I’ve been out of town for a week covering the AAU circuit, but apparently the Tigers haven’t been playing much pickup ball lately and had to be goaded by ops director Rod Strickland into getting on the court last night. So after flying back into town, I went to watch. Since they were done after 45 minutes, I don’t have too much to write about. I guess at this point in the summer, basketball isn’t necessarily a big priority (sarcasm meter high).

Anyway, a couple things were noteworthy:

- Angel Garcia’s high school coach was there. The rumblings on Garcia’s eligibility are more hopeful, but we’ll see. He’s in Puerto Rico right now.

- Pierre Niles looked good (not necessarily physically - he’s still got a long way to go), but he played as well as I’ve ever seen him. Nice to see him getting in there and fighting, keeping loose balls alive, using his body to get in position. He passes out of the high post so well, he could be useful in a number of sets the Tigers use. Yeah, he made a couple jump shots too (and a 3-pointer), but that’s fools gold. If that’s going to be his game, he won’t be playing.

- Wesley Witherspoon ran the point. My gut feeling is that point guard won’t be his ultimate position, but he really does have a lot of tools. He just isn’t strong, and if you want to finish plays at this level, you have to have some strength. A lot of Witherspoon’s freshman season will depend on where his body is at on Nov. 1. That’s only three months from now.

- Tyreke Evans has a devastating first step, but my sense is that Calipari will have to work with him on cutting out some of the unnecessary jukes and shakes in his game. If you can’t get by someone on the first try at the college level, you’re not going to get by him. Memphis’ offense is based on the concept of running downhill, and that’s the biggest adjustment Evans will have to make.

- There were some not-so-encouraging things I saw, too, but not real reason to harp on it (OK — too much bear-hugging, not enough defense). I imagine the intensity and frequency of these sessions will pick up when John Calipari gets back into town. Though the coaching staff can’t watch the pickup games, the mere specter of Calipari sitting in his car outside the Finch Center is enough to motivate, I’m sure.