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The Memphis Grizzlies got their first win under interim coach Tuomas Iisalo last Thursday in Miami, and Drew Hill was there with reporting that helped highlight The Daily Memphian sports staff’s work for the week. Ja Morant hit a game-winner that beat the buzzer against the Heat, and Hill wrote that Morant “appeared to know it was true the moment it left his hand.” A day later, news broke that the NBA had fined Morant $75,000 for defiantly making what many interpreted as a finger gun gesture earlier in the game at Miami — despite league officials previously warning him not to do that. Geoff Calkins weighed in later with his thoughts in a piece titled, “Morant should lay down his (fake) weapons. But it’s the NBA that misfired.” Hill and Chris Herrington subsequently wrote extensively with early impressions on the job being done by Iisalo, a candidate to replace the fired Taylor Jenkins on a full-time basis. As the NBA’s 2024-25 regular season winds down with playoff implications abundant, Herrington and Hill will continue to keep tabs on the Grizzlies, who, after visiting Charlotte tonight, close with home games Thursday night against Minnesota and Sunday against Dallas. Meanwhile, Tim Buckley presented pieces on the American Athletic Conference’s efforts to upgrade its out-of-conference basketball scheduling by teams leaguewide and Memphis’ hopes for hosting the AAC’s men’s basketball tournament in 2026 and beyond. Parth Upadhyaya has been tracking Memphis moves in the NCAA transfer portal, while Frank Bonner II has been covering spring football practice for the Tigers with feature stories, including his latest on receiver Brady Kluse’s bid to take over leadership of a position group hit hard by the losses of its top pass catchers in 2025. On the minor leagues front, the Memphis Redbirds, who swept four home games from Buffalo before Sunday’s doubleheader was lost to wet weather, are in Nashville for a series with the Sounds this week, while the UFL’s 0-2 Showboats, coming off last Saturday night’s loss at Michigan, are back in town to play the Houston Roughnecks on Saturday afternoon, April 12, at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Speaking of weather, the heavy rain presented all sorts of unplanned obstacles for Viper 200 endurance ultramarathon planned for the Shelby Farms area, as Jody Callahan reported. High school sports also were hit hard by last week’s severe storms Memphis and the Mid-South, but those didn’t keep John Varlas from writing on CBHS making official its decision that Brad Luckett will replace his father, former Tiger Bubba Luckett, as the Brothers’ head basketball coach. Here’s a look at some of the staff’s top work from the week: — Deputy sports editor Tim Buckley
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By Drew Hill
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