Turbulent Tigers

The University of Memphis Men’s Basketball program has seen several changes this year.

In January, before the season was even over, sophomore Kuran Iverson announces that he will be transferring at the end of the season. Iverson is eligible to play immediately.

Pookie Powell decides to leave the University of Memphis and head to Philadelphia to continue his basketball career at LaSalle University.  Powell has three years of eligibility left. He will be eligible to play in the 2016-17 season. As a freshman, Powell started 11 games and averaged 4.3 points and 2.7 assists.

Nick King leaves the Tigers to join Avery Johnson in Alabama.  King will have two years of eligibility remaining beginning in the fall of 2016.  He averaged 7.2 ppg his sophomore year at Memphis.

Damon Stoudamire returns to the program for his second stint as an assistant cosch.  Next season will be Pastners last.  If he has a good season, he will take one of the many offers that he will receive.  This guarantees him a job for the next four to five years.  If he has a bad season he will be fired.  Either way Damon Stoudamire will step up to be the next coach.  Bu that’s a story for another day.

And the most eventful of all, the Austin Nichols transfer.  The University of Memphis initially granted Nichols a conditional release, preventing him from joining certain programs and Virginia is one of those programs.  Austin and his family have financial ties to the University of Virginia.  It should come as no surprise that the attorney hired by his family is a graduate of UVA.   One week after granting Austin Nichols a conditional transfer release, The University of Memphis has a change of heart and grants Nichols an unconditional release.  I’m sure that the threat of a lawsuit and slander from Don Johnson had something to do with the change of heart.