2011-12 Men's Hoops Breakdown: Posts - Memphis Tigers Official Athletic Site iconsnav TWITTER
2011-12 Men's Hoops Breakdown: Posts
Sophomore Tarik Black
 CBSSports.com Hoops  Top 25 Rankings  Bracketology Nov. 10, 2011
Memphis, Tenn. - After looking at the Tigers guards Tuesday and the team's wing players Wednesday, Memphis Tiger Vision (UofMTV) wraps up its 2011-12 season breakdown with the spotlight on the posts.
Last year, most of the post-play responsibilities fell on the shoulders of then-freshman Tarik Black. In 2011-12, Black may have to do the same in the early part of the campaign until the trio of newcomers Ferrakohn Hall, Stan Simpson and Hippolyte Tsafack gain experience in Pastner's system.
Hall, a mid-season transfer from Seton Hall in 2010-11, becomes eligible to play in mid-December, but has been practicing with the Tigers since January. Hall has brought toughness to the Memphis practices, and Pastner can't wait to have the 6-foot-8 junior at his disposal to use in games.
Simpson is a 6-foot-10 junior college transfer that adds much-needed size to the Tigers post. But, Simpson is not your ordinary juco transfer, as prior to his 2010-11 season at Logan College, he spent two years at Illinois from 2008-10. Despite redshirting in 2008-09 and seeing limited action in 2009-10, Simpson "knows the ropes" of playing Division 1 hoops and brings that experience to Memphis.
Tsafack redshirted last season, but continued to practice with the Tigers. His hustle and determination gives Memphis another strong, physical presence to hit the glass.
And hitting the boards - especially on the defensive end - is what Pastner wants to see from his post players in 2011-12. Last year, the Tigers were solid at stopping an opponent's initial possession, but many times, did not grab the defensive rebound and allow the foe another offensive chance. In fact, Memphis was 11th in C-USA in defensive rebounding percentage last season.
Pastner also wants his posts to shoot a better percentage from the charity stripe this year, especially Black. The Memphis head coach is challenging Black, who is expected to make many trips to the foul line in 2011-12, to hit 70 percent of his free throws. Hall, Simpson and Tsafack are also active players in the post and need to hit a high percentage of their charity tosses. Tigers Men's Basketball Home