Pastner keeps local talent at home
By: Joseph Russell
Issue date: 11/18/09 Section: Sports
When my friends and I graduated from high school here in Memphis, there were four of us. Afterward, they bolted town as quickly as possible, but I stayed to attend The University of Memphis. It wasn't the cool choice, they said, but it was the one that made the most sense to me.
Ever since Josh Pastner took the reigns of The U of M men's basketball program, the perception of Memphis has changed. Suddenly, this city has become the cool place for local talent to stay and play for the Tigers. Good players want to stay.
Maybe it has to do with former coach John Calipari recruiting nationally instead of within his team's own city, but Memphis hasn't seen one of its own stay to suit up in the blue and gray in a long time.
Pastner's plan from the beginning was to start at home.
"We want to start from the inside-out," Pastner said in April. "We want to focus our recruiting on our own backyard and work from there."
Tarik Black, Joe Jackson, Chris Crawford. Ridgeway, White Station, Sheffield. All from Memphis, and all chose the Tigers.
If this were two years ago, I doubt any of them would have stayed.
So what's the secret to keeping these kids at home?
"I tell these kids, 'Look, you're going to be held accountable and responsible for your actions,'" Pastner said. "I tell them, 'You're going to do your job. You have to earn everything. Being on the floor is a privilege.'"
Pastner doesn't tell recruits that they'll start or even guarantee playing time.
So why do they still want to stay here?
"I'm honest," he said. "I tell them how I feel."
Honesty? It seems almost out of place in college basketball. But that's how he does it.
"I'm a big believer that competition breeds excellence," Pastner added. "Everybody talks about being great. Okay, you want to be great? You need to be around great players to take your game to a new bar."
Suddenly, it hit these kids.
Instead of going to a school where they would be the premiere player on the team, why not go to a team where everybody is good and get even better?
Ever since Josh Pastner took the reigns of The U of M men's basketball program, the perception of Memphis has changed. Suddenly, this city has become the cool place for local talent to stay and play for the Tigers. Good players want to stay.
Maybe it has to do with former coach John Calipari recruiting nationally instead of within his team's own city, but Memphis hasn't seen one of its own stay to suit up in the blue and gray in a long time.
Pastner's plan from the beginning was to start at home.
"We want to start from the inside-out," Pastner said in April. "We want to focus our recruiting on our own backyard and work from there."
Tarik Black, Joe Jackson, Chris Crawford. Ridgeway, White Station, Sheffield. All from Memphis, and all chose the Tigers.
If this were two years ago, I doubt any of them would have stayed.
So what's the secret to keeping these kids at home?
"I tell these kids, 'Look, you're going to be held accountable and responsible for your actions,'" Pastner said. "I tell them, 'You're going to do your job. You have to earn everything. Being on the floor is a privilege.'"
Pastner doesn't tell recruits that they'll start or even guarantee playing time.
So why do they still want to stay here?
"I'm honest," he said. "I tell them how I feel."
Honesty? It seems almost out of place in college basketball. But that's how he does it.
"I'm a big believer that competition breeds excellence," Pastner added. "Everybody talks about being great. Okay, you want to be great? You need to be around great players to take your game to a new bar."
Suddenly, it hit these kids.
Instead of going to a school where they would be the premiere player on the team, why not go to a team where everybody is good and get even better?