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Trade deadline day acquisition Luke Kennard went crazy dropping 3-pointers on the Houston Rockets. Jaren Jackson Jr. continued to bolster his case for earning NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors. Ja Morant returned to the floor following his suspension, and Xavier Tillman Sr. chaperoned a kindergarten field trip to the Memphis Zoo. Lions and tigers and Grizzlies, oh my. The last one was another jampacked week for Memphis’ favorite NBA team, which has been on quite a roll lately, and beat writer Drew Hill was joined by columnists Chris Herrington and Geoff Calkins to bring it all home for The Daily Memphian readers. They weren’t alone in staying busy. The Memphis Tigers women’s basketball program had everyone hoppin’ as they first were bounced from the Women’s NIT with a third-round loss at Bowling Green, followed quickly by word that fifth-year guard Jamirah Shutes had been charged by campus police for allegedly punching one of the players from the Ohio school during the postgame handshake line. But wait, there’s more. Soon afterward, the Tigers confirmed coach Katrina Merriweather was leaving the program — it had nothing to do with the alleged punch, despite what some seem to believe — and rival Cincinnati confirmed Merriweather was heading back there to take over at her alma mater. Elsewhere on the college basketball front, the season ended for the Memphis Tigers men’s team earlier this month with a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to incoming American Athletic Conference member Florida Atlantic, which will play in the Final Four this coming weekend. Most Memphians don’t need to be reminded of that. But Calkins did anyway — just ask Positive Paul, or, if you’re so inclined, Negative Nellie — and so do we. That, though, didn’t slow the flow of coverage, with beat writer Parth Upadhyaya keeping us updated on Memphis Tigers roster developments, columnist John Martin writing about why the Tigers need to get older, not younger, and Upadhyaya and Martin teaming up to solve all the world’s problems in their latest Roundtable presentation. Or at least the Tigers’. Meanwhile, our seven-part series looking back at Memphis State’s 1972-73 NCAA Tournament run — “Final Four Memories” — wrapped up with entries from new special contributor Phil Stukenborg on star forward Larry Kenon and the Tigers’ final two games along with a collection of anecdotes from yours truly that, hopefully, left you smiling and laughing. On the college football front, spring practice is in full gear for the Memphis Tigers and — as beat writer Frank Bonner II reported — safety Quindell Johnson ran a strong 40-yard dash at Memphis’ Pro Day on Monday. On the preps front, basketball season has transitioned to baseball, softball, soccer and track and field season for high schools writer John Varlas. Before making the jump in earnest, though, Varlas reported that ECS has hired Tim Wise — a former head coach at Millsaps College and Jackson Prep in Jackson, Mississippi — as its new boy’s basketball coach. And on the minor-league sports world, Don Wade popped in from the news side to drop some knowledge as the Memphis Redbirds prepare to open their AAA season, and Beth Sullivan reported on a dustup between the Memphis Americans indoor soccer team and their best buddies from Tampa Bay that gave DeSoto County police something to break up their day down in Southaven, Mississippi. Here’s a look back at some of the week’s work. — Deputy sports editor/senior writer Tim Buckley
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By Chris Herrington
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