Joe Jackson leads an all-local starting backcourt for the Tigers
![]() |
Visit the online store for Memphis and other editions of the 2012-13 Athlon Sports College Basketball annual. |
The first practices of college basketball season begin in mid-October, and Athlon Sports 2012-13 preview annuals are starting to arrive on newsstands all over the country.
To prepare for the start of college basketball season, we will preview one team each weekday, counting down to the first official day of basketball practice on Oct. 15, or for some teams on Oct. 12.
We continue our countdown with a preview of No. 18 Memphis.
Josh Pastner has had Conference USAâs most talented roster each of the past two seasons, but those rosters were as short on experience as they were long on gifts. The top three scorers two years ago were all freshmen while the top five scorers last season were either in their first or second seasons with the program, which is young by anybodyâs standards.
But this season will be different.
âThe good thing is that even though this is my fourth year as the head coach, itâll be the first time weâve had an upperclassman-type of team, and I think thatâs important,â Pastner says. âIn our summer workouts, we didnât have to go over terminology or start new. There was carryover. And thatâs big for us because other than the three guys we signed, everybody knows what I want offensively, what I want defensively, what I want in general. The majority of our guys have now played major minutes at a very high level of college basketball, and though it doesnât guarantee anything it should allow us as a team to have a better understanding of what it takes to be successful.â
FRONTCOURT
The Memphis frontcourt has been an issue in Pastnerâs first three seasons because nobody has ever developed into a consistent scorer or rebounder in the paint. Will Barton, a now-departed 6-6 guard, was the teamâs leading rebounder last season.
Thatâs why why the arrival of Shaq Goodwin is welcomed. The McDonaldâs All-American helped USA Basketball win the gold medal in this summerâs FIBA Americas U18 Championship by, among other things, scoring 30 points in a win over the Virgin Islands. Heâs expected to be Memphisâ starting power forward, with junior Tarik Black back at center. Sophomore Adonis Thomas will start at small forward a year after an ankle injury that cost him most of the C-USA schedule and convinced him to delay entering the NBA Draft .
âThe thing about Adonis is that he doesnât need to score 25 to dominate a game,â Pastner says. âI mean, he has the ability to do that. But he can affect the game in lots of ways. He can defend three positions and be a stat-sheet stuffer. He can be a high-level rebounder and high-level assist man, and his shooting, right now, is at a high level. So Iâm expecting and counting on him to play at a high level for us.â
BACKCOURT
The Tigersâ backcourt will be led by a pair of local guards â namely Joe Jackson and Chris Crawford, either of whom could emerge as a first-team all-conference selection. Jackson, the MVP of the past two C-USA Tournaments, averaged 11.0 points and 3.9 assists last season while Crawford averaged 9.1 points and 3.8 assists. They have in the past and will again this season take turns bringing the ball up the court.
âThe great thing about Joe and Chris is that they can play with and off of each other,â Pastner says. âThey complement each other well and have great clarity in what they want to accomplish as a unit together.â
Antonio Barton, another junior, projects as a steady reserve. And the wild card in all this is Geron Johnson, regarded by some the best junior college prospect in the country. The 6-3 guardâs talent is undeniable, but he was dismissed from two different junior colleges and has had legal issues. Can Pastner get Johnson on the right path? Who knows? But the Memphis coach decided to give it a shot.
âGeron has to learn to play under control and use his athleticism within the game,â Pastner says. âBut heâs a pro-level athlete. Heâs a really talented guy.â
FINAL ANALYSIS
Pastner has done a tremendous job keeping Memphis relevant post-John Calipari, but heâs still looking for his first NCAA Tournament win. And though that might not be a problem nationally, itâs an issue locally and why Memphis needs to not only win C-USA but also advance in March. Otherwise, the program will be facing lots of questions as it transitions into the Big East next year.
âBut our focus is this year, not the Big East,â Pastner says. âWeâre not thinking about the Big East. We just want to have the best year we can have this year because teams are not gonna want us to leave on a good note, which is why weâll have to be extra sharp and extra good.â
Athlon College Basketball Countdown So Far:
20. Florida
19. Notre Dame
18. Memphis