When the 2018-19 season begins for Memphis Basketball, a new, yet familiar era of college hoops will renew itself thanks to a new coach.
The Memphis Tigers are not the best mid-major program entering the 2018-19 season. That distinction falls to the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Nevada Wolf Pack, among others. There isn’t a more intriguing mid-major in the country than the team that shacks up in the great state of Tennessee, though.
After a few years of unsatisfying results from Tubby Smith, the Tigers decided to go in a different direction by hiring a new head coach. They didn’t look for a young star rising through the lower mid-major ranks or a wise, proven commodity looking for a job out of sheer luck.
Instead, they turned to the city’s prodigal son, Penny Hardaway. It was the most sensational coaching hire of the offseason in all of college basketball.
Hardaway wasn’t plucked out of obscurity and a cushy NBA retirement, mind you. He’s been coaching at the high school and AAU level in Memphis, leading several championship squads and connecting with star recruits of the future.
Nobody is expecting him to walk through the door and become the next John Calipari by the time March 2019 rolls around. Drawing more excitement and energy to the program is what it’s all about during Year 1.
This season and the near future of the Tigers program will be a referendum on whether or not the administration made the right choice in bringing back Hardaway.
Here’s a full preview of the 2018-19 season for the Memphis Tigers.