Oct. 18, 2005

WHAT'S COMING BACK ...
If people see Memphis head coach John Calipari this summer, they may see the Tiger mentor with a huge smile on his face. The reason?

For the first time in his six years at Memphis, every Tiger player that was supposed to return is coming back. In other words, no one left early for the professional ranks.

The Tigers return seven letterwinners, including a duo of experience in senior Rodney Carney and sophomore Darius Washington Jr. Senior Waki Williams and sophomore Joey Dorsey -- both of whom came on strong late in the season -- also return.

But, the spotlight will shine primarily on Washington and Carney, both All-Conference USA honorees a year ago. Carney led the team with a 16.0 scoring average, while Washington was second at 15.4 points per game.

Calipari likes for his point guard to be the coach on the floor, and Washington, a 2005 National Freshman All-America

Team pick, grew into that role as last season progressed. The Winter Park, Fla., native led the Tigers with 144 assists and 63 steals, but more importantly, Washington learned how to run the team which paid dividends for Memphis late in 2004- 05. Calipari is looking for Washington to build on that in 2005-06.

Carney, one of college basketball's most electrifying dunkers, has added a little more to his game each season. The

Indianapolis, Ind., native can score either on the perimeter or in the paint, but Calipari is looking for Carney to add more consistency to his arsenal in 2005-06. The Tiger mentor would also like to see Carney attack the glass even more.

Williams, who overcame an early-season knee injury, gave Memphis a lift off the bench in the stretch run. The 6-foot-9 gifted forward -- called by Calipari as one of the most talented players in last year's Conference USA -- needs to show more flashes of brilliance this season.

If there is a position where Calipari needs consistent play, it is the post. Dorsey is the veteran in the paint, but for the 6- foot-9 forward to become the Ben Wallace-type player Calipari wants, the Baltimore, Md., native needs to raise his intensity in practice and games. If that happens, opponents will have to deal with Calipari's "monster in the middle."

WHAT'S COMING IN ...
That smile on Calipari's face is even wider knowing that his entire recruiting class is already on campus in summer school. The five freshmen -- Antonio Anderson, Kareem Cooper, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Robert Dozier and Shawne Williams -- and sophomore Andre Allen are a talented bunch that will challenge the veterans for playing time. Four of the five freshmen (minus Douglas-Roberts) played together on Laurinburg (N.C.) Prep's national title team in 2004-05 (40-0 record), and their familiarity with each other should help the Tigers' team chemistry from the start. Williams, who did flirt with jumping to the NBA, is the highest-rated recruit of the class, but the Memphis coaching staff likes the length (wingspan) of all the newcomers and feels like they can use that to their advantage -- especially on the defensive end.

WHAT'S LOST ...
Although the Tiger have plenty of talent, most of it is young and inexperienced. Memphis lost three seniors in Arthur Barclay, Duane Erwin and Anthony Rice from last year's squad. While none of the three put up All-America type numbers, their loss will be noticed. The Tigers will have to replace not only 329 career games played -- including Rice's schoolrecord 134 games played -- but also Barclay's hustle work (taking charges, offensive rebounds), Erwin's rebounding (581 career boards) and blocked shots (155 career) and Rice's school-record three-pointers made (236).

Tiger Tidbits (Notes on the 2005-06 Season)

Quick Hits

Over the last two seasons, Memphis has a 35-11 record when Jeremy Hunt plays. The Tigers are 9-13 when he doesn't play.

Washington To Participate In Team USA Trials; Carney Pulled Out With Injury
Rodney Carney and Darius Washington Jr. both received invitations to participate in the Team USA U21 Trials. However, Carney will miss the trials after suffering a rib injury. The tryouts are scheduled for July 21-23 in Dallas, Texas. Washington will be one of 20 players vying for the team's 12 spots. The 12-member squad will look to defend the USA's gold medal at the 2005 FIBA U21 World Championship in Mar de Plata, Argentina, Aug. 5-14.

Robic Joins Coaching Staff
Head coach John Calipari announced that John Robic will join the Memphis coaching staff. Robic, who served on Calipari's staff at the University of Massachusetts, comes to Memphis from Youngstown State, where he was the head coach the past six seasons. While at UMass from 1989-99, the Minutemen posted a 247-111 overall record (.690 winning percentage), won five-straight Atlantic 10 Conference regular season and tournament titles and earned nine postseason tournament bids (seven NCAA, two NIT). Robic was instrumental in helping UMass advance to the 1996 NCAA Tournament Final Four.

First Year Growing Pains Turns Into Success
The Tigers moved into their new home, FedExForum, for the 2004-05 season, and they experienced a few growing pains in the transition. Memphis posted a 16-7 record at FedExForum last year, the most home setbacks in a single season since 1969-70 (4-10 mark). But, Tiger fans should not fret, as Memphis did the same in its previous two moves. The Tigers moved to The Pyramid in 1991-92 and posted a 12-4 home record that season, but then went on to record an 80.5 winning percentage (173-42 record/13 seasons) in the "Tomb of Doom." The same was true in the beloved Mid-South Coliseum. Memphis had a 7-6 record in its first year (1964-65) at the Coliseum, but went on to record a 79.2 winning percentage (343-90 record/27 seasons).