USC football hires TCU’s Anthony Jones as new running back coach

USC fills the vacancy left by Kiel McDonald’s departure to the Chargers.

The USC football program filled a staff vacancy. The Trojans have hired Anthony Jones Jr. as their new running back coach. Jones will replace Kiel McDonald, who departed a month ago to coach the same position for the Los Angeles Chargers. Jones had been at TCU since 2022.

Jones coached under Lincoln Riley’s younger brother, Garrett Riley, who was TCU’s offensive coordinator for the Horned Frogs’ memorable run to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game two seasons ago. In his first year with the Horned Frogs, he had an immediate effect according to the USC press release published on Monday:

“He tutored Kendre Miller, who was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. Miller earned 2022 First-Team All-Big 12 honors and was a Doak Walker Award Semifinalist. His 1,399 yards made him TCU’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2016. It was also the most by a Horned Frog since LaDainian Tomlinson led the nation with 2,158 in 2000. Jones also coached Emari Demercado to a career-best season with 681 yards rushing, including 150 yards in the CFP Semifinal win over Michigan.”

In alignment with the theme of this current coaching staff, it’s all about development and preparation for the NFL.  Before joining the Horned Frogs, Jones had similar success with developing running backs for the pros at Memphis, having four players drafted in three years (Darrell Henderson and Antonio Gibson in the third round, Tony Pollard in the fourth round, and Kenneth Gainwell in the fifth round).

Jones has a room full of talented backs in Quinten Joyner, A’marion Petersen, Bryan Jackson, and Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks to work with as the Trojans head into the Big Ten.  It will be interesting to hear the new running back coach discuss the room at spring camp later this month.

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Photo gallery: Arkansas’ 84-79 loss to Memphis in Battle 4 Atlantis

Here are the best photos from Arkansas’ 84-79 loss to Memphis in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament on Thursday evening.

Arkansas was playing Memphis for the first time in over 20 years on Thanksgiving Day, and for a while it resembled the type of game that fans of the programs remember from the teams’ heyday in the 1990s.

Ultimately the Tigers (5-0) prevailed and will play Villanova in the championship tomorrow afternoon.

The Razorbacks are relegated to the third place game, where they will face a familiar opponent in North Carolina, who it has faced in multiple NCAA Tournaments and in a preseason tournament like this in recent years.

Here are some of the best photos from the Bad Boy Mowers semifinal showdown between Penny Hardaway’s Tigers and Eric Musselman’s Hogs.

Memphis-Arkansas basketball series needs to happen

Arkansas and Memphis used to meet every year in basketball. It hasn’t happened in 20 years, but there is talk of ramping it back up.

Arkansas basketball hasn’t played Memphis since January 3, 2003, after playing every year from 1991 to that season.

A 72-67 loss to John Calipari’s Tigers in that 2003 meeting was the last time the two teams met on the hardwood.

Calipari was quoted as saying at the time that continuing to play Arkansas was keeping them a “regional program” instead of a national program that he envisioned them being.

It couldn’t have been the fact that Arkansas had won five of the previous six meetings and had won important recruiting battles for the previous decade in Memphis.

There is a chance that Arkansas could face Memphis, now coached by legendary former player Anfernee ‘Penny’ Hardaway, in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament next week.

The Razorbacks would need to beat Stanford and have Memphis beat Michigan, or both teams could lose their first game and meet in the consolation bracket.

Apparently, Hardaway and Arkansas coach Eric Musselman have had preliminary talks about resuming a regular season matchup.

Fans would love it, and the players would too.

Kellie Harper recaps Lady Vols’ overtime win versus Memphis

Kellie Harper recaps the Lady Vols’ overtime win versus Memphis.

No. 15 Tennessee (2-1) defeated Memphis (1-2). 84-74, in overtime Monday at Food City Center.

Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper met with media following the game.

“Obviously, it was an exciting game,” Harper said. “I’m glad we came out of it with a win. I told our team to remember we don’t take any of them for granted, good, bad or ugly. Take it, you don’t give it back and you try and learn from it and move forward. Memphis did a great job; they play so hard, and we knew that coming in. Thankfully, we had a big challenge in front of us today and found a way to get a win.”

Everything Harper said following the Lady Vols’ win versus Memphis is listed below.

Arkansas soccer preparing for Pittsburgh in second round

Arkansas welcomes Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Memphis to Razorback Field for the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend.

Arkansas will not rematch Ohio State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament after all.

Pittsburgh disposed of the Buckeyes on Saturday, 6-0, and will visit Razorback Field on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

The winner of the Notre Dame-Memphis match, which will also take place on Arkansas’ pitch, will face the Pittsburgh-Arkansas winner in the round of 16 on Sunday at 6 p.m.

Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.

Arkansas is still likely going to be without All-American Anna Podojil, who didn’t play against Grambling this past Friday and her status remains uncertain.

Freshman forward Bella Field stepped up when called upon against Grambling, tallying a hat trick.

The Razorbacks are 10-0 in NCAA Tournament matches at Razorback Field, and have won 32 matches in a row on their home confines.

Lady Vols defeat Memphis in overtime

Lady Vols defeat Memphis in overtime.

No. 15 Tennessee (2-1) defeated Memphis (1-2). 84-74, in overtime Monday at Food City Center.

The Tigers led, 36-32, at halftime.

Rickea Jackson did not play for the Lady Vols due to injury.

Sara Puckett had a career-high 24 points and was one of four Tennessee players to score 10-plus points against Memphis. Puckett also totaled eight rebounds, two assists one block and one steal.

Jewel Spear posted a double-double as she recorded 19 points and 12 rebounds. Jasmine Powell added 17 points and six rebounds, while Jillian Hollingshead finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.

Tennessee next plays Sunday against Troy. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. EST at Food City Center.

PHOTOS: Kellie Harper through the years

Saul Young/USA TODAY Network

Check the yardage book: TPC Southwind for the 2023 FedEx St. Jude Championship

StrackaLine offers a hole-by-hole course guide for the 2023 FedEx St. Jude Championship.

TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee – site of this week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first leg of the PGA Tour’s 2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs – opened in 1988 and was designed by Ron Prichard with consultation from former Tour pros Hubert Green and Fuzzy Zoeller.

The private TPC Southwind has been host to a PGA Tour event since 1989, first the FedEx St. Jude Classic and later the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

The course will play to 7,243 yards with a par of 70 this week.

Thanks to yardage books provided by StrackaLine – the maker of detailed yardage books for thousands of courses around the world – we can see exactly the challenges the players face this week.

Memphis basketball plays golf at Casa de Campo during preseason trip to Dominican

The Tigers are relaxing with some golf before they play three exhibition basketball games.

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Like many college basketball teams, the Memphis Tigers are on a preseason overseas tour. Penny Hardaway’s group is in the Dominican Republic visiting the Casa de Campo Resort, home to the No. 4 and No. 24 ranked golf courses on Golfweek’s Best 2023: Top 50 courses in Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic islands and Central America.

The team participated in some night golf at the resort, as reported by the Memphis Commercial-Appeal:

On one end of the specially designed after-dark driving range, Carl Cherenfant and Ashton Hardaway took turns showing off their golf swings Tuesday night.

A few tee boxes away – with the aroma of catered barbecue lingering and lilting reggae cover versions of “Titanium” and “New Kid In Town” playing softly – Nick Jourdain quietly displayed a powerful stroke, his glow-in-the-dark ball landing well beyond the closest neon-lighted markers.

Caleb Mills consistently peppered the greens, JJ Taylor was a good sport and coach Penny Hardaway even took a couple hacks as night fell on the Casa De Campo Resort in La Romana. That’s how Memphis basketball kicked off its weeklong exhibition tour of the Dominican Republic – with the first official team-bonding exercise since it recently began resembling a team.

“It’s just a bunch of cool guys (on this team),” said Jordan Brown, a 6-11 Louisiana transfer whose first practice at Memphis was July 29. “Having the opportunity to do something like this and just spend time with each other, grow closer with everybody, I think that’s gonna help out in the long run.”

The Tigers are going to play three games on the trip, including one against the Dominican Republic’s national team.

Memphis opens its 2023-24 regular season with games against Jackson State (Nov. 6), at Missouri (Nov. 10) and against Alabama State (Nov. 17).

Hardaway is going to miss all three games, however, as he serves a suspension over recruiting violations committed nearly two years ago.

Memphis transfer Lawson commits to Arkansas

Chandler Lawson is the latest piece added to the Arkansas basketball roster puzzle, as he committed on Friday.

Chandler Lawson didn’t need to waste any more time making his decision after transferring from Memphis.

He visited Fayetteville earlier this week and made it official on Friday that he will be a Razorback in 2023-2024.

Lawson is a graduate transfer, as he played for Oregon before transferring to the Tigers.

During last season, Lawson logged 20 minutes a contest and averaged 5.0 points and 4.5 rebounds a game while shooting 56.7 percent from the field and made 7 of 14 3-pointers.

In high school, Lawson was a 4-star prospect in the class of 2019.

Memphis cites millions of dollars of economic impact from Nike EYBL

Nike EYBL tournament resulted in millions of dollars of economic impact to Memphis, a city official told the Commercial Appeal.

The new Memphis Sports and Events Center is already paying dividends toward the city with Nike EYBL in the rearview mirror. Memphis Tourism director of sports and events J.J. Greer told the Commercial Appeal that the economic impact from the elite youth basketball event is “in the millions of dollars.”

“Events like this are exactly why this facility was built. Every event is great, but events like this, we’re really proud to host. It’s extremely encouraging,” Greer said.

Thousands of people gathered at the facility to watch some of the best 16- and 17-year-old basketball prospects participate in Session 4 of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League season. The games, which started as early as 8 a.m. and went as long as 9 p.m., were played on 16 courts at the center.

Like major sporting events at every level, the economic impact comes not simply from ticket sales and concession stands but from jobs created to staff the events, hotels and transportation capacity, and increased sales for local businesses and restaurants, all of which also contribute to the city’s tax revenue.

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Nike EYBL draws the attention of NBA players, some of whom attended the games. In Memphis, Carmelo Anthony watched his son Kiyan play on Team Melo, which the NBA legend sponsors. According to the Commercial Appeal, Grizzlies player Desmond Bane was in the audience, as was Thaddeus Young, a Mitchel High School (Memphis) alumnus and a sponsor of Team Thad.

“Memphis would’ve never been a candidate for this before this facility (was built),” said Antonio Perez, Liberty Park facility’s general manager, in an interview with the Commercial Appeal. “That’s just the game-changer status it provides. Cities lobby every year to be chosen for these tournaments, so there’s some prestige involved in that.”

The Memphis Sports and Events Center continues to construct additions, including a ninja course, esports studio and weightlifting area, according to the Commercial Appeal.

Read the full story at the Memphis Commercial Appeal.