Hey guys just got back in from the USA Trials and Withers did pretty well. I know you want to know howās heās doing so I thought Iād make this available for everyone.
Got your Iti updates from Withers which you will find interesting, and his outlook on next year.
Enjoy and weāll be there tomorrow to let you know if he makes the first cut. Stay tuned to NinerReport.com
Jason Jordan, NinerReport Publisher
excellent report.
my thoughtsā¦
[b] if withers is going head to head against eric williams (weighs around 280lbs), he will be more than ready for the power forwards he will face this season [/b]
Agreed. Eric Williams is a former Mc Donaldās AA and played very well last season. Hope Withers can get better and better.
[b]The workout is different now that I'm here. Here I won't have to handle the ball because we have more guards.[/b]
JJ, the rap is that its always tought for the big men in these games because they never get fed the ball. You seemed to say that Aaron Brooks wasnt getting him the ball. True?
[b]Here I just do everything the coach tells me. Coach (Kelvin Sampson) already called me "Little Ben Wallace Jr.," so I try to get every loose ball and rebound and things like that.[/b]
Thatās quite a turnaround from his HS rep. Letās hope he keeps that up.
Weāre all being quiet about the Iti comment he made, but I know itās lurking. Also, I liked reading about Leemire. I donāt wanna derail this thread though. This one is about Curtis.
Did he mean he was overpowered by May or he overpowered May ?
Hopefully they need a rebounder like Withers on the team, he does get after it rebounding.
The only thing Sean May can overpower is a Big Mac valu-meal.
[i]Originally posted by NinerAdvocate[/i]@Jul 18 2004, 08:26 AM [b] We're all being quiet about the Iti comment he made, but I know it's lurking.[/b]
When itās all said and done, I think having Curtis will be one of the best lands this program has ever experienced. You just canāt say enough about getting hometown talent like that, who has that kind of drive and desire to remain another year in college. Love the guy and wish we had more like him.
[i]Originally posted by jcl49er[/i]@Jul 18 2004, 03:33 PM [b] When it's all said and done, I think having Curtis will be one of the best lands this program has ever experienced. You just can't say enough about getting hometown talent like that, who has that kind of drive and desire to remain another year in college. Love the guy and wish we had more like him. [/b]Amen.
[i]Originally posted by jcl49er[/i]@Jul 18 2004, 03:33 PM [b] I think having Curtis will be one of the best lands this program has ever experienced. You just can't say enough about getting hometown talent like that, who has that kind of drive and desire to remain another year in college. Love the guy and wish we had more like him. [/b]couldnt agree more
Side note:
Sean Banks of Memphis didnāt show up to the tryouts, but was an invite. His reason was basically he didnāt feel like playing. Interesting read on ESPN.com about it.
[i]Originally posted by jcl49er+Jul 18 2004, 03:33 PM-->
[b]QUOTE[/b] (jcl49er @ Jul 18 2004, 03:33 PM) <!--QuoteBegin-NinerAdvocate[/i]@Jul 18 2004, 08:26 AM [b] We're all being quiet about the Iti comment he made, but I know it's lurking. [/b]
I didnāt read too much into what Curt said. Came across to me as Curtis just saying āHey, Iām concerned about myself and this team, regardless of who wants to be part of it.ā Just struck me as Withers is just focusing on his game and doesnāt want the Iti saga to distract him. [/b][/quote]
He also said āwe have four returning startersā, so heās assumming Iti will show up sometime in August but he isnāt worrying about what he is doing. If it were any other starter I would be worried about the lack of communication, but with Iti, all he has to do is show up and be tall. He will be lucky to be our 5th leading scorer, the most important thing for him is just try to stay out of foul trouble.Anyway, good to hear Withers is working on hustle an defense. He does look lazy on the court at times, hopefully he can become a āLittle Ben Wallace Jr.ā for us, except score 20 points a game. Calvin brought the rebounding hustle last year with Withers really going after the ball at times, but other times he would look slack. Hopefully Withers and Nance will both be hustle guys next year.
Withers made the cut to 16 players:
The 16 USA Young Men Team finalists include: Hassan Adams (Arizona / Los Angeles, Calif.); Aaron Brooks (Oregon / Seattle, Wash.); Shannon Brown (Michigan State / Maywood, Ill.); Justin Gray (Wake Forest / Charlotte, N.C.); Sean May (North Carolina / Bloomington, Ind.); Rashad McCants (North Carolina / Asheville, N.C.); Adam Morrison (Gonzaga / Spokane, Wash.); David Padgett (*Louisville / Reno, Nev.); Chris Paul (Wake Forest / Lewisville, N.C.); Mustafa Shakur (Arizona / Philadelphia, Pa.); Curtis Sumpter (Villanova / Brooklyn, N.Y.); P.J. Tucker (Texas / Raleigh, N.C.); Charlie Villaneuva (Connecticut / Brooklyn, N.Y.); Eric Williams (Wake Forest / Wake Forest, N.C.); Curtis Withers (UNC Charlotte / Charlotte, N.C.) and Bracey Wright (Indiana / The Colony, Texas).
The three players who did not make the finalists roster include Rodney Carney (Memphis / Indianapolis, Ind.); Demetris Nichols (Syracuse / Barrington, R.I.) and C.J. Watson (Tennessee / Las Vegas, Nev.).
Quote:
Curtis Withers (UNC Charlotte / Charlotte, N.C.)
Who is UNC Charlotte. I thought Withers played for āCharlotteā. Regardless of what they call us, I wish him the best.
Itās amazing how many players Wake has on that roster, and that Arizona has 2, plus had Igoudala (NBA) last year, and still stunk.
Then again, all of these guys were young. Maybe this is their year.
[i]Originally posted by Over40NINER[/i]@Jul 18 2004, 10:26 PM [b] Quote: Curtis Withers (UNC Charlotte / Charlotte, N.C.)Who is UNC Charlotte. I thought Withers played for āCharlotteā. Regardless of what they call us, I wish him the best. [/b]
From Day 3 reports, Curtis was impressive and got the best of Sean May. McCants was very impressed. Great stuff.
When do the games start?
[i]Originally posted by LeftyNiner[/i]@Jul 19 2004, 08:10 AM [b]From Day 3 reports, Curtis was impressive and got the best of Sean May. McCants was very impressed. Great stuff.[/b]Talk about your good news/bad news reports.
Got the best of Sean May ? This doesnāt mean much. I think I could even do that.
McCants was very impressed ? That should mean something, McCants is a playa!!
As quoted in the other message on this subject, Coach Sampsons comment on team versatility and Withers, I think the other thing Withers has going for him in trying to make this type of team is that he seems very coachable, seems to always listen with no attitude.
Sean Banks is an idiot and heās certainly making his coach feel/look like one (something Calipari is quite capable of doing on his own! :lol: ).
Hereās the Memphis newspaper article about Banks and Rodney Carney getting invited to the tryouts:
[b] 2 Tigers get shot at Team USA
Banks, Carney at tryouts in N.J.
By Gary Parrish
Memphis Commercial-Appeal
July 16, 2004
There are many ways to tell John Calipari is assembling an elite level of talent at the University of Memphis.
The number of wins is one. The increase in national recognition and respect is another.
But the best example may come this morning in East Rutherford, N.J., when two Tigers, Rodney Carney and Sean Banks, try out for the USA Basketball World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Team.
āIām happy for both of them, and I think itās a win-win situation every way around,ā Calipari said. "If they make the team, theyāre going to be well-coached by guys (Oklahomaās Kelvin Sampson, Marquetteās Tom Crean and Minnesotaās Dan Monson) who are harder on players than me. And if they donāt make it, itās a wakeup call. Then they have to ask themselves, āOK, where are we right now?ā
āSo itās absolutely great, no matter what happens.ā
Carney and Banks are two of just 20 college players who received invitations to the tryouts with the requirements being that they had to be U.S. citizens born after Jan. 1, 1984.
Banks, a 6-8 sophomore forward, is coming off a season in which he averaged 17.4 points and 6.5 rebounds to earn Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors. Carney, a 6-7 junior forward, averaged 13 points and 5.7 rebounds.
The U of M duo that helped the Tigers to a 22-8 record and the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season make Memphis one of four schools that received multiple invitations. The others are Wake Forest (Chris Paul, Justin Gray and Eric Williams), North Carolina (Rashad McCants and Sean May) and Arizona (Hassan Adams and Mustafa Shakur).
āI think itās just a credit to coach Cal,ā Tiger assistant Ed Schilling said. āItās a credit to the connections he has.ā
The two-a-day tryouts will take place at the Netsā practice facility and should end Sunday. By then, the coaching staff is expected to have trimmed the roster to 12 players, a group that will begin training camp Monday in anticipation of the FIBA Americas World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Tournament that begins July 28 in Canada.
While Banks has known since June that he would be part of the tryouts near his hometown of Englewood, N.J., Carney accepted a late invitation just last week, the result of other players withdrawing because of injuries.
Itās a monumental accomplishment for the Indianapolis native, especially considering Carney came to Memphis two summers ago unknown on the national level.
āIām out here in L.A., recruiting, and I ran into Dan Monson the other day,ā Schilling said by phone this week. "He told me he couldnāt wait to work with Sean. And I said, 'Well, I bet youāre going to like Rodney too.[/b]
And hereās Andy Katz on āMr. No Showā:
ESPN.com: Rising sophomore could regret decision
Of course, today there are no Tigers on the team with Banksā boneheaded decision and Carney being cut over the weekend.
Good luck Curtis!!!