The 2015-16 season was a complete failure.
While the University of Memphis’ run to the American Athletic Conference championship game was unexpected, its defeat to UConn 72-58 Sunday in Orlando confirmed what we had known for virtually the entire season.
Blowout victories against ECU, Tulsa and Tulane in Memphis’ previous three games briefly opened the door for the Tigers to salvage their season but it proved to just delay the inevitable.
The Huskies ultimately dealt the final nail in Memphis’ coffin. The Tigers not having Avery Woodson, Memphis’ lone reliable three-point shooter, did not help, but UConn, which defeated the Tigers twice in the regular season, probably would have won regardless.
Nevertheless, Memphis, which finished with a 19-15 record and had a below .500 conference record for the first time since 2000, will miss the postseason for the second consecutive season under coach Josh Pastner. Pastner had previously qualified for the NCAA tournament four times and the NIT once in his first five seasons at the helm, in comparison.
Though the program has had a toxic feel surrounding it this season, losses to the three worst teams in the American (ECU, Tulane and South Florida) did not help the situation.
Even having an all-conference frontcourt duo in freshman Dedric Lawson, who recorded his 17th double-double Sunday tying Keith Lee’s freshman record, and senior Shaq Goodwin, who averaged nearly 15 points and eight rebounds per game this season and made the all-AAC first team, only led to one more Tigers’ win than last season (18).
As a result, Pastner’s job status will continue to remain up in the air – at least in the immediate future. However, it seems the seventh-year coach will not be fired, because his $10.6 million buyout is at the moment too expensive for the University. The scenario that seems most plausible is Pastner takes another job and Memphis pays him the difference of his $2.65 million salary.
When asked about whether his bosses University President David Rudd and athletic director Tom Bowen have told him he’s definitely the coach going forward, Pastner responded, “He’s still working like he is the coach.”
“I’m going to be the coach of the Memphis Tigers for the long term,” Pastner continued. “As I’ve said many times, unless I am told differently from my bosses I’m the coach at Memphis.”
Where Tiger basketball goes from here is unknown. In addition to the Pastner saga, three of Memphis’ main contributors and nearly 50 percent of the Tigers’ offense this season: Goodwin, Ricky Tarrant Jr., Trahson Burrell have all played their last games for the Blue and Gray.
Woodson, who is scheduled to graduate this spring and is eligible to be a graduate transfer, was noncommittal about his future with the Tigers following the loss to the Huskies.
As for Lawson, Pastner confirmed Monday he plans to test out the NBA waters under the new rules in place. Lawson’s outstanding play of late and in the AAC tournament only made Monday’s news more likely.
Also attendance at FedExForum, which declined significantly enough this season to where turnstile numbers became a prominent topic, also suffered because of the lack of wins.
Pastner said it had nothing to do with the schedule, and his team simply has to win more games going forward. He also added the student section, which has been maligned for years, is “one of the worst attended student sections in in the United States of America.”
“When I was at Arizona sometimes half the stadium was full with students,” Pastner said. “And they got in for free. It was an on campus arena. When we got to Cincinnati the place is full with students. When we go to Connecticut the place is full of students. If we got 2,000 students a game or even 1,500 students a game like most schools do at the level we are at, we’re not sitting here talking about the scan issue. That’s a big area we have struggled with is student attendance. It’s mind blogging.”
The surprise conference tournament run may have briefly distracted the Tigers from their problems heading into the 2016-17 season, but they now have to pick up the pieces and find out where they go from here. Whether it’s the roster, the coach or winning the fans back.
If the last two seasons are anything to go by, Memphis basketball seems more likely to add to its list of problems rather than solving them.
For the second consecutive season, the University of Memphis will miss the postseason. The Tigers finished with a 19-15 record in the 2015-16 season.
