2016–17 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

The 2016–17 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Memphis in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, the 96th season of Tiger basketball and the first under head coach Tubby Smith. The Tigers played their home games at the FedExForum. This was the fourth season the Tigers participated in the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 19–13, 9–9 in AAC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament to UCF. Despite having 19 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

2016–17 Memphis Tigers men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
2016–17 record19–13 (9–9 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaFedExForum
2016–17 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 11 SMU †17–1 .944  30–5  .857
No. 18 Cincinnati16–2 .889  30–6  .833
Houston12–6 .667  21–11  .656
UCF11–7 .611  24–12  .667
Memphis9–9 .500  19–13  .594
UConn9–9 .500  16–17  .485
Tulsa8–10 .444  15–17  .469
Temple7–11 .389  16–16  .500
East Carolina6–12 .333  15–18  .455
Tulane3–15 .167  6–25  .194
South Florida1–17 .056  7–23  .233
† 2017 AAC Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2015–16 season with a record of 19–15 and 8–10 in AAC play to finish in a tie for fifth place in conference. The Tigers lost in the championship game of the AAC Tournament to UConn. The Tigers did not participate in a postseason tournament marking the second consecutive year that the Tigers had missed the postseason entirely.

Josh Pastner left Memphis to take the head coaching job at Georgia Tech on April 8, 2016.[1] On April 14, 2016, the school hired Tubby Smith to take over as head coach.[2]

Offseason

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Trahson Burrell0F6' 7"187SeniorAlbany, NYGraduated
Shaq Goodwin2F6' 9"229SeniorAtlanta, GAGraduated
Avery Woodson3G6' 2"189JuniorWaynesboro, MSTransferred to Butler
Randall Broddie11G6' 3"170FreshmanOxon Hill, MDTransferred to Navarro College
Kedren Johnson15G6' 4"210SeniorLewisburg, TNGraduated
Ricky Tarrant20G6' 2"184SeniorPleasant Grove, ALGraduated
Nick Marshall30C6' 11"248SophomoreLexington, TNLeft program; transferred to Motlow State CC

Incoming transfers
NameNumPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Christian Kessee10G6' 2"180SeniorLas Vegas, NVGraduate transfer from Coppin State

Recruiting
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Keon Clergeot
G		 Auburndale, FL Auburndale HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jun 8, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Jimario Rivers
F		 Memphis, TN Southwest TN CC 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Oct 8, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

    Coaching staff

    The Tigers hired coach Orlando "Tubby" Smith to replace Josh Pastner in April 2016. Smith faced his first controversy as Tiger head coach early. Keelon Lawson, father of Tiger players KJ and Dedric Lawson, had served for two years as an assistant for Pastner, but Smith did not initially want to retain Lawson in that role to make room for his son on the staff. This caused Lawson to reenter his son Dedric in the 2016 draft and hint that KJ would be transferring. However, on April 25, 2016, The Commercial Appeal reported that Lawson would be retained on the basketball staff as director of player personnel. By moving Lawson to Director of player development it prevents him from recruiting off campus. Where his close ties to area coaches and talent would give him an advantage with Memphis area recruits. An area where Smith and his staff has been very weak in past jobs. With a recruiting class average in the 70s at Texas Tech. His first class at Memphis was ranked 92nd compared to the top 10 class in Pastner's last year at Memphis-[3] Lawson claimed he never intended to indicate that his sons would be leaving the program upon the announcement of his reassignment.[4] Dedric, however, remained entered in the draft and attended the draft combine before withdrawing his name in mid May and returning to Memphis.[5]

    The U of M announced that presumptive starting center Nick Marshall unexpectedly left the team on August 1, 2016 when he went to live with his pregnant girlfriend. Marshall was not expected to return to Memphis.

    Roster
    2016–17 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    G/F 0 K. J. Lawson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg) RS Fr Hamilton High School Memphis, Tennessee
    G/F 1 Dedric Lawson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)236 lb (107 kg) So Hamilton High School Memphis, Tennessee
    G/F 2 Jimario Rivers 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)193 lb (88 kg) JrSouthwest Tennessee Community College Clarksville, Tennessee
    G 3 Jeremiah Martin 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg) SoMitchell High School Memphis, Tennessee
    G 4 Keon Clergeot 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)187 lb (85 kg) FrAuburndale High School Winter Haven, Florida
    G 5 Markel Crawford 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)208 lb (94 kg) RS JrMelrose High School Memphis, Tennessee
    G 10 Christian Kessee 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)182 lb (83 kg) SrCoppin State Las Vegas, Nevada
    G 11 Jonathan Bins 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)150 lb (68 kg) FrGermantown High School Memphis, Tennessee
    G 12 Craig Randall II 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)184 lb (83 kg) SoShadow Mountain High School Youngstown, Ohio
    F 15 Chad Rykhoek 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)230 lb (104 kg) SrBaylor Fort Worth, Texas
    G 20 Kaleb Castro 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)165 lb (75 kg) SoCollin College Grapevine, Texas
    F 23 Karim Sameh Azab 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)290 lb (132 kg) FrHales Franciscan High School Giza, Egypt
    G 30 Kytrel Williams 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)207 lb (94 kg) JrMotlow State Community College Memphis, Tennessee
    F 32 Alex Moffatt 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)223 lb (101 kg) JrShawnee State Somerville, Tennessee
    G/F 42 Jake McDowell 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)218 lb (99 kg) SrChristian Brothers High School Memphis, Tennessee
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    Schedule and results
    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    11/07/2016*
    6:30 pm    		 Christian Brothers W 69–42 
    		FedEx Forum (9,676)
    Memphis, TN
    Regular Season
    11/14/2016*
    7:00 pm, WLMT/ESPN3    		 Texas–Rio Grande Valley
    Emerald Coast Classic    		 W 94–75  1–0
    		 FedEx Forum (9,217)
    Memphis, TN
    11/16/2016*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Milwaukee W 68–54  2–0
    		 FedEx Forum (9,398)
    Memphis, TN
    11/19/2016*
    11:00 am, ESPN3    		 Savannah State
    Emerald Coast Classic    		 W 99–86  3–0
    		 FedEx Forum (8,689)
    Memphis, TN
    11/22/2016*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 McNeese State W 104–65  4–0
    		 FedEx Forum (8,941)
    Memphis, TN
    11/25/2016*
    8:30 pm, CBSSN    		 vs. Providence
    Emerald Coast Classic quarterfinals    		 L 51–60  4–1
    		 The Arena at NWFSC (2,196)
    Niceville, FL
    11/26/2016*
    3:00 pm    		 vs. Iowa
    Emerald Coast Classic 3rd place game    		 W 100–92  5–1
    		 The Arena at NWFSC (2,196)
    Niceville, FL
    11/30/2016*
    8:30 pm, WLMT/ESPN3    		 Jackson State W 84–69  6–1
    		 FedEx Forum (7,507)
    Memphis, TN
    12/03/2016*
    12:00 pm    		 at Ole Miss L 77–85  6–2
    		 The Pavilion at Ole Miss (7,411)
    Oxford, MS
    12/10/2016*
    12:00 pm, ESPN3    		 UAB W 62–55  7–2
    		 FedEx Forum (9,424)
    Memphis, TN
    12/13/2016*
    8:00 pm, WLMT/ESPN3    		 Monmouth L 79–82  7–3
    		 FedEx Forum (7,831)
    Memphis, TN
    12/17/2016*
    11:30 am, CBS    		 at Oklahoma W 99–94 OT 8–3
    		 Lloyd Noble Center (9,081)
    Norman, OK
    12/21/2016*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Incarnate Word W 95–71  9–3
    		 FedEx Forum (7,919)
    Memphis, TN
    12/27/2016
    8:00 pm, ESPNU    		 SMU L 54–58  9–4
    (0–1)    		 FedEx Forum (10,305)
    Memphis, TN
    12/30/2016*
    8:00 pm, ESPN2    		 South Carolina W 70–54  10–4
    		 FedEx Forum (10,812)
    Memphis, TN
    01/05/2017
    6:00 pm, ESPN2    		 UConn W 70–61  11–4
    (1–1)    		 FedEx Forum (10,227)
    Memphis, TN
    01/08/2017
    4:00 pm, ESPN3    		 at Tulane W 80–59  12–4
    (2–1)    		 Devlin Fieldhouse (1,525)
    New Orleans, LA
    01/11/2017
    7:00 pm, ESPNews    		 at Tulsa L 71–81  12–5
    (2–2)    		 Reynolds Center (4,017)
    Tulsa, OK
    01/14/2017
    5:00 pm, CBSSN    		 South Florida W 62–56  13–5
    (3–2)    		 FedEx Forum (11,955)
    Memphis, TN
    01/19/2017
    8:00 pm, CBSSN    		 at Houston W 70–67 OT 14–5
    (4–2)    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (4,815)
    Houston, TX
    01/22/2017
    3:00 pm, CBSSN    		 UCF W 70–65  15–5
    (5–2)    		 FedEx Forum (9,625)
    Memphis, TN
    01/25/2017
    5:00 pm, CBSSN    		 at Temple L 66–77  15–6
    (5–3)    		 Liacouras Center (4,950)
    Philadelphia, PA
    01/28/2017
    2:30 pm, ESPNews    		 East Carolina W 57–50  16–6
    (6–3)    		 FedEx Forum (10,684)
    Memphis, TN
    02/02/2017
    6:00 pm, ESPNews    		 at South Florida W 85–75  17–6
    (7–3)    		 USF Sun Dome (2,563)
    Tampa, FL
    02/05/2017
    4:00 pm, ESPNews    		 at UCF L 57–72  17–7
    (7–4)    		 CFE Arena (5,463)
    Orlando, FL
    02/07/2017
    6:00 pm, ESPNU    		 Tulsa W 66–44  18–7
    (8–4)    		 FedEx Forum (8,518)
    Memphis, TN
    02/12/2017
    1:00 pm, CBSSN    		 Temple L 62–74  18–8
    (8–5)    		 FedEx Forum (10,552)
    Memphis, TN
    02/16/2017
    8:00 pm, ESPN2    		 at UConn L 62–65  18–9
    (8–6)    		 XL Center (9,631)
    Hartford, CT
    02/23/2017
    6:00 pm, ESPN    		 at No. 15 Cincinnati L 74–87  18–10
    (8–7)    		 Fifth Third Arena (12,787)
    Cincinnati, OH
    02/26/2017
    4:00 pm, CBSSN    		 Houston L 71–72  18–11
    (8–8)    		 FedEx Forum (12,381)
    Memphis, TN
    03/02/2017
    8:00 pm, ESPNU    		 Tulane W 92–70  19–11
    (9–8)    		 FedEx Forum (9,223)
    Memphis, TN
    03/04/2017
    3:00 pm, ESPN2    		 at No. 14 SMU L 62–103  19–12
    (9–9)    		 Moody Coliseum (7,242)
    Dallas, TX
    American Athletic Conference Tournament
    03/10/2017
    1:00 pm, ESPN2    		 (5) vs. (4) UCF
    Quarterfinals    		 L 54–84  19–13
    		 XL Center (1,844)
    Hartford, CT
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Central Time.

    Rankings
    Main article: 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

    References
    1. Murtaugh, Frank. "Josh Pastner Leaving Memphis For Georgia Tech". Memphis Flyer. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
    2. "Tubby Smith joins Memphis on five-year deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
    3. https://247sports.com/Season/2016-Basketball/CompositeTeamRankings
    4. "Keelon Lawson to remain on Tigers' staff in support role". www.commercialappeal.com. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
    5. "Tigers' Dedric Lawson pulling out of NBA draft". www.commercialappeal.com. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
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