The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that Memphis coach John Calipari has agreed to a multi-year extension, one that will surely pave the way for Tyreke Evans to pick the Tigers on Wednesday.
Memphis athletic director R. C. Johnson told the newspaper that most of the deal is complete.
“Until we get everything resolved, I don’t want to get into specifics but we’ve agreed to the main areas both in redoing his contract and extending his contract,” Johnson said, according to the report. “We’ve got some things that are not difficult but things that have to be worked out that we just have to get together to do. We wanted to redo it and extend it and we’ve done that.”
Sources said the restructured deal will pay Calipari about $2.5 million, according to the report. He earned $1.8 million in guaranteed salary, excluding bonuses, in 2007-08 as the Tigers advanced to the national championship game before losing to Kansas in overtime.
Meantime, Evans, the top unsigned senior in America, is expected to announce Wednesday at a press conference outside of Philadelphia that he will join Memphis next season.
“Looking at who Memphis is losing and what they’ve got coming in, he likes that,” Reggie Evans, Tyreke’s older brother, told the Commercial Appeal in today’s editions. “They could have a second run at it.”
Evans could slide in and replace Chris Douglas-Roberts, who averaged 18.1 points for the Tigers and was a first-team All-American and could be headed to the NBA with teammate Derrick Rose. Primarily a shooting guard, Evans could play the point. He averaged 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists this past season for American Christian School in Aston, Pa.
“CDR and Derrick put together a hell of a tandem, but I think ‘Reke is both of them in one,” Reggie Evans told the Appeal. “He’s Derrick handling the ball, and he’s CDR with his scoring ability. All he needs is a little help around him. They could make another run at it.”
(ESPN.com and the Memphis Commercial Appeal contributed)
