http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/teams/memphis_tigers/929 Recent articles about Memphis Tigers en-us via Zagsblog Kansas and Duke had eked out similar paths this season. Both had significant losses: Duke lost its top three scorers, Kansas lost its starting five. Both had superstar recruits: Jabari Parker for Duke and Andrew Wiggins for Kansas. Parker and Wiggins will undoubtedly be the focal point of their franchise, and both are wingmen. Kansas and Duke have good point guards, so the best complementary piece they need is a strong inside player. They cross paths again for Memphis transfer Tarik Black. per Zagsblog   Memphis transfer Tarik Black is visiting Duke today and will visit Kansas on Tuesday, sources confirmed to SNY.tv. Last week he visited Oregon and then went to Georgetown. The 6-foot-9 Black met recently with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, as well as Ohio State coach Thad Matta and San Diego State’s Steve Fisher.  The 6-9 Black averaged 8.1 points and 4.8 rebounds as a junior last season for the Tigers. He will have one year of eligibility remaining. “I will not be condu... Thu, 16 May 2013 05:04:20 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/kansas_vs_duke_for_tarik_black_highly_recruited_transfer/13628579 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/kansas_vs_duke_for_tarik_black_highly_recruited_transfer/13628579 Kansas vs Duke for Tarik Black: highly recruited transfer http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/kansas_vs_duke_for_tarik_black_highly_recruited_transfer/13628579 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/2/229ef54be8c2280a882666639cb92e2c054507ea/mini/5080744.jpg Over the next day and a half, the Blue Devils will make their final recruiting pitch to Memphis transfer Tarik Black. The 6-foot-9 center will be on campus in Durham into Tuesday. Sun, 12 May 2013 20:33:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/duke_will_make_final_pitch_to_black/13602866 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/duke_will_make_final_pitch_to_black/13602866 Duke will make final pitch to Black http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/duke_will_make_final_pitch_to_black/13602866 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The blogging media (bledia?) is a funny beast. One national site puts up a story which generates a ton of hits, and suddenly all the other sites have very similar stories up in order to cash in on the hits. It's not about being right. It's not about covering what is important. It's about hits. That, in large part, is how quality is judged in the era of blogs. Memphis transfer Tarik Black became the hot story this week. He's a former consensus top-60 recruit who is leaving Memphis and will be immediately eligible for one final season. What the coverage should have been is that he's a role player from Memphis who is transferring to be a role player somewhere else. Big deal. But since he might finish his career at Duke or Kansas there were suddenly lots of people from basketball obsessed fanbases googling his name. Cue the national blog race, and within a few days he was being reported by multiple sites as the biggest recruit in basketball outside of Andrew Wigg... Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:20:17 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/its_josh_davis_not_tarik_black_who_you_should_be_talking_about/13491166 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/its_josh_davis_not_tarik_black_who_you_should_be_talking_about/13491166 It's Josh Davis, not Tarik Black, who you should be talking about http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/its_josh_davis_not_tarik_black_who_you_should_be_talking_about/13491166 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Memphis forward-guard Adonis Thomas plans to forego his final two seasons with the Tigers to sign with an agent and declare for the NBA draft. The Commercial Appeal first reported Thomas' decision Thursday. Memphis coach Josh Pastner confirmed Thomas' decision in a text to The Associated Press. The 6-foot-7, 240-pound Thomas was a McDonald's All-American in 2011 coming out of Melrose High in Memphis. He helped the Tigers go 31-5 this season before losing in the second round to Michigan State. Thomas started all 36 games this season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading scorer averaging 11.7 points per game. Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:54:19 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/memphis_soph_thomas_bolting_early_for_nba_draft/13318039 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/memphis_soph_thomas_bolting_early_for_nba_draft/13318039 Memphis soph Thomas bolting early for NBA draft http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/memphis_soph_thomas_bolting_early_for_nba_draft/13318039 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/c/2cb9ebfe10f814ed96461fa49e8063e943b7bb58/mini/6933318.jpg Memphis forward-guard Adonis Thomas plans to forego his final two seasons with the Tigers to sign with an agent and declare for the NBA draft. The Commercial Appeal first reported Thomas' decision Thursday. Memphis coach Josh Pastner confirmed Thomas' decision in a text to The Associated Press. The 6-foot-7, 240-pound Thomas was a McDonald's All-American in 2011 coming out of Melrose High in Memphis. He helped the Tigers go 31-5 this season before losing in the second round to Michigan State. Thomas started all 36 games this season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading scorer averaging 11.7 points per game. Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:52:03 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/memphiss_fg_adonis_thomas_to_enter_nba_draft/13317970 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/memphiss_fg_adonis_thomas_to_enter_nba_draft/13317970 Memphis's F/G Adonis Thomas to enter NBA draft http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/memphiss_fg_adonis_thomas_to_enter_nba_draft/13317970 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/c/2cb9ebfe10f814ed96461fa49e8063e943b7bb58/mini/6933318.jpg Memphis men's basketball coach Josh Pastner has agreed to terms on a contract extension. The length of the extension and financial terms weren't disclosed when the announcement was made during a Wednesday afternoon press conference featuring Pastner and athletic director Tom Bowen. School officials said it could be several weeks before the details are complete and the agreement approved by all parties. Bowen simply said that Pastner ''will remain our basketball coach for a long time.'' Bowen said the negotiations began several months ago, but rumors swirling around Pastner accelerated the university's desire to get the contract resolved. ''It was important because Josh became a national topic as far as a bright, bright young coach who's had an extraordinary year. This team had an extraordinary season,'' Bowen said. ''I've been in the business a long time, and I know it's time to lock your coach down and make sure nobody can have a chance to pu Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:28:09 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/memphis_pastner_agree_to_extension/13250266 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/memphis_pastner_agree_to_extension/13250266 Memphis, Pastner agree to extension http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/memphis_pastner_agree_to_extension/13250266 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Memphis Tigers were eliminated from the NCAA March Madness tourney today courtesy the Michigan State Spartans. Well, Tigers senior D.J. Stephens, who averaged 2.6 blocks this season and is coming off an 8-block performance against the St. Mary’s Gaels, swatted the Spartans Adreian Payne’s hook shot with the animosity of someone scorned by impending defeat. Check the video out here: H/T to Joseph Casciaro of the Score for the video. Sat, 23 Mar 2013 17:46:12 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/memphis_dj_stephens_executes_vicious_block_on_msus_adreian_payne_video/13217398 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/memphis_dj_stephens_executes_vicious_block_on_msus_adreian_payne_video/13217398 DJ Stephens skies for vicious block http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/memphis_dj_stephens_executes_vicious_block_on_msus_adreian_payne_video/13217398 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/5/4540fe33912cad669451ab5595a45949d716b398/mini/bl.jpg Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:41:47 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/josh_pastner_is_a_jumping_fool/13216204 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/josh_pastner_is_a_jumping_fool/13216204 Josh Pastner jumps around on court http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/josh_pastner_is_a_jumping_fool/13216204 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/5/1/512d900ea5be52a508cd426bfc077f3adbbfcc1a/mini/jp.jpg Matthew Dellavedova caught the ball and took one more 3-pointer. It was about as good a scenario as Saint Mary's could have hoped for, especially since the Gaels were trailing by five moments earlier. But Dellavedova, the school's career leader in scoring, missed long as time expired. ''As soon as Delli got the ball in the corner, we all thought it was going to go in,'' Saint Mary's forward Brad Waldow said. ''We knew it was going to go in, but it just didn't fall. That's it.'' Dellavedova and Saint Mary's nearly pulled off an NCAA tournament upset Thursday, but sixth-seeded Memphis held on for a 54-52 win over the 11th-seeded Gaels. The Tigers led by 15 in the first half but nearly gave the game away in the final seconds. With Memphis (31-4) ahead 54-49, Eividas Petrulis banked in a 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds to play. The Tigers then lost the ball when the Gaels' Jordan Giusti deflected the inbound pass off Joe Jackson of Memphis and out of boun Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:23:17 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/gaels_a_shot_short_against_memphis_in_54_52_loss/13202839 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/gaels_a_shot_short_against_memphis_in_54_52_loss/13202839 Gaels a shot short against Memphis in 54-52 loss http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/gaels_a_shot_short_against_memphis_in_54_52_loss/13202839 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png D.J. Stephens is a 6-foot-5 pogo stick who plays for the Memphis Tigers. He leads the Tigers in rebounds and blocks. Here he is going up high for an alley-oop against St. Mary’s, a dunk that had Raftery and Verne screaming. Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:37:02 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/dj_stephens_dunk_had_the_announcers_screaming_video/13201798 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/dj_stephens_dunk_had_the_announcers_screaming_video/13201798 D.J. Stephens’ dunk had the announcers screaming (VIDEO) http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/dj_stephens_dunk_had_the_announcers_screaming_video/13201798 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/3/4367dd0f5d18e155218d215c8e9ce2a49cd70a0d/mini/6784450.jpg Record:30-4, 16-0 C-USA RPI:12 Coach:Josh Pastner, 4th season, three NCAA tournament appearances Last NCAA tournament appearance:Lost to St. Louis in the first round (2012) Notable Wins:Tennessee, Harvard, Southern Miss (twice) Key Player The most dangerous player for the Tigers isnt in the starting lineup. Junior guard Chris Crawford assumed the sixth-man role late in the season, but became the most productive guard in Pastners lineup averaging 22.4 points in the month of March and hitting five three-pointers in the conference championship against Southern Miss. X-Factor No team enters the tournament with more confidence. The Tigers have lost one game this calendar year and only two since Thanksgiving. Pastner brings vibrant energy to the floor that permeates to everyone on his bench. And at age 35, he is young enough to believe that this team has a chance to go all the way. First Opponent Pastner and company wont know who they play until late Tuesday night after Middle Tennessee takes on St. Marys. Ei Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:22:41 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/ncaa_tournament_primer_memphis/13182154 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/ncaa_tournament_primer_memphis/13182154 NCAA tournament primer: Memphis http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/ncaa_tournament_primer_memphis/13182154 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/4/44f92dcf456f08c18d47275c339737827c0dc704/mini/6818938.jpg While the profile of the Memphis Tigers basketball program expands beyond their geographic area of the country, the reality is that they don’t have to travel far to capitalize on that stature. The talent-rich Memphis high school basketball scene has plenty of talent, more than enough to buoy the Tigers as they attempt to determine [...] Mon, 27 Aug 2012 22:26:18 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/memphis_defends_borders_as_top_30_wing_nick_king_commits/11564965 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/memphis_defends_borders_as_top_30_wing_nick_king_commits/11564965 Memphis defends borders as top-30 wing Nick King commits http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/memphis_defends_borders_as_top_30_wing_nick_king_commits/11564965 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png When Wesley Witherspoon first arrived in Memphis to play for John Calipari, many expected him to be another in a line of stars to play for the Tigers.  But, after 1 year Calipari left, and new coach Josh Pastner never seemed to really know how to use the long, athletic wing effectively.  Playing all over the court, Witherspoon never seemed to settle into a comfortable role, yet when he was involved on offense, you still saw flashes of what makes him still a promising prospect.  With college behind him, Witherspoon can now focus on molding himself into an effective NBA player.  Don’t be fooled by the numbers, Witherspoon is still a player with a promising future.  I recently had the chance to speak to Witherspoon about his college experience, his game, and more: Wesley on how his game developed at Marquette: “It was definitely a process.  There were a lot of trials and tribulations, but you can only get past them.  As a player, the ability to play and learn multiple positions ... Sun, 06 May 2012 15:27:41 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/nba_draft_blog_interview_with_wesley_witherspoon/10731038 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/nba_draft_blog_interview_with_wesley_witherspoon/10731038 NBA Draft Blog Interview with Wesley Witherspoon http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/nba_draft_blog_interview_with_wesley_witherspoon/10731038 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/2/22eff9435c7ee9ed9e9c44d93368a2df2339a66b/mini/17.jpg Memphis basketball coach Josh Pastner committed a puzzling secondary recruiting violation via the team’s Twitter account Tuesday night when he tweeted the following: “Tony Parker.” Parker is a big man from Georgia and one of the top recruits in the class of 2012, and the Tigers and many other teams would love to have him. Since the tweet qualified as publicly discussing an unsigned recruit, Pastner had committed a violation despite the fact that he deleted it minutes later. So how did this happen? That’s the entertaining part of the story. According to Pastner, the tweet would have never been sent if not for his wife flustering him. “My wife was yelling at me because I was on the phone too loud,” he said according to the Commercial Appeal. “I was waking (the couple’s infant daughter) up and waking my wife up because I had the TV on. She was complaining that I not only woke my daughter up, but I also woke the baby inside her up becaus... Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:22:10 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/memphis_coach_josh_pastner_blames_wife_for_minor_recruiting_violation/10595809 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/memphis_coach_josh_pastner_blames_wife_for_minor_recruiting_violation/10595809 Memphis coach Josh Pastner blames wife for minor recruiting violation http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/memphis_coach_josh_pastner_blames_wife_for_minor_recruiting_violation/10595809 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Digg this! Share this on Reddit Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Buzz up! Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Mixx Share this on Linkedin Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:20:29 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/memphis_pa_accouncer_introduces_john_calipari_as_head_coach/8684923 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/memphis_pa_accouncer_introduces_john_calipari_as_head_coach/8684923 PA announcer forgets who coaches Memphis http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/memphis_pa_accouncer_introduces_john_calipari_as_head_coach/8684923 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/1/11904731481b9b9ba8ca473d0e1b3c3a67da656e/mini/jc.jpg