Down in Memphis, Tennessee it’s hard to imagine that the saying “better luck next year” holds any validity. After all, John Calipari and his Tigers danced their way into overtime against Kansas in the NCAA National Championship game last year. For Memphis this wasn’t luck, it was destiny.
Freshman Derrick Rose and Junior Chris Douglas-Roberts made it clear that despite criticism of belonging to a so-called "weak" Conference-USA, Memphis was the real deal, roaring through the tourney seemingly with ease, just mere moments from the university’s first hardwood national championship.
The events that would unfold the rest of the game were as hazy as the confetti that floated down from rafters onto the court, or Mario Chalmers amazing three as the clocked ticked away in regulation. As Memphis went cold from the foul line, the Jayhawks only got hotter and by the time overtime started the game was already over.
It wasn’t supposed to end this way. John Calipari recruited the nations top prospect in Rose, went 16-0 to capture the conference title and made it all the way to the last minute of the last game of the season, only to be left scratching his head as Kansas raised the championship trophy high above theirs.
Better luck next year.
Sounds easier than it is, especially when your cornerstone pieces in Rose and Douglas-Roberts declare for the NBA draft. So where do you go from here? For Calipari it’s back to the recruiting board. The long and arduous road of scouting led the Tigers up route 81 into Pennsylvania. For up North, rumor has it there’s a 5-star shooting guard from Chester, playing at American Christian, right outside of Philadelphia.
After watching this blue-chip player in action for just five minutes it’s confirmed; the rumors are true.
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As far the 5-stars go, they don’t seem to be enough. Looming 6 foot, 6 inches, and weighing in at nearly 200 pounds, the man-child is well known in these parts for his vicious dunks, long-range jumpers and amazing body control. He can pull up and hit a 3-ball in any defenders face or blow right by a defender with his lightning quick first step.
Calipari knows down in Memphis he’ll be a savior. If you’re from these northern parts the all-American is already a household name, to those who have played against him he’s a nightmare and to the rest of the world he’s just Tyreke Evans. Who? If you have never heard that name before say it slowly aloud, Ty-reke Evans. He’ll be a household name in your home soon too.
Yes, even Ronald McDonald himself couldn’t put together a classic combo like Evans together, so he just made him MVP of the 2008 McDonalds All-American game instead.
Unfortunately for Calipari, coaches like Villanova’s Jay Wright and Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun have also build up a hunger for the filling potential of the recent high school graduate.
Who could blame them? Evans is as advertised, a game-changing performer with size, athleticism and strength. As a senior he averaged 32.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 4.3 steals. The only aspect of his game in question is his ability to be a leader. But this doesn’t worry Calipari one bit. Evans has no problem lighting up the college stat sheets as well leading the 15-3 Tigers with 16.6 ppg to go with his four boards per contest and is well on his way to being a championship caliber leader.
Calipari loves the challenge of leading championship caliber team, Evans should too. This kid has potential and under Calipari’s wrath his sole focus will be on winning what should have been theirs last season, a national championship. That means no time for anything but exams and jumpers, lots of jumpers.
As graduation approached, Evans narrowed his future down to four schools, Villanova, Connecticut, Texas and yes, Memphis. In Philadelphia it seems to be a no-brainer, Villanova is the clear-cut choice. Yet even with the smooth talking, charismatic and respected Wright just minutes from Evans' Chester home, Memphis made sure Evans wouldn’t become a Wildcat. He was born to be a Tiger.
That night back in March, as Memphis unconsciously made their way from the floor, for the last time as a team, defeat weighing so heavily it was have been nauseating, somewhere deep down inside himself John Calipari must have felt like a five-year-old on Christmas Eve anticipating what he would find under the tree. That’s what great coaches do. They don’t dwell on defeat, they dream, wait, they live on achieving victory. Victory for Calipari this year doesn’t even fit under the tree, victory for Calipari and the rest of Memphis basketball nation, came when Evans pulled down a cap over his head with that oh so familiar Tiger embroidered on the front.
Somewhere deep down, there must be a relieving calm in Calipari. One can only imagine the smile that grows upon his face as he wishes everyone else who doesn’t have Tyreke Evans on their roster ‘better luck next year.’
