Memphis Tigers G Malik Rhodes goes from forgotten to forefront after injury to Jeremiah Martin

As the Memphis men’s basketball team left the locker room at halftime during Thursday’s 91-86 upset of No. 23 Houston, coach Tubby Smith uttered a prediction that came true.

“We’re going to win this one for you, Jeremiah,” Smith said, alluding to the foot injury that forced leading scorer Jeremiah Martin to watch the second half with a boot on his left foot.

It was senior Jimario Rivers, however, who pulled aside the unlikeliest hero to emerge in Martin’s absence and offered encouragement to a teammate who hadn’t done anything of note on the court in more than a month.

“Just be ready,” Rivers said to junior guard Malik Rhodes. “If your number’s called tonight bro, just come in and control the tempo.”

Those words carry much more meaning after Memphis learned Friday that Martin will miss the rest of the season due to a broken foot.

Smith said ahead of Sunday’s road game at UConn that Martin suffered a Lisfranc fracture at the base of his toes, which is why surgery is required on Tuesday and the recovery will take at least four to six months.

In Martin's place, junior Kareem Brewton Jr. will re-enter the starting lineup at point guard like he did in last week’s win at SMU. But Smith also hopes he can depend on Rhodes to provide reinforcements off the bench, a development that didn’t seem likely only a few days ago.

Before Thursday’s win over Houston, the last points Rhodes scored came on Jan. 16 against UConn at FedExForum. He had appeared in just two more games since then.

Following a social media post last month asking for more playing time, he was suspended for a violation of team rules and conduct detrimental to the team.

So of the 79 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds produced by the Tigers’ collection of junior college products during the biggest win of the Smith era, Rhodes' contributions might have been the most surprising.

Prior to Thursday, he had only six points during American Athletic Conference play. Against Houston, he scored seven.

Prior to Thursday, he had just four rebounds the entire season. Against Houston, he grabbed three.

Prior to Thursday, he had three assists in the previous 20 games combined. Against Houston, he matched that number.

“Sheesh,” Rhodes said with a smile when informed during the postgame press conference that he hadn’t scored in more than a month. “My teammates been with me since the day I got suspended, to the first day I got here. Without them, I wouldn’t have the confidence to think I could be here.”

Rhodes was the last player to join this year’s team, a late addition from Barton Community College (Kan.) last June because the Tigers were looking for backcourt depth.

Initially, the Cincinnati native seemed poised to be a vital cog off the bench.

He set a career high for points (9), assists (4) and minutes (22) while helping spearhead a comeback in the second game of the year against Little Rock. The next game, against New Orleans, he chipped in six points and four assists.

But his role declined as the season wore on when Smith lost confidence in Rhodes’ ability to run the offense. He did not appear in eight of the team’s first 14 league games, including three games missed due to his suspension.

Rhodes returned to the lineup on Feb. 14 at SMU, but logged just two minutes before returning to the bench

It’s why, during the Tigers' third straight win on Thursday, “it just felt good to be out there,” he admitted.

Smith inserted Rhodes into the game with 9:59 remaining in the second half and Memphis trailing by three points. Freshman Jamal Johnson looked overwhelmed by the moment, Smith said, and the Tigers needed another ballhandler.

A minute later, Rhodes assisted on a 3-pointer by forward Raynere Thornton to take the lead back. On the ensuing defensive possession, he grabbed a rebound. The next time down the court, the 6-foot-2 guard hit a contested 3-pointer as the shot clock buzzer sounded.

A few minutes after that, Rhodes took a charge and stood up screaming. On the sidelines, the Tigers went wild as well.

Despite his minimal impact this season, Rhodes is a team favorite

Thornton said Rhodes “didn’t put out one negative thing,” during his suspension and sent out more encouraging text messages than anyone when the Tigers recently lost five of six games. Brewton said his energy and bravado are infectious in practice, and both traits were sorely missed during his time away from the team.

Over the final minute Thursday, once Rhodes calmly knocked down four straight free throws to ice the game, he kept calling for more noise from the FedExForum crowd as if he’d been in this moment many times before.

On this night, and perhaps in the future, he wouldn’t be relegated to the bench.

“He just stuck in there, persevered,” Smith said. “He’s responded in a positive way, and that’s what you expect and so I’m happy for him.”

Tigers' next game

Who: Memphis (17-11, 8-7 AAC) at UConn (13-15, 6-9)
When, where: 3 p.m. Sunday, Gampel Pavilion
TV, radio: ESPN; WREC-AM 600, WEGR-FM 102.7
Skinny: Memphis is tied with UCF for fifth place in the AAC and goes for its fourth straight win against struggling UConn. The Huskies have dropped six of their past eight games and coach Kevin Ollie's job appears to be in jeopardy. UConn is expected to have leading scorer Jalen Adams (17.8 points per game) back after he missed Thursday's loss to Cincinnati with the flu. The Huskies feature three of the AAC's top 12 scorers, including forward Terry Larrier. He did not play when Memphis beat the Huskies, 73-49, on Jan. 16 at FedExForum.