University of Memphis Athletics
1999 Memphis Tigers Season Wrap Up
Sep 29, 1999 | Men's Basketball
Memphis ended a 13-15 season with an 88-81 overtime loss to South Florida in the first round of the Ohio Casualty Group Conference USA Championship. The Tigers opened the season by winning six of their first eight, including a 78-72 overtime victory against Ole Miss, before losing six straight. During the losing streak, Memphis lost its first four C-USA league games.
After winning three of four in February, The U of M headed into the final week of the regular season with a shot at a first-round bye at the league tournament but suffered back-to-back losses at Tulane (85-79) and against ninth-ranked Cincinnati (89-64).
Memphis played 10 opponents who advanced to the NCAA tournament.
HEAD COACH TIC PRICE
Memphis coach Tic Price has wrapped up his second season at the University of Memphis. Price, 43, came to Memphis after a three-year stint at New Orleans where he earned eight different coach of the year honors in just three seasons. In his first year at Memphis, Price and the Tigers exceeded expectations by going 17-12, winning the National Division of C-USA and advancing to the NIT. The Tigers inked a top-ten rated signing class following Price's first season of The U of M. This year a talented but young club which included nine freshmen and sophomores went 13-15.
Price signed on at Memphis after leading UNO to a 63-27 record, two Sun Belt Conference championships, an NCAA bid and a 1997 NIT appearance. Also, Price became the first coach to win 20 or more games in three consecutive seasons at New Orleans, while setting the Sun Belt Conference career record for winning percentage in league games (.759) and collecting a record 22 consecutive home wins.
Price has been involved in collegiate basketball half his life. Following a four-year playing career, Price spent 14 years as an assistant coach working at Roanoke College, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Virginia Tech, Old Dominion and Auburn.
Price, a native of Danville, Va., is married to the former Jamie Lynn Simms of Baton Rouge. The couple has a son, Ryan, age 14, and a daughter, Chanel, age 8.
WARRIOR'S CAREER COMES TO END
Memphis forward Omar Sneed was whistled for his fifth personal foul in the final minute of overtime during the Tigers' 88-81 loss to South Florida at the Conference USA Tournament. Sneed hugged his teammates, congratulated the Bulls then walked off a college court for the last time to a standing ovation in the BJCC Arena.
During his two-year career, Sneed became just the fourth two-year player and the first junior college transfer to score 1,000 career points at the University of Memphis. He finished his career with 1,072 points which ranks 29th best all time at The U of M. The Beaumont, Texas, native averaged 18.8 points and 8.4 rebounds during a two-year career in which he started all 57 games.
As a senior, Sneed averaged 16.7 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 50.6 percent from the field.
Sneed was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches' all-District 7 first-team as well as named to Conference USA's second team.
In the Tigers' season-ending loss to South Florida, Sneed closed out his career with his sixth double-double game of the year scoring 16 points while pulling down 10 rebounds.
LONE STAR TANDEM
Both of Memphis' seniors came out of the Texas junior college ranks. While Omar Sneed transferred to The U of M from San Jacinto Junior College which is located on the Texas gulf coast, senior center Jermaine Ousley transferred to Memphis from Tyler Junior College located in the northeast corner of the state.
During his two-year career, Ousley accounted for 75 blocked shots which ranks 10th best at Memphis. Seven of his career blocks came in the Tigers' final four regular-season games this season. The Milwaukee, Wisc., native also averaged 7.5 points and 5.9 rebounds while playing in 57 straight games as a Tiger.
SNAP'S EMERGENCE
A quick look at the numbers Memphis sophomore Jimmie "Snap" Hunter put up in Conference USA play is a true indication of the impact the first-year player had with the Tigers after gaining academic eligibility in mid-December.
Hunter started half of the Tigers' 16 C-USA games and ranked fifth in scoring in conference games, averaging 17.1 points an outing. He also finished the year tied for sixth in the league in steals (1.94) and 13th in assists (2.94).
Hunter became eligible to practice and play with the Tigers at the conclusion of the 1998 fall semester after first enrolling at The U of M in the fall of 1997. Two days after becoming eligible, Hunter came off the bench to score 12 points in the Tigers' game at Arkansas.
The Memphis native would score four or fewer points in four of the Tigers' next seven games before ending the year with more consistent numbers.
During the month of February, Hunter averaged 21.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. He shot 45.7 percent from the field. For the year, Hunter averaged 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists while playing in 20 games.
THE SWAT TEAM
The University of Memphis blocked 161 shots during the 1998-99 season, fifth most in school history. The Tigers' 5.75 per-game block average led Conference USA.
Memphis set both school and Conference USA records when the Tigers blocked 15 shots against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The U of M also blocked 11 shots against St. Louis and 10 against Marquette in back-to-back C-USA games.
Memphis rookie Kelly Wise set every Conference USA freshman record for blocked shots. His 48 blocks during the year shattered the former C-USA freshman record of 30 set last season by Tulane's Chris Owens. Wise's seven blocks against Marquette were both game and C-USA game freshman records. He had three other games in which he blocked five shots. In regular-season conference play, Wise had 27 blocks to set another C-USA record.
In addition to his presence in the paint, Wise averaged 6.2 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 59.2 percent from the field.
BACK IN DECEMBER
Memphis' losses outside of Conference USA play came against a foursome of 20-game winners who advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga won the West Coast Conference championship and headed into the tournament at 25-6. Tennessee captured the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title and was 20-8 heading into the tournament. Arkansas was 22-9 after finishing second in the West Division of the SEC and as the conference tournament's runnerup. Finally, Miami of Florida was the Big East runnnerup and headed into the tournament with a 22-6 record.
The Tigers also defeated NCAA bound Mississippi and Arkansas State during the year.
A LITTLE THIEVERY
After accounting for 291 steals last year, Memphis followed up a season in which it tallied the fifth-highest total in school history with a 273-steal season this year. The Tigers had a season-high 15 steals in three games and recorded 13 double-figure steal games during the season.
The U of M ranked third in Conference USA in steals, averaging 9.75 per game.
Marcus Moody led the Tigers with 50 steals. Moody now has 92 career steals and will begin his junior season needing 27 to crack The U of M's top 10. Chris Garner (1993-97) is the Tigers' all-time leader with 321 career steals.
Also this season in just 20 games played, Jimmie Hunter accounted for 39 steals. Omar Sneed also recorded 39 steals during the year while Dinno Daniels had 38.
TIGERS IN THE PYRAMID
The University of Memphis wrapped up its eighth season in The Pyramid where the Tigers are 102-27 (.790). Memphis was 11-5 in The Pyramid this year but just 4-4 against Conference USA opponents. All-time, the Tigers are 39-14 (.736) in conference games, including 22-6 since joining C-USA. Memphis is 63-13 (.829) against non-conference opponents in the building.
Memphis' record in the building includes an 11-10 mark against nationally-ranked opponents.
The U of M averaged 13,913 in paid attendance over 16 games this year. In eight seasons, Memphis has averaged 13,225, drawing 1.7 million to The Pyramid.
HECKUVA WEEK
In Memphis' homestand sweep of Saint Louis and Marquette, sophomore guard Jimmie Hunter put up the kind of numbers which would have been good enough for C-USA Player of the Week honors most weeks. In the two games, Hunter averaged 25.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals. He also blocked a last-minute shot against Saint Louis with the Tigers leading by three.
The Tigers however were shutout for league player of the week honors this season as Cincinnati's Pete Mickeal shattered career scoring and rebounding highs in the Bearcats' wins over UNC Charlotte and Louisville that same week.
TIGER NOTES
Memphis raised its season free throw percentage to an even 70 percent by season's end. The Tigers shot a season low 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from the line in its 82-77 loss at UNC Charlotte. During the last month of the season the Tigers shot 75.1 percent at the free throw line. Marcus Moody was 22-of-25 at the line during the regular-season's final month while Keiron Shine made 13-of-14 and Dinno Daniels was 11-of-13.
Another reason for the Tigers' increased shooting percentage at the line in the final weeks of the year was the improved numbers of freshman Kelly Wise. Heading into February, Wise had made just 54 percent at the line making just 13 of 24 attempts. In February, the rookie from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., made 12 of his 14 free throw attempts.
Memphis set a season low for three-point field goal percentage, making just 27.7 percent from behind the arc. The Tigers shot better than 35 percent from three-point range only six times during the year. Despite its three-point numbers, Memphis shot 44.3 percent from the field as a whole, fourth best in Conference USA.
Memphis freshman guard Dinno Daniels finished the season ranked second in Conference USA in free throw percentage (.840) and ninth in assists (3.30 per game). Sophomore Marcus Moody averaged 2.08 steals per game to rank third in C-USA. Kelly Wise (1.71 bpg) and Jermaine Ousley (1.54 bpg) ended the year ranked fourth and fifth respectively in blocks.
The number 13 stands out as truly unlucky for the Tigers. Since 1970-71, Memphis has had five losing seasons and in each of the five years the Tigers have won just 13 games.
