I was thinking about the weird comments on the U of Kentucky bulletin board and contemplated what makes Memphis different and better than schools like that....in one major way.
Memphis recruits locally...goes after Memphis players, has a head coach from Memphis and has a strong base of former players who live in Memphis. We are a home team to MEMPHIS in so many ways. Kentucky has to resort to importing players from outside of Kentucky. Their roster in 2018-19 had one player from Kentucky. Basically, Kentucky and many schools cannot look at their immediate area for players because if they did...their programs would die. True we do bring in players from outside of our immedate area but....we also have many on our roster from Memphis....including walk ons. Thus, there is a closer relationship between our fans and players since many of those players have been followed and seen playing, since they were in a Memphis junior high school and their families live here as well.

(05-09-2019 08:38 AM)DallasTiger Wrote:  I was thinking about the weird comments on the U of Kentucky bulletin board and contemplated what makes Memphis different and better than schools like that....in one major way.
Memphis recruits locally...goes after Memphis players, has a head coach from Memphis and has a strong base of former players who live in Memphis. We are a home team to MEMPHIS in so many ways. Kentucky has to resort to importing players from outside of Kentucky. Their roster in 2018-19 had one player from Kentucky. Basically, Kentucky and many schools cannot look at their immediate area for players because if they did...their programs would die. True we do bring in players from outside of our immedate area but....we also have many on our roster from Memphis....including walk ons. Thus, there is a closer relationship between our fans and players since many of those players have been followed and seen playing, since they were in a Memphis junior high school and their families live here as well.

Yep

(05-09-2019 08:40 AM)uskjtc02 Wrote:  

(05-09-2019 08:38 AM)DallasTiger Wrote:  I was thinking about the weird comments on the U of Kentucky bulletin board and contemplated what makes Memphis different and better than schools like that....in one major way.
Memphis recruits locally...goes after Memphis players, has a head coach from Memphis and has a strong base of former players who live in Memphis. We are a home team to MEMPHIS in so many ways. Kentucky has to resort to importing players from outside of Kentucky. Their roster in 2018-19 had one player from Kentucky. Basically, Kentucky and many schools cannot look at their immediate area for players because if they did...their programs would die. True we do bring in players from outside of our immedate area but....we also have many on our roster from Memphis....including walk ons. Thus, there is a closer relationship between our fans and players since many of those players have been followed and seen playing, since they were in a Memphis junior high school and their families live here as well.

Yep

Plus we all think errrybody is out to get us...and we are right.

Memphis is unique. Basketball is in the DNA, and always has been, from what I can tell. Practically everyone in the Mid South is at least a casual follower of Tiger Basketball. It's a recruiting hotbed, maybe the best in the nation, per capita, for D1 players. The History. The High School programs.

How many Kentucky players are from Lexington?
How many Louisville players finish and stay/return to live in Louisville?

Dang right we're better.

(05-09-2019 08:38 AM)DallasTiger Wrote:  I was thinking about the weird comments on the U of Kentucky bulletin board and contemplated what makes Memphis different and better than schools like that....in one major way.
Memphis recruits locally...goes after Memphis players, has a head coach from Memphis and has a strong base of former players who live in Memphis. We are a home team to MEMPHIS in so many ways. Kentucky has to resort to importing players from outside of Kentucky. Their roster in 2018-19 had one player from Kentucky. Basically, Kentucky and many schools cannot look at their immediate area for players because if they did...their programs would die. True we do bring in players from outside of our immedate area but....we also have many on our roster from Memphis....including walk ons. Thus, there is a closer relationship between our fans and players since many of those players have been followed and seen playing, since they were in a Memphis junior high school and their families live here as well.

You would think schools like Depaul, Houston, SMU, St John's, etc would have the same relationship with their respective cities, but they don't. Just something special about Memphis, and Memphis basketball.

(05-09-2019 09:09 AM)SouthernBoiNOLA Wrote:  

(05-09-2019 08:38 AM)DallasTiger Wrote:  I was thinking about the weird comments on the U of Kentucky bulletin board and contemplated what makes Memphis different and better than schools like that....in one major way.
Memphis recruits locally...goes after Memphis players, has a head coach from Memphis and has a strong base of former players who live in Memphis. We are a home team to MEMPHIS in so many ways. Kentucky has to resort to importing players from outside of Kentucky. Their roster in 2018-19 had one player from Kentucky. Basically, Kentucky and many schools cannot look at their immediate area for players because if they did...their programs would die. True we do bring in players from outside of our immedate area but....we also have many on our roster from Memphis....including walk ons. Thus, there is a closer relationship between our fans and players since many of those players have been followed and seen playing, since they were in a Memphis junior high school and their families live here as well.

You would think schools like Depaul, Houston, SMU, St John's, etc would have the same relationship with their respective cities, but they don't. Just something special about Memphis, and Memphis basketball.

That's indicative of every "other" program in the country, as we're the "only" university that can survive/thrive off of our own crops nationally..... It's a wonderful "homegrown" feel that no other university can attest to.... It's our bravado our chi our schtick...... and WE bask in our glory and others h8 it because you CAN'T just conjure this up

ie: CPH is OURS.... He will NEVER be ANYONE else's.... #EmbraceTheH8

A few other distinctions of note:

Memphis is a racially-diverse basketball city of a million people (metro statistical area) and has basketball in the blood.

Lexington is a large, Caucasian-dominated college town/city with fewer than 200,000 folks...they have no choice but to recruit outside of the area.

We are unique because of guys like Larry, Penny and of course many other. The team that played in the championship game in the early 70’s started it all for me. I was already a Tiger fan at that young age, but after that I became a tiger maniac.

(05-09-2019 09:43 AM)GermantownTiger Wrote:  A few other distinctions of note:

Memphis is a racially-diverse basketball city of a million people (metro statistical area) and has basketball in the blood.

Lexington is a large, Caucasian-dominated college town/city with fewer than 200,000 folks...they have no choice but to recruit outside of the area.

https://247sports.com/Season/2019-Basket...l&State=KY


to add to what you are saying...this is a list of the top high school basketball players in Kentucky for the year 2019.
3 4* players ...and 7 3* players.
Only ONE of those players is considering UK, and they will probably recruit over him...unless he walks on or something.

so in effect...UK fans will say kids want to come there to play for the school...because it is Kentucky.
Moreso than they are willing to admit..they recruit outside of the state...because they have to. Not enough home grown talent in state.

All home grown Memphians know three things...

1. Basketball
2. BBQ
3. Wrastling

does this mean we're a basketball school again?

another mystery is the consistent talent for the most part in this town.

really, what's up with that?

(05-09-2019 10:56 AM)UofMTigerTim Wrote:  All home grown Memphians know three things...

1. Basketball
2. BBQ
3. Wrastling
4. Pancho's cheese dip

Kentucky is a shttthole state - meth heads, inbreds and white trash. Oh, and 2nd rate whiskey.

these facts have gotta burn them up -
UCLA has more championships
Duke has won 2 since Calipari went to Lexington
Villanova has won 2 since Calipari went to Lexington
"mid major" UCONN leads them 4-3 since the mid 90s
UNC leads them 3-1 in the 2000s
Duke leads them 3-1 in the 2000s

Not the best all time, not the best since the 90s or 2000s, and only the 3rd best w/ their current coach.

(05-09-2019 11:13 AM)k2tigers Wrote:  

(05-09-2019 10:56 AM)UofMTigerTim Wrote:  All home grown Memphians know three things...

1. Basketball
2. BBQ
3. Wrastling (and the King)
4. Pancho's cheese dip
5. The Blues
6. Rock n Roll (and the King)

(05-09-2019 09:09 AM)SouthernBoiNOLA Wrote:  

(05-09-2019 08:38 AM)DallasTiger Wrote:  I was thinking about the weird comments on the U of Kentucky bulletin board and contemplated what makes Memphis different and better than schools like that....in one major way.
Memphis recruits locally...goes after Memphis players, has a head coach from Memphis and has a strong base of former players who live in Memphis. We are a home team to MEMPHIS in so many ways. Kentucky has to resort to importing players from outside of Kentucky. Their roster in 2018-19 had one player from Kentucky. Basically, Kentucky and many schools cannot look at their immediate area for players because if they did...their programs would die. True we do bring in players from outside of our immedate area but....we also have many on our roster from Memphis....including walk ons. Thus, there is a closer relationship between our fans and players since many of those players have been followed and seen playing, since they were in a Memphis junior high school and their families live here as well.

You would think schools like Depaul, Houston, SMU, St John's, etc would have the same relationship with their respective cities, but they don't. Just something special about Memphis, and Memphis basketball.

Right. And you could add Georgia Tech and Georgia. Atlanta is an uptapped hotbed by local colleges.

(05-09-2019 11:33 AM)cmt Wrote:  

(05-09-2019 11:13 AM)k2tigers Wrote:  

(05-09-2019 10:56 AM)UofMTigerTim Wrote:  All home grown Memphians know three things...

1. Basketball
2. BBQ
3. Wrastling (and the King)
4. Pancho's cheese dip
5. The Blues
6. Rock n Roll (and the King)

Jerry and Elvis! The kings!!!

What makes Memphis special is we are a city of around 1million people and the vast majority of those 1 million people are Memphis fans above all else. You will be hard pressed to find many cities, with that population, whose local college team is the team of choice and not the local pro team(s).

The BIGGEST difference is we have a talented city of basketball players, and, that now, we have a homegrown NBA superstar who played at UM, and is now the NC.

I hope Coach Penny has many years of success at UM.

(05-09-2019 11:49 AM)rc0213 Wrote:  The BIGGEST difference is we have a talented city of basketball players, and, that now, we have a homegrown NBA superstar who played at UM, and is now the NC.

I hope Coach Penny has many years of success at UM.

Penny is perhaps the zeitgeist of all that is 21st century Memphis hoops.