>> female announcer: This is a
production of WKNO, Memphis.
Production funding for "Sports
Files" is made possible in part
by..
>> Gaston: My guest today on
"Sports Files" is University of
Memphis Football Coach Justin
Fuente.
>> (instrumental music)
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
>> Gaston: Hi everyone!
Later in the show we'll hear
from one of the top prep
basketball players in the
country, Austin Nichols, and his
coach at Briarcrest Christian,
John Harrington, on Austin's
recent decision to sign with the
University of Memphis.
But first, we look back at the
Memphis "football" season.
Nearly one year ago to the day
the University of Memphis hired
Justin Fuente as the school's
new football coach.
Fuente had no prior head
coaching experience, but came
with some impressive credentials
after helping develop a potent
offensive attack at TCU as the
program's co-offensive
coordinator.
Fuente won over the Memphis
search committee and after only
one year on the job, has won
over quite a few more.
His no non-sense approach and
openness has helped win over the
local media and has endeared him
to the fans.
But more importantly the program
improved.
Yes, there was actual
improvement.
In fact, it was pretty
significant.
With minimal scholarship
players, a lack of depth, and a
new system, Fuente's Tigers
rattled off three straight
impressive wins to end the
season, giving the team four for
the year, their most since 2008.
Their 4-4 record in conference
play was a far cry from their 2
and 22 mark over the past three
years.
And their back to back 40 point
games was a first in eight
years.
In fact, The Tigers outscored
their last three opponents by a
combined 125 to 56 score.
Today, Justin Fuente on his
first season as Head Coach of
the Tigers, the recruiting wars,
and the move to the Big East.
Next on "Sports Files."
>> (instrumental music)
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
>> Gaston: Justin, thank you so
much for joining us.
I know it's been non-stop for
you since the season ended.
>> Fuente: Yeah, as soon as we
finished on Saturday, most of us
were on planes the next day,
Sunday night, to go get to our
respective areas and hit the
road running recruiting-wise.
Most of our guys were back in
this past Sunday for a brief
staff meeting and then back out
again.
>> Gaston: I know you can't talk
specifically about the specific
players but in general, what's
it been like for you on the
recruiting trails the way the
season ended, knowing that this
program is moving in to the Big
East?
>> Fuente: Well, it's been great
for us.
We've gotten great reception
from both places that our
current coaches have connections
and then new areas that may be
the University of Memphis hasn't
been in before.
When you talk the things that we
have to sell, you start to look
at what were doing facility-
wise.
You talk about Tom Bowen and his
plan for the Memphis Athletic
Department as a whole and
specifically, football.
And you talk about moving to the
Big East and the things they're
doing to the Liberty Bowl.
We've got a lot of great things
to sell from an athletic
prospective and an academic
perspective.
So we've been received very
well.
>> Gaston: As busy as you've
been I don't if you've allowed
yourself to look back on what
this team was able to do to wrap
up the season winning three
straight games.
They were 2 and 22 in conference
play over the previous three
years.
And you guys went four and four,
a 500 conference record.
If I asked you in one word or a
sentence to describe the season,
what would you say?
>> Fuente: Well, I'd say it's
perseverance was the biggest
thing that our kids continued to
come to work everyday.
We knew that it wasn't going to
be easy.
I asked them to try and be a
better football team at the end
of the year than when we started
and I think we accomplished that
goal that we've set forth.
You know, obviously we have a
long way to go as a program to
make those things almost
automatic but I was proud of the
way that they started to
understand and buy in to our
philosophy as a way of doing
things.
It wasn't about scheme and how
to run cover 2 or double-post or
any of that stuff.
It was more about how do we
prepare, how do we play the
game.
Do we play the game hard, smart
and tough?
Do we display great emotion?
Do we play with a physical
nature and always put the team
first?
And I feel like the guys really
started to get that towards the
end of the year and I think it
showed great perseverance.
>> Gaston: It also said a lot
about you and the coaching staff
because you were weeding through
these players.
You didn't know a lot about
them.
You had spring football and then
camp and that was it.
You were thinning numbers, did
not have a lot of depth.
So you had to find out what
worked and again, it seemed at
the end you found the right
guys, the right fit and they all
played their hearts out.
>> Fuente: Well, it sort-of
gelled together there towards
the end.
We got better play from almost
every position.
You start to look at the
running-back position with
Brandon Hayes.
You look at what Jacob did the
last couple of weeks playing
quarterback.
And defensively, we really found
our own.
We really found out niche in
what we were going to do and
really held up against the run
game and were able to defeat the
perimeter screens that teams
were doing to us early in the
year.
And the guys just kept working
at it.
And it was great for us as
coaches to see it pay off for
the kids, to see the look on
their faces, to see them get to
celebrate, get to feel good
about themselves and have a
little bit of fulfillment for
some of the hard work that
they've put in.
>> Gaston: Top 50 defensive unit
in the country.
Top 50!
This is a defense that had been
at the bottom for a number of
years.
That says an awful lot what
Coach Odom and the rest of the
coaches did and these players
did defensely, as you said, the
last few games really coming in
to their own.
>> Fuente: Yeah, I was really
proud of the way they continued
to get better.
You know, we had some things
early in the year that we really
made an emphasis on that we were
not handling.
And the kids embraced it and did
a really good job.
And you know, there's a million
different ways to look at
improvement but there's some
stats out there.
I'm not a big stat guy but we're
one of the four or five most
improved defenses in the entire
country.
We ended up in conference games
being the number one defense in
the country in conference USA.
I mean, number one defense in
the league in Conference USA
games which I think speaks to
the staff and the kids.
You know, they kept just
pressing.
They kept working on playing the
next play and getting better and
playing physical football.
And it paid off for them.
>> Gaston: Offensely, you just
mentioned moments ago, Brandon
Hayes.
He came from fifth string on the
depth chart walk-on.
Jacob Karam got a lot better,
the Texas Tech transfer.
Now you go in to the off season
where you will have Paxton
Lynch, one year under his belt
as a red shirt.
You will be getting-Brayden
Scott will be coming here.
Matthews is still there.
You have a lot of options with
the quarterback position but
Karam's progress certainly
opened some eyes.
>> Fuente: Well, I think Jake
obviously played better as the
season went along.
And I think everybody played
better around Jake which helped
him out.
We were able to run the ball
better.
We were able to throw the ball,
you know, a little bit easier
fashion when you can run it.
And Jake was there to make those
plays and continue to improve.
And you know, we'll go in to the
spring the same at every
position.
We'll open it up and let guys go
compete for jobs and continue to
rotate reps and continue to
facilitate a competitive
environment.
I think that's the key when
you're trying to climb the
mountain, as they say.
Let's continue to make it a
competitive environment.
Let's continue to push people to
see how good they can be because
ultimately, that's the only way
you can really accomplish
something special is if you're
pushed everyday to be better
than you thought you could be.
And that's kind of what will be
our mind frame as we move on.
>> Gaston: From the outside
looking in watching you coach
from the sidelines, early on in
the season it seemed like you
were getting a feel for
everything.
Your first head coaching job.
A little bit conservative.
Then as the season progressed,
you were taking shots, going for
it on fourth down, fake punts,
this and that.
Is that more your style?
Do you believe that's going to
be your style from here on out?
>> Fuente: Well, I think so.
You know, I don't want to take
and un do risks.
I want to try and give our team
the best chance to win.
But I think, you know, we kind
of came and we reached some
conclusions as a team with the
field goal situation that if it
was close, we're going to go
ahead and go for it which really
helped us achieve our identity.
But yeah, I don't mind those
things.
We've got a great special teams
coordinator named James Shibest
that does a great job every week
scheming up fakes and ways to
attack other people's special
teams.
So I don't have really any
problem with pulling a trigger
on going for it or trick plays.
I think the kids, too, quite
honestly, you know, kind of
earned our trust a little more.
As the season went on, we felt
more comfortable doing those
things with those guys.
And you know, it kept us in some
ball games late.
>> Gaston: This is a tough
question.
Next year, as you know, Big
East.
Are you guys ready for the Big
East?
Not like you have a choice but
are you ready for the Big East?
And also, your thoughts on this
ever-changing conference.
We've had movement just in the
past seven to ten days.
Teams coming in, teams leaving
and I don't know if that's going
to slow down.
It seems like there's going to
be some more movement.
So your thoughts on the Big East
and this team being ready to go.
>> Fuente: Well no, we're not
ready.
But we just finished this past
season and we've got a long way
to go to be competitive in that
league.
We will get there and we will be
ready.
But you know, that's the
challenge ahead for the team
right now.
And look how hard we had to work
to accomplish just this which is
something to be proud of and has
come a long way from where we
were.
We have to ratchet it up even
further in order to competitive
in our new league.
And that comes through the
summertime.
That comes through off-season.
That comes through spring ball
and winter work-outs.
And I look forward to our guys
meeting that challenge.
As far as the Big East and kind
of ever-changing face of college
football, you know, I don't
think it's finished.
And I don't think there's
anything any of us can do about
it.
You know, I think we're in a
great position.
We're in a position of power.
We're in a quote-unquote BCS
league that maybe is changing
and there's no telling exactly
how it's going to end up.
But as far as University of
Memphis and its athletic
department, we're in a great
position to kind of launch of
spring board off in to the next
15, 20 years.
>> Gaston: Recently, the school
announced a home and home with
UCLA.
You'll be heading out to the
Rose Bowl in 2014 which I would
imagine has to excite recruits
and current players.
We already know that Tennessees
back on the schedule down the
line.
Ole Miss, Missouri -
What do you think about the
future direction of scheduling
the non-conference portion of
that schedule?
>> Fuente: Well, I'm all for
playing those type of people.
I think we have to also
understand where we're at as a
program and make sure that we're
not over scheduling our guys.
We're taking a step up in to
another league.
We're going in to the Big East
conference.
You know, and I'm all for
playing the UCLAs of the world
and driving across state and
playing Tennessee.
But I think we need to make sure
we mix and match those things
with other proper scheduling
philosophies which is what were
doing.
Which Tom and I have met
extensively about it and will
continue to meet about it.
But I'm excited to go take a
shot at those type of people and
play those type of schedules.
>> Gaston: Give me one thing
that you have learned about this
program that you had no idea
going in to it.
>> Fuente: Well as far as the
program, you know, I learned
from a good perspective really
the deep down character and love
for the game these kids have.
They just hadn't brought it out
before.
You know, kids that hasn't had
much success.
They had never really been fully
invested in something bigger
than themselves.
And they're almost there.
They're not fully there.
But to see those guys really,
their true character revealed
out there through a tough season
and to see them play like they
played at the end of the year, I
think speaks volume about them
and the type of people they are.
And their parents, the people
that raised them.
And I'm awfully proud of that.
I didn't know that beforehand.
I was uncertain exactly what
they had deep down inside and I
was pleased at what we found.
>> Gaston: Most important thing
that has to be accomplished in
the off-season besides
recruiting?
>> Fuente: Well, it's strength.
We have got to get stronger in
order to play at this next
level.
We've got to get stronger in the
offensive-defensive lining and
every single skill position.
And we've hired the right man
for that job.
Rohrk Cutchlow is an outstanding
strength coach, as good as
anybody in the country.
And our kids enjoy working for
him.
He sets a great example for
them.
He has a great atmosphere in the
weight room.
And in off-season, the guys are
there and they're working hard
and they're working together.
And along the line of kind of
know, the line is very clear
with him.
And they know exactly where they
stand every single day.
But to me, that's our biggest
challenge right now.
We've got to improve our overall
strength and become a more
developed football team.
We're going to be a young
football team for the next
couple of years.
The young people that come in to
this program are going to play.
And that's going to be like that
for the next couple of years.
Our challenge is to get them up
physically with the people that
we're going to play.
>> Gaston: Justin, we end all
our interviews with something we
call "five for the road."
So five questions, five quick
answers from you.
Okay, they're not hard.
Favorite professional sports
team?
>> Fuente: My favorite
professional sports team?
Well, that's easy.
That's the Grizzlies.
>> Gaston: Well, there ya go!
That's the PR answer, as well.
Favorite athlete of all time?
>> Fuente: As a child, I was a
huge Don Mattingly fan, the
first baseman for the New York
Yankees.
And obviously, now people know
him as a manager.
But yeah, that was my favorite
one growing up.
>> Gaston: Not sure if you're in
to music but if you are, a
favorite group, singer, genre?
>> Fuente: Dave Matthews Band,
for me, has been-every year in
college, I went and saw them
play at a different venue.
That was my kind of one or two
day break from football.
And that's a pretty cool band.
>> Gaston: Any guys in the
locker room listening to Dave
Matthews Band?
>> Fuente: Probably not.
Probably not too many of them.
>> Gaston: Favorite TV show of
all time?
>> Fuente: Well, I was a huge
Seinfeld fan.
For me, just the wit with which
that was written, I just
remember always looking forward
to watching Seinfeld.
And I wish there were more
programs like that now still on.
>> Gastin: We'll end it with
this.
Favorite movie of all time?
Would it be a sports movie?
>> Fuente: No, Star Wars for me.
Grew up with the old Star Wars
and, you know, kind of still a
kid at heart.
Bt really enjoyed those three
movies.
And the new ones, not so much.
But the old ones, that's kind of
my favorite.
>> Gaston: I got you.
Justin, thank you for spending
some time with us.
We appreciate it.
Best of luck on the road
recruiting and we'll talk to you
soon.
Happy holidays.
>> Fuente: Thank you!
I look forward to it.
>> Gaston: Alright, we'll take a
break.
Come back with "Overtime" right
after this.
>> (instrumental music)
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
>> Gaston: Depending on the
service you look at, the 2013
recruiting class put together by
Josh Pastner and his staff at
the University of Memphis is
ranked 2nd or 3rd in the nation.
Three of the five signees hail
from Memphis and include East
High School's Nick King, Markel
Crawford out of Melrose High and
Briarcrest Christian's Austin
Nichols.
Nichols, a 6'8" Forward,
received offers by a number of
schools including Duke, but
decided on the hometown team.
Recently I spent some time with
Austin and his coach at
Briarcrest Christian, John
Harrington, and we talked about
his big decision and what he has
to offer the Tigers on the
court.
Well John, tell me a little
about Austin.
What is this player like?
What is this young man like?
>> Harrington: Well, the first
thing that makes coaching him so
enjoyable, he is a fun loving,
high-energy kid that does not
practice, does not make the
locker room a boring place to
be.
He's a highly skilled basketball
player.
He's very coachable.
He's becoming a great leader
this year which is probably the
most important thing to our team
is having a kid that's very
successful on the floor but also
being a great leader for the
young kids.
>> Gaston: And as a player, what
type of skills does he possess?
>> Harrington: You know, people
have asked me that question
trying to compare him to some
people.
You know, and Andrei Kirilenko,
Kevin McHale, Cody Zeller for
Indiana.
You know, I even maybe made the
mistake by saying a more
athletic Keith Lee.
>> Gaston: You did say that.
>> Harrington: But you know,
Austin is Austin.
He's unique.
He's very highly skilled with
his left hand, his right hand.
He runs the floor great.
He's got great hands.
I think in college he'll be the
kind of kid that can step out,
you know, and pick and pop and
play that game a little bit.
So he's got some great skills
that I think are going to help
the Tigers.
>> Gaston: Austin, not bad to be
compared to Keith Lee, a former
Tiger great.
You've really worked hard on
your game.
Tell everybody just how hard you
have worked over the years to
become the player you are.
>> Nichols: Well, early in my
career as a freshman I wasn't
ranked very high.
And I just worked really hard in
the off-season, got stronger in
the weight room and worked on
being a better leader this year
as coach said.
I think that's really important.
It's just, I guess, worth work
ethic.
I just got in the gym and
worked.
>> Gaston: When was the time
that you thought to yourself-I
could be a pretty good
basketball player.
>> Nichols: Well, probably
middle sophomore and starting of
junior year.
That's when I felt like I was
doing a pretty good job on the
varsity level.
I was starting to get more
looks, you know, the bigger
colleges-North Carolina, Duke
were coming after me.
And then I was-I realized I
think I can go somewhere with
basketball.
>> Gaston: Just a few weeks ago
you made the biggest decision so
far in your young life deciding
to pick Memphis over a number of
schools that would have loved
for you to take your skills
there.
Why Memphis?
Tell everybody about the
decision again to pick the
University of Memphis Tigers.
>> Nichols: I wanted to be a
part of something a lot bigger
than myself which, you know, the
players there I think I can play
well with.
The recruiting class that's
coming in, I think I can jump in
there and do pretty good moving
to the Big East.
Some people say I might be a
hometown hero.
I didn't really book myself
under that name but if it works
out to be that, that's
wonderful.
But I wanted to stay close to
home and, you know, make my city
proud.
>> Gaston: John, how much did
Austin confide in you?
Obviously, he leans on his
parents to help him make a very
tough decision.
I would assume he was leaning on
his coach as well.
>> Harrington: You know, Austin
and his family did a lot of
homework, you know, when they
had to eliminate some high
profiled schools.
And I think, you know, he then
came to me and we started
talking about style of play of
maybe the coach that's at the
University, what that school,
that team, how they play, what
type of offense, you know, maybe
what's been their past history
of maybe players going on to the
next level, how they developed.
So those are some things as a
basketball coach maybe had a
little bit of an insight in to.
And I sort of helped him with
that.
>> Gaston: How do you see him
fitting in?
You know the style Memphis runs.
You've watched this team.
It's a little different with
Josh than it was with John.
But how do you see Austin
fitting in with that Tigers
team?
>> Harrington: Austin has a
unique ability to score the
basketball around the basket.
You know, he's been a career 70
percent shooter.
Right now after three games,
he's shooting 75 percent from
the field.
I think if you get the ball to
him in the paint a lot or around
the basket, he's going to be
highly productive.
Like we talked about, he's got
the ability to maybe go outside
and pick and roll.
He can post up.
I think if you were to ask me
last year could he post up in
college, I would have said no.
He was only 190 pounds.
He's put on 20 pounds.
So I think, you know, he'll have
a chance if he's playing a four
man, maybe against the
oppositions four man, to go
inside and score.
He can also go outside if they
guard him with a five man.
He's going to create some unique
match ups, maybe not next year,
but I know down the road he
will.
>> Gaston: You know how much
this community loves the Memphis
Tigers.
So there's always that added
pressure when the hometown kid
stays home.
Some have flown the coup and had
success outside of Memphis.
And some have stayed.
Many have succeeded.
Some have not succeeded.
Do you mind the pressure?
Do you like-Do you embrace the
pressure that will be coming
with your entrance in to the
University of Memphis?
>> Nichols: I don't really mind
it.
I just take it day-by-day.
I've noticed a lot of people
know me around the city now, of
course.
Like the other day I went to a
Grizzlies game.
It wasn't even a Tigers game and
people were saying "Go Tigers"
to me and everything.
I think I'm just going to take
it day-by-day.
You know, stay humble and just
go with it.
>> Gaston: John, do you think
it's tougher for a local to stay
and play at Memphis?
>> Harrington: I think it is.
And please take this the right
way.
I think the media is going to
cause a lot of the pressure on
him.
If he plays at Duke, if he plays
at even at a Vandy away from
home, Tennessee, there's going
to be critics that if he doesn't
listen to the radio shows, if he
doesn't open up the paper, he's
going to be sort of, you know,
he's not going to know about
that.
But at home, you know, they're
going to know him by his first
name.
They're going to know where he
lives.
They're going to he went to high
school.
You know, there's going to be an
added pressure staying home just
as there would be playing a
major University, a major
basketball program.
>> Gaston: You were involved in
a lot of big tournaments this
year.
Briarcrest Christian School is.
Expectations certainly are to
win a state championship but
other than that, individually,
Austin, what are your goals for
your senior year?
>> Nichols: I mean, as you
mentioned, the state
championship.
I wanted to be a better leader
this year since I'm a senior.
I got to look at many players
coming through here being
leaders and I've definitely
picked up on that and learned
from that.
I'd love to be, have the
opportunity to be a nominee for
Mr. Basketball.
That'd be great.
And help the younger kids out
because I was once a younger
kid.
I didn't know what I was doing
out there.
And if they have somebody to
guide them to, you know, what to
do and everything, I think it's
better for them and ultimately,
state championship.
>> Gaston: John, it'd be great
to have an Austin Nichols every
year on your team.
Unfortunately, you got one more
year with this young man.
Your expectations?
>> Harrington: Of course every
coach is going to say you want
to try to, you know, achieve a
state championship.
I think Austin said it right.
You know, the by-product of
winning the state championship
is his leadership and maybe next
year, leaving me a group of
young men that he's maybe
affected in a positive way.
Maybe these young boys that
they're coming up through
Briarcrest can see how he
handled this whole adventure and
how he's been so humble in it
but yet, worked hard to achieve
all the accolades he received.
>> Gaston: I'll leave you with
this question for both of you.
One word to describe yourself,
the basketball player.
And then John, you've got to
come back with one word but it's
going to be a different word.
Austin, one word to describe
yourself.
>> Nichols: Only one word?
Oh, man!
I probably have to say-probably
goofy.
>> Gaston: Goofy?
>> Nichols: Yeah, I mean, if we
could use one word on the court
and one word off.
>> Gaston: Sure, goofy's off the
court.
Better not be goofy on the
court.
You've got your coach sitting
next to you here.
What's on the court?
>> Nichols: On the court-
>> Gaston: Some would say
relentless, or warrior, or
winner, or champion.
>> Nichols: Probably focused or
a winner.
>> Gaston: Yeah, focused is an
excellent word.
John?
>> Harrington: Describing him on
the basketball court?-skilled.
>> Gaston: Hey, that's a pretty
good word to be described,
right?
Austin, thank you so much.
Congratulations on your decision
and best of luck the rest of the
season.
John, as always, a pleasure.
Best of luck to Briarcrest.
Thanks, guys.
>> Nichols: Thank you.
I appreciate it.
>> Gaston: Before we put a wrap
on this week's show we want to
send out our congratulations to
the Whitehaven High School
Football team, who last weekend
completed a perfect 15-0 season
by winning their first ever
state championship.
The Tigers won the class 6-A
title in dramatic fashion,
defeating Maryville 36-35 in
overtime as star tailback Mark
Dodson ran in a two point
conversion.
Dodson capped off an amazing
career with a 318 yard, 5 TD
rushing performance.
Also hats off to MUS, ECS in
Covington for getting to their
respective title games, only to
come up a bit short.
And that will do it for this
week.
Remember, you can view any
previous Sports Files show at
any time by going to WKNO-dot-
org and clicking on KNO Tonite.
And we'll see you next time.
>> (instrumental music)
♪♪♪
♪♪♪