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Memphis Basketball: Why Penny Hardaway head coaching hire has worked

By Josh Stevens

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Penny Hardaway, head coach of the Memphis Tigers, watches the action during the game against the Charleston Cougars at HP Field House on November 25, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Penny Hardaway, head coach of the Memphis Tigers, watches the action during the game against the Charleston Cougars at HP Field House on November 25, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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AUBURN HILLS, MI – MARCH 23: The mascot for the Memphis Tigers performs against the Michigan State Spartans during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at The Palace of Auburn Hills on March 23, 2013 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
AUBURN HILLS, MI – MARCH 23: The mascot for the Memphis Tigers performs against the Michigan State Spartans during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at The Palace of Auburn Hills on March 23, 2013 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Penny Hardaway came back to Memphis Basketball to coach his alma mater with the hopes to change the direction they were going. In one season he the same record as the year prior, but his real success came in recruiting.

Take a step back and look at Memphis Basketball for the last five years. Looks average right, so how do they have one of the top recruiting classes in the entire nation? The Tigers have not been anywhere good enough to be thought of making the NCAA tournament, but they have not been awful enough for people the really think they are a bad team overall. They hired Penny Hardaway who was a star at Memphis from 1991-1993 to coach the team. He had spent the last couple of years coaching middle school kids and AAU teams, but nothing in college or anything to that level.

Before he even stepped foot on the court this season he had some doubters saying he would not be able to do the job that Tubby Smith did the year before, or do what John Calipari did and bring in top recruits early. In one season just one Hardaway took the doubters and laughed in their face as he did both. While the overall record might not have been better than Tubby’s the team just looked better as a whole.

First season recap

The Tigers started out rough through their first 10 games they went 5-5, and the critics were out in full force. But then came a stretch where the Tigers really pulled everything together going 8-2 in their next 10 games. But, yet again they faltered out finishing the regular season going 6-5 to enter their conference tournament. They made it to the semifinals of the AAC tournament, losing to Houston by three in a game that was very winnable. In the NIT tournament, they beat San Diego before losing to Creighton to end their season at 22-14.

They did do one thing very well though that could be a large factor in the recruiting game, going 18-3 at home. Their only home losses came at the hands of Tennessee and Cincinnati during the regular season and to Houston in the AAC tournament. Recruits love when they come for a game to see the crowd get into the game and to see you win that is something Hardaway was able to do.

While the team did not break any records in the win department this year, they did what they had to do at home. They put themselves in a position that had them in the conversation for a bubble spot and recruits took notice of what was going on.