Nov. 11, 2010

Complete Release in PDF Format

Tigers On TV/Radio/Web
Television: None
Radio: WREC 600 AM (Dave Woloshin, play-by-play; Matt Dillon, color analyst; Forrest Goodman, studio host)
Web: Game to be streamed live on Memphis athletics web site at gotigersgo.com via All-Access (must register to view game)

TIGERS TO HOST CENTENARY IN SEASON, HOME OPENER FRIDAY
The University of Memphis squad (0-0, 0-0 C-USA), ranked No. 19 in both preseason national polls, opens its 2010-11 regular season schedule Friday, Nov. 12 when it hosts Centenary (0-0, 0-0 Summit League). Game time is 8 p.m. (CT) at FedExForum.

Friday's contest is the first for both Memphis and Centenary in the 2010 Global Sports Challenge. It is an exempt event in which all participating schools play four games against each other. The other three schools in the Global Sports Challenge are LSU, Northwestern State and Tennessee Martin.

Memphis, picked to reclaim the Conference USA crown in most preseason publications and websites, returns two starters and six letterwinners from last year's squad that won 24 games (24-10 record) and advanced to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) second round. The Tigers finished second in the Conference USA regular season standings (13-3 league mark) and reached the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament.

The Tigers played two exhibition contests as warm-ups for the start of the 2010-11 campaign. Memphis defeated LeMoyne-Owen College 106-49 and Christian Brothers 75-49 in the two exhibitions.

Centenary College returns two starters and six letterwinners from the 2009-10 squad that posted an 8-21 overall record. The Gents did not play any exhibition contests prior to Friday's season opener.

SCOUTING THE GENTS
Centenary College returns two starters and six letterwinners from the 2009-10 squad that posted an 8-21 overall record and a 3-15 Summit League mark. The Gents did not play any exhibition contests prior to Friday's season opener.

Centenary returns only two of its seven leading scorers from a year ago in senior guard Roman Tubner and junior guard Maxx Nakwaasah. Tubner was the squad's fourth-leading scorer at 8.0 ppg last season, while Nakwaasah was sixth at 7.2 ppg. Nakwaasah is also the Gents' leading returning rebounder at 4.1 rpg (second on last year's team). Tubner is Centenary's returning leader in assists (66) and steals (41).

Last season, Centenary shot 41.6 percent from the floor, 35.2 percent from the arc and 73.3 percent from the charity stripe. Opponents shot 49 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from the arc against the Gents, and also out-rebounded Centenary by an average margin of +8.5 on the glass (38.6-30.1).

Adam Walsh is in his first year at the helm of the Gents program after serving as an assistant on the Centenary staff the previous three seasons.

MAKING THE MOVE
This past summer, Centenary College was approved for reclassification for NCAA Division III and will move from NCAA Division I competition in 2011-12. The Gents athletics program will still play in The Summit League for the 2010-11 academic year, and will move to the Division III American Southwest Conference in 2011-12.

PASTNER IN SECOND YEAR AT HELM OF TIGER PROGRAM Josh Pastner (Arizona, 1998) is in his second season as the head coach of the University of Memphis basketball program. The Kingwood, Texas, native was hired Apr. 7, 2009, after serving the 2008-09 season as an assistant on the Tiger staff.

In his first season in 2009-10, Pastner guided the Tigers to a 24-10 overall record and a 13-3 Conference USA mark. Memphis earned a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) berth and advanced to the postseason classic's second round.

Prior to joining the Memphis basketball family for the 2008-09 season, Pastner spent the previous 12 years of his college basketball life at Arizona as a player, staff member and assistant coach. While in Tucson, Pastner was a member of Wildcat squads that made 12-straight NCAA Tournament appearances and posted a 290-103 record (1997-2008). Pastner was a player on the 1996-97 Arizona team that won the NCAA title.

YOUTH VERSUS YOUTH
Friday's game at FedExForum features two of the youngest coaches in NCAA Division I basketball in 2010-11. Memphis head coach Josh Pastner is the seventh-youngest coach, while Centenary's Adam Walsh is the fifth-youngest.

PASTNER SEVENTH-YOUNGEST HEAD COACH IN NCAA DIVISION I IN 2010-11
If you ask Josh Pastner about his age, he just says it's a number. And it is. However, Pastner's age makes him one of the youngest head coaches in NCAA Division I in 2010-11. The following lists the youngest head coaches in NCAA Division I:

Coach, School	Age	Birthdate

Andy Toole, Robert Morris	30	Sept. 11, 1980

Jason Capel, Appalachian State	30	Jan. 15, 1980

Brian Wardle, UW-Green Bay	31	Oct. 10, 1979

Dane Fife, IPFW	31	July 26, 1979

Adam Walsh, Centenary	31	May 7, 1979

Jason James, UT Martin	33	Oct. 10, 1977

Josh Pastner, Memphis	33	Sept. 26, 1977

Bobby Washington, Grambling	33	June 1, 1977

John Gallagher, Hartford	33	May 27, 1977

Joe Pasternack, New Orleans	33	Apr. 15, 1977

TIGERS TO TIP-OFF 90TH YEAR OF HOOPS ON FRIDAY
The University of Memphis basketball program opens its 90th year of play Friday when the Tigers host Centenary in the 2010-11 regular season opener for both schools at FedExForum. Memphis has an all-time record of 1406-820-1 (.632 winning percentage).

MEMPHIS IN SEASON, HOME OPENERS
The Tigers host Centenary in both their 2010-11 season and home opener Friday. In its history, Memphis has rather impressive marks in season and home openers.

The Tigers have a 61-28 record in season openers for a 68.5 winning percentage. Memphis has an 8-2 record in its last 10 season openers.

In home openers, Memphis is even more impressive with a 68-21 mark for a 76.4 winning percentage. The Tigers are 8-2 in their last 10 home openers.

Memphis won its 2009-10 opener (season and home) with an 82-53 victory over Jackson State.

WHEN THEY ARE ONE IN THE SAME
While the Tigers have stellar marks in season and home openers, the record is even better when the season and home openers are the same game.

Memphis is 53-13 (.803 winning percentage) when its season opener is also its home opener. The last time the Tigers played a season/home opener was last year when they defeated Jackson State 82-53.

The Tigers have a 10-1 record in years when their season and home openers were one in the same, dating back to the 1994-95 campaign. The lone setback in the last 10 season/home openers came in the 2000-01 season when Memphis dropped a 67-62 decision to Temple at The Pyramid.

DID YOU KNOW?
Memphis and Centenary can claim five NBA championships, and all former standouts that were part of NBA title teams were post players. The Tigers' two connections to NBA titles are William Bedford with the Detroit Pistons (1990) and Earl Barron with the Miami Heat (2006). The Gents' three NBA crowns were won by their all-time great Robert Parrish, also known as "The Chief." Parrish and the Celtics won NBA Championships in 1981, 1984 and 1986.

MEMPHIS VS. THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
Memphis has an all-time record of 17-7 (.708 winning percentage) against current members of the Summit League. The Tigers have played Centenary (7-5), IUPUI (1-0), Oakland (2-0), Oral Roberts (5-2) South Dakota State (1-0) and UMKC (1-0). Memphis has never previously played IPFW, North Dakota State, Southern Utah and Western Illinois.

The last time the Tigers played a Summit League foe was last season. In fact, Memphis met two Summit League teams in 2009-10 and won both encounters. The Tigers defeated Oakland 77-46 Nov. 30 as part of the 2009 Hall of Fame Showcase, and also posted an 87-67 victory over IUPUI Dec. 28.

Prior to last year, the Tigers-Summit League opponent previous match-up came in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Memphis, the West Region No. 1 seed, posted an impressive 94-78 victory over No. 16 seed Oral Roberts in the first round in Dallas, Texas.

TIGERS PLAYING IN FIRST GLOBAL SPORTS CHALLENGE
Friday's contest is one of four games Memphis and Centenary are playing in the first-ever Global Sports Challenge. The exempt event's other participants are LSU, Northwestern State and Tennessee Martin, and each team will play four games.

Following Friday's game with Centenary, the Tigers play Northwestern State Nov. 17, LSU Nov. 21 (in Tupelo, Miss.; BancorpSouth Arena) and Tennessee Martin Nov. 23.

MEMPHIS IN REGULAR SEASON TOURNEYS/CLASSICS
The Tigers have an overall record of 87-56 in regular season tournaments/classics in the program's history. Memphis has won 16 in-season tournament titles/classics.

The last time the Tigers carried home the trophy from an in-season tournament (more than one game) was in the 2007-08 campaign. Memphis won the 2k Sports College Hoops Classic (Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer) with an 81-70 win over Connecticut at Madison Square Garden. The Tigers also posted a narrow 62-58 overtime win over Southern Cal in the Jimmy V Classic in New York City that same season.

Last year, Memphis finished with a 3-1 record in the 2009 Hall of Fame Showcase. The Tigers dropped a narrow 57-55 decision to No. 1/1 Kansas in St. Louis, Mo., but bounced back with three wins over Tennessee Tech (92-59), Central Arkansas (81-49) and Oakland (77-46).

BARTON QUESTIONABLE FOR FRIDAY'S GAME
Freshman Will Barton returned to limited action in practice Nov. 1, but remains questionable for Friday's season opener versus Centenary. Barton, an All-Conference USA preseason second team pick, suffered left knee and left ankle injuries in an Oct. 22 practice and had not seen any action in practice until Nov. 1.

According to head coach Josh Pastner, Barton's knee is fine, but his ankle is still "tender."

BLACK PROBABLE FOR FRIDAY
Freshman Tarik Black missed Tuesday's exhibition game versus Christian Brothers with a right sprained ankle, but is probable for Friday's season opener versus Centenary. The 6-foot-8 forward suffered the injury in a practice after the Tigers' first exhibition Nov. 3 versus LeMoyne-Owen. Against the Magicians, Black played 16 minutes and had 15 points and eight boards. He scored his 15 points on 5-of-8 field goals and 5-of-8 free throws.

KENDRICK RETURNS TO GAME ACTION FOLLOWING TIME AWAY FOR A PERSONAL MATTER
Freshman Jelan Kendrick had been out of practice from Oct. 21-Nov. 3, but made his return to the practice floor Nov. 4 following the team's first exhibition game versus LeMoyne-Owen Nov. 3. Kendrick was on the bench for the exhibition contest, but did not dress for game action.

In the Nov. 9 exhibition contest, Kendrick saw his first minutes on the court when he played against Christian Brothers. The 6-foot-6 guard played 15 minutes and posted eight points, two rebounds and two assists.

Prior to Kendrick's return to practice on Nov. 4, head coach Josh Pastner said that Kendrick was taking time away from the squad for a personal matter.

TIGER SUCCESS AT FEDEXFORUM
After a rough first year at their new home in 2004-05, the Tigers bounced back quite nicely and made FedExForum one of the toughest arenas for opponents to play in. The Tigers have a 110-13 overall record (.894 winning percentage) at FedExForum.

Since the 2005 Conference USA Tournament, Memphis has won 100 of its last 107 home games (.935 winning percentage).

BEST HOMECOURT ADVANTAGE?
Well, Memphis head coach Josh Pastner will say the Tigers have the best homecourt advantage due to the great Tiger Nation fanbase. But, he also has some numbers to back him up.

Since 2004-05, Memphis has won 110 games at FedExForum, the most home wins in the country over that span of time. The following are the top three programs with the most home wins since 2004-05 (credit to Texas A&M SID for compiling this list):

Most Home Wins

Last Six Years (Since 2004-05)

	1.	Memphis	110

	2.	Kansas	102

	3.	Texas A&M	98

TIGERS IN NOVEMBER
While all head coaches focus on March and their teams ready to make postseason runs, the Tigers have done quite well in the month of November. Since 1999-2000, Memphis has a 40-15 record (.727 winning percentage) in November.

One reason for the 15 early setbacks is the rugged national schedule the Tigers have played. Of the 15 November losses, 10 were to nationally-ranked teams.

The Tigers were 23-4 in November the past five seasons, with two of the four setbacks coming to ranked opponents. The following shows Memphis' progress in November games since the 1999-2000 campaign:

Year	Nov. Rec.	Losses to Ranked Teams

2009-10	4-1	1

2008-09	4-1	0

2007-08	6-0	0

2006-07	4-1	1

2005-06	5-1	1

2004-05	4-2	2

2003-04	2-1	1

2002-03	2-1	0

2001-02	5-2	2

2000-01	2-3	2

1999-2000	2-2	0

Totals	40-15	10

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
Memphis has had a long history of success in non-league games, and that has continued in recent years. Since 1999-2000, the Tigers have a non-conference record (including postseason) of 146-51 for a 74.1 winning percentage.

In 2009-10, Memphis had an 11-6 record against non-conference opponents (including postseason).