Memphis Basketball: 3 takeaways from Emmanuel Akot choosing the Wildcats

What Akot Brings to Memphis

Big things were expected at Memphis last season, and while the program did win an NCAA Tournament game and stand out at the end of the year, it’s easy to think that Bates and Duren underachieved. A team with the top recruiting class didn’t exactly live up to their expectations and leaves a roster with a ton of new faces for this season. But Hardaway picked up an important piece when he got Akot to choose the Tigers.

Memphis gets a wing who can shoot from all over the court, but more important a wing who can be one of the new consistent threats from long-range. Clearly, Akot can’t replace the output that those four shooters had last season, though Davis and McCadden will certainly play a role with that. Akot’s assist numbers also indicate that he’ll play a role in facilitating this offense.

Akot has improved with each season of collegiate basketball that he’s played, and if that trend contributes then he can be an important piece in Memphis. He’s a versatile shooter who slides right into the starting lineup and fills a definite need for the Tigers. He also gets a chance to showcase his talents under Hardaway and with the Tigers in the AAC, though he clearly chose Memphis over NC State because he’s interested in more than who his team is playing. He saw the fit and wanted to play for Hardaway on this team.