Former NBA point guard and DePaul star Rod Strickland is the latest addition to the University of Memphis men’s basketball staff. Tigers coach John Calipari on Thursday confirmed Strickland’s hiring as the team’s new assistant coordinator of basketball operations. Watch our main Web site for a full update soon.

SEVERAL OBSERVATIONS BEFORE SUNDAY’S KICKOFF:

Still kickin’ the idea around
1) The competition for a starting placekicker is ongoing. Tiger coach Tommy West said before Thursday’s practice the candidates have been capable, but not particularly consistent. Freshman Matt Reagan, sophomore Trey Adams and fifth-year senior Patrick Byrne have been competing since the start of preseason. West expects to inform the player he intends to use Saturday.

Interesting observation
2) After his brief media session ended Thursday, West spoke about how he feels the city has begun to truly embrace the football program. He talked about how he senses pride from Memphians, including those whose allegiances are to Southeastern Conference schools. “We need that,” West said.

Spain has reached the semifinals of the FIBA World Championship in Japan. And Spain’s best player, who also happens to be the Grizzlies’ best player, 7-footer Pau Gasol, has averaged 21.6 points in the tournament.

Olympic champion Argentina and Spain will play in the wee hours of Friday morning while most of us are sleeping. My question: Will Gasol play a sleepy — tentative — game ? Or will the great passion he has for representing his country help him to carry Spain into the finals against the winner of Team USA/Greece?

Gasol arrived at these World Championship quite confident in what Spain could do, saying, “So far we’re pretty damn good. We’re playing well . . . Everybody wants to win a medal. So we’re going to have to prove that we’re better and that we’re stronger and that we deserve it more.”

All excellent points.

Here’s another: If Gasol can carry Spain into the finals, there might be some carryover of confidence when he returns to the Grizzlies. Let’s face it: Gasol has not played well enough in the post season and no less than Jerry West has said that Gasol must do more in big games.

This is a big game. On the international stage.

If Gasol shines, maybe the reflection will reach all the way back to Memphis and signal that the Grizzlies’ best player is about to ascend to the next plateau.

Former World No. 1 Jim Courier will provide blogs from the U.S. Open during the run of the tournament.

Andy Roddick is into the 3rd round of the Open but he’s not the male American I want to type about tonight. Nor is James Blake, our #1, who won his first round tonight on Armstrong stadium. No, not even Mr Agassi who will lace them up Thursday night.

No, tonight I want to tell you about Sam Querrey, the 18 year old Californian who won his debut match at the US Open tonight in stylish fashion on Armstrong. American tennis fans say hello to your future. He may not be the only one of the young American male crop upcoming you get to know but you’ll be seeing Sam in the top 100 very soon, most likely in the next 2 months.
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For those of us wondering how long it’ll be before new UTEP head basketball coach Tony Barbee, a former Memphis assistant, plucks his first Memphis-area prep product, the wait could be a very short one.

Word is Barbee has his eye on Sheffield senior guard Randy Culpepper, a 5-11 scorer who averaged a Shelby-Metro best 31.3 points per game last season. Barbee is also apparently showing interest in Ridgeway forward Nick Walls (6-2) and Hamilton guard Myron Strong (6-1), who recently committed to San Francisco.

Barbee may also take a crack at landing Raleigh-Egypt point guard Maurice Miller, the area’s highest regarded prospect and the No. 13 point guard prospect nationally according to Rivals.com. At one time, Miller was thought to be leaning toward Memphis, and could potentially be swayed again by Barbee.

One thing is clear. Miller’s performance this summer in the Nike Camp in Indianapolis has sent his stock soaring. Consider that before the camp, where he was named to Nike’s all-star team, Miller was ranked the No. 22 point guard prospect nationally. He’s since jumped nine slots to No. 13.

Cincinnati, Clemson, Illinois, Georgia Tech, LSU, Ole Miss, Stanford, Tennessee and the University of Memphis have offered Miller.

Mike Montgomery had been on the hot seat so long at Golden State that it had ceased to be even warm. Everyone knew the Warriors were eventually going to show the former Stanford coach the door. What wasn’t known is that Don Nelson would walk in and take up that seat on the Warriors’ bench.

Nelson has many connections there. Chris Mullin, the team’s excutive VP for basketball operations, played for Nelson the first time he coached Golden State. So did Mullin’s special assistant, Mitch Richmond.

Nelson, who was still working as a consultant for Dallas after being replaced by Avery Johnson, has long been recognized as an innovator and a coach who loves offense. But his Mavericks teams never played enough defense to advance to the NBA Finals; the Mavs got there last season because Johnson demanded defense.

So while Nelson’s hiring is being greeted with much optimism today, and might make for some fun nights for guards Baron Davis and Jason Richardson, this Warriors team likely will have the same problem so many of Nelson’s teams have had:

It won’t play enough defense to beat the league’s upper-echelon teams when it matters most. But given that the Warriors last made the postseason in 1994, when Nelson was coaching them, Mullin & Co. probably would settle for a playoff reprise.

That’s certainly more than they were ever going to get out of Montgomery, who was a good college coach but a bad fit in the NBA.

SEVERAL OBSERVATIONS BEFORE SUNDAY’S KICKOFF

Solid 1-2-3 Punch
1) What a difference the quarterback situation will be for the University of Memphis. A year ago, the Tigers had no one who had taken a snap. Sunday, they’ll start Martin Hankins, who threw for 7,777 yards and 65 touchdowns in two seasons at 1-AA Southeastern Louisiana before transferring. And he’ll be backed by 6-4 sophomore Will Hudgens, who started two games last season and played extensively against Ole Miss. Hudgens’ strong preseason was a highlight of the camp. And behind Hudgens is Patrick Byrne, last year’s starting quarterback before breaking his leg the first series against Ole Miss.

Hold the Jokes (and the lettuce)
2) No, he’s not related to late Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas, but the Tiger receiver who goes by the same name has shown a hunger to get on the field. The freshman from Murfreesboro Riverdale entered preseason camp listed as the No. 3 H receiver, but has been moved atop the depth chart at the Y. He’s a solid, dependable, hard-nosed receiver.

Welcome back home
3) Former East High star Malcolm Rawls reported to practice Tuesday after starting classes Monday. Rawls signed with Tennessee out of high school, but the offensive lineman decided to return home. He’ll sit out this year and have three years left. It could be a good move for Rawls. The Tigers have four seniors — Stephen Schuh, Blake Butler, Jared McGowan and Willie Henderson in the two deep.