Penny Hardaway will be the next coach of the Memphis Tigers, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.
Penny Hardaway and Memphis agree to head coaching contract, per report
The former Tigers star is making the jump from high school coach to college coach at Memphis.
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
The former first-round pick and NBA standout will be replacing Tubby Smith after just two seasons. Smith led the Tigers to 19 wins in his first year and 21 in his second. Memphis did not make the NCAA tournament during Smith’s tenure and finished this season ranked fourth in the AAC with just 10 conference wins.
Hardaway has been building his reputation as a coach over the past few years at East Memphis High School. This year, his team won the Class AAA state championship. He has never been a college coach before.
As my colleague Ricky O’Donnell points out, Hardaway also has access to some of the nation’s best players in the 2019 class. He coaches James Wiseman — 2019’s No. 1 overall recruit — at East Memphis and on his grassroots team. He also coaches D.J Jeffries (who just committed to Kentucky) and Chandler Lawson, both top 30 recruits in 2019.
If Hardaway can land the kind of top talent to make Memphis a power again in the AAC, he’d be a great fit for the Tigers.
See More:
