Cary Estes will provide insight and information at the 2007 Conference USA Football Media Slam in Memphis for the league's official website.
October 11, 2007
Posted at 10:00 a.m. CT
Greetings from Memphis! Tod Meisner here to get things kicked off and Cary Estes will be blogging shorty. The teams and media are arriving in bunches and the 2007 C-USA Basketball Media Day is underway. At 11:45 the players in attendance will be signing autographs for local grade schoolers and press conferences will begin at 12:00 p.m.
Be sure to tune in to the C-USA Media Slam this afternoon on CSTV. The women's show will run from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. CST, while the men's show will take place from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. CST.
Posted at 12:35 p.m. CT
We are here at the Fed Ex Forum, home of the Memphis Tigers. The city of Memphis has been No. 1 in BBQ for years. Now, there is heavy speculation that Memphis will soon be home to the No. 1 college basketball team in the land. The early buzz is that when the preseason rankings come out, John Calipari's team will be listed in the top spot. Even if the Tigers aren't No. 1 in the nation, they will be close, and they are undoubtedly the preseason No. 1 team in C-USA.
Now we'll see if the rest of the league is starting to catch up. As Tulane coach Dave Dickerson said, "Memphis is the carrot we're all chasing."
Posted at 12:43 p.m. CT
Calipari certainly believes the rest of the league is catching up to his program. He just said moments ago that he expects at least six C-USA teams to be in postseason play this season.
"If Memphis can do it, we can all do it. We're in the same league," Calipari said. "But there are no smoke and mirrors to getting it done. It takes a commitment."
Posted at 12:57 p.m. CT
The coaches, players, media members and conference officials are all wearing name tags, so everybody can be easily identified. First-year East Carolina coach Mack McCarthy said he might maintain tags for himself and his players throughout the preseason.
"We have six new players, plus it's my first year," McCarthy said. "We're probably going to have to wear these name tags for awhile."
Posted at 1:58 p.m. CT
The main event of the C-USA Basketball Media Day, the three-hour session with the print media, is about to begin. Players and coaches are starting to drift into the interview room, which is being held in the arean's spacious practice facility.
UCF senior guard Mike O'Donnell is impressed with the Fed Ex Forum, and says the Knights' new UCF Arena has a similar feel to it.
"This is one of the nicest areans in the nation. It's really, really well done," O'Donnell says. "I think our new arena is kind of scaled toward this place. Obviously, it's about half the size. But it's kind of shaped the same. When you walk in, you get the feeling that it's a big-time program, a big-time atmosphere. I think that's really going to help us."
Posted at 2:15 p.m. CT
UAB junior forward Robert Vaden has plenty of incentive to play well this season. It will mark his first game action in two years, since transferring from Indiana, and it also will be an opportunity for him to pay tribute to his father, who passed away recently.
"I really dedicate my life to him, because he gave me so much. He was always there for me," Vaden says. "Some guys from the inner-city, they really don't grow up with a father figure. So this season is dedicated to him. It's going to be big for me to go out there and just work hard. Really, everything I do is for him."
Posted at 2:46 p.m. CT
Is there anything about the UCF women's program that isn't new? UCF has a new head coach (Joi Williams), nine new players and a new arena to play in.
"There's definitely a bit of the unknown, but that's exciting for us," Williams says. "It's going to be a year where I have to have a lot of patience. We'll do a lot of teaching, and there's going to be some ups and downs. But we feel like we can only get better (after going 8-22 last season), and we look forward to building that."
No matter what happens this season, the UCF women already have a reward waiting for them. They get to host the C-USA postseason women's tournament.
"We're very excited about that," Williams says. "Obviously, our goal is to be able to play more than one game in that building come tournament time."
Posted at 3:02 p.m. CT
Move over Rick Pitino. The stylish outfit of the day comes courtesy of SMU coach Matt Doherty, who arrived at Media Day wearing a navy suit and purple paisley tie, with black-and-white cufflinks and a cream-colored pocket handkerchief square. Tres classy, though it's definitely not the type of outfit you wear to eat ribs at Rendezvous.
Posted at 3:43 p.m. CT
The rich get richer, and apparently the fast get faster. At least that appears to be the case for the Memphis Tigers with the addition of freshman Derrick Rose. Memphis coach John Calipari just spent five minutes talking about Rose, focusing primarily on his explosive quickness.
"Everybody wants to compare him to (NBA star) Jason Kidd. He is faster than Jason Kidd. Way faster," Calipari said. "I'm telling you, he is fast. (During practice) he got the ball two steps from halfcourt, and by the top of the key there was only one guy back there (on defense). He ran by everybody else. And we're a fast team. He just ran by them.
"I looked around, and the (other players) were smiling. It was like, 'Oh my God, did you see that?' That's how fast he can be."
Posted at 4:06p.m. CT
A familiar face just make an appearance in the interview area. Gene Bartow, who coached at both Memphis and UAB and was the Blazers' athletic director for more than 20 years, spent several minutes shaking hands and chatting with old friends.
Bartow currently is an official with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. His diverse loyalties were on display when he talked about his upcoming schedule. Bartow said he plans to attend the Memphis Tigers' scrimmage on Friday, travel to Birmingham for the UAB football game against Tulane on Saturday, and then return to Memphis for the Grizzlies' preseason exhibition game on Monday.
Posted at 6:00 p.m. CT
The lobby of the Fed Ex Forum has been transformed into a mini production studio for a series of interviews with the men's and women's head coaches that are being aired live on College Sports TV. The interviews are conducted on a 4-foot tall stage located in the middle of the lobby. Nearby are three television monitors, a bank of electronic equipment and a half-dozen producers and technicians making the whole thing work.
But the most interesting sight is in the background. High on the wall behind the stage are three banners honoring a trio of legendary musicians: Elvis Presley, Otis Redding and Jerry Lee Lewis. And underneath is an electronic scroll promoting this season's C-USA basketball tournament, to be held at the Fed Ex Forum.
Elvis, Otis, Jerry Lee and C-USA. Call it shake, rattle, roll and dunk.