Not everything we wrote from Conference USA basketball media day made its way into print this morning. Sure, there was a main story about Tiger dominance. Geoff Calkins weighed in on the talkative big kid, Joey Dorsey. And we had a a good-sized notebook with various odds and ends.

But there was more. And here it is:
Read the rest of this entry »

Though we’ve reported for months that moving the 2009 Conference USA Tournament to Tulsa was a possibility due to the opening of the new arena downtown, Memphis hosting NCAA regional games and the general desire of league coaches to play on a “neutral floor,” I doubted whether the league would actually pull the trigger.

Apparently, it will.

In a meeting Thursday during C-USA’s media day at FedExForum, the athletic directors voted to recommend Tulsa’s yet-to-be-opened 18,000-seat Bank of Oklahoma Arena as the site for 2009. If you’re Mike Davis or Tom Penders or especially Doug Wojcik, this has to seem like great news. They know they have a better chance to earn the league’s automatic NCAA bid in Tulsa than they do at FedExForum.
Read the rest of this entry »

With Midnight Madness just hours away I am reminded of the people who irritate me the most. They are the people who are Memphis basketball fans and football fans of other schools. College sports are supposed to be about supporting your school. That means you support all sports not just one. I’m even sure the SEC folks will agree with me on this one. Pick a school and stay with it. Don’t be a bandwagoner.
Read the rest of this entry »

THE BIG STORY

Vols’ athletic director Mike Hamilton has not publicly said Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer’s job is in danger.

Last week, Hamilton said anyone who thought the Georgia game was a do-or-die situation for the UT coaching staff “blows it out of proportion a little bit.” As UT prepares for a road game at Mississippi State, Hamilton reiterated those words and continued his big-picture approach.

“I think the Georgia game (a 35-14 Tennessee win) shows what we’re capable of as a team and as a program,” Hamilton told The Tennessean. “Someone told me one time that when you’re dealing with young guys, you can really get them up to play at their highest level about three games a year. Your job as coaches is to hopefully get them to those three games when you need them to be at the top of their game. Certainly, this past Saturday I thought we played as well as we’ve played this year.”

A look at the league: Read the rest of this entry »