Tigers’ Dorsey matures, emerges

The Ben Wallace clone has gone from being a goof to the key guy for Memphis.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Joey Dorsey is a Ben Wallace clone, from his jersey number to his braided hair, from a burly build and tenacious attitude made for rebounding to a shooting touch that prompts adults to cover kids’ eyes.

Joey Dorsey also is a guy so shy he hides under tables in locker rooms to avoid reporters, so sensitive he doesn’t want people to know he’s 24, so goofy that Memphis coach John Calipari says, “I love Joey like a son, but he does some of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen in my whole life.”

One more tidbit: The Tigers’ hopes tonight against UCLA might be riding on him.

Although Derrick Rose makes the team go and Chris Douglas-Roberts scores the most points, Dorsey has the task of covering Bruins freshman Kevin Love.

Nobody expects Dorsey to outscore Love. They’ll happily settle for the Wallace-esque way he played in December, January and thus far in the NCAA tournament.

“I just want my teammates to rely on me when I’m out there on the court,” Dorsey said Friday. “That’s what I’m doing.”

If you haven’t watched Memphis much but Dorsey’s name sounds familiar, the reason probably stems from last year’s tournament. He’s the 6-foot-9, 265-pound knucklehead who referred to himself as Goliath and 7-foot Greg Oden as “the little man,” then had four fouls and zero points as Oden carried Ohio State past the Tigers and into the Final Four.

“I wanted a lot of the focus to be on me,” Dorsey said. “I was being a little selfish and immature.”

Proof he’s learned his lesson came Friday when asked his impression of Love.

“He’s a great passer out of the post,” Dorsey said. “It’s going to be a big key to the team.”

Dorsey began to change last summer, when he was part of Team USA at the Pan American Games. The payoff was evident when he opened his season with 12 rebounds against Oklahoma, then 12 more against Connecticut.

He was even better over nine games in January, averaging 13 rebounds in less than 25 minutes per game.

“He’s relaxed now,” Douglas-Roberts said. “He’s not thinking ahead, you know, so when he’s playing like that, just free, he’s going to be great. Every time he starts thinking, that’s when his game gets shaky. ... He doesn’t have to go out and be an offensive Hakeem Olajuwon. He can just be Joey, and when he’s Joey, he’s unbelievable.”