Nolan Dennis is headed to Memphis.

The smooth Dallas-area rising senior committed to the Tigers, opting for John Calipari’s program over UCLA, Texas and North Carolina.

Calipari may not publicly say it, but he wants to try and get high-character guys – and this is certainly a start for the Class of 2009.

The previous staff did a nice job with Dennis and the new guys – Josh Pastner and Orlando Antigua – helped seal the deal.

Dennis apparently struggled in the spring, but he’s still a legitimate Top 50 player who just needs to become tougher.

Now Memphis will turn much of its focus to trying to land one of the nation’s top players, Xavier Henry.