| Willie Kemp |
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Overview
A "winner" ... Point guard who moved to the shooting guard in 2007-08 ... Will see playing time at both spots in 2008-09 ... Became one of the team's top three-point threats ... Gets his teammates involved ... Has a good understanding of the game ... Makes the smart play ... Finishes well around the basket.
Career
Has seen action in 77 games, starting 36 ... Averaging 5.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists ... Shooting 38.2 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from the arc ... Has 142 assists and 49 steals ... His 102 treys made are the 12th most in Tiger basketball history ... Tied for the No. 6 spot on the Tiger all-time three-point field goal percentage list at 37.6 percent ... Has a 2.1:1 career assist-to-turnover ratio.
Team Accomplishments
Has helped the Tigers to two-straight 30-win seasons and two-consecutive postseason appearances (2 NCAA) ... Team posted a combined record of 71-6 during his two seasons (.922 winning percentage) ... The 71 victories are the second-most wins in a two-year span in NCAA Division I history (Montana State won 72 from 1928-29) ... Tigers advanced to the 2008 NCAA title game and 2007 NCAA Elite Eight ... In 2007-08, helped Memphis to a 38-2 overall record and the NCAA championship game, where the Tigers finished as national runner-up to Kansas ... The 38 wins are the most for a single season in NCAA Division I history ... Memphis advanced to the Final Four for first time since 1985 and the NCAA title game for the first time since 1973 ... Tigers climbed to the No. 1 spot in both national polls for first time since 1983 ... Memphis held on to No. 1 national ranking for a school-record five-straight weeks ... Tigers began 2007-08 season with a 26-0 record, the longest win streak and best start to a campaign in school history ... Memphis won two-straight Conference USA regular season and tournament titles (2007, 2008) ... Both years, Memphis posted undefeated 16-0 records in C-USA play - a first in league history ... In 2006-07, Memphis posted a 33-4 overall record.
2007-08 Season (Sophomore)
Played in all 40 games, setting the school record for most games played in a single season (holds record with Chris Douglas-Roberts, Derrick Rose and Antonio Anderson) ... Came off bench as team's sixth man ... Averaged 5.0 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists ... Had a 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio (60 assists/20 turnovers) ... Averaged only 0.04 turnovers per minutes played (20 turnovers/552 minutes) ... Had only three games with two or more turnovers ... Recorded no turnovers in 24 games ... Was second on the team with 51 three-pointers made ... Shot 38.3 percent from the floor and 36.7 percent from the three-point arc ... Had three blocks and 25 steals ... Postseason (NCAA/C-USA Tournaments): Saw action in all nine postseason games ... Averaged 3.4 points, 0.7 boards and 0.7 assists ... Shot 37.5 percent from the arc (9-of-24) and 100 percent from the free throw line (4-of-4) ... In NCAA Tournament play (six games), averaged 4.2 points while shooting 53.8 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from the arc and 100 percent from the free throw line ... Played four minutes each vs. UCLA and Kansas in the NCAA Final Four ... Hit two key free throws vs. Texas in the NCAA Tournament South Region title game ... Scored eight points and had one assist vs. Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament South Region semifinal ... Was 2-of-2 from the arc and 2-of-2 from the free throw line in the win over the Spartans ... Came up big for the Tigers in their NCAA Tournament second round win over Mississippi State ... Scored 12 points and added one assist and one rebound vs. the Bulldogs ... Was 4-of-5 from the arc vs. Mississippi State ... Hit three treys in first half vs. the Bulldogs that turned a 12-18 deficit into a 26-22 lead ... Scored three points vs. Texas-Arlington in NCAA Tournament first round game ... In C-USA Tournament, averaged 2.0 points and 1.7 rebounds ... Had three points, two boards, three assists and two steals vs. Tulsa in the C-USA Tournament title game ... Grabbed two boards and had one assist and one blocked shot vs. Southern Miss in the C-USA Tournament semifinal ... Scored three points vs. Tulane in the C-USA Tournament quarterfinal ... Conference USA play: Played in all 16 C-USA games ... Averaged 4.8 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists ... Had five games with three or more assists ... Shot 36 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from the arc ... Had nine points, two assists and two boards in the regular season finale vs. UAB ... Scored seven points and had two steals in a win at Southern Miss ... Hit two key first-half treys to keep Memphis in the lead in Hattiesburg ... Netted a C-USA season-high 14 points vs. Tulsa ... Hit four treys vs. the Golden Hurricane ... Had six points, two rebounds and four assists vs. UCF ... Scored seven points and had four boards and a season-high five assists vs. SMU ... Had eight points and three assists in a win at Houston ... Hit two key first-half treys vs. the Cougars that turned a 16-18 deficit to a 22-18 lead (Tigers did not trail the rest of the game) ... Scored eight points in a home win over Southern Miss ... Had five points, three rebounds and four assists vs. East Carolina ... Non-conference play (regular season games only): Played in all 15 non-league games ... Averaged 6.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists ... Had a 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio (24 assists/6 turnovers) ... Shot 41.9 percent from the floor, 40.7 percent from the arc and 61.5 percent from the charity stripe ... Had 12 points and four assists vs. Pepperdine ... Posted six points, three rebounds and three assists vs. Siena ... Had two points and two assists in a home victory over Georgetown ... Had key assist of game when he found Robert Dozier for a layup at the halftime buzzer for a 43-40 lead ... Momentum from the play carried over to the second half and an 85-71 win ... Converted a clutch three-point play in a 7-0 second-half run vs. Cincinnati that extended a 44-40 lead to 51-40 ... Tied a season high with three steals vs. Middle Tennessee ... Scored eight points and grabbed three boards in the overtime win over Southern Cal in the Jimmy V Classic ... Had nine points, three assists and two steals vs. Austin Peay ... Netted a career-high 22 points vs. Arkansas State ... Tied career best for field goals made (8) and three-point field goals made (6) ... Had a season-high three steals vs. the Indians ... Scored six points and added four boards and two assists vs. Oklahoma in the 2k Sports College Hoops Classic semifinals ... Had 11 points and four boards vs. Richmond in the 2k Sports College Hoops Classic/Memphis Regional title game ... Scored 10 points and had three boards and three assists vs. Tennessee-Martin in the 2k Sports College Hoops Classic/Memphis Regional.
2006-07 Season (Freshman)
Played in all 37 games and started 36 ... Only missed start came on the Tigers' Senior Day (Clyde Wade started in his place) ... Averaged 6.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists ... Shot 38.1 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from the three-point line and 41 percent from the free throw line ... The 38.6 three-point percentage is the sixth-best mark by a Tiger freshman in school history ... Hit 51 treys, which is the fourth-most by a Tiger freshman in school history ... Dished out 82 assists (third on team) and had 24 steals ... Ranked among Conference USA freshman leaders in scoring (9th), three-point field goal percentage (6th), assists (6th) and steals (10th) ... Postseason (NCAA/C-USA Tournaments): Started all seven postseason games ... Averaged 5.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in the postseason ... Shot 37.8 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from the arc ... In four NCAA Tournament games, averaged 4.8 points and 1.0 rebounds ... Shot 33.3 percent from the floor and 50 percent from the three-point line ... Finished first collegiate season with a 12-point performance vs. Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament South Region final ... Scored his 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the arc ... Netted seven points vs. Texas A&M in the NCAA Tournament South Region semifinal ... Only averaged 10 minutes in the Tigers' first two NCAA Tournament games vs. North Texas and Nevada (did not score in either contest) ... In Conference USA Tournament, averaged 6.0 points and 2.3 rebounds ... Shot 43.8 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from the arc ... Had 10 points, two rebounds and two assists in the Tigers' C-USA Tournament championship game win over Houston ... Scored six points and pulled down three boards vs. Tulane in the C-USA Tournament semifinal ... Recorded a career-high four steals vs. Marshall in the C-USA Tournament quarterfinal ... Conference USA play: Played in all 16 league games and started 15 (lone non-start was Senior Day) ... Averaged 6.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists vs. Conference USA foes ... Shot 42.4 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from the arc in league games ... Had a 2.1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio (34 assists, 16 turnovers) ... Had four double-figure scoring contests vs. C-USA opponents ... In those four double-figure scoring games, had a 6:1 assist-to-turnover ratio (12 assists, 2 turnovers) ... Had seven points, three boards and three assists vs. Houston in regular season home finale ... Scored 20 points (C-USA high) and had two assists (no turnovers) and three steals vs. Rice ... Posted 13 points, four assists and no turnovers vs. Tulane ... Had 11 points and six assists (one turnover) vs. SMU ... Scored nine points and added seven rebounds (tied career high) and three assists vs. Tulsa ... Netted 12 points and grabbed five boards vs. UAB ... Dished out five assists in a road win at Houston ... Had eight points, seven rebounds (career high) and five assists vs. Marshall ... Non-conference play (regular season games only): Started all 14 non-Conference USA regular season games ... Averaged 7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists ... Scored a season-high 21 points in a home win over Cincinnati ... Also set career highs for three-pointers made (6) and attempted (9) vs. the Bearcats ... The six treys are tied for the eighth-most in a single game in Tiger hoops history ... Dished out a career-high nine assists (one turnover) vs. Middle Tennessee ... Also scored 11 points and pulled down six boards vs. the Blue Raiders ... Had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists vs. Manhattan ... Scored 12 points and added three boards and two steals vs. Kentucky in the EA Sports Maui Invitational third-place game ... Scored 12 points vs. Oklahoma in the EA Sports Maui Invitational quarterfinal ... Had five points and five assists vs. Jackson State in his first collegiate game.
High School
Named 2006 Tennessee's Class AA Mr. Basketball ... Also named The Jackson Sun All-West Tennessee Player of the Year ... Averaged 18.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists in helping lead Bolivar Central to a 29-11 overall record and a spot in the Class AA state quarterfinals ... Led Bolivar Central to a 117-25 record in his four varsity seasons ... Scored over 1,900 points and dished out over 800 assists in his prep career ... Helped lead Bolivar Central to back-to-back Tennessee Class AA state titles in 2004 and 2005 ... Named Class AA Tournament MVP in 2005 ... Was a Tennessee Class AA Mr. Basketball finalist in 2005 ... Named to the All-West Tennessee first team as a sophomore and junior ... Also selected All-West Tennessee Newcomer of the Year in 2003 ... Prior to senior year, named to HoopScoopOnline.com All-America team ... Rated No. 6 point guard in the nation by Scout.com ... Rivals.com ranked him the No. 46 player in the nation, No. 6 point guard in the country, and No. 4 player in Tennessee ... Played in Derby Festival Classic in April 2006 ... Had 13 points and eight assists in Memphis All-Star Classic in April 2006 ... Averaged 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists as a junior.
Personal
Son of Maxine Kemp ... A Sport and Leisure Management major.
CAREER STATISTICS
-- Total -- -- 3-Point -- -- Rebounds --
Year GP-GS Min/Avg FG-A Pct FG-A Pct FT-A Pct Off-Def Tot Avg PF-FO A TO B ST Pts-Avg
2006-07 37-36 793/21.4 85-223 .381 51-132 .386 16-39 .410 21-64 85 2.3 55-1 82 48 2 24 237-6.4
2007-08 40-0 552/13.8 67-175 .383 51-139 .367 16-25 .640 9-30 39 1.0 25-0 60 20 3 25 201-5.0
Total 77-36 1345/17.5 152-398 .382 102-271 .376 32-64 .500 30-94 124 1.6 80-1 142 68 5 49 438-5.7
