(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
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2008-2009 Record: 33-4, 16-0 C-USA (1st)
Key Departures: Tyreke Evans (17.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.9 apg, Robert Dozier (12.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg), Shawn Taggart (10.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg), Antonio Anderson (10.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.5 apg)
Key Returnees: Doneal Mack (8.7 ppg), Roburt Sallie (5.8 ppg)
Newcomers: Elliot Williams, Will Coleman, DJ Stephens, Malik Thomas, Tyler Foster, Drew Barham, James Harvey Jr.
Doneal Mack will be the Tiger's leading returning scorer.(photo credit: Reuters)
The Memphis basketball program had an off-season to forget.
It started with John Calipari bolting for greener pastures in Lexington, and taking his loaded recruiting class with him. It continued with the school being stripped of its 38-win,Final Four 2007-2008 season. It ended with the Tigers losing three kids who would have contributed significant minutes this season; Latavious Williams decided to play pro ball overseas while Martin Ngaloro and Angel Garcia both suffered season ending injuries.
But that doesn't mean the Tigers will be devoid of talent this season, as they do add two potential stars to a group of proven role players.
The biggest addition, figuratively, was guard Elliot Williams, a former McDonald's All- American who was cleared to play this season after transferring from Duke to be closer to his ailing mother. Williams should fit in perfectly with this Memphis squad as he is a tough defender and an athletic slasher. He showed flashes of promise on the offensive end as a freshman at Duke, and with the Tigers losing their three leading scorers, they will be looking for someone to help handle the offensive load.
The rest of the Memphis back court consists of names that you should recognize. Willie Kemp and Doneal Mack, both heading into their senior seasons, seem like they have been Tigers forever.
Kemp will have his work cut out for him. He started as a freshman, but with one-and-dones Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans handling the point guard duties the past two seasons, he was relegated to a bench role. If Memphis wants to win another C-USA title, they are going to need a big year out of Kemp at the point. As I said before, there isn't really a big time scorer on this team like there has been the last few years. For the Tigers to be successful, Kemp is going to have to be able to get in the lane and create.
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