The Memphis Tigers hosted the Lemoyne-Owen College Magicians in their second and final exhibition game before the regular season starts next week, handily defeating LOC 88-63 in front of 15,363 at FedExForum on Monday.
However, for Memphis fans, the final score wasn’t as important as who didn’t play. For the second consecutive game, James Wiseman, a potential No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, did not play.
Rampant rumors have surfaced that maybe Wiseman will not play any this season. However, Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway has assured everyone when Wiseman is ready, he will be in the lineup. Wiseman did participate in some pre-game drills.
Also, Damian Baugh did not play againt LeMoyne-Owen. Baugh suffered a concussion in last week’s Christian Brothers game and has not been cleared to play again. Baugh is expected to resume normal activities today and should be available for the season opener next week. Alex Lomax took Baugh’s place in the starting lineup.
The Tigers got off to a slow start against LOC. The Tigers were led by two freshmen in the first half. Boogie Ellis seems to have found his spot, scoring 12 points including going 3-5 from the arc. Precious Achiuwa was 5 of 6 from the floor and had 11 points in the first half.
The Tigers took a 41-32 lead into halftime, but Hardaway was not satisfied with his teams performance, citing how his players didn’t box out to secure rebounds. The Tigers did outrebound the Magicians 31-24 after getting outrebounded in the first exhibition game.
“We tried not to run any plays for the first couple of games. We tried to let them go to mismatches. They choose who to go to for the guards to run the show,” Hardaway said. “We are adamant about boxing out. We talk about it every single day.”
Ellis echoed the sentiment.
“I did a good job out there tonight, but I did not do a good job of boxing out,” Ellis said. “Defensively, we are struggling as a team. The game plan is new to us so we are adapting to that. Once we get that, I feel we will be a good defensive team.”
Lester Quniones Jr. said the team is “very far from what we can become,” saying Wiseman’s presence will change everything.
“Teams will definitely have to play different defenses with him in the lineup,” said Quinones.
In the second half, the Tigers found an offensive flow. Achiuwa finished with a team-high 21 points and 11 rebounds, followed by Ellis with 18 points. D.J. Jeffries had another solid performance with 11 points and nine rebounds. Former Cordova High star Tyler Harris led the team in assists (6) but scored just five points.
“It’s about to get real now,” Hardaway said of the upcoming season. “If we don’t listen and be able to carry over, it is going to hurt us in the long run.”
Meanwhile, the Magicians were led with balanced scoring from Kenneth Perkins and Devin Booker (12 points each). Devin’s younger brother Jordan also scored 12 points. LeMoyne-Owen’s regular season has already started and the Magicians are 1-0 on the young season.
“Memphis jumped out on us really quick,” said LOC head coach William Anderson. “We played a decent first half to really be in the game. I thought our guys really scrapped. Memphis is ranked the 14th best team in the country for a reason. Precious showed why he is one of the top players in the nation.”
The Tigers host South Carolina State on Tuesday, November 5 at the FedExForum at 7 p.m. Currently, the game is not scheduled to be on television or streamed online.
