Memphis signee Mikey Williams pleads not guilty to gun charges

Associated PressApr 20, 2023, 7:32 PM EDT

Denis Poroy/Getty Images

SAN DIEGO — Due to security concerns cited by his attorney, high school basketball star and Memphis signee Mikey Williams appeared via video conference for his arraignment on six felony charges of assault with a firearm. His attorney entered pleas of not guilty on Williams’ behalf.

Williams faces five charges of assault with a weapon and one count of firing into an occupied vehicle. He could get up to 28 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

Williams spoke only a few times, answering, “Yes, sir,” when asked by Superior Court Judge Louis R. Hanoian if he understood his rights and when he was told he couldn’t possess guns or ammunition as a condition of remaining free on a $50,000 bond.

The March 27 shooting happened at the $1.2 million home Williams purchased in unincorporated Jamul in eastern San Diego County. An argument just before midnight ended with gunshots being fired at a car that was leaving the house with five passengers inside it, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release. Bullets hit the car, but nobody inside was injured, authorities said.

The shooting was reported to authorities the next day. Officers executed a search warrant at the home and arrested Williams on April 13.

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said Wednesday in his first media availability since Williams’ arrest that he wouldn’t speak about the case “out of respect for the ongoing process of what’s happening.”

“I mean, I’m gonna continue to recruit. As of right now, Mikey is still with us. That’s how I have to keep it until otherwise,” Hardaway added. “That’s why I say, I can’t really speak on the case. Nothing has happened thus far.”

At the prosecution’s request, the court issued protective orders Thursday for the five individuals, including three minors, who were in the car that Williams is accused of firing into on March 27. Williams must stay at least 100 yards from the individuals and not contact or threaten them.

Williams’ attorney, Troy P. Owens, said after the brief hearing that he requested for Williams to appear via video conference because of threats “that are public and online.” He declined to give further details.

“We did not want him showing up in person,” Owens said.

Williams will be represented by Owens at a readiness hearing on June 15 but he was ordered to be personally present for the preliminary hearing scheduled for June 29.

Williams is one of the name, image and likeness era’s earliest stars, securing a multiyear deal with shoe and athletic apparel maker Puma for an undisclosed amount in 2021. He has millions of followers across his social media platforms. On3.com once estimated his NIL valuation at $3.6 million, but Williams’ name no longer appears in the rankings.

Williams played his senior year at San Ysidro High School in San Diego and signed with Memphis in November.

Punch thrown following Bowling Green-Memphis WNIT game

Associated PressMar 24, 2023, 11:50 AM EDT

Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – A confrontation between two players in the postgame handshake line following Bowling Green’s win over Memphis on Thursday night in the Women’s NIT has been referred to campus police.

As the teams walked toward center court following Bowling Green’s 73-60 win in the Round of 16 game, Memphis’ Jamirah Shutes stopped to talk with Falcons’ player Elissa Brett. After a short conversation, Shutes appears to throw a punch at Brett’s face. Brett fell toward the scorer’s table and onto the sideline.

There was no immediate word about what caused the confrontation or if any player was seriously injured.

Bowling Green said in a statement that the incident is in the hands of the campus police.

“The incident that took place following tonight’s home WNIT game has been turned over to the BGSU Police Department,” the school said. “Bowling Green State University Athletics does not make comments about active police investigations. Our priority is with the health, safety and support of our student-athletes.”

Bowling Green coach Robyn Fralich didn’t directly comment on the incident after the game, saying only that they were “figuring all those things out,” as far as what happened in the handshake line.

Memphis’ office of sports information didn’t immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper reported that Shutes, who leads the Tigers in scoring, took an elbow to her face with 24 seconds left in the opening quarter and played just eight minutes in the first half. She returned to start the second half.

Shutes, a fifth-year player who finished with 13 points in her final game with the Tigers, was a second-team All-AAC selection this season.

Brett scored 15 points in the win.

Florida Atlantic edges Memphis 66-65, first March Madness win

Associated PressMar 18, 2023, 11:40 AM EDT

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Nicholas Boyd drove to the basket through traffic and converted a floater with 2.5 seconds left to make history for Florida Atlantic.

The play by the second-year guard off an inbounds pass from Johnell Davis will go down in Florida Atlantic lore as it secured the first NCAA Tournament win in school history, 66-65 over Memphis in a rugged, back-and-forth game.

It was just the second trip to the tournament – and the first since 2002 – for the ninth-seeded Owls, who advanced to face a surprising opponent, No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson, in the second round of the East Region. The Knights knocked off top seed Purdue in one of the biggest upsets in March Madness history.

Coach Penny Hardaway’s eighth-seeded Tigers (26-9) had the ball and a one-point lead with 19 seconds left, but a steal by Brandon Weatherspoon and a subsequent jump ball – Hardaway argued his team had called timeout before the tie-up – gave the Owls (32-3) a chance.

Boyd said he implored coach Dusty May to let him take the go-ahead shot.

“In the timeout, I said, ‘Coach, I got it,’” Boyd said. “I don’t know why I was feeling that way, but I just said, ‘Coach, let me get the ball.’ I caught it in the corner. I was going to shoot the 3. He jumped for the shot fake. And Vlad (Goldin) had a great seal, allowed me to get to the rim. I just thought about finishing no matter what.”

The fifth-year coach was good with that.

“Also, we felt like Memphis was really going to key on Davis and (Alijah) Martin, our two leading scorers, our two first-team all-leaguers. So we thought we could use them as a decoy,” May said. “And Nick is a very talented scorer. He got space in the corner, had a lot of room to work.”

Hardaway chucked a water bottle in frustration after Memphis let the game slip away.

“Crazy game from start to finish,” he said. “It hurts more giving up a layup for the win. You work the whole year talking about defense, and hang your hat on defense, we needed one stop. Couldn’t get that one stop.”

Giancarlo Rosado scored 15 points to lead FAU, and Davis had 12.

“It’s good – but we’re not done yet,” Rosado said. “We didn’t come here to win one game. We didn’t come here to win two games. We came to win it because that’s what we do. We’ve proved that we’re a Top 25 program. Half of the season we were Top 25. We’ve proved we’re supposed to be here. We’re not doing nothing we’re not supposed to be doing.”

Kendric Davis scored 16 points despite being hobbled by a second-half leg injury for Memphis. Davis also got into a shouting match with teammate Malcolm Dandridge, who shoved Davis during a second-half timeout.

DeAndre Williams added 13 points while playing most of the second half with four fouls for the Tigers, including a tip-in that put his team ahead 65-64 with 34 seconds left.

BIG PICTURE

Florida Atlantic: The Owls from Boca Raton won the Conference USA title to make the tournament for the second time, 21 years after their first appearance. The school will move to the American Athletic Conference next season, where Memphis will be an annual foe.

Memphis: The Tigers led for most of the second half but couldn’t pull away.

“It’s a heartbreaker,” Kendric Davis said. “We worked hard all year to put ourselves in this position. And we just didn’t. Starts with me. I had a big turnover. You think about what you could have done. We didn’t get it done.”

SHOTS WON’T FALL

No player on either team made more than two 3-pointers. Not that they didn’t try, especially in the first half. Florida Atlantic was 8 for 28 and Memphis was 6 for 22 from beyond the arc. The teams combined for five 3-point tries in the second half as the game stayed tight.

Roberts, Sasser score 20, No. 2 Houston beats Memphis 72-64

Associated PressFeb 19, 2023, 9:01 PM EST

Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

HOUSTON – J’Wan Roberts had a career-high 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Marcus Sasser also scored 20 points as No. 2 Houston held off Memphis 72-64 on Sunday.

Jamal Shead added 10 points for Houston (25-2, 13-1 American Athletic Conference). The Cougars shot 45% but struggled from deep, going 3 of 17 on 3-pointers.

The Cougars forced 18 turnovers, which they converted into 22 points. Houston has won seven straight games.

“The makeup of this team is winners,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “These kids know how to win. . Do they look great every night? I never thought it was a beauty contest. Last time I checked, you don’t put an asterisk beside anything. Just go win the game. Can we play better? Absolutely. That wasn’t our A-game tonight for sure.”

Elijah McCadden had 20 points and six rebounds, DeAndre Williams added 18 points and Damaria Franklin scored 10 for Memphis (20-7, 10-4). The Tigers shot 44%, including 6 of 15 on 3-pointers.

“I am encouraged because that team is going to be No. 1 in the nation tomorrow,” Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said. “I think we know that we can play with them. I think this group now has seen and been in the fire in a hostile environment against those guys, so I’m definitely encouraged.”

Memphis was without leading scorer Kendric Davis, who averages over 21 points. Davis went through warmups but was out of the lineup with an injury.

After trailing 32-21 at the half, Memphis opened the second half by shooting 5 for 7 and cutting the lead to 38-34 on a 3-pointer by Franklin with 16 minutes remaining, which capped a 6-0 run.

Houston responded with a 9-2 spurt to regain an 11-point lead at 47-36 on a layup by Roberts with 12 minutes remaining.

“Basketball is a game of runs, so I just felt like we just had to keep our composure,” Sasser said. “I feel like that was adversity during the game, and I felt like we did a good job of staying composed and handling their run and coming back and getting our run.”

The Tigers closed within 63-58 with 2:24 remaining on a layup by Williams, but that was as close as Memphis would get as Houston made nine of its last 10 free throws to put away the game.

“Not big on moral victories,” Hardaway said. “We had our opportunities right there three times with the ball down five. We didn’t seize the moment. Just got to take the good from this game and keep it moving.”

Houston used a 17-3 run over a five-minute stretch of the first half to open up a 30-16 lead on Sasser’s jumper with 3:47 left in the half. Sasser scored seven points in the run.

BIG PICTURE

Memphis: The Tigers fell to 1-2 against ranked opponents this season. . Memphis missed a chance to help its NCAA Tournament resume, falling to 7-6 in Quad 1 and 2 games, including 2-3 in Quad 1 games. . Memphis outrebounded Houston 34-30.

Houston: The Cougars improved to 12-1 in Quad 1 and 2 games. . Houston shot 23 of 26 from the free throw line, including making 13 straight at one point in the second half. . The Cougars held a 38-32 advantage in points in the paint.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Following losses to No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Purdue last week, Houston could regain the top spot in the AP Top 25 for a third time this season.

UP NEXT

Memphis: At Wichita State on Wednesday.

Houston: Hosts Tulane on Wednesday.

Davis, Memphis knock off unbeaten No. 11 Auburn, 82-73

Associated PressDec 11, 2022, 12:33 AM EST

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

ATLANTA – Kendric Davis scored a season-high 27 points, DeAndre Williams added 16 points and 11 rebounds and Memphis beat No. 11 Auburn 82-73 on Saturday night to end the Tigers’ season-opening winning streak at eight.

Davis’ jumper beat the shot-clock buzzer to make it 60-50 with 11:18 remaining, and Memphis (8-2) was never threatened again. The closest Auburn got was an eight-point deficit on K.D. Johnson’s free throws with 3:04 left.

“We were playing a top team on one of the biggest stages there was today,” Davis said. “You always want to leave your impact. It’s urgent when you play these types of teams because it’s a resume win and you don’t have too many of them. It’s good we got it done.”

Wendell Green Jr. and Johnson each scpred 14 points and Chris Moore had 12 for Auburn (8-1), which began the day as one of 10 unbeaten teams in the nation.

Green’s offensive foul wiped out his basket and a missed layup by Moore in the closing minutes, and coach Bruce Pearl was called for a technical with 1:30 remaining to end Auburn’s last hope. Davis made two free throws to make it 75-65 heading into the final minute.

“That crowd was loud as hell,” Davis said. “It was like we were at their arena. I’m glad we stayed together. They made a run and the crowd got super loud and we answered every time they answered. That was the best thing. We’ve been in some tough games this year, man.”

Auburn was trying to get off to a 9-0 start for the second time in nine seasons under Pearl, whose 2019-20 team started 15-0.

“We have a defense where we shouldn’t let them split the ball screen,” Johnson said. “That was happening a lot so that fuels a lot of things on the back end. If we would’ve cleaned that up and stopped them then, we probably could’ve had a couple more points to get to in the end.”

Davis, the reigning player of the year in the American Athletic Conference, came up limping on the baseline late in the first but stayed in the game and played a team-high 38 minutes. He has played with a sore ankle most of the season but went 9 for 19 from the field and had six assists and nine rebounds.

One game after setting season highs with 93 points and 10 3s in a lopsided win over Colgate, Auburn shot just 38.1% and went 6 for 24 beyond the arc.

Memphis began the game averaging just 13 turnovers per game and committed 19.

“We know this was a big win for us,” Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said. “Auburn is a tough, tough, tough team. Physically, they’re No. 1 at protecting the rim with blocks, and we knew what it was going to be like to come in here. We wanted to be the tougher team mentally and physically because you know how hard coach Pearl’s teams are going to play.”

BIG PICTURE

Auburn: The Tigers came into the game eighth in the nation in offensive rebounds but had just one at halftime and finished with 11. Auburn was outrebounded 42-33, a deficiency that went a long way to explain why Auburn had so many one-shot possessions and struggled to get back on defense against Memphis’ transition.

Memphis: The Tigers overcame foul trouble in the first half with starters Williams and Alex Lomax and reserve Malcolm Dandridge each getting whistled three times. Starter Chandler Wilson was called for two fouls, but Memphis settled into a zone defense to limit the fouls and force Auburn into low-percentage shots. Dandridge fouled out early in the second half.

UP NEXT

Memphis: At No. 8 Alabama on Tuesday night.

Auburn” Hosts Georgia State on Wednesday night.

Larry Brown takes leave of absence from Memphis team

Associated PressOct 31, 2022, 1:06 AM EDT

Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Larry Brown, the legendary basketball coach who has won NCAA and NBA titles, is taking a leave of absence from his role as the special adviser to Memphis coach Penny Hardaway because of a “minor medical issue.”

The school announced the move on Sunday, saying the 82-year-old Brown hopes to return soon.

“We wish him all the best and respect his privacy at this time,” the school’s statement said. It didn’t provide further details.

Brown joined Hardaway’s staff in July 2021 a few years after Brown’s final head coaching job with Auxilum Torino in Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A. Hardaway played for Brown as a member of the New York Knicks.

Brown won 1,098 NBA games and reached the playoffs 18 times over 26 seasons. His NCAA title with the Kansas Jayhawks was among three Final Four appearances his teams made in the 1980s, including one with UCLA. He also won an NBA title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

Brown, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2002.