Coach Cal Countdown: Darius Washington Jr. had three shots to lift Memphis into the NCAA Tournament
(Photo illustration by Kelsey Bowen/The Daily Memphian)
As the city prepares to celebrate John Calipari and his former Tigers as part of the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic preseason game, The Daily Memphian is rolling out nine stories on games that defined a wondrous era of Memphis basketball. This is the second installment.
Sunday: Memphis takes the big stage at Madison Square Garden
He winked!
After hitting the first foul shot, Darius Washington Jr. pointed to the Memphis bench and winked.
He was going to do it. Memphis was going to do it.
With zeroes on the clock, Washington was going to hit three foul shots to lift the Tigers over Louisville and into the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
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John Calipari Memphis Tigers Basketball 2025 Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic Darius Washington Jr. Subscriber OnlyAre you enjoying your subscription?
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Geoff Calkins
Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. He is host of "The Geoff Calkins Show" from 9-11 a.m. M-F on 92.9 FM. Calkins has been named the best sports columnist in the country five times by the Associated Press sports editors, but still figures his best columns are about the people who make Memphis what it is.
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