Nairn catches Tigers’ attention
Kansas PG making his name with quickness
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Lou Rawls was a famous soul singer, known for his smooth voice and certified gold single, “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine.”
Lourawls Nairn Jr. is a 5-10, 175-pound basketball player for the Mokan Elite (Kan.). And you probably won’t find a quicker point guard, at least in the Class of 2014.
Nairn, nicknamed “Tum-Tum” after the smallest character in the movie “3 Ninjas,” is one of many guard prospects that the University of Memphis has its eye on in the July evaluation period. After a 59-55 loss to Team Penny on Thursday afternoon at the Riv- erview Park Activities Center, Nairn listed the Tigers along with Kansas, Kansas State, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Indiana, and Ole Miss.
He said he doesn’t know why his father was named Lourawls, or why his father decided to pass that name on to him. But he certainly knows what it takes to run a basketball team, Mokan Elite coach Jim Huber said. Nairn, who says he’s a pass-first point guard, had seven points, 10 assists and four rebounds in Thursday after- noon’s loss.
“He’s a coach on the floor,” Huber said. “He’s got the respect of the players he plays with. They trust him in the sense that he’s one of the hardest workers. … He’s infectious with his attitude. If guys have their heads down, he’s constantly telling them to pick their heads up.”
Rated a four-star guard by Rivals.com, Nairn would seem to be the kind of guard U of M coach Josh Pastner typically goes after. End-to-end, he is nearly impossible to stay in front of: Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Eric Bossi tweeted earlier this week that Nairn “makes quick players look slow.”
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — In four years at the University of Memphis, coach Josh Pastner has turned Memphis Madness — the Tigers’ season-opening practice at FedExForum — into one of his most effective recruiting tools. He has used it to help lure players like Jelan Kendrick, Adonis Thomas, Shaq Goodwin and Austin Nichols.
Apparently, word of the show that Pastner and the Tigers put on each October has spread.
“I heard it was a great atmosphere and I want to go down there and see it for myself,” said Chicago native Cliff Alexander, a 6-9, 240-pound power forward rated the No. 2 player in the nation by ESPN.com.
Alexander, playing this week for the Chicago-based Mac Irvin Fire in Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League finals at the Peach Jam, told The Commercial Appeal on Thursday that he plans to attend Memphis Madness in October as part of his official visit to Memphis.
He also plans official visits to Kansas, Louisville and Arizona. Kentucky and Michigan State are also high on his list, though Alexander doesn’t plan to make official visits to those schools because he’s already visited unofficially.
So does Memphis really have a chance at landing Alexander, who at this point would qualify as the highest-rated player Pastner has reeled in as head coach of the Tigers?
If his relationship with Pastner is any indication, the answer is yes.
Alexander said Thursday that while he regularly talks with Memphis’ assistants, he’s developed a tight bond with Pastner, whom he said he talks with as often as twice a day.
“We have a great relationship,” he said. “He calls me. He hits me up on Facebook. Texts me.”
Take one look at Alexander on the court and it’s obvious why Pastner, not to mention the rest of the country, is so eager to land him. His game is one of pure power — he’s broken two backboards on monster dunks already in his career — and comparable to that of former Duke standout and NBA veteran Elton Brand.
“Cliff Alexander is a great kid,” Mac Irvin coach Mike Irvin said. “For a guy like that who has so much power in his game and has so much intensity out on
Against Team Penny, he split double-teams and sliced through the defense with his first step. He routinely got by his man and found his open shooters on the wing, generally giving Team Penny fits with his ability to break down any- one guarding him off the dribble.
“That’s hard to find,” Huber said. “When you get to a certain level of (basketball), everybody’s quick — but he’s super quick. … He’s got the get-by speed, but also the first step. When you can create that kind of separation, that’s a big (attribute).”
Pastner first got a look at Nairn last year at the 16U Peach Jam, but the Tigers haven’t spent much time recruiting him until recently. Nairn said that from what he knows about the U of M, he sees a situation in which he could thrive.
“I know they like to play fast,” Nairn said. “Coach Pastner likes to push the ball.”