NCAA Basketball: Biggest takeaways from the 2019 recruiting classes

3) The Penny Hardaway Experience

Arizona’s might be the most important, but the class Penny Hardaway has put together at Memphis is the most high-profile and will be the most impactful.

That happens with whatever program ends up with the nation’s top prospect or the nation’s top class, and Hardaway happened to land both. Wiseman will be the star but all seven incoming freshmen rank in the top 110 nationally. Precious Achiuwa gives them a second five-star prospect and an elite athlete while their three other top 60 prospects (Boogie Ellis, DJ Jeffries, Lester Quinones) will all play significant roles as well.

This is why Memphis made the decision to part with Tubby Smith and bring in Hardaway. Though he is going into only his second season in charge of the program, he has made them nationally relevant. His recruiting prowess has turned the Tigers into a preseason top-five team.

Now comes the hard part – Hardaway and Memphis have to fulfill their expectations. The Tigers performed better than expected during his first season, but being elite is much more difficult than simply being good. And everything is dependent on these freshmen.

If Memphis is ranked all season long and makes the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend, Hardaway will cement his place among the better coaches in the country and give the program the kind of momentum and notoriety they need to be nationally relevant for years to come. However, if the Tigers fall short of expectations, it will be seen as a negative indictment of the recent trend of hiring former NBA stars with no college coaching experience.