the 2007-08 season; second time he had a team start a year 26-0 as UMass did so in 1995-96 � Averaged over 27 wins per year in his eight years at Memphis (27.4) � Averaged nearly 26 victories in his collegiate career (25.8) "Eight years ago, we hired John as head coach for our basketball program, and he and I set three goals," said Johnson. "First, graduate student-athletes under his tutelage. Next, place this basketball program on a national stage and compete for championships. Finally, rekindle and strengthen the bond between the city and basketball program. "He's accomplished all three. John has committed to the university and community just as we have committed to him." The 2008 Naismith National Coach of the Year, Calipari took the Memphis hoops program to heights not seen in the Bluff City in quite some time, while also hitting some personal milestones in 2007-08. The Moon, Pa., native guided the Tigers to the NCAA Final Four, the program's first since 1985, and the NCAA title game, the school's first championship game appearance since 1973. "My position has never wavered," said Calipari. "As long as the school was committed to having a top-10 national program, I wanted to stay. Obviously, I feel that this has been done in the past and will continue to be done in the future." Memphis, under Calipari's guidance in 2007-08, won an NCAA Division I record 38 games (38-2 record) in advancing to the NCAA title contest. The Tigers, which began 2007-08 with a school-record 26-straight wins, moved into the No. 1 spot in the national polls in January and remained there for a school-record five-consecutive weeks. Calipari is one of five coaches in NCAA Division I history to lead two different programs to a No. 1 national ranking (UMass, Memphis). The other four coaches to do so were Frank McGuire, Ralph Miller, Roy Williams and Eddie Sutton. Furthermore, Memphis held down the No. 1 or No. 2 spots in the national polls for another school-record 16-straight weeks. The Tigers finished the 2007-08 season ranked No. 2 in both polls, the highest final rankings in school history. The 2007-08 Tigers also completed quite possibly one of the best three-year runs in NCAA Division I history. Memphis posted a 104-10 record since 2005-06 - all under Calipari - and the 104 victories are tied for the most in a three-year period in NCAA Division I history. The 104 wins also make Calipari the winningest coach in a three-year span in NCAA Division I history. On Mar. 8, the Tigers defeated UAB to win their 30th game of 2007-08, and the victory placed Memphis and Calipari in elite company. The Tigers, 30-1 at that time, became the second program in NCAA Division I history to win 30 or more games three-straight seasons (Kentucky was the other program/1947-49, 1996-98). A week later, UCLA joined Memphis and Kentucky in that group. For Calipari, he became the second coach in NCAA Division I history to post three-consecutive 30-win seasons, joining Kentucky's Adolph Rupp who did it from 1947-49. In late February, Calipari won his 400th game as a collegiate head coach, and his overall record stands at 412-136. He is only the second head coach in the history of NCAA Division I basketball to reach the 400-win plateau in his first 16 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Roy Williams is the other coach to do so. Calipari directed the Tigers to their third-straight C-USA regular season and tournament titles in 2007-08. It is the first time in the program's history that Memphis has claimed three-consecutive regular season and tournament crowns. The Naismith National Coach of the Year award was Calipari's second of his career, as he also received the same honor for the 1995-96 campaign while directing the UMass Minutemen to the 1996 NCAA Final Four. Calipari is only the second coach to win the Naismith Award twice since the honor's inception in 1987. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski is the other coach to do so, taking home the award three times. Calipari, who was named Conference USA Coach of the Year for the second time in three years (2006, 2008), was also a National Coach of the Year finalist for the Henry Iba and Jim Phelan Awards. Calipari, Johnson Quotes On Contract Extension Memphis Head Coach John Calipari Opening Comments "We officially signed a contract (this weekend) that we agreed to probably over a month ago. I haven't been in town, (Director of Athletics) R.C. Johnson hasn't been in town and (University Counsel) Sheri Lipman was working and also has been in and out. "It probably became more than it should have been, but she (Lipman) and I sat down yesterday, looked at it and then signed it. I want to thank the city of Memphis because, as I always say, it takes a village. This contract is not state dollars. Most of it is privately funded. I would hope people look at this not as me personally, but as the head basketball coach position at this university which is important to the city and the school. "The great thing about all this is the great run that just happened and who benefited from it. Our city and university benefited from it. What about our players? Five of them put their names in the NBA Draft, and one of them may be the top pick the draft, another may be in the top 15 and the other may be taken in the 20s. If you look at our staff, they all got jobs. So, from all of this we all have benefited. "My family has benefited by this offer. I'm appreciative of R.C. and the administration making this position - and it's not me personally - one of the best in the country. Now, you're talking about a position that is one of the five best (in the country) here at the University of Memphis. "It's a good thing for all of us and I'm ecstatic. Obviously, this was also to make it better for the assistant coaches. Now, the new assistant coaches will have it better than the former assistant coaches. "Again, this (contract) was done some time ago. They made an offer and I said, `Fine.' There were really no negotiations." Was it (not signing the contract) hurting recruiting? "It became that, and I was like, `What is everybody talking about?' People were saying I haven't signed the contract. Well, I haven't been on campus to sign it. The stuff that happens on the internet just explodes and it's not accurate. (While on the road) I called back and told them when I was going to be in and asked them if they would be in. Basically, Sheri had to come to my house yesterday because she was running in different directions. It was more of all of us being in the same place together." Name linked to other jobs? "What this contract has done is wiped out 99 percent of that stuff, and I told them that I appreciate that. It's not only the base salary, but it's also the longevity bonus which wipes out the others. There are no other places. This is the place. "My name has been thrown around for AAU jobs, high school jobs and others and that is part of the job we have to deal with. If the university and city think they have to deal with it, I also have to deal with it in recruiting. So when another coach goes into to recruit a player we're looking at, they throw that `He won't be there.' Well, it's going on nine years now. After my first year here, they said he'll never stay another year. They said, `He'll stay four seasons - winter, spring, summer and fall. That's it.' I'm on my ninth year. And at the other school (UMass), I was there eight years. We have a good thing going, why would I want to leave? I don't want to leave, and have no desire to leave." Relief to family? "The relief is when they made the offer, and I was very comfortable with it and said, `Let's go with this.' The relief came over a month ago when the offer was made." Is Memphis a top-five job? "Now it is, in every way. We have bonuses set for assistant coaches that, if we reach the Final Four, they will as highly paid as any assistant in the country. They should be if we get to a Final Four. There are some things in there so that these guys understand that we can go out and get the best in the country. When Derek (Kellogg) and Chuck (Martin) left and their positions came open, my phone died because of the number of calls I was receiving on these jobs, and some of those calls came from schools in the elite leagues." Memphis Director of Athletics R.C. Johnson "It's a great day for the University and Tiger basketball. John and I agreed on this some time ago, but as John said, he's been gone a lot, I've been gone a lot and our university counsel has also been out of town. We wanted to get it done and we did. I'm really excited, and I think everyone else is excited too. It's a great day." Were there some "sweating-it-out" moments? "You always do. As the Director of Athletics, you always worry about everyone in your department. Obviously, John is a much higher profile coach or else you all wouldn't be here today. We had a great year in Tiger athletics, and we have a great staff so you always worry about trying to get everyone back. When you have success, people tend to move on and get offers and opportunities, and that's part of it."

04/26/08		Memphis Scores 15 Runs on 22 Hits but Fall Twice to ECU -- Five Tigers hit home runs in doubleheader (GoTigersGo.com)
		For Immediate Release Contact: Brandon Kolditz wkolditz@memphis.edu, (901) 871-5475 Game One ECU 000 144 0 - 9 8 0 Memphis 202 000 0 - 4 6 5 WP: Swann (19-18) LP: Bossom (10-13) HR: (ECU) Andrews (8) (MEM) Kelso (8), Kassner (5) Game Two ECU (32-25, 8-11) 001 515 0 - 12 13 1 Memphis (24-26, 4-15) 320 032 1 - 11 16 6 WP: Swann (20-18) LP: Bossom (10-14) HR: (ECU) Andrews (9) (MEM) Gross (4), Rowan (5), McKinley (3) MEMPHIS - Five Tigers homered on Saturday as the University of Memphis scored 15 runs in a doubleheader with East Carolina at the Tiger Softball Complex, but the Pirates came from behind to win both, 9-4 and 12-11. Memphis (24-26, 4-15) out hit ECU 22-21 in the two games and began both contests with at least a four-run lead, but fielding errors troubled the Tigers throughout the day. Eleven errors on the day helped spur comebacks for the Pirates as ECU came from a 4-0 deficit in game one and overcame a 5-0 Memphis lead in game two. Senior Lindsay Kelso, junior Tori Gross, sophomore Leigh Rowan and freshmen Kailey Kassner and Maddie McKinley all hit home runs for Memphis. McKinley finished 4-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI, and Kelso and Gross both had three hits and three RBI. Memphis fell behind 7-5 in the second game after taking a 5-0 lead through the first two innings on a three-run shot by Gross and a solo dinger from McKinley. The Tigers battled back in the bottom of the fifth with three runs to take an 8-7 lead behind a two-run homer by Rowan, but ECU put up a five spot in the sixth inning to go up by four. Memphis came within a run from tying the game in the seventh inning after scoring two on a bases loaded single by freshman Kim Sirman in the sixth. Junior Leandra Hines led off the bottom of the seventh inning with her fourth hit of the day and scored for the third time in the doubleheader on a double by Kelso. The U of M had three outs to score the tying run from second with the next four batters having already homered in the day, but the Tigers were unable to record another hit. Two-run homers by Kassner in the first and Kelso in the third gave Memphis a 4-0 lead through three innings in game one, but ECU kept the U of M scoreless the remainder of the game. The Pirates scored a run in the fourth and four in both the fifth and sixth innings to win by five. Four of the runs were unearned. Freshman Kimber Bossom (10-14) suffered the loss in both games after giving up a combined eight earned runs in seven innings of work. ECU RHP Brooke Swann (20-18) earned the win in both contests after giving up seven runs on 12 hits in nine and two-thirds innings. ECU left fielder Stacey Andrews homered in each of the two games and had five RBI on three hits in the day. Memphis will host its final home game of the season at noon on Sunday to complete the three-game series against East Carolina. The game will be Senior Day for the Tigers as the U of M honors its two seniors, catcher/outfielder Lindsay Kelso and infielder Melissa Nance, before the game.

04/26/08		Tigers make their case to Witherspoon -- Standout forward would bring multiple skills to reloading U of M (Commercial Appeal)
		By Dan Wolken (Contact) Saturday, April 26, 2008 When Wesley Witherspoon hears the University of Memphis' recruiting pitch this weekend, it won't be an entirely new experience. In fact, the versatile 6-8 wing from Lilburn, Ga., already got the full-court press just a few days ago -- from none other than future Memphis guard Tyreke Evans during last Saturday's Jordan Brand Classic all-star game in New York. "I felt like he was an assistant coach up there," Witherspoon said. "Every time I saw him, we talked about the Tigers." If landing Evans was Step 1 in the Tigers' roster makeover this spring, Witherspoon would be a significant Step 2. In Evans, Memphis secured the high-scoring guard it will need to get back in national championship contention next season. In Witherspoon, the Tigers would add a multi-skilled player who can defend four positions and even play point guard. Witherspoon compared his style to that of Detroit Pistons small forward Tayshaun Prince and said he could easily envision himself playing alongside Evans. "I can score, but that's not what I do," Witherspoon said. "I think that would be a good combo, a nice 1-2 punch. I know he'll get the ball in the basket, and I know I would be able to get it to him." Though Witherspoon talked hypothetically about playing for the Tigers, he said he is still undecided among Memphis, Texas and Virginia. Witherspoon has scheduled Thursday to announce his college choice, which will cause plenty of ripples in college basketball given that he was ranked No. 34 nationally by Rivals.com in its most recent evaluation of this recruiting class. Witherspoon is one of just four undecided players ranked in the top 50; Memphis is recruiting two of the other three in forward Devin Ebanks (No. 11) and forward Rashanti Harris (No. 41), though Harris will likely go to prep school next year. Witherspoon would be the third top-50 player in this Memphis recruiting class, joining Evans (No. 6) and forward Angel Garcia (No. 47). The Tigers have also signed forward Matt Simpkins (No. 80). Though he can't talk specifically about recruits who have not signed, coach John Calipari has been touting his class as potentially the nation's best. The understanding in that prediction, however, is that Witherspoon would be a part of it. That's why Tiger basketball recruiting has been perhaps the biggest local sports topic in recent days -- a fact that Witherspoon apparently hadn't considered, as he was taken aback Friday afternoon when reporters were waiting at the airport to interview him. "This has never happened before, seeing all these cameras," Witherspoon said. "You see this kind of stuff on TV and laugh about it at home. It's crazy. I would have put on my suit if I had known." Memphis fans, however, won't care much about Witherspoon's attire as long as he can play. To that end, Witherspoon seems to be a good fit in the Tigers' dribble-drive motion offense. Because Witherspoon was just 6-4 at the beginning of his sophomore year, he was never pigeonholed as a post player. Instead, he was able to work on his ballhandling, giving him the ability to play various positions in the backcourt. With the Tigers losing Chris Douglas-Roberts and possibly Antonio Anderson, who put his name in the NBA draft this week to test the waters, Witherspoon would be a potential replacement. He has the length and athleticism to produce the perimeter mismatches that were a trademark of Memphis' run to the NCAA championship game. Witherspoon said he wasn't too concerned about which of Memphis' underclassmen would be back next year. Anderson and junior forward Robert Dozier -- who is also from Lilburn, Ga. -- will likely return to Memphis if they are not first-round draft picks. "Playing time isn't really a factor for me because I know if I do what I have to do, I'll play wherever I go," Witherspoon said. "Really, it's where I fit in the best. Me and my mom will sit down and talk about it when I get home." Meet Wesley Witherspoon Size: 6-8, 185 Position: Forward Hometown: Lilburn, Ga. Class of 2008 rankings: Rivals.com -- No. 5 small forward, No. 34 overall; Scout.com -- No. 12 small forward, No. 56 overall Considering: Memphis, Colorado, Texas, Virginia

04/26/08		Green Wave drowns Tigers -- Ace pitcher, six-run first doom Memphis (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg (Contact) Saturday, April 26, 2008 The odds were stacked against the University of Memphis before the first pitch was thrown in Friday night's Conference USA baseball game against Tulane. Memphis, the league's worst-hitting team, was facing Green Wave right-hander Shooter Hunt, the league's favorite to win pitcher of the year honors. The last thing the Tigers needed was the first inning. The Tigers allowed the Green Wave to score six runs after two outs and the UofM failed to score after loading the bases with no outs. The combination jump-started Tulane's 17-4 victory at Nat Buring Stadium in the opening game of the three-game weekend series. The second game will be played at 2 p.m. today. Memphis starter Scott McGregor (1-5) was the tough-luck loser, allowing six unearned runs in the first inning. McGregor looked as if he had escaped trouble in the opening inning, pitching around an error by third baseman Brett Bowen and singles by Anthony Scelfo and Rob Segedin. But with the bases loaded, Bowen dropped an infield popup -- near the pitcher's mound -- off the bat of Jared Dyer, allowing Scelfo to score. Warren McFadden followed with a two-run single and Andrew Rodgers hit a three-run homer. ''We've got to make plays and we've got to make pitches, and we didn't do that early in the game,'' said Memphis coach Daron Schoenrock. ''And then we were facing one of the most dominating (pitchers) in the country." Hunt (7-1) entered with a 1.59 earned-run average and 78 strikeouts in 57 innings. After struggling with his control in the first inning -- he walked his first three hitters: K.K. Chalmers, Chad Zurcher and Tyler Huelsing -- Hunt settled into a rhythm. He struck out the next three to end the inning and didn't encounter problems until the seventh, when he allowed three singles ahead of Huelsing's two-out grand slam, the second homer of the sophomore's career. Huelsing, who went 2-for-3 with the four RBI, was the only Tiger with multiple hits. The Tigers are 16-26 overall, 4-9 in C-USA. The Green Wave's 14-hit attack included a 3-for-6 effort by Scelfo, who drove in five runs. Segedin scored four times and Rodgers drove in three runs. Tulane (28-13-1, 7-5-1) led 8-0 after two innings and scored nine runs in the final three innings. ''I was impressed more with what we did late than we did in the first inning,'' said Tulane coach Rick Jones. ''Even though we had a big hit after the error, you can't count on that happening often. It was a fluke thing. It was good player (Bowen) losing the ball somehow. ''But I was impressed with how we stretched the lead late. And the way we played defense and pitched out of the bullpen.'' The Tulane pen pitched two scoreless, hitless innings with three strikeouts. Hunt struck out 12, tying a season-high from a win last weekend against Southern Miss. ''I thought he was overthrowing in the first inning,'' Jones said. ''But he settled in after that.'' Hunt said the long Tulane top of the first might have affected him. ''In that first inning, I lost my concentration on the bench with it being such a long inning,'' he said. ''But I was able to settle down and I was happy with the fact I could throw those pitches through the middle half.'' McGregor scattered nine hits in his six innings, striking out six and allowing only two earned runs. ''I thought Scott made some good pitches, I thought he pitched well,'' Schoenrock said. ''He's not a strikeout guy. We've got to make plays behind him. If we make those plays, the game's a lot different. Still, Scotty did a good job getting us deep into the game.''

04/25/08		Green Waves Take Advantage of Errors, Sinks Tigers 17-4 -- Memphis looks to bounce back on Saturday to keep pace in C-USA Tournament race (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Tulane (28-13-1) 620 000 522 - 17 14 1 Memphis (16-26) 000 000 400 - 4 6 4 University of Memphis starter Scott McGregor struck out six and held Tulane to just two earned runs, but the Green Wave took advantage of defensive miscues early in the game to score six runs in the first and cruise to a 17-4 win in the series-opener on Friday evening at Nat Buring Stadium. Memphis falls to 16-26 overall, 4-9 in C-USA play. Tulane improves to 28-13-1, 7-5-1 in the league. In a battle of two talented pitchers, errors hurt McGregor, while his counterpart, Shooter Hunt masterfully carved through the Tigers' lineup. The righthander, who leads the league in ERA and strikeouts, lived up to his billing, fanning 12 and limiting Memphis to just six hits en route to his seventh win of the year. He did give up four runs in the contest. Memphis gave away six unearned scores in the first on two fielding miscues. Leadoff hitter Drew Allain grounded out to start the game and Anthony Scelfo singled to left. The errors became a factor when Brett Bowen, making his first start since being hit in the elbow versus Dallas Baptist on Saturday, made a fielding error. Rob Segedin then singled to center to load the bases. McGregor struck out Sam Honeck and looked to get out of the inning, when he induced an infield pop up. However, the Memphis defense was unable to pull the ball in, allowing Scelfo to score the game's first run. Tulane's next batter, Warren McFadden then laced a two-run single to left and Andrew Rogers then dealt the Tigers the early knock-out punch--a three-run home run to left that gave the Wave a 6-0 lead after just a half-inning of play. Hunt struggled with his command in the home half of the first inning as he walked the first three batters he faced--K.K. Chalmers, Chad Zurcher and Tyler Huelsing--to load the bases with no outs. But he settled down to strikeout the next three batters and end Memphis's answer-back attempt. TU scored its only two earned runs off McGregor in the second on a two-run single by Jared Dyer, and the Tiger found themselves saddled with an 8-0 deficit. McGregor held Tulane at bay for the remainder of his outing and handed the ball over to redshirt freshman Andrew Haley in the seventh. After the Wave got a five-run seventh that was powered by a three-run blast by Scelfo, Memphis responded with four runs in the home half. Trey Wiedman and Chris Kirkland banged back-to-back singles, and Zurcher reached on an infield hit to load the sacks for Huelsing. The Munford, Tenn., native put Memphis on the board with his first career grand slam and his second career home run. Huelsing led Memphis with two hits and all four RBI. That would be all the offense for Memphis, as Tulane plated two in both the eighth and ninth stanzas for the 17-4 final tally. The Tigers and Wave will battle it out in game two of the series on Saturday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Nat Buring Stadium.

04/25/08		Calipari Honored As Naismith Coach Of The Year At Thursday's TSF Event -- Memphis head coach led Tigers to NCAA Division I record 38 wins in 2007-08 (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - University of Memphis head coach John Calipari was honored Thursday with the 2008 Naismith National Coach of the Year Award at the Tiger Scholarship Fund (TSF) event. Jim Williams, Chairman of the Atlanta Tipoff Club, was on hand to present the award to Calipari. It is the second time Calipari earned the Naismith National Coach of the Year recognition, as he also received the Naismith award for the 1995-96 campaign while directing the UMass Minutemen to the 1996 NCAA Final Four. Calipari is only the second coach to win the Naismith Award twice since the honor's inception in 1987. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski is the other coach to do so, taking home the award three times. Calipari took the Memphis hoops program to heights not seen in the Bluff City in quite some time, while also hitting some personal milestones in 2007-08. The Moon, Pa., native guided the Tigers to the NCAA Final Four, the program's first since 1985, and the NCAA title game, the school's first championship game appearance since 1973. Memphis, under Calipari's guidance, won an NCAA Division I record 38 games (38-2 record) in advancing to the NCAA title contest. The Tigers, which began 2007-08 with a school-record 26-straight wins, moved into the No. 1 spot in the national polls in January and remained there for a school-record five-consecutive weeks. In fact, Memphis held down the No. 1 or No. 2 spots in the national polls for another school-record 16-straight weeks. Calipari is also one of five coaches in NCAA Division I history to lead two different programs to a No. 1 national ranking (UMass, Memphis). The other four coaches to do so were Frank McGuire, Ralph Miller, Roy Williams and Eddie Sutton. The 2007-08 Tigers also completed quite possibly one of the best three-year runs in NCAA Division I history. Memphis posted a 104-10 record since 2005-06 - all under Calipari - and the 104 victories are tied for the most in a three-year period in NCAA Division I history. The 104 wins also make Calipari the winningest coach in a three-year span in NCAA Division I history. On Mar. 8, the Tigers defeated UAB to win their 30th game of 2007-08, and the victory placed Memphis and Calipari in elite company. The Tigers, 30-1 at that time, became the second program in NCAA Division I history to win 30 or more games three-straight seasons (Kentucky was the other program/1947-49, 1996-98). A week later, UCLA joined Memphis and Kentucky in that group. For Calipari, he became the second coach in NCAA Division I history to post three-consecutive 30-win seasons, joining Kentucky's Adolph Rupp who did it from 1947-49. A week later, UCLA's Ben Howland was the third coach to accomplish the feat. In late February, Calipari won his 400th game as a collegiate head coach, and his overall record stands at 412-136. He is only the second head coach in the history of NCAA Division I basketball to reach the 400-win plateau in his first 16 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Roy Williams is the other coach to do so. Calipari directed the Tigers to their third-straight C-USA regular season and tournament titles in 2007-08. It is the first time in the program's history that Memphis has claimed three-consecutive regular season and tournament crowns. Calipari, who was named Conference USA Coach of the Year for the second time in three years (2006, 2008), was also a National Coach of the Year finalist for the Henry Iba and Jim Phelan Awards.

04/25/08		Men's Tennis Inks David Henry to NLI -- Henry becomes second Tiger from in-state to sign with Memphis for next season (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - - The University of Memphis men's tennis team has added a second in-state signee for the 2008-09 season with the addition of David Henry of Signal Mountain, Tennessee, for next season. Henry joins Bartlett's KC Griffin, who signed in the early signing period for next season's roster. The duo replaces Amrit Narasimhan and Jimmy Khougassian, a pair of graduating seniors for the Tigers. Henry will also be the second Tiger on the squad from McCallie School in Chattanooga (current Tiger sophomore Charlie Ramsay is also a graduate of McCallie) and the third from the state of Tennessee, joining Ramsay and sophomore Spencer Heflin from MUS in Memphis. "We are so excited to have another highly-ranked state player," Head Coach Paul Goebel said. "David comes from a great tennis family and has been coached by one of the best coaches in the state in Eric Voges. What I like most about David is he still has a lot of potential to improve and has the game style that should allow him to excel at the collegiate level. It will be fun to see him join his former teammate (Charlie Ramsay) here at Memphis." Henry is a four-star recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net and is the web site's top-ranked senior in the state of Tennessee. He is also the No. 36 ranked senior in the Southeast and the 120th ranked senior in the country. He was also recruited by Alabama, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Elon, Auburn, the College of Charleston and Tennessee. Henry has helped McCallie to two straight TSSAA Division II state championships and is the No. 13 ranked player in the USTA Southern Section in the latest junior rankings. Earlier this spring, he advanced to the quarterfinals of the March BullFrog Southern Section Designated tournament, bouncing back from his quarterfinal loss to win two more matches. He was also a quarterfinalist in singles at the Winter Southern Closed Championships. Last summer, he made a quarterfinal appearance at the Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Boys Girls Southern Open 18s Championships.

04/25/08		Calipari's crowded plate includes recruiting new players and coaches (Commercial Appeal)
		By Dan Wolken (Contact) Friday, April 25, 2008 John Calipari, in recent days, has barely found enough hours to accommodate his overflowing itinerary. But it's unlikely he'll get much relief until he's able to replenish the suddenly picked-over University of Memphis coaching staff. Calipari said Thursday he'll likely begin meeting with candidates for the three open positions -- there could be as many as five in the coming days -- in the next week or two. With assistant coaches Derek Kellogg and Chuck Martin having both left for head coaching jobs at UMass and Marist, respectively, Calipari has been scrambling to finish off Memphis' recruiting class. After that's done, Calipari said he'll begin putting together a brand new staff. "Obviously this stuff just happened, so I've got to take some time," Calipari said at a Tiger Scholarship Fund function in East Memphis, where he was receiving the Naismith National Coach of the Year award. "The first thing I've got to do is finish the recruiting. I've got to get all that done, then I'll start evaluating what we're going to do. I just want to get this other stuff done." Calipari has been so busy, he said he's barely been able to reflect on the Tigers' season, which nearly ended with a national championship. Instead, Memphis finished 38-2 after losing the NCAA final to Kansas in overtime. Since then, not only has Calipari lost much of his staff, but his entire starting five has entered the NBA Draft. Of the four underclassmen who submitted their names, only junior forward Robert Dozier and junior guard Antonio Anderson are potentially coming back. Freshman point guard Derrick Rose and junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts said goodbye last week. "Win a lot of games and what happens? All the assistants get head jobs, and all the players put their names in the draft, and that's the way it's supposed to be," Calipari said. With the heavy personnel losses, much of the conversation among fans at Thursday's event centered on the Tigers' recruiting class, which Calipari has touted as potentially the nation's best. At this point, that class includes just three players in guard Tyreke Evans, forward Angel Garcia and forward Matt Simpkins. Calipari said his recent travel schedule has included stops in Atlanta and Connecticut. Though he is not allowed to talk about unsigned recruits, he was ostensibly in those locations to see 6-7 Wesley Witherspoon and 6-8 Devin Ebanks, a pair of top-50 players the Tigers would like to sign. (Calipari also said he was in East Chicago, Ind., to see Garcia on Wednesday and will visit Simpkins next week in California.) Witherspoon is making an on-campus visit to Memphis this weekend, while Ebanks is scheduled to make his official visit May 9. "We've got to finish it out and get guys," Calipari said. "I'm bouncing around just trying to get everything closed down. When we do that, I think with the players we have coming back -- and we have a solid core of guys coming back -- and the incoming freshmen to round out our team ... at the end of the day, I think we'll be one of those teams everybody's talking about." Calipari has been helped on the recruiting trail by assistant coach John Robic and director of student-athlete development Rod Strickland, who will likely be elevated into one of the open assistant positions. The other will go to a well-established college recruiter. The frontrunner, according to insiders, seems to be Oregon assistant Kenny Payne, a former Louisville player who grew up in Laurel, Miss. Several former Tiger players -- including Cedric Henderson, Andre Turner and even Penny Hardaway -- have been mentioned as potential candidates for the open administrative positions. The Tigers lost their director of basketball operations when Tyrone Weeks followed Martin to Marist. Calipari mentioned Thursday that Shyrone Chatman and Andy Allison could join Kellogg's staff at UMass. Though the staff uncertainty has made for a hectic schedule, Calipari said it has almost been therapeutic. "It's probably been a good thing; since the game ended, I haven't stopped," Calipari said. "When I stop, I'll probably cry. Right now, I just keep running, and we're trying to get done what we have to get done. We're losing some good players, some numbers, we're losing staff, so there's a lot of stuff we have to get done here within the next three weeks to a month. Then I can step off the treadmill for awhile and kick back and look back on what we did this year, which was something out of this world."

04/25/08		U of M notebook: Golf, Baseball, Softball, Football (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg (Contact) Friday, April 25, 2008 Despite fade, golf team in line for NCAA bid The fifth year has been, and has the potential to be, what University of Memphis men's golf coach Grant Robbins envisioned when he returned to his alma mater in 2003. When the NCAA selection committee announces on May 5 its 53 at-large teams -- to complete an 81-team field -- the UofM expects to be among the invitees. Memphis hasn't participated in the postseason since 1988. Robbins said the team's goal before the season began was to win the Conference USA tournament title or "be in position to get an at-large bid." Memphis led the C-USA tournament in Texarkana, Ark., after two rounds, but finished third. While Robbins said the final-round breakdown shouldn't have occurred with an experienced team, the Tigers should be one of four C-USA teams earning spots in the NCAA tournament. UAB, ranked 26th nationally, won the C-USA tournament and received the league's automatic berth. UCF, ranked 19th, and SMU, ranked 49th, should be invited along with No. 61 Memphis. Robbins expects the "top 68 to 70 ranked" teams to be in the field. Robbins said the Tigers boosted their national ranking, and their psyche, with a win at the Charleston (S.C.) Southern Spring Classic in early March and a third-place finish at the River Landing Intercollegiate at Wallace, N.C., on April 13. "We had a strong spring," Robbins said. "We just kind of came on after we won the tournament at Charleston (S.C.). It gave our guys confidence." Robbins played for the Tigers in 1990-94 and was a three-time all-league selection. Before taking the Memphis job, Robbins spent four seasons as golf coach at UNC-Wilmington and led the program to its first NCAA tournament berth in 2003. After the field is announced May 5, the 81 teams will be sent to one of three regionals: the East Regional at Council Fire Golf Club in Chattanooga; the Central Regional at Scarlett Golf Course in Columbus, Ohio; and the West Regional at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Wash. Regional play is set for May 15-17. Tulane pitcher a big challenge After taking a weekend off from C-USA action, the baseball team resumes league play with a three-game series against Tulane beginning at 6:30 p.m. today at Nat Buring Stadium. Tulane (27-13-1, 6-5-1) will make it a challenge for the Tigers from the outset. The Green Wave will start right-hander Shooter Hunt, who is 6-1 with a 1.59 ERA and is the favorite to win C-USA Pitcher of the Year honors. "You don't normally see that (low) an ERA in college baseball," Tiger coach Daron Schoenrock said. "Especially with aluminum bats." The Tigers (16-25, 4-8) are coming off a midweek split of a two-game series at Middle Tennessee, including a 17-11 win Wednesday in 14 innings. "For us to hang on and battle was great for our team," Schoenrock said of the five-hour, extra-inning win. "This has been a team that always shows up and plays. That's what I want to remain consistent down the stretch." Twice as nice Saturday's softball doubleheader against East Carolina at the Tiger Softball Complex on the school's Park Avenue Campus will be part of the second Tiger Family Day. For $5, fans will be allowed access to the softball doubleheader, which begins at 1p.m., and the Tiger baseball team's 2 p.m. game at nearby Nat Buring Stadium. Also, fans will be allowed to enter a family fun area, with an inflatable bounce house, a 22-foot slide and a petting zoo. Tiger cheerleaders are scheduled to attend, too. The softball team is 24-24 (4-13 in C-USA) and playing without two injured starters: shortstop Heather Mott (fractured hand) and catcher Kimmi Hayden (shoulder). Odds and ends At Thursday's annual M Club Senior Induction Luncheon, baseball player Neil Schenk was the recipient of the Male Scholar Athlete Award, while track's Chen Edri and softball's Lindsey Kelson shared Female Scholar Athlete honors. ... Departing Tiger football players Andy Smith and Jake Kasser were among 439, from all football divisions, chosen to the 2008 Hampshire Honor Society by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (a 3.2 grade-point average throughout an individual's entire course of undergraduate study is among the requirements). ... Former major league outfielder and Tiger all-American Mark Little, who led the UofM to an appearance in the 1994 NCAA tournament, will have his jersey retired before Saturday's baseball game.

04/24/08		Tigers lose assistant to UMass (Jackson Sun)
		The Associated Press April 24, 2008 AMHERST, Mass. - Derek Kellogg, who played on four Atlantic 10 championship teams at Massachusetts in the 1990s, was formally introduced as his alma mater's head coach on Wednesday. Kellogg, who had been an assistant coach at Memphis for the last eight years, attended a news conference and pep rally, where he was greeted by several hundred fans. He replaced Travis Ford, who was hired at Oklahoma State this month after three years at UMass that featured two NIT appearances. Athletic director John McCutcheon said Kellogg would receive a six-year contract but terms have not been finalized. Kellogg, a native of nearby Springfield, played at UMass under John Calipari, the current Memphis coach. The Tigers lost to Kansas in the national championship game. Kellogg said being UMass' coach "is my dream job." "I remember the first day on campus walking around enjoying being around the other students," he said. "I said if it doesn't work out in the NBA I can see myself coming back here and someday being the head coach here." In four seasons as a player and 12 as an assistant coach, Kellogg has only been a part of two teams with losing records. He said he expected the success to continue. "I have a track record as a player and a coach as a winner. Here at UMass we went to four NCAA tournaments. Under John Calipari at Memphis we have 11 NCAA tournament wins. We were 10 seconds away from being national champions," Kellogg said. "I believe I have what it takes to take this program to the next level which is to get to the NCAA tournament." Kellogg, who graduated in 1995, was the team captain as a junior and senior and earned all-conference and academic honors. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at UMass, then became a full-time assistant at George Mason for two seasons beginning in 1997. He also was an assistant at Youngstown State for one year.

04/24/08		Anderson, Dozier join Tigers in draft (Jackson Sun)
		The Associated Press April 24, 2008 MEMPHIS - The Memphis Tigers' entire starting lineup last season has declared for the NBA draft now that juniors Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier have become the last from the 2008 NCAA runner-up to announce. The school announced Wednesday that neither Anderson and Dozier is expected to sign with an agent, leaving the possibility of returning for their senior season open. They joined Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts as early entries along with senior center Joey Dorsey. With a deep pool of underclassmen entering the draft, Anderson and Dozier are unlikely to get drafted with their teammates. But Memphis coach John Calipari says Anderson and Dozier will be able to work out for NBA teams, participate in pre-draft camp and get feedback from scouts. "Both Antonio and Robert approached me about putting their names in the NBA draft, and I support them in their decision," Calipari said in a statement. "This is good for them because they can work out for teams and see where they stand and find out about their strengths and weaknesses. Anderson has been a shutdown defender in three season with the Tigers, often asked to guard the opponent's best player. But stuck in a logjam of talent at Memphis, he averaged just 8.6 points last season. Dozier averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 rebounds last year and also was forced to defer to the team's more potent scorers. The juniors, who have been merely complementary pieces for the Tigers, would have the chance to be go-to players should they return as seniors.

04/24/08		Baseball Looks to Strengthen C-USA Tournament Hopes with Weekend Series versus Tulane -- Tigers look to solidify position in C-USA standings as they enter final stretch of league action (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Sitting in seventh place with the C-USA Tournament race heating up, the University of Memphis will take on Tulane in what could prove to be a critical league series this weekend at Nat Buring Stadium. The Tigers and Green Wave will battle it out in the three-game set that begins on Friday, April 25. First pitch for the series-opener is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Pitching Matchups Friday, April 25, 2008 � 6:30 p.m. Tulane - Jr., RHP, Shooter Hunt (6-1, 1.59 ERA) Memphis - Jr., RHP, Scott McGregor (1-4, 4.26 ERA) Saturday, April 26, 2008� 2 p.m. Tulane - Fr., LHP, Nick Pepitone (2-1, 3.57 ERA) Memphis - So., LHP, Brach Davis (2-1, 5.20 ERA) Sunday, April 27, 2008� 1 p.m. Tulane - So., RHP, Taylor Rogers (3-0, 2.73 ERA) Memphis - Jr., RHP, Will Hudgens (1-5, 7.34 ERA) About the Tigers Memphis's marathon-game win over Middle Tennessee improved its record to 16-25 on the year and gave the young Tigers some steam going into the final stretch of the Conference USA schedule. The young crew has shown signs of improvement lately, banging out 10 or more hits in six of the last 10 outings and averaging 7.5 runs per contest. The Memphis offense is led by freshman Chad Zurcher. The freshman middle infielder hits .289 and has scored a team-best 31 runs. Having struck out just nine times in 149 at-bats, he is ranked as the 48th toughest batter to strike out in the country. Trey Wiedman is the major run-producer for the Tigers. The Houston High product has accounted for 56 runs, including driving in a team-high 29. Brett Bowen, who has been sidelined with an elbow injury, leads the way with 10 doubles. He and Wiedman both have five home runs. Tiger pitchers have a combined ERA of 5.35 and rank 32nd in the nation with 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Memphis is fourth in C-USA with 327 strikeouts. Scott McGregor leads those strikeout numbers with a staff-high 42 K's, while Brach Davis and Neil Schenk have struck out 35 and 33, respectively. Schenk has been the best option out the bullpen for Coach Daron Schoenrock. The senior southpaw has a team-leading 2.20 ERA and hold opposing hitters to a .209 clip at the plate. Tigers Host Tiger Family Day on Saturday University of Memphis athletics will host Tiger Family Day on Saturday, April 26. Admission is $5 for everyone and gives fans to all events and festivities at the Park Avenue Campus. Events: 1p.m.: Tiger Softball vs. ECU Bounce House, 22-Foot Tiger Slide 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.: Kidz Kountry Petting Zoo - Family Area TOM II - Family Area 2:00 p.m.: Tiger Baseball vs. Tulane 3:00 p.m.: Softball vs. ECU Pouncer and the Tiger Cheerleaders will be in attendance. Fun promotions and prizes will be given away all day. Come meet and greet the Baseball and Softball teams after the games. Scouting the Green Wave Over the years, Tulane has been a perennial power in Conference USA and 2008 is no exception. The Green Wave, who were picked to finish fourth in the league's Preseason poll, enter the weekend with a strong 27-13-1 overall record and a 6-5-1 league mark that sits them in third place with four more league weekends remaining. They are solid in all facets of the game. They lead the league and ranking 23rd nationally with a .972 fielding percentage. TU's 45 defensive miscues are the lowest in C-USA. On the mound, the Green Wave sports the league's strongest pitching staff, as they check in at No. 1 in the league and 16th in the country with a 3.74 ERA. They hold opposing hitters to a league-low .235 batting average. When runners have reached, the Wave pitchers have picked them off, leading C-USA with 13 pickoffs. The staff is third in the conference with 334 strikeouts and 10 saves. Those loftly numbers are propelled by Green Wave ace, Shooter Hunt. Hunt, a Preseason All-C-USA selection, has also garnered preseason notoriety from national publications. He was tabbed a Second Team Preseason All-American by Baseball America and was a member of the Wallace Watch List as well as the Golden Spikes Award ledger. Hunt ranks fifth in the nation with 12.38 strikeouts per nine innings and sixth with 78 total strikeouts. He leads the league in strikeouts (78), batter struck out looking (34), ERA (1.59) and opposing batting average (.126). His six wins are tied for second in the league. The two-time C-USA Pitcher of the Week has struck 10 or more batters three times this year. Hunt is backed by Robby Broach, who is 4-1 and rates ninth in the league with a 3.51 ERA. Broach's 39 strikeouts are second to Hunt's 78. Closer Mason Griffin has logged six saves on the year, good for a tie for second in the league. At the plate, the Green Wave hits .291 as team and leads the league with 17 triples. The offensive is led by Seth Henry's .336 batting average. The junior is on a 17-game hit streak and is one of four Wave hitters with 10 or more doubles and his 39 RBI and four triples ranks in the league's top-10. Freshman Rob Segedin also hits .336, with 12 doubles. In addition, the current C-USA Hitter of the Week has five home runs a team-high 41 RBI. Anthony Scelfo had legged out five triples--35th nationally, while Andrew Rodgers eight home runs are tied for fifth among C-USA players. Warren McFadden leads the club with 13 doubles. All-Time Series vs. Tulane Memphis trails the all-time series with Tulane 29-36. The series dates back to the two institution's days in the Metro Conference in 1976. The Tigers traveled to New Orleans last year and snapped a 10-year string of series losses to the Green Wave with a 2-1 win in the three-game set. Memphis defeated Tulane, who was ranked 21st nationally at the time, 14-5 and 5-3 in the first two games to earn the series win. However, walks costs the U of M a chance to sweep the Wave in a 9-5 loss on Sunday's series finale. Tulane last came to Memphis in 2006 and won the series 2-1, despite Memphis efforts in an 11-4 route in the opener. Adam Amar went 4-for-5 with three home runs and seven RBI, while Scott McGregor struck out eight and held the 14th-ranked Green Wave to just four unearned runs as Memphis raced to an 11-4 win in the Conference USA opener for both teams. The win snapped a four-game losing streak to the Green Wave over the last two years. Last Time Out Memphis 17, Middle Tennessee 11 (14 innings) Murfreesboro, Tenn. - Memphis built an 11-4 lead and carried it into the ninth inning only to watch it slip away as Middle Tennessee got two three-run homers in a seven-run ninth to tie the game at 11 and force extra frames. Senior Neil Schenk was masterful in the extra stanzas, tossing 4.1 innings of shutout ball and limiting the potent MT offense to just one hit. Memphis finally broke the 11-11 tie in the 14th when Trey Wiedman knocked a two-run through the leftside. The Tigers, who got two hits in the inning from freshman Chad Zurcher, went on two score four more runs on doubles by Zurcher and Eric Farrell to recapture the win. Zurcher tied the C-USA and Memphis records for at-bats, with nine. He led Memphis with four hits. The game last 5:22 and is the longest baseball game (time-wise) in Memphis baseball history. The previous record was a five hour, 21-inning game that ended in a 4-4 tie at Evansville in 1999. The 21 innings remains the longest game in terms of innings played.

04/24/08		Men's Soccer Announces 2008 Schedule -- Schedule features eight home games (GoTigersGo.com)
		MEMPHIS - The University of Memphis men's soccer schedule is complete for the upcoming 2008 season, head coach Richie Grant announced Wednesday. The schedule features 18 contests, eight of which will be played at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex. The Tigers will kick-off the 2008 season at home on Aug. 29 as they will host the Memphis Diadora Tournament. Joining the Tigers in that tournament will be Oral Roberts, UAB and Bradley. In addition to its own tournament, Memphis will participate in two other early season tournaments, at Vermont and UAB. The Tigers will also travel to play Creighton, one of the nation's elite programs. The Tigers will host four conference matches in 2008. UAB, SMU, Tulsa and Marshall will be coming to town. "This schedule shows our commitment to playing good teams outside Conference USA," Grant said. "Our players are looking forward to coming back in August and meeting the challenges of a tough schedule." Spots are still available in the soccer program's 4th annual golf tournament fundraiser, being held on Monday, April 28th at the Irene Golf & Country Club at 1 p.m. AUGUST Memphis Diadora Tournament (UAB, Bradley, ORU) Friday 29 UAB V ORU 3:00 Memphis V Bradley 7:30 Sunday 31 UAB V Bradley 3:00 Memphis V ORU 7:30 SEPTEMBER UVM Tournament Friday 5 UNH 2:00 Sunday 7 UVM 1:30 UAB Tournament Friday 12 Western Illinois TBA Sunday 14 UC Irvine TBA Saturday 20 @ UCF * 7:00 Wednesday 24 Missouri State 7:00 Saturday 27 UAB * 7:00 OCTOBER Saturday 4 SMU * 7:00 Wednesday 8 @ Creighton 7:00 Sunday 12 @ FIU * 1:00 Saturday 18 @ South Carolina * 7:00 Wednesday 22 Southern Illinois 7:00 Saturday 25 Tulsa* 7:00 Wednesday 29 @ UCA 7:00 NOVEMBER Saturday 1 Marshall * 7:00 Friday 6 @ Kentucky * 7:00 12-16 Conference USA Tournament @ SMU * Denotes C-USA Match Home Matches in Bold @MRSC

04/24/08		Memphis Closes Home Schedule with East Carolina -- Second annual Tiger Family Day to take place on Saturday (GoTigersGo.com)
		For Immediate Release Contact: Brandon Kolditz wkolditz@memphis.edu, (901) 871-5475 MEMPHIS - The University of Memphis completes its 2008 home schedule with a three-game series against East Carolina on Saturday and Sunday at the Tiger Softball Complex. The Tigers (24-24, 4-13) will host a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday and close the series on Sunday with a single contest at noon. Saturday's doubleheader will be part of the second annual Tiger Family Day. For $5, fans will gain access to the softball doubleheader, baseball's 2 p.m. contest vs. Tulane and a family fun area. The family area will include a bounce house, a 22-foot Tiger slide and a Kidz Kountry Petting Zoo. Tom II will also be showcased in the area, and Pouncer and the Tiger cheerleaders will be in attendance. With six league games remaining, Memphis is looking to finish strong down the stretch and improve its conference seeding. Last season the Tigers won its final six games to earn the final spot in the conference tournament. This year all nine teams are invited. As the league standings currently sit, East Carolina and Memphis would be the eighth and ninth seed in the tournament and would compete against each other in a play-in-game to open the tournament. The winner would face No. 9/13 Houston at Houston in a single elimination tournament. Memphis is three wins behind seventh place Southern Miss and four victories short of fifth place UTEP and UAB. The seventh seeded team in the conference tournament would face the No. 2 seed on the opposite side of the bracket from Houston. The Tigers are 3-3 all-time against the Pirates. The last meeting between the two teams came in the Conference USA Tournament last season in Orlando, Fla. East Carolina won the meeting 1-0 in 10 innings. Former Memphis pitcher Jenna Kubesch had a perfect game into the ninth inning, but the Tigers failed to score a run in the eventual loss. Memphis also split two games in Greenville, N.C., last season with the third game canceled due to inclement weather. In 2006, the Tigers won two of three games at home against the Pirates. Memphis holds a 23-14 all-time scoring advantage over ECU. East Carolina is 3-7 in its last 10 games and has lost four-straight. The Pirates are eighth in the conference with a 6-11 league mark and have lost 11 of its last 13 league games. ECU completed a five-game home stand on Wednesday, falling twice to Campbell. The team picked up its 30th win of the season last Saturday against UTEP, marking the 11th time in the past 12 seasons under head coach Tracey Kee that the team has won 30 or more games. Senior Stacey Andrews leads the Pirates at the plate with a batting average of .350. She also paces the team with seven home runs, 84 total bases, a .600 slugging percentage and a .410 on base percentage. Junior Vanessa Moreno leads the squad in RBI with 34, while sophomore Charina Sumner has recorded a team-high 56 hits. Junior Brooke Swann tops the pitching staff in every category as she has moved into the ECU career top-10 in appearances, saves, strikeouts and innings pitched. 2007 C-USA Freshman of the Year Toni Paisley has battled injuries this season and has pitched in only seven games with her last appearance coming on March 9. The three-game series between Memphis and East Carolina can be followed live through GameTracker. Live streaming video and audio is also available to All-Access subscribers with Dan O'Brien calling the play-by-play. Links to the live content can be found at GoTigersGo.com. On Sunday, the Tigers' two seniors, Lindsay Kelso and Melissa Nance, will be honored before the game. A home run derby between Memphis players and softball staff will also take place after the game.

04/24/08		New Lady Tiger coach likes fast pace (Commercial Appeal)
		By Phil Stukenborg (Contact) Thursday, April 24, 2008 Her first five days as the University of Memphis women's basketball coach have been, as one would expect, hectic. But Melissa McFerrin hasn't had a problem with the pace. A former WNBA general manager, McFerrin, the women's basketball coach at American University the past four seasons, was named to replace Blair Savage-Lansden on Saturday, ending a monthlong nationwide search and becoming the fourth coach in the program's 36-year history. McFerrin, 47, was officially introduced at a news conference Wednesday at the UofM before a collection of news media, administrators and boosters. She has spent the past four days visiting Mid-South high schools and attending the Tiger Scholarship Fund's annual spring tour of Mid-South cities. She'll attend tonight's final tour stop at the Hilton along with men's basketball coach John Calipari and football coach Tommy West. It has been a demanding schedule, but not one she'd deem overwhelming. After being involved for five seasons with women's professional basketball -- first as an assistant, then a general manager -- she returned to the college game in 2004 to coach American University. A starting point guard for the University of Missouri in the early 1980s, McFerrin spent 13 years as a college assistant before joining the WNBA. Stepping away from the college game made her appreciate it more. "When you are in the college game and you are so wrapped up in the competition and the recruiting, there are times, quite honestly, when you just want a little bit of a break,'' McFerrin said. ''Well, I got that when I went to the WNBA. You've got shorter seasons and no recruiting. I got a little refreshed during that whole time. "That made it quite easy for me to go back into the college game and resume that lifestyle. When I went back to the University of Minnesota (as an assistant), I enjoyed dealing with that level of basketball and dealing with that age of kid more than I could have ever imagined. It was back to a natural fit.'' While at American, McFerrin led the Eagles to the Patriot League championship game in 2007 and its first regular-season title this season. As a WNBA general manager, McFerrin dealt with the different facets and responsibilities of running an organization. She gained from the experience. ''While I was mainly in charge in building our team and managing our team, I became the liaison to different parts of Washington sports and entertainment," McFerrin said. "That gave me a pretty good picture of how things worked. It was an orientation to how the larger world of sports business operates.'' UofM associate athletic director Lynn Parkes, chairwoman of the coaching search committee, said McFerrin's wealth of experiences is among the things that made her a logical choice. As for her style, McFerrin said the UofM will be up-tempo, but not out of control. "I don't like to play slow, and I don't think kids like to play slow," she said. "And I don't think fans really like to watch slow. We are a little bit in the entertainment business, and we're also in the business of winning basketball games. Our (players) will love this, and I think we have the athletes to play this style." Memphis, which finished 10-20 last season, returns four starters, including its top three scorers: Jessica Hall (13.0 points per game), Paris Leonard (11.6) and LaToya Bullard (10.0). Parkes said McFerrin will be a ''player-oriented'' coach. "It's obvious she enjoys teaching and working with young people,'' Parkes said. ''As I talked to different people in the game (during the search), they all talked about what a wonderful teacher she was. She has made a number of good impressions on a number of people.'' Those impressions began shortly after McFerrin started her coaching career as an assistant at Central Michigan in 1984. Marcy Weston, senior associate athletic director at CMU, was the program's women's basketball coach when McFerrin was hired. ''You never would have known it was her first full-time job unless you had looked at her r�sum�," Weston said. "She was mature, organized and a great leader. Our women athletes really respected her tremendously.'' After spending six years at CMU, McFerrin moved to Ohio State in 1990, joining Nancy Darsch's staff. Three years later, the Buckeyes won the Big Ten title and finished as the NCAA national runner-up. Now an assistant with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, Darsch said McFerrin, responsible for a top-ranked 1992 recruiting class at Ohio State, will be successful at Memphis. "She is an excellent planner," Darsch said. "She has a vision of exactly what she wants, whether it's buying furniture or coaching a team. And she can evaluate talent." When she heard the Memphis job was open, McFerrin said it appealed to her immediately. ''This is a natural move for her, to C-USA,'' Weston said. ''If she has the support, which I'm sure she will, she'll make it happen. I don't have any doubt. She has the whole package: she's a great floor coach, she's a great recruiter, she's charismatic, she has a presence, she's great with technology and she's great with a budget. ''I told (Memphis athletic director) R.C. (Johnson) and Lynn, the minute I knew (McFerrin) was interested, you've got to talk to her. If you do, she'll do the rest.'' McFerrin Facts College coaching career: Head coach at American (2004-08), assistant coach at Minnesota (2002-04), Ohio State (1990-97), Central Michigan (1984-90) and Wayland Baptist (1983-84) WNBA career: Washington Mystics general manager, (2000-02), Mystics assistant coach (1999-2000), New York Liberty assistant coach (1997-99) Playing career: Missouri point guard (1979-83) -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543

04/24/08		In the news: Tigers win Murfreesboro marathon (Commercial Appeal)
		The University of Memphis baseball team blew a seven-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, then scored six runs in the top of the 14th to defeat Middle Tennessee, 17-11, Wednesday in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Trailing 11-4 heading into their last at-bat, the Blue Raiders sent the game to extra innings on a pinch-hit three-run home run by Justin Jones. The teams stayed scoreless until the 14th, with Trey Wiedman singling in two runs for the Tigers (16-25) and Eric Farrell doubling in a pair. Wiedman finished the day with four RBI and Chad Zurcher went 4-for-9 with three RBI. Ben Darlington, who also homered in the bottom of the ninth, drove in three runs for MTSU (21-18-1). The game lasted 5 hours and 22 minutes as the teams combined for 32 hits (16 each).

04/24/08		Calipari sees a bright future -- Coach says losing 5 starters to draft can be overcome (Nashville Tennessean)
		By TYLER BLANK Staff Writer April 24, 2008 Forgive Memphis Coach John Calipari if he's not feeling lonely after possibly losing all five starters and two assistants from his Final Four team. Calipari believes that Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier, who declared for the NBA draft Wednesday but have not signed with agents, will be back next year. "Two of them (Anderson and Dozier) will come back," Calipari said to reporters before speaking to the University of Memphis Alumni Association at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts on Wednesday . Anderson and Dozier are not expected to be drafted due to the deep underclassman pool declaring for this year's draft. "Maybe Antonio and Robert will get lucky and someone will draft them," Calipari said. "I told them to test the waters. They're juniors; what do you have to lose?" The Tigers lost to Kansas 75-68 in overtime at the national championship game. All-American junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts declared for the draft Friday and freshman Derrick Rose declared April 15. Calipari thinks Rose will be the No. 1 selection in the draft and that the Tigers will have two more players go in the first round in Douglas-Roberts and senior center Joey Dorsey. The 2008 Naismith Coach of the Year has also lost top assistants Chuck Martin and Derek Kellogg. Martin was named coach at Marist while Kellogg will coach at Massachusetts next season. But Calipari is not worried. "We bring in five new players and those five players are some of the best in the country," Calipari said. The Tigers have signed shooting guard Tyreke Evans, the Most Valuable Player of the McDonald's All-American game's. "I really believe we'll be back. When you talk about those elite programs in the last three years, no has won more than us," Calipari said. Calipari was in Nashville along with football Coach Tommy West to speak to alumni as part of the Tiger Spring Tour.

04/23/08		Anderson, Dozier to test draft waters (Daily Helmsman)
		By: Shari Lofton Sports Editor Issue date: 4/23/08 With his coach as their main motivator, junior Memphis guard Antonio Anderson and Junior forward Robert Dozier will enter the NBA Draft without hiring an agent. Coach Calipari advised them to test the waters in order to get into the NBA pre-draft game and see what how they stacks up in the eyes of NBA scouts. "I sent my letter in today," Anderson said to draftexpress.com. "I'll be entering the draft without an agent. I'll be trying to learn as much as I can and try to see where I'm at and what teams think of me." Calipari told local reporters Tuesday that he also advised junior forward Robert Dozier to enter the draft without an agent to see his potential in the camp. "I'm recommending to both Antonio and Robert Dozier that they put their names in the draft and see about getting workouts from teams," Calipari said. "They're making the decision, but what would it hurt to put your name in the draft and explore it themselves? They're juniors so they might as well. "They tell me Joey (Dorsey) has an opportunity in the first round. I think (Chris Douglas-Roberts) is anywhere from a No. 15 (pick) to No. 25. I think Derrick Rose is the No. 1 pick in the draft. That's why I'm telling Antonio and Robert that maybe someone in that first round likes you." Anderson was mostly known for his defensive abilities in his past three seasons with Memphis. However, he received attention for his all-around game toward the end of the season. His clutch performance in the Tigers 79-78 victory over UAB on the road more than paved the way for his eventual Conference USA tournament Most Valuable Player honor. With Memphis down by six, Anderson hit one of his four three pointers with 1:23 left in the game. During the C-USA tournament, Anderson averaged 11.3 points. In the C-USA final, he dropped 19 points on 4-5 three-point shooting in the Tigers third-straight conference championship. Despite his active play, Anderson had only one turnover the entire tournament and led the team in minutes played, two feats that Calipari said was definitely MVP-worthy. "I was so happy," he said, following the game. "He doesn't get the respect he deserves. Well, I take that back. He does in the areas that matter. He does from coaches and scouts who evaluate my team. He played more minutes than any player I've ever coached. I love Joey, but I think Antonio should have been C-USA Defensive Player of the Year." Draftexpress.com has Anderson projected as a mid-2nd round pick. However, since They will not sign an agent before the draft, Anderson and Dozier are still eligible to return to the Tigers for his senior season. If he does decide to return following the draft, Anderson said he thinks the experience of the pre-draft camp will help him no matter where he plays next season. "He (Calipari) knows that I'm entering, and supports me 100 percent," Anderson said. "I would definitely like to go to the NBA pre-draft camp and see where this process takes me." Anderson did not mention how low his pick would have to be for him to leave or return next season.

04/23/08		Tigers Outlast Middle Tennessee in 14-Inning Affair -- Memphis scores six runs in the 14th to claim third extra-inning victory (GoTigersGo.com)
		MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Memphis (16-25) 203 000 051 000 06 - 17 16 2 Middle Tennessee (21-18-1) 110 020 007 000 00 - 11 16 2 After Middle Tennessee scored seven runs in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings, Neil Schenk held the Blue Raiders scoreless for the next four innings and the offense then struck for six scores in the 14th to pull out a 17-11 victory on Wednesday evening at Reese Smith Field. The win was Memphis's first in Murfreesboro since a 6-2 win in 2003. Schenk won the pitcher'