Coach McCoy Legacy - CH2k8

[chestnutz6]

General Information

Team: Memphis Tigers
Conference: Conference USA
Season: 2008-2009
Rosters: I downloaded some one on 2kShare that was made on OS.
Difficulty: MOP
Sliders: My own
Set-up: I'll be mimicking an ESPN.com set-up for much of this. Things such as roster, schedule, and a couple otha extras I'll mimic their college bball pages. For games, I'll use a GameCast sort of thing for stats, and a regular write-up for each game as well. I will probably sim some games that I'd win normally. This is meant to be a realistic legacy. I often go into a good bit of detail for each thing, which some people may or may not like. You can check my past threads (although I think I deleted most of the photoshop pics) to get an idea on what I do.

[chestnutz6]

Re: Coach McCoy Legacy - CH2k8

Memphis Tigers Information

Colors: Blue, silver, orange
Nickname: Tigers (named so because after the last game of the 1914 football season, someone shouted "WE FIGHT LIKE TIGERS!")
Fight song: Fight! Tigers! Fight!
Location: Memphis, Tennessee
Arena: FedEx Forum (capacity: 18,119)
07/08 record: 38-2

2007/2008 season in review: Last year was arguably the best year the Memphis Tigers have ever had. Going 38-2 and achieving a No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll in January '08, the Tigers, under coach John Calipari, won C-USA for the third straight year, and earned a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Memphis wouldn't disappoint, beating Michigan State, Texas, and UCLA en route to the championship game, where they barely were edged out in overtime by the Kansas Jayhawks. After a stupendous year led by Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose (both left to the NBA), the 2008/2009 Tigers have big shoots to fill.


Calipari out, McCoy in
New coach finds his way to Memphis
Posted at 613 on 4/23/08

(MEMPHIS, TN; AP) The Memphis Tigers today announced that John Calipari, who led the Tigers to a 75% winning percentage since becoming the head coach in 2000, would resign. Calipari and Memphis went to the National Championship last year, but due to family issues that were not disclosed, Calipari must give up his job as the head coach.

"It's really tough to see a great coach and person like that go," said senior guard Antonio Anderson. "I know he'll be rooting for us this year."

Calipari refused to talk to the media.

So who's going to take his spot? 40 year old R.J. McCoy, an assistant at Memphis for 4 years with a focus on offense, has been reported to become the new Tigers mens basketball coach. McCoy has a pretty decently sized resume, with coaching stints at several D3 colleges, bringing the University of Rochester a national championship in 1998, and a few assistant jobs at some smaller D1 schools before landing his job at Memphis.

McCoy has been said to be a stickler, work, work, work type of coach, whom his players respect greatly. "I think it's great we're staying in house," said senior forward Robert Dozier, who was never too keen of Calipari. McCoy mixes in a 1-2-1-1 diamond press with a 2-3 zone defense, but when it comes down to it he loves getting physical with teams and playing man. His offense focuses on individual players creating for themselves, and finding an open man around the arc.

It should be very interesting to see how McCoy and the Tigers will do this season.

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Analysis

Projected Starters
PG - Willie Kemp, Junior, 75
SG - Antonio Anderson, Senior, 86
SF - Doneal Mack, Junior, 76
PF - Robert Dozier, Senior, 79
C - Pierre Niles, Junior, 70
6th man - Tyreke Evans, Freshman, 76

Anderson will be the star of the offense, as he isn't much of a shooter but a helluva slasher. With this being his last year as a Tiger, look for a pretty big year, but McCoy has stated he'd rather spread things around.

Kemp is a fantastic shooter, but will mainly be asked to control the offense. He, Evans (another good shooter, which McCoy loves), and Roburt Sallie (a sophomore with a decent shot) will be the primary ball handlers.

Mack is the shooter on the team, and will see many minutes because of it. He's one of the best shooters in the conference. Sophomore Jeff Robinson and Evans will see time at small forward as well.

At big man, there are some defensive studs. Nobody is a real offensive threat, but 6'9'' Robert Dozier is a huge presence on defense, and Niles could develop into a nice all around player. Shawn Taggert (6'10'') and frosh Angel Garcia (6'11'', also a good shooter) are also very good defensively and will see minutes.

The Tigers have a lot of depth this year, and will use it to their advantage late in games. With several key players graduating next year, it seems like now or never for Memphis.

[chestnutz6]

Re: Coach McCoy Legacy - CH2k8

Coach McCoy isn't going light on his boys in his first year, as they have arguably the most challenging schedule in the NCAA. "When you play in a non-power conference like the C-USA," McCoy stated, "you need to schedule the toughest of opponents in order to impress the committee."

That they did, as they play the pre-season #1 and #2 teams within the first month of starting games. Memphis also plays rivals Louisville and Tennessee, as well as fellow Mid-Major powerhouse Gonzaga. The Tigers are likely to play Washington in the second round of the NIT Tip-Off, a tournament that also includes: Texas A&M, UTEP, Ohio State, and #11 Syracuse.

[chestnutz6]

Re: Coach McCoy Legacy - CH2k8

Top 25, Pre-Season Awards Announced
Memphis grabs #3 spot after being runner-up last year
Posted at 10:28:41AM, 10/1/08

[NEW YORK, NY; AP] North Carolina, to nobody's surprise, grabbed the ever-so-pointless #1 ranking in the pre-season Media polls today. It literally means nothing.

But still, Memphis, who come off losing 2 key starters, managed to get #3. They'll be playing the two teams ahead of them within a month of the season getting under way.

In Conference-USA news, Robert Vaden is the popular choice to be player of the year, and why not? The UAB guard-forward can do it all, and is a mismatch waiting to happen once C-USA play starts up. Memphis' Robert Dozier is the only Memphis player picked for first team, but three others were picked for second team.

Speaking of UAB, they should give Memphis a run for their money this year. The Tigers won't walk away with the conference this year, as the Vaden-led Blazers have a lot of firepower and a chip on their shoulder. After those two teams, the conference hits a slippery slope and the next best team is Tulsa, who just can't compete with the elite of the conference. Should be an interesting year, especially with Memphis' senior night coming against the Blazers.

[chestnutz6]

Re: Coach McCoy Legacy - CH2k8

Talent-less Panthers don't stand a chance
High Point keeps it interesting in 1st, but Memphis pulls away

[SEATTLE, WA; AP] The game started off horrible for Coach RJ McCay and the Tigers. High Point jumped out to 10-2 and 13-6 leads within the first 5 minutes. Memphis was leaving shooters like Harris wide open, and he capitalized, nailing two early threes to give the Panthers their lead. Memphis' 5 turnovers in those first few minutes didn't help either.

But they were sparked by a charge call on Singleton thanks to Mack, and the Tigers went back to what would work against the Panthers, and that was pounding the ball inside and forcing turnovers to translate to layups. Memphis would go on an 11-0 run in the next two minutes, to take a 17-13 lead.

Despite some defensive woes and allowing some bad second chance points (6), Memphis went into the locker room up 39-26, with a combined 20 points from Willie Kemp and Antonio Anderson. The few High Point fans who made the trip were very loud though, ecstatic their team was only down 13 to the #3 team in the nation.

Memphis really pulled away in the second half, as their talent showed, and it was actually how the game was supposed to go. High Point never made it within 13 points again, as the Tigers outscored the Panthers 42-29 in the second, winning 81-55.

The MVP went to senior forward Robert Dozier, who had 20 points on the night and didn't miss a single shot (8-8 FG, 4-4 FT) to go with 8 rebounds. Anderson added 21, and Willie Kemp had 11. It was obvious Memphis worked on free throws this offseason after last year's debacle, going 9-12 from the charity stripe, but only shot 18% from three.

"Yeah, it should've been a blowout," said Coach McCoy, "but it was a learning experience for our boys."

The Tigers will play the Washington Huskies tomorrow in the next round.

[chestnutz6]

Re: Coach McCoy Legacy - CH2k8

Blowout in Washington
Memphis outscores Huskies 61-19 in second half

(SEATTLE, WA; AP) After crushing High Point, Memphis was tasked with facing an unranked, but evenly matched Washington team. It was apparent from the get-go that this was the host team, as the Husky fans were right on the Tigers back.

Memphis started out better, but Washington would go on a run early on, as Coach McCoy's boys were turning the ball over and forcing bad shots. Washington was shooting lights out (61%, 4-9 from three) and outrebounded Memphis 15-9 in the first half. Doneal Mack finally caught fire from three late, going 3-4 in the first with 10 points, keeping Memphis in the game despite being down 36-43 at half.

The Tigers would go on an 11-0 run to start the half, however, led by PG Willie Kemp. With 6:30 remaining, Memphis held a 65-49 lead, sparked by their press, forcing turnovers every other possession and Antonio Anderson taking over (8 points in a minute). From then, Memphis would whipe the floor with the host team. It just wasn't fair, as their press translated to points, and everyone was on point. They would win by 35, their biggest lead of the game, 97-62.

After Washington dominated the paint in the first half, Memphis would end up having 60 points down low, to the Huskies' 34. Willie Kemp played a hell of a game, with 21 points and 7 assists, and Robert Dozier had a double-double with 20 and 10, staying perfect from the field as well with 10-10 shooting. Anderson and Mack added 17 apiece.

Coach McCoy: "Washington was a very good team and played us tough, but it's good to see our shooters do much better than the last game, but I'm happiest with only 5 turnovers. It's key to take care of the ball."

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TOP 25 NEWS

Memphis moves up to number 2, switching places with Louisville. The rest of the top 5 remains the same (UNC, Memphis, Louisville, Duke, MSU).

Movers: UCLA drops to 8th after losing to Youngstown St. Ohio State moves up 7 spots to 9, while Connecticut moves down to 13 after a loss to undefeated Oklahoma. Kansas and Syracuse both drop to 16 and 17, respectively, after losses to small teams. USC, OKSt, and W. Virginia are all newbies at 19, 21, and 23.

Mid Major: Top 5 is Gonzaga, Creighton, Nevada, Bradley, Southern Illinois.

NEXT WEEK FOR MEMPHIS

Busy week for the Tigers, as they have a huge showdown with 3 Louisville, and the day after play Freddie Dickinson in the continuation of the NIT Tip Off. At the end of the week, on the 25th, they play 1-1 Jacksonville.

Louisville is shooting 38% as a team from three, and averaging nearly 87 points a game. Their offense is incredible. They are led by senior SF Terrence Williams (86), along with sharpshooting juniors Jerry Smith (84) and Edgar Sosa (82). The Tigers surely have their work cut out for them in this rivalry match between two top 5 teams.

[chestnutz6]

Re: Coach McCoy Legacy - CH2k8

Memphis Outlasts Louisville
Tigers take a first half run, finish it in the second

(MEMPHIS TN; AP) It was standing room only for this rivalry match between the 2 and 3 teams in the nation. The FedEx forum was packed with white and blue, as it exceeded its capacity, nearly breaking records for the arena.

One thing was clear throughout the first half: these two teams did not like each other. A total of 15 fouls were called in the first half (9 on Memphis), as the Tigers nearly shot more free throws in the half than they have in a game (they were 10-12). The turnovers were key for Memphis yet again, as they forced 11 and had only 1 of their own. Coach McCoy really has these guys taking care of the ball. Willie Kemp kept his momentum going, with 14 points and 3 steals to go with Doneal Mack's 11 points. Terrence Williams had 12, as Memphis started to pull away towards the end of the half, 42-30.

The second half saw the two teams trade baskets, until Louisville went on a little run on the back of Terrence Williams, cutting it to 6 with under 5 minutes to play. Antonio Anderson decided to take over for Memphis, however, and answered every basket by Louisville. The Cardinals would never cut the lead to under 4, as Memphis would hit their free throws to come out on top, 79-70.

FedEx erupted following the win, as Memphis is making a case to be the #1 team in the nation. Willie Kemp played another fantastic game for POTG, with 21 points. Anderson added 19, and Mack had 16. Terrence Williams did all he could for Louisville, with 33 points and 7 boards, and Earl Clark had a double-double.

"This is a huge win for us, we just gotta keep buildin' on it though. It's a long season," said Anderson afterwards. Memphis forced 16 turnovers, while only turning ito ver 4 times.

[chestnutz6]

Re: Coach McCoy Legacy - CH2k8

Memphis 73
Freddie Dickinson 58

Memphis' defense played poorly in the first half, up only 2 at the break, 40-38. Played better in the second half, pulling away. Willie Kemp had 12 points, 6 boards, and 4 dimes. Robert Dozier had 13 with 12 boards and a pair of blocks, and Pierre Niles added 10 and 7. Tigers outrebounded the Knights 43-26, forced 19 turnovers, and shot 7-15 from three. Svrdlik of Dickinson had 13 points to lead the Knights (2-2).

Memphis will now play 9 Ohio State in the championship, who are 3-0 and beat Texas A&M by 9 in the semis. Sophomore SG Jon Diebler is their best player (76 ovr, 91 3pt, averaging 17 ppg). After him, Jr SF David Lighty, Fr SG William Buford, Jr PG PJ Hill, and So SF Evan Turner are all averaging 9 PPG.

[chestnutz6]

Re: Coach McCoy Legacy - CH2k8

Memphis easily take NIT Tip-Off Championship
Tigers never trail as they blow out Buckeyes, 89-58, but it comes at a price

(QUEENS, NY; AP) RJ McCoy's young men were to play their third game in three days, including t wo top ten teams. "Are you kidding me?" said point guard Willie Kemp. Wednesday's matchup would be against 9th ranked Ohio State, who upended Texas A&M on their way to the championship.

The Buckeyes didn't stand a chance, as they didn't lead once in the game. It was over before the first half was halfway through. But several minutes into the game, senior guard Antonio Anderson, no doubt the leader of the squad and highest rated player, pulled his groin, and will be out 3.5 weeks. "It's a huge blow to our team. Antonio was a pivotal part of our team all around," said coach McCoy.

Still, Memphis managed just fine, going into the second half up by 22, and the bench got plenty of playing time, as they held on to win by 31.

Willie Kemp had another good game at point, with 18 points. Doneal Mack added 21 on 3-7 3pt shooting, and freshman Tyreke Evans had 11 in the place of Anderson. PF Kecman of Ohio State was the leading scorer with 12 points and 7 boards.

It was just total domination, as OSU really didn't deserve their top ten ranking. They're only 78 overall (Memphis is 83), and don't have a superstar. The Buckeyes just had a horrible all around game, as Memphis can finally catch its breath as it takes home the championship.

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simmed
Jacksonville - 72
Memphis - 83

Memphis led 45-34 at the half. Jacksonville fought back, but Memphis stopped their run, just too strong. First game in absence of Anderson. Robert Dozier did phenomonal, with 24 points and 9 boards. Kemp cooled down and only had 5, but had 9 dimes. Tyreke Evans had 11 in Anderson's place, and Doneal Mack had 15 on 3-6 3pt shooting. Pierre Niles added 8 and 10 boards. We were outrebounded but forced 22 turnovers and shot 7-16 from downtown.

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Anderson Injury - It's a pretty badly pulled groin. Out 29 days, so he should be back in time for our rematch with Ohio State on January 2nd, our last game before C-USA play.

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Memphis Next Week - The Tigers have 6-0 #24 Oklahoma. The Sooners have knocked off several teams, such as 7-2 Richmond and #12 Connecticut. They are led by a player who will surely be near the top of the NBA draft, Blake Griffin. He's averaging 17.7 PPG and 6 RPG. The Sooners won't press and have a very methodical, slow offense, so Memphis will try to push it a lot and make them uncomfortable.

After that, they play 1-4 Montana on December 2nd, which is also the start of the recruit signing period.

[chestnutz6]

Re: Coach McCoy Legacy - CH2k8

Memphis escape scare in Norman
Back and forth game sees freshman hit game winner

(NORMAN, OK; AP) The first half proved that these two teams were evenly matched. Oklahoma, led by Blake Griffin himself with 9 first half points, went punch for punch with Memphis, as Willie Kemp and Tyreke Evans combined for 18 points. The Sooners, however, were absolutely crushing Memphis on the boards, as the Tigers would only have 4 first half rebounds...TOTAL. Granted Oklahoma was shooting lights out, but Oklahoma had 16 rebounds themselves. That would need to improve, as the second half started with the score knotted at 32.

The second half picked up right where the first ended. Neither team never held a lead more than 5 points. For the first few minutes, Oklahoma seemed to be in control, but then the momentum shifted towards Memphis, as they held the lead for the majority of the time with about 5 minutes left. Oklahoma finally tied it up with under 2 minutes to play at 69 following two Blake Griffin dunks.

Patillo would make a move and drive to the basket, drawing a foul while making the lay-up, to put the Sooners up 3 with just over a minute to play. Shawn Taggert made 1-2 free throws on the other end, and it was a 2 point game. Memphis got a stop, and with :32 left, Willie Kemp found Evans open on the wing, and he drained the three to put the Tigers up 1. Oklahoma held for the last shot, and waited a bit too long, as the Griffin pass was intercepted with just a few seconds left, and the clock ran out.

Memphis had escaped a very close game in Norman, thanks to Willie Kemp and Tyreke Evans getting 19 points apiece. Griffin only had 16, while Crocker led the Sooners in points with 19, and Johnson had 11 and 9 assists.

Tyreke Evans: "I just set my feet, and let it fly. I may be a freshman, but working with Coach McCoy has helped me build up my confidence. I knew it was going in, nothing but net."

[chestnutz6]

Re: Coach McCoy Legacy - CH2k8

Montana - 68
Memphis - 76

Tigers let the Grizzlies get back into the game into the second half, after holding a 48-35 lead at half, but held Montana off. Willie Kemp had 15 and 4 assists, Tyreke Evans had 10 and 7, Doneal Mack had 11, Dozier had 8, and Pierre Niles had 9 and 11 boards with 4 blocks. Hasquet led Montana with 18 points, and Qvale had 9 and 7 boards.

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RECRUIT SIGNING PERIOD STARTS

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MEMPHIS PREPS FOR 1-2 SHOWDOWN
Anthony to play?
Posted 12:46:19 on December 4th, 2008


(MEMPHIS, TN; AP) This is the showdown everyone in the college world has been waiting for. Memphis has already taken down several ranked teams, but North Carolina will be different. The Tar Heels have held the #1 spot atop the Media Polls all year, despite a tough loss on the 24th at Ohio State. North Carolina is 7-1 on the year, while Memphis is 8-0 and hasn't fallen out of the top 3.


Key wins for the Tar Heels include: a blowout at Davidson, a 12 point win over Louisville (now #6), and a win a couple days ago at 3-5 Kentucky.


Tyler Hansbrough (92 ovr) is no doubt the favorite to win POTY, averaging 24.1 PPG and 7.4 RPG. Here's the rest of the starting lineup:


PG Ty Lawson (91) - 7.0 PPG, 6.4 APG
SG Wayne Ellington (88) - 12.7 PPG, 41% 3pt
SG Danny Green (86) - 10.3 PPG, 50% 3pt
PF Tyler Hansbrough (92) - 24.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG
C Deon Thompson (74) - 15.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG


But the big news for Memphis is that there are rumors that senior guard Antonio Anderson will play with a pulled groin. "I just want to help the team out. If that means playing through a slight injury, I'll do it."


Here's a look at Memphis' projected line-up:


PG Willie Kemp (75) - 15.3 PPG, 5.0 APG
SG Antonio Anderson (86) - 8.9 PPG (injured for a while)
SG Doneal Mack (76) - 13.0 PPG, 2.4 SPG
PF Robert Dozier (79) - 14.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG
PF Pierre Miles (70) - 5.3 PPG, 7.6 RPG


It will no doubt be a game to remember, set for 7:00 tip-off time on December 8th, from Chapel Hill.

[chestnutz6]

Re: Coach McCoy Legacy - CH2k8

On their Heels
Poor shooting night for Memphis, get their first loss of the year

(CHAPEL HILL, NC; AP) Memphis gave it there all, but in the end North Carolina's talent was too much, and Memphis couldn't come up with a defensive stop when they needed it.

Coach McCoy did something not many teams try to do against North Carolina: press. McCoy decided to play with the Tar Heels' famous fast break play, and it paid off in the first half. "We wanted to make them uncomfortable, show that we came here to play. I knew we had the speed to keep up with them, and we just wanted to show America we're no pushovers," said McCoy.

Memphis would force 6 first half turnovers, but the Tar Heels were just too talented and led for most of the first half, taking a 46-39 lead into the locker room. The story of the first half, despite what the score says, was defense. UNC didn't let Memphis do what they wanted, and that was drive to the hoop. They stayed in front of their men, and the Tigers had to get many of their points from outside or on the fast break (10 first half points on the break for Memphis). Once again, Memphis was outrebounded 9-16, but Antonio Anderson led Memphis in the first half with 10 points, despite being injured.

North Carolina wouldn't relinquish the lead again. They were simply too talented on offense, and Memphis couldn't get a stop for the life of them. The Tigers would attack the basket in the second half much more, drawing trips to the charity stripe, but they couldn't make a shot when they needed to, as the Tar Heels would hold a double digit lead for most of the half, and give Memphis their first loss, 77-85.

Tyler Hansbrough was a non-factor, with only 8 points, but Danny Green had 21 and Deon Thompson had a double-double. Anderson finished with 17, and 3 other Tigers finished in double digits. Memphis only had 1 second half turnover, and UNC finished with 13, but Memphis' big men couldn't contain UNC's size, getting outrebounded 21-32. North Carolina shot 64% from the field.

"It just shows how much further we need to go to get to where we want," said McCoy.

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TOP 25 NEWS

North Carolina obviously stayed at number 1. Memphis moved down 1 spot to #3.
Here's the complete list.

1. North Carolina (8-1)
2. Duke (8-0)
3. Memphis (8-1)
4. Marquette (6-1)
5. Louisville (6-2)
6. Villanova (6-1)
7. Texas (7-1)
8. Florida (8-1)
9. Purdue (7-0)
10. Maryland (8-1)
11. Florida State
12. Kansas
13. Michigan State
14. Notre Dame
15. Tennessee
16. UCLA
17. Georgetown
18. Oklahoma State
19. Connecticut
20. Gonzaga
21. Arizona
22. Oklahoma
23. UNLV
24. Baylor
25. Utah

Mid-Major Top 10

1. Gonzaga (8-2)
2. Southern Illinois (4-2)
3. Creighton (5-2)
4. South Alabama (6-1)
5. Saint Mary's (5-1)
6. Nevada (4-3)
7. Akron (5-2)
8. Evansville (6-1)
9. Sacred Heart (8-1)
10. Hofstra (4-1)

[cubsfan203]

Re: Coach McCoy Legacy - CH2k8

I would have gotten a different set of rosters, those are way off for Memphis.

Good luck, I'll be following for sure.

[chestnutz6]

Re: Coach McCoy Legacy - CH2k8

Thanks, it's the only roster set I saw that seemed reasonable. I got 'em from OS :P

[R1zzo23]

Re: Coach McCoy Legacy - CH2k8

Haha, I love the little fake advertisements at the bottom of your templates.