The Early Word: CBU students forced to leave; Haggerty may leave Tigers
Rise and grind, Memphis. It’s Friday, April 18, and the Memphis Grizzlies’ playoff fate will be decided tonight in a play-in elimination game against the Dallas Mavericks. Some think the Grizzlies should lose for the sake of next year’s draft pick, but let’s just drown them out with a spirited chant of “Whoop That Trick.”
Also tonight, the Memphis Showboats play the Michigan Panthers, and well, thoughts and prayers. The team just lost their head coach again, and they haven’t won a game yet.
Saturday brings music and movies. There’s the Mempho-produced Shell Daze Music Festival with Boston-based funk band Lettuce at the Overton Park Shell. And the “Time Warp Drive-in” is back with the theme “Future Unknown.” The name is a nod to the Philip K. Dick film adaptations they’ll be screening, but it could also apply to the Malco Summer Drive-In’s uncertain future.
Easter is on Sunday, and so is 4/20, so it’s basically a choose-your-own adventure holiday situation. For more things to do, check out our weekly list of, well, things to do.
More than 10 international students at Christian Brothers University have had their visas revoked and are being asked to leave the country, according to a local lawyer. That news follows a story from Thursday about five University of Memphis students who also had their visas revoked. Now, Rhodes College is trying to get ahead of the issue to give new recruits more assurance. Local immigration lawyers consulting on some of the cases from both schools said, from what they can tell so far, the affected students had minor tickets or infractions with law enforcement. The Daily Memphian’s Jane Roberts gathered reactions from students and administrators on Thursday.
Memphis Tigers basketball star PJ Haggerty could say “boi, bye” to the team that helped him land an All-American season. Haggerty entered the transfer portal on Thursday. He was named the 2024-25 AAC Player of the Year and a consensus second-team All-American during his year with the Tigers. Following that news, ESPN reported that forward Dain Dainja was also entering the portal, but that was disputed later by a post from Dainja on X.
Plus, Memphis-Shelby County Schools may tear down old buildings, the state budget slashes Memphis programs and Ja Morant is a maybe tonight.
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Bianca Phillips
Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian who’s worked in local journalism and PR for more than 20 years. In her days as a reporter, she covered everything from local government and crime to LGBTQ issues and the arts. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South,” a cookbook of vegan Southern recipes.
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