Nov. 4, 2005

Despite 2005-06 being Blair Savage's second year with the Lady Tiger basketball program, it might be fair to say that this is the first year of her rebuilding program. Gone are five letterwinners from the 2004-05 team that finished 13-16 for the season and scored 67.5 percent of last year's points. Also sidelined for the 2005-06 season is team defensive MVP Jessica Hall, who suffered a torn Achilles during the off-season and had surgery prior to individual workouts beginning. Hall suffered a second tear and underwent a second surgery on the same leg in October.

But returning are a core of players who have already bonded and shown some team chemistry.

The Backcourt
Leading the crop of returnees is senior Tamika Butler, the lone Lady Tiger to be in her fourth year in the program. Butler, already one of Memphis' best three-point shooters in the record books, assumed a majority of the point-guard responsibilities last season, taking over for then-departed Princess Swilley in getting the Lady Tigers into their offense. With the normal ups and downs of her first full year at the point, Butler returns with more confidence and a clearer picture of the new offensive system Savage had in mind when she was hired to take over the Lady Tiger program.

Butler will get some help at the point position from junior college transfer Ashley Howard. Howard, who comes into the Lady Tiger program after spending the past season at Holmes Community College, is a player who has had a lot of success already in her career. Having played varsity ball since eighth grade, Howard helped her high school program to two state championships and then averaged 16.2 points, 5.5 assists and 10.5 rebounds per game in her one year at Holmes. A Junior College All-Star, Howard brings a slashing game and some timely outside shooting to the Lady Tiger offense, giving Memphis an experienced primary ball handler who can shoot and keep defenses honest. Howard will also address a weakness from the 2004-05 roster in providing a guard who consistently rebound. The Lady Tiger guards averaged 10.5 rebounds per game last year among the five players who spent significant time at that position, as many rebounds per game as Howard herself grabbed at Holmes.

Also new at the guard spot is freshman Paris Leonard, the first Memphis-prep product to sign with the Lady Tigers under Savage. Leonard averaged 20.9 points and 5.0 rebounds at Wooddale High School and played AAU basketball with the Memphis Showboats, a team made up of Division I-caliber talent. Leonard also brings to the table something that is rare in young players, a solid mid-range game. While other players work around the bucket or from beyond the arc, Leonard will fill the role in the offense that Jennifer Sullivan played in the past four years, offering some reliability on the 12-foot jumper.

Returning at the guard spot, but moving off the point, is junior Devin Necaise. Also one of the program's top three-point shooters in just her junior season, the two-year letterwinner struggled to maintain her game last year while sharing point guard responsibilities with Tamika Butler. With the move back to the two-guard spot, the Lady Tigers should be able to add another wrinkle to the offense with Necaise's outside shooting and her extensive playing experience. Having played in 60 career games already prior to her junior year, Necaise can take to the floor with either Butler or Howard at the point and give Memphis three perimeter shooting threats in addition to a line-up with more size and experience inside.

Also back on the outside is sophomore Gresh Gorman. Gorman, who played in 23 of the 29 games last year, demonstrated that her defensive abilities are not to be overlooked. After clamping down on USF's leading scorer last year in a box-and-one situation, Savage looked to Gorman for a spark off the bench for the Lady Tiger offense and defense. Gorman also demonstrated last year in the UT Martin game that she has the offensive game to be a deal breaker for opposing team's trying to shut down the other Lady Tiger perimeter shooters. While she battled consistency problems typical of a freshman year, she has that year under her belt and firmly behind her now and is one of the cornerstones of this year's team.

For the first time in a number of years, the Lady Tigers will have a walk-on player fitting into the mix at the guard spot. Kristin Wooten successfully walked on to the team after guiding local Memphis high school Briarcrest to two state championships and one runner-up finish. A very fundamentally strong defensive player, Wooten has played a number of years at the point with other Division I basketball talent, earning West Regional MVP honors in the Tennessee State basketball playoffs. Wooten also offers a scoring threat, as she averaged 10 points per game at Briarcrest while earning back-to-back team Defensive MVP honors.

The Frontcourt
For the first time in a number of years, Memphis has some numbers to work with in the post. After switching to a four-guard offense two years ago due to the lack of a dominant post player, the Lady Tigers may be able to mix it up more with some significant depth at the post position.

Senior Jamie Bradley leads the corps at either the forward or post spot. A strong rebounder, Bradley played in 23 of 29 games last year, and was one of the few players who had a good game at Nebraska. Bradley worked hard in the weight room over the summer, dropping a number of pounds, while working on her footwork. Memphis will look to Bradley to again bring her rebounding ability and to again be a defensive threat. A tall and lanky 6-2, Bradley's length helps alter a number of shots and if she can develop her offensive game from 12 feet in, she could be a multifaceted threat for the Lady Tigers.

Another returning player with significant playing time in just her junior season is Megan Gooch. Gooch has played in 56 career games already in just two seasons and a summer spent playing with Athletes in Action in Spain seems to have given Gooch the confidence she needs to be more of a threat in the offensive scheme after averaging just 1.7 points per game last year. A solid rebounder, with her now-rounded out offensive game, Gooch could again see significant time, as she is a post-player who is very fit and who runs the floor well. In preseason fitness tests, Gooch was the one Lady Tiger to come into camp and pass all her tests on the first try. The Georgetown, Texas, native could be poised to have a big break-out year this season.

Marie Reid is also a returning post for Memphis, and flashes of her ability last year have expectations high for this year. After grabbing an offensive board and sticking it back with under 10 seconds remaining in the game in a win over Marquette, Reid showed the mindset that Savage hopes to see more of this year in just going in and playing basketball. Reid, who averaged 2.3 rebounds per game last year while playing an average nine minutes, will also figure into the mix as she continues to develop her one-on-one scoring ability and rebound consistency.

Freshman Sherika Montgomery offers Lady Tiger fans something they haven't seen in a couple of years in a very physical post player. A strong 6-2 post from Plantersville, Miss., Montgomery has the size and the toughness to mix it up inside with taller players. In the preseason, Savage was already telling the story that Montgomery was working on jumping onto cubes in fitness training and that she banged her shin, drawing blood. She continued working on the drill until it was completed, then went and got treatment after she got the coaches' ok. That lack of a real physical presence inside last year was felt, particularly in games going up against dominant post players like DePaul's Khara Smith and TCU's Sandora Irvin.

The Schedule
Ten teams that advanced to the postseason, two Sweet Sixteen teams and 12 teams that won 19 or more games last season make up the Lady Tigers schedule for 2005-06. And the Lady Tigers will open the season with a two-game road trip for the first time since 2001-02, but Savage is not daunted by the task of starting the season on the road.

"Actually I like starting on the road because it gets our kids mentally prepared," she said. "By that point, you've been practicing so long and you are in your comfort zone, that starting on the road takes you out of that zone immediately. You understand immediately what (college basketball) is all about instead of waiting three or four games in to step it up."

Memphis then will host the 21st Annual Lady Tiger Thanksgiving Classic, but will have a battle on their hands if the Lady Tigers are to win a 14th straight title. Memphis opens against Austin Peay, a team that is looking to snap a seven game Lady Tiger winning streak in that series. Also participating in that tournament is Clemson, with new head coach Cristy McKinney, who took new C-USA foe Rice to the NCAA tournament last year. Also in the other side of the bracket is Belmont, a team that Savage describes as the "sleeper" on the Lady Tiger schedule.

From there, Memphis will travel for three straight games, playing Lipscomb in Nashville, then flying to Arizona State for ASU's home tournament. Arizona State was a Sweet 16 team in 2004-05 and will be the Lady Tigers' opening game there. Memphis will then face either Western Kentucky (a WNIT team last year) or Holy Cross (an NCAA team).

After the ASU tournament, the Lady Tigers return home to host UT Martin and Ole Miss (an NCAA team) before the semester break. The Lady Tigers then come back from the break with a bang, playing host to Georgia for Memphis' first-ever Lady Tiger game in the FedExForum. It will also mark Memphis' first meeting with Georgia since 1981-82.

The Lady Tigers then enter the new Conference USA schedule, opening against C-USA newcomer Marshall (Jan. 6th) and East Carolina (Jan. 8). The league slate continues at two new C-USA members, at SMU (Jan. 13) and at Tulsa (Jan. 15). The Lady Tigers will then host East Division foe UAB (Jan. 20), then take to the road to play at Tulane (Jan. 22). Memphis then returns home to host UCF (Jan. 27) and Southern Miss (Jan. 29). The USM game will be one of two Lady Tiger TV appearances for the upcoming season, and the lone C-USA TV network game in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

February promises to be a tough month as Memphis has just three games at home and five on the road, including a four-game C-USA road trip that includes East Carolina, Marshall, Southern Miss and UCF. Memphis will face all of the other five members of the East Division of C-USA on the road in February.

The Lady Tigers will cap that run, and the regular season, with a home weekend against West Division foes Houston and Rice before traveling to Dallas, Texas, to participate in the C-USA tournament.

The Coaches
Following the departure of Tom Cross (WNBA) and Helen Darling (pro career and family), Savage unhappily had two openings on her staff at the end of last season. But she found two perfect fits in assistant coaches Jay Bowen and Emily Owens. Bowen, a Memphis native and long-time recruiter of the Memphis prep scene, has spent his entire previous coaching career in the men's basketball game and brings a strong X's and O's philosophy to the Lady Tiger bench.

Owens has played a number of roles over her career, which includes her start with the Lady Tigers. She came on board as the Director of Basketball Operations, replacing Tyler Williams who joined fiancée and current Southern Miss assistant coach Brooks Donald in Hattiesburg. But with Darling completing the WNBA season, she decided to spend more time with her triplets and not return to coaching. The result was a promotion for Owens. A former assistant coach at Kentucky Wesleyan, Owens has also served as the Senior Woman's Administrator, and her skills at building relationships is something that will help the Lady Tigers in the recruiting process.

Returning to the staff is assistant coach Angela Crosby. In her second year in Memphis, Crosby was Savage's first 'recruit', venturing from Chattanooga, where she helped recruit a teams that went to four straight NCAA tournaments.