It was a very crowded Finch Center on Monday. ESPN cameras were there, taping an all-access show about the Tigers. Jay Bilas was there for ESPN. Dick “Hoops” Weiss from the New York Daily News also was in town taking in the practice. ESPN the Magazine is working on a story about Derrick Rose, and their photographers were there taking pictures of the freshman. After practice, Rose did some posed photos, and his teammates were having a good time with that.

Other observations:

– Robert Dozier (right) had the best day of any Tiger. He was really effective on the drive and was knocking down 3-pointers.

– Coach John Calipari has been telling Hashim Bailey that he doesn’t need to hack away at teammates. At nearly 7 feet and 270 pounds, all he needs to do is put his hands up and lean his chest into somebody, and he can alter shots without fouling. The last two days, Bailey has gotten the hang of it and is making an impact in practice.

– It wasn’t Rose’s best practice this season, but when you watch him, one of my favorite adages comes to mind: Speed never has a bad day.

– Don’t expect too much from Shawn Taggart right away. When it comes to playing at the speed he’ll need to play for Memphis, he still has a ways to go. Though Taggart will be fine when it’s all said and done, he simply isn’t used to the pace. Everything’s going so fast for him right now, it’s hard to do what he does best, which is make baskets. Eventually, he’ll catch up, but it won’t be the first few games.