Penny Hardaway talks about the basketball offseason in Memphis and transfers
Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway spoke about his team’s offseason at TPC Southwind on Wednesday.
The current situation of the Memphis basketball team can probably best be described as “precarious”.
It’s not often that a coach (in this case, Penny Hardaway) hands out a handful of terminations to a team exactly two months before the start of the regular season and then sees that same coach accused of serious violations of NCAA regulations in a widely circulated anonymous letter.
But when things like this happen — and they did on Tuesday and Wednesday — it sets off alarm bells of instability and is a sign that Hardaway and the Tigers are once again at a critical turning point. Especially since everything Memphis found out during the Malcom Dandridge eligibility review and a copy of the anonymous letter were turned over to the dreaded NCAA. Especially since both matters are still unresolved. Especially since Memphis is already on probation and will be for at least two more seasons.
To recap, Hardaway announced a series of changes on Wednesday — that’s the wording in the athletic department’s press release. Assistant coach Rick Stansbury, special adviser to the head coach Faragi Phillips (previously an assistant), director of player development Jamie Rosser and recruiting coordinator Demetrius Dyson were fired, in other words.
All Hardaway said in a prepared statement was that it was a “difficult decision to move in a new direction” and that he “wants to give this team the best opportunity to achieve our goals of winning the American Conference and advancing in the NCAA Tournament.”
And then there’s the letter. The author alleges that Hardaway was involved in potentially serious violations in 2020 related to the recruitment of a former Memphis player and a second student-athlete who signed with the Tigers in 2022 but never played a game for the team. It also alleges academic violations against at least four players, including Dandridge, during the 2023-24 season.
While we wait for further clarity regarding the reasons behind Hardaway’s decisions and potential consequences of the letter, let’s examine how things could play out for him and Memphis basketball.
Best-case scenario
Hardaway currently has six vacancies to fill, and with the regular season starting on November 4, expect him to act quickly.
In a perfect world, Hardaway is prepared, has everything under control, and everyone hits the ground running. The turnover (nine departures so far and just three holdovers for now) is beneficial on and off the court. It brings new energy to the program and also shows the NCAA that Memphis has moved on from nearly every part of a regime that may or may not have been in place when violations occurred.
The allegations in the anonymous letter never go beyond that, and the program either avoids significant penalties or is completely exonerated. The newly assembled coaching staff is unified enough and the new roster is talented enough to not only get Memphis back to March Madness, but to at least make it to the second weekend.
Worst-case scenario
There could be a real bloodbath.
Not only do the NCAA’s stones being thrown over and the doors being opened reveal serious irregularities regarding Dandridge’s situation, but they (and the anonymous letter) also lead the NCAA to other unpleasant discoveries. Memphis being on probation and all, for example, will impose harsh penalties on Hardaway, the program, and the athletic department.
Sometime before the season begins, a notice about the allegations is released and players begin to consider their options. Hardaway resigns and the program is forced to spend the next few seasons picking up the pieces.
Could it be somewhere in between?
However, chances are that whatever happens will be neither the best nor the worst outcome for everyone involved. Chances are that the ultimate reality will be somewhere in between.
To be clear, no one knows anything for sure. Perhaps that is why this is all so stressful for many. The unknown is a very real fear.
MEMPHIS BASKETBALL: What we know about the changes in the coaching staff of Penny Hardaway’s basketball team in Memphis
Hardaway could face another suspension, but he and the program avoid crippling sanctions. There could be some teething issues in the early stages of a season that will feature an almost entirely new roster and coaching staff, and non-conference games against teams like UConn, Clemson, Virginia and Ole Miss. With top-25 talent, there could be a battle for the conference championship and a return to the NCAA Tournament.
In the meantime, we wait.
Reach sportswriter Jason Munz at [email protected] or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
