Memphis Report

[ShockerPhi]

I'll echo the comments that Memphis was a great host city. Very refreshing after going to St. Louis countless times. Beale street is a blast, especially on St. Patty's Day weekend.

I think it's safe to say Memphis fans are excited we're in the league. Had a bunch of people in blue yell "Shockers!" as I walked by.

Also, a nice thing about an under attended arena is that we could move seats wherever we wanted. The Security doesn't give a crap. Every game, we sat behind the Shocker bench with fellow Shockers and made it on TV a ton.

We made some friends, we made some enemies. Also I had BBQ 3 times and I can safely say Kansas City BBQ is still better. Awesome trip. Looking forward to what Ft Worth has to offer.

[WSUwatcher]

It's a great host City.... If it wasn't home court for a conference team

Nailed it, Stick. I didn't go, and there was no realistic way I could at this point in my family's life, but it really doesn't matter how good a city is as a host -- if you're going to play a single site tournament, especially in a league as far flung as the American is, you simply can't do it in the home arena of one of the teams.

Kudos to Houston for overcoming playing on the road, and kudos to the Shocker stalwarts who did make the trip.

[shockerfan]

Lol you are exaggerating greatly. Travelled 53 miles to Fort Worth at 6:30pm today and took an hour. Went from East DFW to West DFW. Straight across north Dallas.

I drive 35 miles during rush hour every day and get to work in 50 mins. And I travel from Wylie to Irving. So I go through city the whole way.

ONLY thing that can slow me down is wrecks or weather. Weather isnt a problem 95% of the time and I only hit MAYBE 1 to 2 wrecks a month

[molly jabali]

One more thing .... LOVED Memphis pregame video... best by far

[molly jabali]

This has been an incredible blast.... saw several great games, love this league, ate at wonderful
llaces, but I really was blown away by ALL the friendliest here... places to eat included Central BBQ, Arcade, Miss polly’s , Flying Saucer, Rendevous( not as good as I hoped) , Gus’s fried chicken and Gibson Donuts... how do I not weigh 500 pounds?

[proshox]

A couple of more notes - my wife didn’t come to any of the games. We have a 1 & 4 year old that have no interest in being stationary for 2-3 hours. So I thought this trip would be a complete bust... I was completely wrong. Everyone got a ton of enjoyment. We stayed busy and ended up not getting to a lot of the places on our agenda. On the way back to the hotel tonight, she said she can’t wait for the tournament to come back to Memphis.

Also, we stayed in a new hotel that was in West Memphis. The drive across the Mississippi was painless and uber was cheap to and from the arena and key tourist sites.

[proshox]

In a city where ten miles can take an hour it is somewhat difficult to ventrure out.

[proshox]

The parade was legit

[shockerfan]

Our fam has enjoyed Memphis. Good food. Good zoo. We did StL something like 13 years in a row so good for a change. But the Memphis home court is unfair so looking forward to a shorter drive to Texas next year. I doubt SMU will pack the place like the Tigers. Locals have been incredibly friendly.

Not only will SMU fans not pack the arena in Ft Worth but it isnt their home court either. Memphis is definitely an unfair advantage for the Tigers.

Plus Ft Worth is great. Not only that, but you have the entire metro area at your disposal should you choose to venture out.

[wsu789]

Our fam has enjoyed Memphis. Good food. Good zoo. We did StL something like 13 years in a row so good for a change. But the Memphis home court is unfair so looking forward to a shorter drive to Texas next year. I doubt SMU will pack the place like the Tigers. Locals have been incredibly friendly.

[Stickboy46]

It's a great host City.... If it wasn't home court for a conference team

[wsushox1]

Glad you all are having a great time in my adopted city. Memphis has its definite negatives (infrastructure, road network, extreme poverty) but it is an excellent host city.

i hope you all are having fun on Beale today.

[shocktown]

125 miles from the west side of ICT so another 90 minutes.

[Wuzee]

It's been really great -- but I loved and miss some of the great neighborhoods and restaurants in St. Louis, too. I've been to four microbreweries and had BBQ every day so far. It is a very fine strategy in a town that has 10 BBQ restaurants represented on the various reputable Top 100 lists. Also -- the National Civil Rights Museum is amazing and powerful. I haven't spent a ton of time in Ft. Worth, but this is a pretty high bar for to clear.

[SHOXAAC]

Memphis has been great. In reality, this trip isn’t much harder to make than St. Lou. With that stated, Memphis is much friendlier and has been a great visit for the entire family.

Isn’t it about 200 miles farther to Memphis?