The phone call from the NBA's Chicago pre-draft camp in June to Memphis coach John Calipari went something like this:

Reporter: "Coach, Chris Massie just said he's returning to Memphis. He just withdrew from the draft camp after two games. He said he's coming back.''
John Calipari: "What? Coming back to where? Well, he's not eligible. I'll believe it when I see it."

	Chris Massie earned his second chance at Memphis by earning back his eligibility in the classroom.

Guess what?

It happened.

"I think I even said, 'You're out of your mind," Calipari said.

Yet, in one of the most surprising player moves in Calipari's coaching career, Massie is eligible and ready to suit up for Saturday's game against Illinois.

"Chris was on his own," Calipari said of Massie's quest to get eligible. Massie had to pass 21 hours the fall semester to get eligible for the second semester. He then wasn't eligible for the past two Tigers' games at Missouri and against Ole Miss because of the NCAA's pre-draft rule of playing in Chicago. A player must sit a game-for-game penalty for as many games as he plays in Chicago. Massie was the first and, possibly only player if the rule is changed, to suffer this penalty.

"Academically, no one in the athletic department checked on him," Calipari said on behalf of Massie. (Massie has told Calipari and the Memphis sports information department that he doesn't want to talk to the media. He said no one was interested in talking to him while he was trying to get eligible the first semester so he doesn't have time for the media now.)

But that could change after Saturday.

"Chris got himself re-enrolled," Calipari said. "I said, 'We're not doing it. We're done with it.' When you give kids two or three chances you've got to walk away. You've got to bite the bullet and let them absolutely earn it. Massie got his own schedule done, his own academic support people. We had nothing to do with it."

But Massie is now again part of the Memphis basketball team. And he's going to start. And he could help turn the Tigers into an NCAA Tournament team. But we're getting ahead of ourselves (again) with Massie.

Nobody's quite sure what to expect from this 6-foot-9, powerful 253-pound man in the post. He was supposed to be the inside to Dajuan Wagner's outside game last season, the player who would finish and flush everything Wagner tossed toward the hoop. He was supposed to push Kelly Wise in the post and make him even tougher, giving the Tigers two of the best forwards in Conference USA.

It didn't happen.

Massie posted some decent season numbers, like 9.8 points, 8.8 rebounds in 21.7 minutes a game. He averaged 13 points and 11.2 rebounds in the Tigers' postseason NIT title run. But he wasn't dominant. And he wouldn't have been drafted in the first round, nor possibly the second, after a nondescript performance in the two games he played in at the Chicago pre-draft camp. All this from a "can't-miss" player out of Oxnard (Calif.) College. Massie was, after all, a junior college all-American, more mature physically than most his age in the college game.

But the hype was too much. It was clear that Massie became frustrated because he wasn't the focus of the offense at Memphis. He had a personal revolving door in and out of Calipari's doghouse. His body language was poor at times, never shy about showing his disgust when Calipari signaled him out of games and onto the bench.

"He couldn't get the ball like Dajaun Wagner did," Calipari said. "He couldn't make free throws late in the game (he shot 51.9 percent at the line). His game was all muscles versus skill. Saturday he'll be rusty and nervous as heck because he hasn't played in a while, but he'll go after every rebound. We can't get a rebound right now and we can't make easy plays."

	"	Chris Massie almost wrecked his life. ... But this story is about him doing it on his own. We didn't think he could. We didn't lift one finger to help him. He earned this. Massie got fooled, but he recovered. "
		— John Calipari, Memphis head coach

Calipari said Massie's practice habits have been fine. But he didn't practice every day. Calipari said Massie would take days off to do homework or take exams, knowing academics came first if he wanted to get eligible -- and ultimately showcase his game to NBA scouts for more than three days in May.

Still, it's clear Massie has been working hard throughout the fall. That's why Calipari won't hesitate to start him against the Illini, next to Earl Barron and/or Rodney Carney (if his foot his healthy) and Billy Richmond. But if Massie is indeed a man in the middle, then the Tigers could get the same kind of impact from Massie as ESPN.com player of the week Marvin Stone gave to Louisville last week when he recorded two double-doubles in his first two games with the Cardinals.

Memphis has two quality wins (over Syracuse in New York and Ole Miss at home) that the Tigers couldn't get last year to help their NCAA Tournament case. The Tigers (5-2 heading into Saturday) still have non-conference games after Illinois against Murray State, at Arkansas and against Villanova before they make their case in Conference USA.

"Massie is coming back on national TV (on ESPN) but he's much more comfortable than he was a year ago," Calipari said.

Calipari is hoping the lesson Massie lived the past six months others will learn, and that is listening to the right people when it comes time to declaring for the NBA Draft. Massie shouldn't have declared for the draft. When he did, he let his grades slip and was academically ineligible for the fall semester when he realized he should return. And then he had to sit out the two games for playing in Chicago.

At least Massie, with a lot of work, has earned one more chance.

"Chris Massie almost wrecked his life," Calipari said. "We all hyped him up (coaches and media here at ESPN.com). He thought it was going to be easier than it was. But JC players, especially post players, don't come in and get it right away. But this story is about him doing it on his own. We didn't think he could. We didn't lift one finger to help him. He earned this. Massie got fooled, but he recovered."

Shyatt perfectly happy with Clemson's start
Larry Shyatt isn't making any apologies for the Tigers' schedule, which ranked 308th prior to beating Cincinnati last Sunday. Shyatt had no choice. The Tigers didn't have a homecourt (because of refurbishments being done in Littlejohn Coliseum). This was a young team, with three freshmen, three sophomores, a junior and a senior. And Shyatt never hid from the fact that he was under fire to win. So far that's all they have done.

Clemson, while playing its "home games" in nearby Anderson, S.C., is 7-0 through Friday and has breezed through the schedule, including wins over Penn State (hey, at least it's a name team) in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and Sunday's over Cincinnati. A win, mind you, that came in the same week the Bearcats beat then-No. 5 Oregon.

So, what do we know about the undefeated Tigers at this point?

They're at least confident. And they should be 9-0 by the time they open the ACC -- against Duke Jan. 4 -- in Littlejohn. The Tigers play Liberty and Coastal Carolina (which did beat East Carolina, so it won't be as easy) before Duke. Shyatt said the Tigers would be back in Littlejohn for the first time in time for the Blue Devils' visit. But the floor won't be ready, so they'll borrow one for the rest of the ACC season. The seats won't all be finished, either.

"We've learned how to win," Shyatt said of spinning this start forward. "And we've got great chemistry. We're not entertaining to watch at all. But we can defend and rebound."

The Tigers held three straight opponents to 61 points. Cincinnati only scored 51.

Offensively, the Tigers look like they'll have at least one go-to player. But Shyatt differs on that subject. Even though Edward Scott is averaging 19.4 points a game, Shyatt sees him as a low-double figure scorer in the ACC.

"That's what we've got here, a bunch of low double-figure guys in the 10s and maybe 13s a game," Shyatt said. "We don't have stars here."

If the Tigers can get to nine wins before Duke, and then 10 after the Blue Devils with a game against Morris Brown, they might only need six ACC wins to get in the NIT (the last non-conference game is at South Carolina on Feb. 12). Getting to 16-12 (or 16-13 after a first-round ACC loss) would at least show significant improvement for the program after a dismal season a year ago.

But why count the Duke game as a loss? If the Tigers can make the game ugly in the post, board, and defend the 3-point shot, then they've got a chance.

Charleston not perfect, but Herrion's happy
Go back to October. Tell Tommy Herrion that he would be 8-2 on Dec. 26. Give him the Great Alaska Shootout title with wins over Wyoming, Oklahoma State and Villanova.

Would he take it in his first year?

"No question," Herrion says today.

But the problem is the expectations. They have skyrocketed for the first-year coach and the Cougars after the Great Alaska title. That's why losses at Central Florida and at home to UNC Wilmington are magnified.

Suddenly, there is an expectation that the Cougars have to go undefeated to make their Shootout title valid.

"That's the problem," Herrion said. "Who would go undefeated? Who doesn't think we're going to lose? But what has happened is that now we get everyone's best shot. Teams are up for us. That's what happened at Central Florida."

The Cougars don't have a ton of room for error, but they do have some. They play at Vanderbilt and losing to the Commodores on Jan. 2 would be acceptable. But the Cougars must, and we underscore must , be a champion of their division within the Southern Conference. That means beating out Davidson.

The NCAA selection committee will have a hard time considering the Cougars for an at-large berth (assuming they don't win the tournament in Charleston, although it's not on their court) if they can't beat out Davidson for a division title. Division titles don't mean as much (see: Memphis in Conference USA last season). But losing out to Davidson would give the committee a reason not to take Charleston. Charleston's high rating of No. 3 on Dec. 15 on the collegerpi.com website won't matter come March if the Cougars can't finish first in the Southern Conference opposite most likely Appalachian State on the other side.

Charleston's problems in the Wilmington game were its inability to score consistently. That led to its inability to press. Charleston can defend in the halfcourt and fullcourt. The Cougars can score on the break. But they really struggle to score in the halfcourt offense.

"We lack a super star player," Herrion said. "But we've got the depth that could hold up over the season in this league."

What They're Saying ...
Out of the Big Ten ... Regardless of what the Big Ten decided to do with Indiana coach Mike Davis, the conference office has already committed hypocrisy. Davis should be penalized for his actions. But so too should Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.

Fining Davis the same $10,000 or a one-game suspension for a Big Ten game would have been justified. They did it last season for his comments after a home non-conference game against Butler. Davis chose the $10,000. But a penalty that could have been up to six games is absolutely ridiculous, especially when compared to Paterno. Paterno chased down an official in a threatening manner after a Sept. 28 game against Iowa. It doesn't matter how old Paterno is, or how long he has coached. He was wrong. He should have been punished and this comment from Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany in USA Today on Oct. 28 is absurd: "Hey, he is who is he because of what he has given to the game. And as an administrator, I think it's smart to be consistent. But you have to have a little common sense, too."

Are you kidding me? So, let me get this straight, if you're an established, older person in a community, and you speed then that's OK. But if you're younger and not as established then it's not? Laws are laws. Rules are rules. If the Big Ten has rules against poor behavior then it should be consistent.

The Big Ten fined Davis last year or gave him a choice for a one-game suspension. That's what they should have done again. His comments after the Butler game were worse than anything he said during his rage on the court on Dec. 21. Delany is seemingly untouchable and the Big Ten office has put him off limits to discuss the matter. The Big Ten won't even discuss how it should and could have jurisdiction over suspending a coach for a road non-conference game when the Big Ten isn't the host school. Big Ten punishments should be for Big Ten games.

Indiana should fight any suspension that would include non-conference games on principle alone. And outgoing Indiana president Myles Brand, the incoming NCAA president, should weigh in on the subject and implore that Delany and his office treat every coach equally.

Out of South Carolina ... How much do the Gamecocks miss Tim Pickett? Plenty. Pickett was supposed to be at South Carolina, but the SEC has a rule that a player must have three straight semesters at one school. Pickett went to two different junior colleges to earn his degree. So, the Gamecocks couldn't take Pickett.

Wyoming got the first commitment in the early summer once he was a free agent. Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton then swooped in and grabbed him for good. And he's been the difference for the Seminoles hot start (save an ACC-opening loss to North Carolina and a one-point loss to Florida). The 6-4 Pickett is averaging a team-high 16.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and picked 28 steals in averaging 31 minutes. He is the catalyst for the Seminoles' defense and, for that matter, their offense.

The Gamecocks' problems have been on the perimeter, so far, this season. They're not stopping the ball as well, and they miss that quick, slashing-to-the-basket guard on the break. Chuck Eidson (13 ppg, 7.1 rpg) is an all-around player, but he's not the answer to quickness. The two players who are getting minutes that might have been directed to Pickett are freshman Jarod Gerald (12.6 mpg, 0.4 ppg, 1.2 apg) and junior Michael Boynton (19.4 mpg, 2 ppg, 1.1 ppg).

Pickett could be the difference for Florida State getting an NCAA bid and South Carolina ending up in the NIT.

Out of the Northwest ... Few fans outside of Spokane will realize the significance of Gonzaga's 67-64 win over Eastern Washington. The rivalry between these two schools is heated. The coaches -- Gonzaga's Mark Few and Eastern Washington's Ray Giacoletti -- are best of friends and live within a few miles of each other. But the Eagles get up for their Bulldog brethren like no other.

Gonzaga gets all the publicity in the area even though Eastern Washington has thousands more alumni. Eastern Washington had beaten Washington and San Diego State. The Eagles are, with Weber State, the class of the Big Sky.

Holding a lead on a neutral court (Spokane Arena) against Gonzaga was tough on the Eagles. They had an 11-point lead before they couldn't withstand a late charge by the Bulldogs. Gonzaga couldn't get the ball into the post, where the Eagles were fronting the position. So they had went from the outside and eventually won the game. This should be looked at as another quality win for Gonzaga when the committee meets in March.

Out of UCLA ... Time for a math lesson? UCLA has only two wins. The Bruins could get another one Saturday against Michigan. OK, that's three. The only other two non-conference games remaining are against St. John's (Jan. 11) and at Georgetown (Feb. 8). Playing the Hoyas comes in the middle of the toughest stretch of games for the Bruins: at USC, at Georgetown, at Arizona, at Arizona State.

So, let's say for argument's sake, that the Bruins go 2-1 in their remaining non-conference games to move to 4-5 in non-conference games. That means UCLA would probably need 12 Pac-10 wins to get into the NCAA Tournament. So, if that's the case, the Bruins would probably have to sweep the Washington schools, and win the rest of the home games for 11 wins and then pick off one other road win somewhere else like at USC or ASU. Not easy and making their postseason look more like an NIT berth than the NCAA Tournament.

Out of the NCAA ... Schools are taking advantage of neutral court games/doubleheaders this season because they lack an exemption for a non-conference tournament. That's why we're getting big-time matchups like Oklahoma-Mississippi State/LSU-Tulane in New Orleans on Saturday, or Michigan State-Oklahoma/BYU-Oklahoma State in Oklahoma City (Jan. 4). We've already had Georgia Tech-Tennessee/Georgia-Gonzaga in Atlanta and Xavier-Mississippi State in the Garden on the front end of a doubleheader with St. John's and Hofstra. Hopefully this will be the positive that emerges from the ongoing court case between the NCAA and the promoters of exempted tournaments. NCAA member schools see the value in neutral court games. The more of these that pop up, the better it will be for the selection committee and ultimately the game.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Word on college basketball is updated Fridays throughout the year.