So I tuned in to ESPN tonight to watch Tiger signee Derrick Rose and his Simeon team play Oak Hill Academy.

You hear a lot of stuff in recruiting, a lot of the same cliche’s every year. And usually, when I finally get to see a kid, I feel a little bit silly for buying into the hype without really thinking about the fact that an 18-year old almost never lives up to it.

Almost.

I must say, Rose was every bit as impressive as he’s been billed. I thought he was just sensational. And you have to remember, it wasn’t Podunk High he was out there dominating. It was the best high school team in the country, playing against lots of guys who are also going to be stars at the college level.

The one term I’ve heard over and over about Rose is “off the charts athleticism.” I think that was pretty evident tonight. Even when he’s running at normal speed (for him), he can out-run everyone on the floor. He’s also a phenomenal leaper. Every time he went to the rim, it seemed like he could hang in the air forever, or at least long enough to adjust his body in traffic and score. His shooting — supposedly the weak part of his game — looked fine. I think his skill set will translate very well to the Memphis offense.

On another note, sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts might miss up to two weeks so that his mild high ankle sprain can heal. So, in other words, the worst-case scenario means he’ll miss Saturday’s game at East Carolina, the two games next week against Tulsa and Southern Miss and then the trip to Central Florida.

It’s also possible he’ll be ready for the Tulsa game on Wednesday. Memphis should be able to get by without him at East Carolina, Conference USA’s worst team. It gets a little dicier after that, but Memphis has been such a balanced scoring team this year, I think others are capable of making up for his production.