Men's College Basketball, NCAA Basketball NEWS
Memphis Tigers Sign Roburt Sallie; Dozier Returns For Senior Season
Published by MoonDog on June 18, 2008
Dan Wolken of The Commercial Appeal wrote this article – I’m merely sharing it and in no way am I to be confused as the author of this post. Visit The Memphis Edge to see more of Dan’s article’s covering the Tigers basketball program.
First, forward Robert Dozier announced he would pull out of the NBA Draft and return to Memphis for his senior season, a move that had been expected for the past week. Soon after, the Tigers got some unexpected good news when junior college guard Roburt Sallie verbally committed and canceled his upcoming visit to Kentucky.
Both developments are huge for the Tigers, who just recently were staring at the possibility of losing all five starters and going into next season shorthanded and a bit inexperienced.
Instead, both guard Antonio Anderson and Dozier will return as seniors and team up with Sallie, reuniting three major components of a team that went undefeated at Laurinburg Prep in North Carolina.
“Me and Antonio and Rob experienced that 40-0, and that’s what Cal is definitely shooting for,” Sallie said. “We experienced that; for us to be reunited again, I’m very excited. Those guys are ecstatic.”
Though it was expected that Dozier would return since he had almost no chance of being a first-round pick, Calipari had warned him not to come back unless he wanted to commit himself this summer.
In a statement released by the university, Dozier said he was coming back “with the mindset that next year’s team can be even better than what we were a year ago, knowing a lot of that will fall on my shoulders.”
Calipari said Monday he was satisfied with the response from the 6-9 Dozier, who averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 rebounds last season.
“The great thing for him, his stock went up 100 times by going through the process,” Calipari said. “Everywhere he went (to work out), they told me the same thing. They were surprised at his aggressiveness, and they were surprised at how hard he played. And then lastly, they said if he comes back to school, if he’ll work this summer, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be a lottery pick next year.”
While Dozier gives the Tigers a much-needed interior presence, Sallie should be a significant addition to the backcourt, where they were also a bit shorthanded after Doneal Mack decided last week to transfer.
Sallie averaged 17 points per game last season for City College of San Francisco and was named California’s junior college player of the year. A 6-5 combo guard who can play some point, Sallie should also bring some toughness and experience to the lineup that Memphis would not necessarily get from a true freshman.
“Rob’s a winner,” said John Parker, who coached Sallie and several other Tigers at Laurinburg. “Of all the kids that I’ve ever coached in prep school, he’s the most competitive and the most complete player I ever coached. He is an absolute winner … he’s going to come in and fit in and he’s just got that swagger, that ‘it.’ The city of Memphis will be blown away by this kid.”
Getting a player of Sallie’s quality so late in the recruiting season was a big bonus for Memphis, especially considering that he was committed to Nebraska just a few weeks ago.
Sallie was set to go to Nebraska out of prep school but had to go to junior college when he failed to qualify. He kept his commitment, but because he had already been enrolled there once before, a Big 12 rule technicality prevented him from enrolling a second time within the same 18-month window.
Kentucky, Cincinnati and Memphis all jumped in on Sallie, but he was ready to commit after spending Sunday and Monday with Calipari’s staff.
“I didn’t think I was going to commit on the trip, but I’m ready to get rolling now,” he said. “We’re going to try to do some special things here. Cal is very, very special. He’s one of a kind. He cares about his players. Every guy I spoke to who is a former player just said Cal will look after you after you’re done. That’s something big with me. This is bigger than basketball. (Knowing that) makes you play harder, and Memphis is a great community. I love Memphis and how (the fans) support basketball. It’s unreal up here.”
Sallie was scheduled to visit Kentucky next week, but Parker said he already called coach Billy Gillispie to cancel. It’s a reversal of a recruiting situation from last summer, when Kentucky got point guard DeAndre Liggins to commit during a campus visit right before he was set to look at Memphis.
Sallie said he was looking forward to moving to Memphis next month and immersing himself in the weight room.
“The kind of offense that Cal has put in, you have to beat your man off the dribble and get it to the cup,” he said. “I think that fits my game, and it’s going to be fun.”
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