The Memphis basketball looked as advertised in an exhibition shellacking of Lane College Sunday at FedExForum.
Explosive. Big. Experienced. Deep. Oh and good. Very good.
The Tigers trounced the Dragons 106-49. Five players scored in double figures, led by David Jones’ 17 points. It was the St. John’s transfer’s first outing in a Memphis uniform. Jones played against his future teammates in August during the Tigers’ exhibition trip to his home country, the Dominican Republic.
Big men Jordan Brown and Malcolm Dandridge each scored 14, while Ashton Hardaway dropped 13 and Caleb Mills put up 11.
The new formula for success
Hardaway-coached teams have a well-earned reputation for playing elite defense. The kind of defense capable of overwhelming even the most seasoned, most prepared teams.
Earlier this month, though, Hardaway alluded to the notion that this new version of the Tigers might flip the script. That it will be a relentless offense that smothers the opposition.
“We’ve never had that,” he said on Oct. 2. “That’s gonna be (our) identity.”
It was Sunday. Memphis lit up the scoreboard, especially early. The Tigers made 19 of their first 27 field goal attempts. Even though the team missed five straight and six out of seven before halftime, it still led 54-18.
During one particularly productive stretch in the first half, Memphis made 16 out of 20.
No Jahvon Quinerly
Adding an exclamation point to the Tigers’ stellar work on offense is the fact that it was done without the presumptive starter at point guard.
Alabama transfer Jahvon Quinerly has not practiced much in recent weeks thanks to a minor leg issue, so he was held out as a precautionary measure.
Jayden Hardaway took Quinerly’s spot in the starting lineup, but Mills handled point guard duties early. When it wasn’t Mills, UCF transfer Jayhlon Young and freshman Carl Cherenfant were tasked with initiating the offense.
Malcolm Dandridge comes out strong
Since returning to the team two months ago, fifth-year senior Malcolm Dandridge has made it clear he feels better than maybe he ever has. The doubts about his motor that seem to have followed him in recent seasons have apparently subsided.
Dandridge showed why Sunday. The big man from Memphis came off the bench versus Lane and impacted the game in a variety of ways. One sequence in the first half was a good example.
With the Tigers up 23-10, Dandridge came up with two blocks on back-to-back plays − one on a Ragi Phillips jumper, the other on a Jeremiah Foster dunk. Then, on the other end, Dandridge extended the lead to 25-10 with a fast-break layup.
In the second half, Dandridge took over, scoring 10 points in a 3:18 span to put the Tigers up 85-38.
Deep rotation here to stay?
Memphis is known for its deep rotations under Hardaway. The sixth-year coach has proven time and again that he will go to the further reaches of his bench without hesitation.
He did Sunday, playing all 12 healthy scholarship Tigers. While it was in an exhibition setting and the game was very lopsided, all 12 who played made significant contributions to the cause.
How the rotation plays out as the season goes along − especially when Quinerly gets back and, perhaps even more so, if the NCAA grants DeAndre Williams’ eligibility − will be interesting to monitor.
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How Ashton Hardaway, young Tigers looked
All three of the team’s freshmen got into the game. And all three made their presences known.
Especially Ashton Hardaway. The 6-8 wing boosted the Tigers’ perimeter presence, knocking down a game-high three 3-pointers (on five attempts). A late wide-open dunk sent him into double figures with 11 points.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at [email protected] or on Twitter @munzly.