Bleacher Report - Memphis Tigers Basketball

Memphis Tigers Basketball: Angel Garcia Continues Rehab; Return Imminent?

Leroy Watson — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:46:43 -0500

Breaking News: Angel Garcia eyeing a January 2010 return date

Angel Garcia, the 6’11”, 250-pound forward for the Memphis Tigers with length and superior skills, has taken a most circuitous route to the college hardwood.

He was born in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, on July 11, 1988 to Luis and Ada Garcia.

As he grew—and grew, and grew, and grew some more—his size and athleticism allowed him to make a name for himself playing basketball. And of course, the only way to play the game at the highest level is to compete right here in the United States.

Garcia played ball at East Chicago High School in Indiana.

During the 2006-’07 season, Garcia and his teammates secured the Indiana 4A State championship, the school’s first since 1971. One of the players on the team that East Chicago defeated (Indianapolis North Central) was Eric Gordon, now in the NBA.

Angel then played for the Puerto Rican FIBA World Championship team, and averaged 13.8 points and 7.8 boards per contest, astounding figures for a 19-year old playing against grown men and professionals.

The following year, he led East Chicago to Sectional and Regional titles, though they could not ring home the State crown.

He was a very highly-regarded recruit, being the No. 47 player overall according to Rivals , No. 36 by Scout , No. 62 on RiseMag.com, and No. 72 at ESPN.com. John Calipari and Memphis came calling, and he signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) with the team in the fall of 2007.

The following fall is when the bottom fell out of Angel’s basketball world.

First, there were delays in his passing muster with the NCAA Clearinghouse. Then, after being given a limited exemption by the NCAA, which allowed him to practice with the team until the matter was cleared up, Garcia tore the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee.

The Clearinghouse never ruled him eligible, and Garcia lost out on an entire season.

Unbowed, he rehabilitated steadfastly, continued to take classes, and even occasionally showed up at Tiger home games. (By NCAA rule, he was not allowed to travel to away games with the Memphis team.)

When John Calipari fled Memphis for the bluegrass pastures of Kentucky, Garcia was one of the first Tiger players to pledge that he would stay at Memphis.

However, life was not through dealing Angel Garcia a lousy hand. As he eagerly prepared for the 2009-’10 season, which would be (according to classification) his freshman campaign, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee while participating in a non-contact drill.

In fact, he was running in a straight line during the first week of fall workouts when the knee simply collapsed under him.

Initial estimates were that rehabilitation would take six-to-eight months after his late-September surgery—meaning, he would not be ready until March 2010 at the earliest.

However, through all of this adversity, Garcia has kept a positive attitude. Anytime we have spotted him, he has always had a smile, and he seems to genuinely enjoy hanging out with his teammates.

He has worked out like a madman—his upper body is sculpted as if he were a statue—and he just might step foot on the court with his Tiger teammates as early as January 2010.

Tiger fans should pay heed to the caution that Jack Murphy uttered: “It’s not up to Angel when he comes back. It’s up to his body and the doctors.”

But Murphy—who was sitting down to dinner with Josh Pastner at the time—confirmed for TigerSportsReport.com that Angel Garcia wants to return to the court soon, and that the coaching staff would love to have him in uniform when he is healthy.

What follows is a transcript of the brief interview that I had with Angel in the locker room after Memphis defeated Tennessee Tech, 92-59, on Friday, Nov. 20, 2009.

Leroy Watson, Jr., TigerSportsReport.com Managing Editor: Angel, you had a bad break this year. Your tore the ACL in your right knee. But you’re looking good, and your upper body is ripped. How is the knee rehabilitation coming along?

Angel Garcia, University of Memphis student-athlete: “The knee is coming great. There’s nothing bad I can say about my knee. It doesn’t hurt. It only swells sometimes when I sleep; that’s about it.”

LWJ: We report to Memphis fans about your shooting exploits at practice, how your jumper is so pure that you don’t even draw rim, it’s all nylon. Memphis fans are drooling to see you in action. Are you as excited about playing again as the fans are to see you?

AG: “Yeah, I really feel like I’m ready to get back, but right now I can’t jump, all I can do is shoot, shoot, shoot. I can’t jump or dunk the basketball, so that’s what I’ve been working on, my jump shot. I guess it’s getting better. (Grins)”

LWJ: How proud of you over your team’s effort tonight, when they could have had a let-down after a tough, tough loss to Kansas? They came out and took care of business.

AG: “It made me feel great, the way we’re doing things right now, the way we work together. The team just stays together, and do whatever it is we’ve gotta do, whatever it takes. We’re gonna do (well).”

LWJ: If your rehabilitation goes well, do you see yourself in Tiger blue and grey next year?

AG: “This season! This season for sure, I’m not thinking about next season. Maybe January.”

LWJ: This year?

AG: “Yes, this year. I’ve got about two months (of rehab left), and after two months, in about two-and-a-half weeks, I’ll be back on court.”

If it seems ambitious, that’s because it is. Returning from ACL surgery in five months is not the norm.

However, if anyone has earned the right to dream a little, it’s Angel Garcia. And the Memphis team, coaching staff, and fans will be dreaming right along with him.

Leroy Watson, Jr. is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist for the University of Memphis men’s basketball program

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Memphis-Kansas: Tigers Make a Statement Despite Losing To Jayhawks

Stephen Clay — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:51:16 -0500

It was not supposed to be this way.

The Kansas Jayhawks were a 12.5-point favorite over the Memphis Tigers. The Jayhawks had everything in their favor: No. 1 ranking in the country, two first team All-Americans in Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins, and incredible depth.

Memphis came into the game with a first-time head coach in Josh Pastner and a skeleton crew of eight scholarship players.

It didn't matter. It's all paper talk.

That is the beauty of college basketball as Kansas escaped with a hard-fought (and lucky) victory, 57-55.

The Tigers (1-1) kept the game within striking distance from start to finish, as both squads had a hard time getting anything going against some aggressive defensive play. It became clear early that the size and depth of Kansas (2-0) would be a problem, but Pastner was able to maximize the effort of his team to make a statement to the college basketball world.

We are not going anywhere.

Memphis had plenty of opportunities to get over the hump, but poor three-point shooting prevented them from getting the lead. Despite that shortcoming, Pastner can look at his first big challenge and smile about his team's effort.

The Good

Elliot Williams

He finished up with 21 points and six rebounds. It was clear he will be the player to lead this team. His ability to take his defender off the dribble and attack the rim was very impressive. If he can develop some consistency with his jump shot, he will be a devastating offensive player. His defensive effort remains strong due to his quickness and willingness to get up on someone without fear.

Doneal Mack

While he missed some key free throws down the stretch, he hit some big shots and played with more confidence than he has shown in a few years.

Willie Kemp

Kemp played under control. He only committed two turnovers and hit some big free throws toward the end of the game. He definitely played with more comfort than he did during the John Calipari regime.

Will Coleman

His game was more good than bad; it clearly could have been better, but he fought valiantly against a dominant player in Aldrich. He made some plays that showed his lack of experience playing competitive basketball, but Coleman should progress his game throughout the season as he becomes more familiar with his teammates, especially on the defensive end.

The Bad

Wesley Witherspoon

He was nonexistent. His performance (or lack thereof) probably was the difference between a win and a loss in the game. He seemed to be distracted and played with a deer-in-the-headlights look. He also played like he does not want to be a power forward.

Roburt Sallie

Sallie has got to hit three-point shots. His ability to do that makes it so much easier for Williams and his other teammates. Without much of an inside/outside game, his struggles from deep made him a non-factor.

The Ugly

Three-point shooting

6-of-25 from behind the stripe. Not much to say. Just plain bad. Kansas seemed to spread out the perimeter players and were able to get around most of the screens, pressuring many of the three-point attempts. Sallie has got to get it done from three.

Free throws

11-of-16 from the charity stripe, including two big misses by Mack after getting fouled on a three-point attempt. In a game this tight and field goals hard to come by, securing a few more points would have made a difference.

What does this one game mean to Memphis?

For starters, it shows this team could be pretty good. Assuming they stay healthy, this is a team that should be ranked when the polls come out next Monday. It also says it will be harder than many thought to get their hands off of the CUSA conference title.

It shows prospective recruits that it is okay to play for Pastner. While getting a strong 2010 class helps, nothing does the trick like seeing it for yourself, especially on national television against the No. 1 team in the country. Game on for 2011 and 2012 recruiting of the nation's top prospects.

It gives Pastner and his team confidence. The questions of how Pastner and his staff would prepare and coach, how the team can blend together under a new system and new circumstances, were all valid.

This game says everything will be okay. Can we play this game again?

Follow Stephen at http://www.twitter.com/coach_stephen

Email Stephen at claystephent@gmail.com

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Memphis-Kansas: The Long-Awaited Rematch Has a Much Different Feel

Leroy Watson — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:29:00 -0500

Photo credit: Mark Weber

University of Memphis basketball fans call it “The Miracle Shot” or just “The Shot.”

Memphis basketball players—especially those who saw it live—are sick and tired of hearing about it.

Pierre Henderson-Niles, whose gargantuan frame has been splashed across print magazines and Web sites, head hung and streamers draped from his massive shoulders, tries to put it all out of his mind.

“I’m sure (the shot) is gonna be re-played again (Tuesday) night when we play (Kansas), but I really try not to look at it,” he says candidly. “Every time I look at it, I get mad from seeing it. I try not to look at it, I try not to even think about it, because it was a pretty big failure for us.”

“The Shot,” if you live in Memphis or root for U of M basketball, refers to the Mario Chalmers three-pointer over the outstretched arms of phenom Derrick Rose to tie the 2008 National Championship Game at 63, forcing the tilt into overtime, where the Jayhawks ultimately prevailed, 75-68.

KU fans would agree with that assessment, I expect.

Now, depending on where you live or who you root for, you might think of a different moment in time when you hear the expression “The Shot.”

Depending on what part of Indiana in which you reside, the term might refer to March 18, 1998, when Bryce Drew threw a dagger into the hearts of Ole Miss Rebel fans with a three-pointer that led to Valparaiso’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, 70-69.

Yet, if you are a bit older and root for the Indiana Hoosiers, “The Shot” was drained by Keith Smart on April 6, 1987, and it was a baseline jumper, just inside the three-point line, to topple Syracuse, 74-73, and gave Bobby Knight his third (and final) title as a Hoosier.

If you live in Durham, North Carolina, surely “The Shot” was Christian Laettner against Kentucky, March 28, 1992; the full court pass, the catch, the hip-move, the turnaround jumper on the way to the scintillating 104-103 overtime victory.

But Chicago Bull fans (and Wikipedia) say that Michael Jordan’s jumper over Craig Ehlo on May 7, 1989, trumps them all and stakes rightful claim to the title, “The Shot.”

Regardless of whether or not you espouse Chalmers' dramatics as “The Shot,” if you follow college basketball and have a pulse, you probably know that Memphis and Kansas will finally meet on the court again, some 17 months after the fact, but under very different circumstances.

The two rosters were dripping with soon-to-be pros that fateful night of April 7, 2008. Three Memphis starters—Joey Dorsey, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Derrick Rose—dot NBA rosters (Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, and Chicago Bulls respectively). Another starter, Antonio Anderson, was drafted to the NBDL by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

The final starter, Robert Dozier, is now overseas in Greece, playing for Colossus Rhodes, and the first big man off the bench, Shawn Taggart, performs for Ironi Nahariya of the Israeli Premier League.

The winning Kansas team was just as decorated.

Darrell Arthur performs in the NBA for (ironically enough) the Memphis Grizzlies. Chalmers is the starting point guard for the Miami Heat. Darnell Jackson is a Cleveland Cavalier.

Sasha Kaun returned home to Russia, where he cashes checks to play basketball. Russell Robinson is on the NBDL roster of the Reno Bighorns. And Brandon Rush landed with the Indiana Pacers.

No wonder new Memphis head coach Josh Pastner feels a bit disconnected by it all.

“For our team, the focus isn’t on 2008. Let me tell you this,” he starts, "the whole point of the game was made for one versus two in the country. Memphis probably would have been No. 1 and Kansas No. 2, or vice versa.

“Either way, it would have been one and two had Coach Calipari stayed here, and we had that high-rated recruiting class coming in.

“So obviously, when Coach Cal left, and other people left, it kind of lost some of your feel. It’s no longer a rematch of the national championship game. Now Memphis against Kansas is different coaches, different players, and it’s not one and two.”

Henderson-Niles echoed those sentiments.

“You really can’t look at that (game), it’s two different teams now. We’ve got a different team, they’ve got a different team.”

Only Henderson-Niles, Willie Kemp, and Doneal Mack from Memphis remember the pain of watching their historic 38-win season come screeching to a bitter end, with the Jayhawks celebrating on court.

Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins are the only Jayhawks still around who were there to experience the exhilaration of erasing a nine-point deficit over the final 2:12 of regulation.

“Obviously, for Kansas to win, every moon, star, everything had to be aligned perfectly, and it did in those final two minutes,” Pastner points out.

As things ended up, Kansas now is the consensus No. 1 in the country, with “a future Hall-of-Fame coach” (in Pastner’s words) in Bill Self, all five starters returning, and a recruiting class that is the envy of anyone not named Kentucky.

Xavier Henry (regarded by many as the top incoming freshman in the country), Elijah Johnson, Thomas Robinson, and Jeff Withey (a transfer from Arizona who will not be eligible until January) all add lethal depth to an already accomplished team.

In yet another ironic twist, Josh Pastner had signed Henry to Memphis, only to lose him when John Calipari fled to Kentucky, and inked Withey for Arizona two years ago. Memphis was also one of the finalists for Robinson last fall.

Josh Pastner is only concerned about his own current team, however, not who is gone and not who is signed to come in next fall.

“We’re looking at this team (Kansas) as another game on the schedule,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who we play; we have to give the maximum effort that we can give, because winning is a by-product of effort.

“We have to play hard, we have to compete, we have to leave every ounce of energy that we have out on the floor. It doesn’t matter who our opponent is; if we do that, we will have an opportunity to win.”

As for Kansas specifically, Pastner is under no illusions that the Jayhawks are a pushover by any stretch of the imagination.

“Kansas is big, they’re good, they’ve got pros,” Pastner observed. “Their two best things that they do offensively (are) offensive rebounding and offensive transition. We’re gonna have to be really good defensive transition-wise and on the glass.

"Given our lack of size, we have to make sure that we’re getting five guys on the defensive glass. That means 10 Memphis feet in the paint, and not just there in the paint, they’ve gotta jump and go get the basketball.”

Kansas is an early 13.5 point favorite in the contest, which might actually be kind to Memphis.

The ‘Hawks are coming off a scintillating 101-65 rout of Hofstra on Friday night. Henry led the way with a Kansas freshman-debut record 27 points. It was the 42nd-consecutive home win for KU.

Henry added five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block with zero turnovers in 24 minutes of action.

Preseason All-Americans Cole Aldrich (11 points, eight rebounds, four blocks) and Sherron Collins (23 points, four rebounds, three assists) also made their presence felt.

Coach Self was generally pleased but still saw some flaws in his team’s performance.

“We played pretty well offensively. Xavier (Henry) got us off to a great start, he had eight points right out of the shoot. I thought the ball moved pretty well early and in the second half, I don’t think it moved well.

“All-in-all, I thought we played pretty well. We didn’t block out worth a flip and they beat us on some hustle plays. Defensively, we were fortunate because they missed some looks that most nights they wouldn’t miss. When the game got away, we got pretty careless defensively.”

So the stage is finally set for Memphis and Kansas to reprise their 2008 title tilt. The atmosphere at the Hall of Fame Showcase in St. Louis, Missouri, will be markedly different, and the stakes won’t be nearly as high. It’s just a couple of potentially dangerous teams measuring themselves against elite competition in just their second game of the season.

But forgive Memphis fans if they see the jersey with the name “Kansas” on the front and have flashbacks of what might have been that April day, seemingly a lifetime ago.

Who

Arkansas, Louisville, Kansas, Memphis

What

Memphis vs. Kansas, 2009 Hall of Fame Showcase

When

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Where

Scottrade Center (Home of the St. Louis Blues hockey team), St. Louis, MO

Why

Proceeds donated to the non-profit Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA

Television

Memphis-Kansas to be televised on ESPN and ESPN360, 9 p.m. CT

Probable Starting Lineups

Kansas Memphis

Markieff Morris, F, 6 ppg, 7 rpg Pierre Henderson-Niles, F, 5 ppg, 5 rpg

Cole Aldrich, C, 11 ppg, 8 rpg, 4 bpg Wesley Witherspoon, F, 13 ppg, 4 rpg

Xavier Henry, G, 27 ppg, 5 rpg Roburt Sallie, G, 7 ppg, 7 rpg, 4 apg, 4 spg

Sherron Collins, G, 23 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg Willie Kemp, G, 4 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg

Tyshawn Taylor, G, 8ppg, 4 rpg, 6 apg Elliot Williams, G, 19 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 apg

Key Reserves

Marcus Morris, F, 9 ppg, 4 rpg Will Coleman, F, 16 ppg, 10 rpg, 5 bpg

Elijah Johnson, G, 8 ppg, 4 rpg Doneal Mack, G, 8 ppg, 1 rpg, 2 apg

Thomas Robinson, F, 5 ppg, 5 rpg Drew Barham, F/G, 7 ppg, 2 rpg

Tyrel Reed, G, 3 rpg, 3 apg D.J. Stephens, F/G, 1 ppg, 2 rpg

Keys to Victory

Kansas wants to 1) control the boards, 2) get Memphis’ only true big men (Henderson-Niles, Coleman) into foul trouble, 3) exploit their ridiculously deep bench, and 4) jump on Memphis early and break the will of an inexperienced team.

Memphis must 1) rebound with reckless abandon, 2) hammer the ball into the post on offense to make the Jayhawk big men work and perhaps foul, 3) improve their transition defense, and 4) stay close at all costs.

The Skinny

My heart picks the plucky, ever-resilient Tigers from Memphis, but my head screams “Kansas.” I’m following my head this time; my heart will have to wait until another day. Kansas will not cover the spread, however, which currently stands at -13.5.

Kansas 83, Memphis 72

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