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The Memphis Grizzlies have their man. The NBA franchise tapped Tuomas Iisalo as its new head coach last Friday, removing an “interim” tag and making official a move that — if the tea leaves indeed were telling — may have been in the works long before Taylor Jenkins was let go in late March. When the hiring was made public, Drew Hill — who foreshadowed Iisalo’s ascension from assistant coach, the job he first took before a season that started with Jenkins’ seat already rather warm — and Chris Herrington went to work right away breaking down what it all means. Wrote Herrington: “Iisalo’s demonstrated offensive style — an uptempo attack built on speedy guards and big men who screened and crashed the offensive boards — matched both the Grizzlies’ biggest star (point guard Ja Morant) and its top draft pick (center Zach Edey). … And perhaps this is the top takeaway of the hire: Despite continued media speculation about a Morant trade this summer, tapping Iisalo only underscores the franchise’s apparent commitment to having Morant as a focal point next season.” “Over the next few months, it will be Iisalo’s job to put a staff around him that can form a new identity and new culture. The pressure is high,” Hill wrote. “Iisalo isn’t stepping into a long-term rebuild. He’s taking control of a team with massive expectations to win now.” Also highlighting The Daily Memphian sports staff’s week: Parth Upadhyaya profiled Western Kentucky transfer Julius Thedford as the Memphian who prepped at Cordova and Whitehaven high schools who returns home to play for Penny Hardaway and the Tigers basketball team; Frank Bonner II profiled Tigers tennis player Leonie Moeller, a Germany native, before Memphis’ women played in the NCAA Tournament; and John Varlas profiled Houston High slugger Collin Bland. Upadhyaya also kept tabs on a flurry of NCAA transfer portal activity for the Tigers. 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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