MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
An experience to excite the basketball fan in you tips-off at the Pink Palace Museum Saturday.
The Tiger Hoops exhibition celebrates University of Memphis basketball, the community and culture. Before you step foot in the gallery, you'll hear the sounds of Memphis Tiger basketball. Jestein Gibson of the Pink Palace Museum says you'll feel the excitement of decades of Memphis basketball on display.
"We took the time to talk to the community. We did a call for community involvement in the summer, and it just sort of grew from there," said Gibson.
The oldest artifact goes back decades to 1912 when the school was founded as West Tennessee State Normal School. The entire exhibition gives a complete history of Memphis Tiger Basketball and you'll get a sort of Cliff Notes on the wall of t-shirts all loaned by fans in the community.
It includes such gems like t-shirts sold at the games with the pictures of individual players, a one off team promotion. You can see the stories of all these shirts, who wore them, where they came from on a nearby tablet.
The exhibition pays tribute to the women fought for their place on the court and rewarded each other for their achievements when limited to intramural competition.
"I've learned so much about basketball, and I've learned so much about just how intense people love this program," Gibson.
The exhibit celebrates the highs of the Memphis basketball program as well as the lows, from the first tournament trophy won in 1957 and hardcourt records to race struggles and the effects of drugs on players.
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In the paint this exhibit inspires pride in the storied basketball legacy. Before the Quinones' shorts there was Elliott Perry nicknamed Socks for his knee highs and this his lucky knee pad. There's this team bulletin autographed by perhaps the team’s grooviest fan, Black Moses, Isaac Hayes known to frequently visit the team’s locker room.
"When they see their stories in this exhibit, I hope they feel a lot of pride when they walk through," said Gibson.