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Welcome to this week’s Tigers Basketball Insider. Below you’ll find the latest news and analysis from The Daily Memphian’s Parth Upadhyaya, John Martin and Tim Buckley.
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Jaykwon Walton kept firing away.
Even when the misses piled up.
Even when the noise from Memphis fans started to grow louder.
Even when his own frustration was apparent.
Now, Walton’s persistence is starting to pay off for the No. 10 Tigers (15-2, 4-0 AAC). Four games into American Athletic Conference play, the 6-foot-7 wing has again found his groove to become the third scoring punch for coach Penny Hardaway’s team.
Walton transferred to Memphis last offseason with a sharpshooter reputation. He’d shot 40% from 3-point range at Wichita State last season to lead the Shockers in scoring at 13.9 points per game.
But the Columbus, Georgia, native had gotten off to a rocky start with the Tigers. Walton made just 11 of his 52 attempts (21.2%) from beyond the arc through the team’s 13 non-conference games and averaged 8.5 points in that span. There was even a four-game stretch in which he missed 17 straight from deep.
Now, though, Walton has caught fire. He’s shooting a Memphis-high 63.2% from 3-point range on 4.8 attempts (third-most on the team) in the four games since the Tigers began conference play Jan. 4 against Tulsa.
Walton has also averaged 14.3 points in Memphis’ matchups against AAC foes. That puts him behind only David Jones (19.8 points per game in four conference games) and Jahvon Quinerly (17.5).
This uptick has brought Walton’s season averages to 9.8 points per game on 32.4% shooting from 3. His 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game on the season are both good for second on the team.
With Caleb Mills out after undergoing season-ending surgery for a patellar fracture in his left knee suffered against Tulsa, Walton’s emergence as a third scoring option is even more crucial.
The sample size is small — and heavily skewed by Memphis’ 112-86 rout of Wichita State on Sunday — but it’s no coincidence that the floor seems to have opened up for the Tigers with Walton’s improved shooting.
Memphis is averaging 17.5 assists per game in its four AAC games after averaging only 12.6 through its 13-game non-conference slate.
Yes, some of that has to do with the team facing weaker competition now than it did when it was beating the likes of then-nationally ranked Texas A&M, Clemson, Virginia and others.
But some of that also should undoubtedly be credited to Walton.
Hardaway has often given Walton kudos for sacrificing his scoring output for the greater good of the team and still doing the dirty work — rebounding and defending, primarily — on a consistent basis.
Walton also never appeared to lose faith this whole time that he’d return to form as a shooter. That unwavering determination is now paying dividends — for both himself and the Tigers.
More from your Insider:
Coach Penny Hardaway’s team continues to steadily climb up the rankings.
Where did Memphis land on Upadhyaya’s rankings after an impressive blowout win against Wichita State but an overtime nail-bitting victory against UTSA?
In a record-setting performance, Coach Penny Hardaway’s team showed the AAC — and perhaps the country — that its ceiling is still sky-high despite its struggles in recent weeks.
Alasia Smith led the Tigers with her fifth double-double of the year and 33rd of her career with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
NCAA men’s college basketball box score for Sunday’s game between the Memphis Tigers and the Wichita State Shockers.
Williams, once a four-star signee in Memphis’ Class of 2023, announced his commitment to the Knights Friday afternoon on Instagram.
Williams made his professional debut on Wednesday for the NLEX Road Warriors of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
The Memphis basketball coach had remained publicly supportive of the four-star signee for the better part of nine months after Williams was arrested for allegedly shooting at an occupied vehicle.
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