Tigers sign two for future, now focus on present

The University of Memphis received two National Letters of Intent yesterday from local high school seniors Joe Jackson and Chris Crawford, starting off what first-year coach Josh Pastner called a "stellar recruiting class."

"Having Crawford and Jackson is humongous for this program," Pastner said. "They've grown up loving Tiger basketball, and we're excited to have them. I think for the community - and this is their team - to have somebody locally in Chris and Joe is really cool."

Jackson and Crawford have been on Pastner's short list of prospects since he took over last April.

Jackson, a 5-foot-11 point guard for White Station, is rated the No. 12 overall prospect in the nation, while Crawford, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard for Sheffield, is the No. 66 overall player nationally, both according to rivals.com.

Although Pastner could not comment on unsigned recruits, the Barton brothers - Will and Antonio - are also expected to sign within the next few days. After verbally committing to The U of M, Will, the No. 11 overall player in the country, and Antonio, a three-star point guard, will likely suit up for the Tigers next season.

With good news at their heels, Pastner and the Tigers can now look ahead to Friday's season-opener against Jackson State.

Already pegged to win the Southwest Athletic Conference in 2009-10, the JSU Tigers are coming off an 18-15 season, and return three starters to their lineup.

Pastner said Friday's game is what he's been preparing for all off-season.

"We've been stressing about Jackson State since August 31," Pastner said. "For us to win any game, we have to have near-perfect nights."

And perfect nights don't include the slow starts seen at the Tigers' two exhibition games thus far, he added.

Senior guard Doneal Mack, who played his first game with The U of M three years ago against JSU, said he expects a dogfight.

"They're a veteran team, so I know it's not going to be an easy game," he said. "They'll come out fighting, and we want to come out and get our guys fighting, too."

Mack lost his starting position against both LeMoyne-Owen College and Christian Brothers University after arriving late to two team meetings. He said he wouldn't make the same mistake again.

"Coach has to set examples with the older guys for the younger players so they see how to act," he said. "Going into the season, we can't be breaking rules, unlike last year when we as a team had a lot of freedom and (former coach John Calipari) let us do a lot. It's a team thing, and I'll step it up."

Building a team dynamic is what junior forward Will Coleman said he's looked forward to the most. The Miami-Dade transfer will don the blue and gray for his first official game for the Tigers Friday night.

"I think if we get this win, it'll show people we're still the same Memphis we've always been," he said. "It's not going to be easy to take us out. We're still fighting. We're still going strong."

Coleman said slow starts like the ones seen in their exhibition games shouldn't be an issue.

"I think we're ready," he said, noting a spike in intensity in practice following Tuesday's win over CBU. "It's really been the main focus for us - rebounding and controlling the ball."

Sophomore guard Elliot Williams, who transferred from Duke University earlier this year to be closer to his family, said he's excited to get the season started off in the win column.

"It's going to feel great," he said. "It's different than an exhibition game. They warmed us up for this moment, and we're going to make everyone proud."

Although bigger games lie down the road for the Tigers, both Coleman and Williams said their main focus was JSU.

The Tigers take on preseason No. 1-ranked Kansas in the Hall of Fame Showcase in St. Louis, Mo., next Tuesday, Nov. 17. While the Tigers claim they haven't gotten much respect in the marquee match-up, they said it's something the team will focus on when the time comes.

"We have to take it one game at a time," Coleman said. "If we look past (Jackson State) and focus on Kansas, we could lose."

Being an underdog, Pastner said, isn't necessarily a bad thing.

"We're going to be underrated for a while, and that's OK," he said. "It will be a daily personal challenge to everyone on the team to bring (his) A-game and make this team the best it can be until we're on top again."

Williams said he welcomed that challenge.

"Jackson State is a great team and we're not going to have any easy games," he said. "We have to come into every game like we're the underdogs. That's how we have to play each possession, like we've got everything to lose."

Mack, now in his final season, said he and the other seniors - Willie Kemp and Pierre Henderson-Niles - have tried to step up and be an example for the younger players by telling them to ignore the critics.

"We hear all the (negative expectations) and we just think, 'Dang man, what about all the accomplishments we had, all the conference championships, what about that?' But Coach tells us - he's all about positive reinforcement - to let our games speak for themselves."