Bleacher Report - Articles by Stephen Kriger

The Aftermath of John Calipari to Kentucky

Stephen Kriger — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:40:27 -0400

Lewis and Clark, Bonnie and Clyde, Brad and Angelina, and now John Calipari and Kentucky.

It seems as though every major sportswriter in the country can't get enough of this newfound relationship, and rightly so. All indications are pointing to Coach Cal being a huge success at the University of Kentucky just like he was at UMass and most recently Memphis.

However, the one major thing that keeps getting lost in all of this hoopla (no pun intended) is the Memphis Tiger basketball program. The departure of Coach Calipari could have massive negative implications for the future of the Tiger program.

The coach who won 137 games in the past four years, an NCAA record, has just jumped ship, and the staff that recruited the players that won all of those games are likely going with him.

The Tigers will graduate two seniors this year and possibly lose two others to the NBA Draft in June. There have been talks about up to three players transferring to other schools.

And, oh yeah, what about the highly touted, No. 1-ranked recruiting class in the country that was supposed to win a national championship for Memphis next year? Well, it seems as though one by one, they are all looking elsewhere as well.

This leaves the Memphis Tigers with a total of four players for the 2009-2010 season: Pierre Henderson-Niles, Preston Laird, Willie Kemp, and Doneal Mack. Last I checked, you needed at least five players to field a team.

This could mean trouble for the program that has been to four straight NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteens, and there seems to be no quick fix for the Tigers either.

Although the Memphis job has become more attractive over the past few years, many of the top coaches in the country won't likely leave their jobs in the “power” conferences to come coach in Conference USA, especially if there is so much turmoil surrounding the team.

The Tigers can only hope that Tim Floyd from USC, Sean Miller from Xavier, or Mark Few from Gonzaga will be able to look past all of that and realize that Memphis is truly one of the best jobs in the country.

Now, the one thing that the Tigers do have going for them is money, and lots of it. The Memphis boosters are some of the best in the country, and they were willing to give Coach Cal anything he wanted, but it just wasn't in the cards. This will play very favorably however when the Tigers look to hire a new coach.

If all of this comes to fruition, then it could potentially be a devastating blow to the Memphis Tigers basketball program, but if history has anything to do with it then the Tigers will be back, and it'll be sooner rather than later.

Are the Pieces Finally in Place for the Memphis Tigers?

Stephen Kriger — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:34:45 -0500

The beginning of the 2008-2009 college basketball season brought many unanswered questions to the forefront for the reigning national runners-up, the University of Memphis Tigers.

How would they fare after losing Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Joey Dorsey to the NBA draft? How good would Tyreke Evans actually be? Would the Tigers be able to compete with the perennial powerhouse programs? How good can Memphis be without a true point guard?

Some of these questions have been answered in the first 15 games of the season, but some still remain uncertain. At 12-3 (2-0), the Tigers are obviously not as good as they have been in the past three years, but that's like comparing apples and oranges.

With a combined record of 104-10 and an unbeaten Conference USA record over the past three years, not to mention an NCAA record 38 wins last season, the Tigers have pretty much been in a league of their own. Therefore, comparing this season's team to past seasons simply isn't fair.

This year's Tigers had a lot to live up to, and although they have three losses to date, all to top 20-ranked teams mind you, they are doing a good job, and it will only get better from here.

With only two starters returning from last season's team, this team has had to make a lot of adjustments. These changes have obviously taken some time to get used to, but they are finally taking shape. The Tigers have now won six straight games following their tough home loss to Syracuse, and they are only improving.

Their most recent win over Central Florida displayed a lot of toughness by the Tigers who were able to overcome a late deficit on the road to win in a tough environment.

Now, I know all of the haters out there will claim that UCF isn't good and so on and so forth, but when Memphis goes on the road in Conference USA, every opponent that they face sells out their arena and gives the Tigers their best shot in a hostile environment.

This game could definitely be a turning point in the Tigers' season, as they face very tough upcoming games at Tennessee and at Gonzaga.

All of the players are finally playing better, and head coach John Calipari is figuring out how to win without a true point guard.

The nation should watch out for the Memphis Tigers, because they're on a trek to make it to their fourth Elite Eight in four years.

No. 1 vs. No. 2: A Battle for State, National Supremacy

Stephen Kriger — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:15:26 -0500

50-2.

This gaudy record, that the Memphis Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball teams combine to hold up to this point in the college basketball season, won’t last for long.

Saturday night at 9:00pm ET on ESPN, these powerhouses will square off against each other.

This time, it’s not just about state bragging rights; it’s about national bragging rights.

This is the first time since 1998 that the nation’s top two teams from the state will play each other.

The no. 2 ranked Tennessee Volunteers (24-2, 11-1 SEC) will travel to the FedEx Forum in Memphis bringing an 8-game win streak with them. Led by the guard tandem of Chris Lofton (15.5 ppg) and JaJuan Smith (14.4 ppg), the Vols will look to put away the Tigers early with their sharp shooting and penetration. Tyler Smith at 6’7” and Wayne Chism at 6’9” head up the undersized front court for Tennessee.

The no. 1 ranked and undefeated Memphis Tigers (26-0, 12-0 C-USA) come into this contest riding a 45-game home win streak. They are led in the backcourt by junior Chris Douglas-Roberts (17.5 ppg) and freshman sensation Derrick Rose (13.6 ppg). With the speed and height of the Tigers’ guards, they will look to outrun the Vols and beat them from the three-point line whenever possible. Memphis’ front line is anchored by rebounding beasts Joey Dorsey and Robert Dozier, who combine to bring down more than 18 boards a game.

Memphis’ running, “Princeton on steroids” style offense will take on Tennessee’s staunch defense in a battle for the ages. They both score over 80 points per game on average, so look for this one to be a high scoring affair.

If Memphis wants to come out victorious in this one, they will have to knock down their 3-point attempts and play very tough on the defensive end. They must also hit their free throws, which they haven’t been able to do all year. At 58.3%, they are ranked 341^st out of 341 teams in NCAA Division I basketball.

In order for Tennessee to win, they will need to knock down their 3-pointers too and limit the Tigers in the rebounding category. They will likely look to their star player, Chris Lofton, early and often. If he gets hot from beyond the arc it could be an early evening for the Tigers.

Despite the struggles from the charity stripe for the Tigers, look for them to win this contest. Memphis will be “runnin’ and gunnin’” and their big men will be banging on the inside, and this will be too much for the Vols to handle. The fact that it’s a home for the Tigers helps as well.

My prediction: Memphis 86, Tennessee 78.

So there you have it. The stage is set. The tickets are going for as much as $10,000 a pop. Former Super Bowl MVP, Peyton Manning is even scheduled to be in attendance. Having the the ESPN Gameday crew in town is just the icing on the cake.

This is the biggest regular season men’s basketball game in these school’s histories. It’s also the biggest regular season game that the state of Tennessee, maybe even the country, has ever seen.

Let’s just hope that it will live up to its billing.

Indiana's Kelvin Sampson: "Fool Me Once, Shame on You; Fool Me Twice..."

Stephen Kriger — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 08:21:27 -0500

In an era full of controversy and scandals in professional sports, one would suspect that athletes, coaches, and all those involved in the world of athletics would learn how to follow the rules.

This certainly isn’t the case at Indiana University.

On Feb. 8, amidst arguably the biggest and most important two weeks of the regular season for the Indiana Hoosiers men’s basketball team, the NCAA sent a notice to Indiana University president, Michael McRobbie, detailing illegal recruiting allegations committed by head coach Kelvin Sampson and two of his assistants. The 14-page document outlined five major violations against the coaching staff and included a statement that claimed Sampson had lied about these violations to the NCAA and Indiana University. Most of the alleged violations included excessive impermissible phone calls made by the Indiana coaching staff.

While violating the number of phone calls that coaches are allowed to make to recruits may seem like getting a speeding ticket for going five over, it’s still a rule that should be followed.

This was the second time at the second school that Kelvin Sampson decided that this rule apparently didn’t apply to him.

From 2000 to 2006, while coaching Oklahoma, Sampson made 577 impermissible phone calls to recruits. He received sanctions for his actions from the NCAA that he brought with him when he was hired as the head coach at Indiana in 2006.

Sampson promised to put his troubles behind him, but he then proceeded to violate these sanctions, make more impermissible phone calls to recruits, and then lie about all of it.

Knowing that Sampson had a history of cheating at the University of Oklahoma, Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan decided to hire him anyway. He chose to believe that Sampson would carry on the tradition of good, clean athletics that Indiana University prides itself on. In fact, it had been more than 45 years since IU had committed any NCAA violations in any sport. Greenspan put Sampson in charge of the most prized possession of many Indiana natives, the Hoosier men’s basketball team; arguably one of the five best coaching jobs in the country.

Sampson failed miserably.

His reputation, along with the reputation of the men’s basketball program at Indiana, and the reputation of the university itself have been damaged.

Sampson is a fine basketball coach, and his players seem to love him, but when a man’s honor and integrity come into question, there’s a serious problem.

Sampson was supposed to be the next coaching giant at Indiana. Many thought he would be there until he was unable to coach anymore.

Well, it seems as though his time is already up.

On February 15, President McRobbie launched a one week internal investigation of Coach Sampson conducted by the athletic department. Come February 22, when the internal probe has concluded, Greenspan will likely recommend to Mcrobbie that Sampson be fired; and rightfully so.

However McRobbie shouldn’t stop there. As the saying goes, “once a cheater, always a cheater”. Rick Greenspan hired this cheater and essentially put his own job in jeopardy in the process. Now, he should go too.

Greenspan’s job can be summed up into one sentence: “Fool me once, Kelvin Sampson, shame on you; fool me twice, Kelvin Sampson, shame on me”.

Despite Critics, Memphis Tigers Reign Supreme

Stephen Kriger — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:03:34 -0500

Go ahead, count 'em out.

"Memphis is in a weak conference," "they won't make it past the Sweet Sixteen," "the Tigers won't be battle tested for the NCAA Tournament," "they can't shoot free throws."

I've heard them all. But the excuses just won't cut it anymore.

What does the University of Memphis men's basketball team have to do to get some respect? Lose? Because they sure can't seem to do that this year.

Currently, the Memphis Tigers are 24-0 overall, with a 10-0 record in Conference USA, not to mention a No. 1 national ranking in both polls.

This team has quality wins over Oklahoma, Connecticut, Southern California, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Arizona, Gonzaga, and Houston (twice).

The Tigers also easily took down Siena and Austin Peay, both favorites to win their respective conferences. Their non-conference schedule is second to none; maybe even the best in the country.

Memphis' conference schedule, however, leaves a little to be desired.

Conference USA is ranked 10th best nationally and consists of teams such as Rice, Southern Methodist, and East Carolina, which have a combined 19 wins among them.

However, the conference also includes several respectable schools in Houston, UAB, and UTEP.

But the fact is that night in and night out, no matter if Memphis is playing Rice or Houston, the opposing team throws everything they have at the Tigers. Every conference road game that Memphis has played has been sold out, full of screaming fans and alumni who have come to see their team take a shot against the No. 1 team in the country.

Still, the Tigers have yet to lose. As a matter of fact, they haven't just won all ten conference games; they have dominated them. Only two out of the ten victories have come by single digits; the other eight were blowouts.

The Memphis squad is winning their conference games by an average of 21.9 points per outing. Yes, they are ranked a whopping 327th out of 328 teams in free throw shooting, but the Tigers make them when they count most. The same was said of last year's Tigers, but when the NCAA tournament rolled around, they shot over 70 percent from the charity stripe.

With a couple big tests coming up at UAB and against No. 3 ranked Tennessee, the Tigers look to keep their perfect record and prolong their winning streak.

The Memphis vs. Tennessee game, which will take place on February 23rd, was strategically scheduled a couple weeks before Selection Sunday to prepare the Tigers for the NCAA tournament. This game could also potentially decide whether or not Memphis finishes with an undefeated regular season.

So go ahead, count Memphis out. Tell everyone that they don't deserve their No. 1 ranking.

Come April 7th, though, when the Tigers are playing for the national championship, be prepared to eat your words.