April 23
Plenty of fireworks are expected in Memphis in the near future, as people are excited about the heavyweight title fight between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson. Unfortunately for the Memphis Tigers, there also have been fireworks with the basketball program lately. Most of the news items have not been encouraging.

	Coach John Calipari has lost Dajuan Wagner after just one year, as most expected.

Remember when coach John Calipari took over the Tigers program? There was so much excitement -- a basketball frenzy, with everyone on cloud nine. Calipari has such a passion; he pours his heart and soul into the program. He can flat-out coach.

But what looked like the making of an unbelievable program, ready to compete with the nation's finest, has hit hard times. It will be tough for the Tigers to make noise in Conference USA next season with some of the recent happenings.

Let's look at what could have been.

Memphis had a verbal commitment from Amare Stoudamire, recognized as one of the top 10 high school players in America.

Stoudamire has been a basketball vagabond, bouncing from one high school to another. Nobody can deny his physical strength and power. He could be something special in the low post on the collegiate level. But Stoudamire, of Orlando, Fla., is expected to go straight to the NBA.

Then there's multidimensional juco player Qyntel Woods, a 6-9 star from Northeast Mississippi Community College. He committed to Calipari, but now he's trying to be like Kedrick Brown, who was drafted out of the juco ranks by the Boston Celtics in the first round last season. Woods will bypass the rest of his collegiate eligibility.

A local kid, Scooter McFadgon, gave Memphis quality minutes on the perimeter last season. Now he's taking his game to Tennessee; how's that for an insult, taking his game to the Vols, a rival. He will walk on and ultimately become a scholarship player.

Chris Massie came into Memphis with a big-time reputation and showed flashes of greatness. He was inconsistent this past season, and now the 24-year-old has decided to declare for the NBA draft. Massie has not signed with an agent and could possibly return, but odds are he'll try his luck in some form of professional basketball.

And the crème de la crème, diaper-dandy sensation Dajuan Wagner, has decided to take his skills to the next level, too. You'll hear his name early on draft day, baby! His decision wasn't a surprise, since most observers figured he was one-and-done in Memphis.

But just think of what could have been. Calipari could have had a lineup that most coaches only dream about! Wow, they would have been a Final Four threat. His top returning players are Earl Barron, who averaged under 10 ppg, and point guard Antonio Burks. Vanderbilt transfer Billy Richmond, a 6-5 guard, becomes eligible in December.

Times are tough for Calipari right now. Elsewhere in Conference USA, things are looking up at Louisville, where coach Rick Pitino has a competitive team coming back. Coach Bob Huggins is reloading at Cincinnati. Marquette has Dwyane Wade returning. C-USA is not an easy place to survive.

It will be tough for Memphis to finish among the top four in C-USA. But Calipari is a fighter and a scrapper. His Tigers won the 2002 NIT championship. But oh, what could have been next season, baby!