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Memphis Basketball: Damaria Franklin adds to interesting backcourt

By Tristan Freeman

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 26: head coach Penny Hardaway of the Memphis Tigers reacts during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament at Barclays Center on November 26, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 26: head coach Penny Hardaway of the Memphis Tigers reacts during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament at Barclays Center on November 26, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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Memphis Basketball makes another roster move late in the offseason, adding transfer guard Damaria Franklin. What impact will he have on the Tigers?

It’s been an interesting past seven days for Memphis Basketball. It started off rough, losing transfer commit Emmanuel Akot to Western Kentucky. But not only did the program bring back last year’s starting point Alex Lomax for one more season, but they also added SMU transfer Jahmar Young.

Yet the transfer portal never has a quiet day, as a new entrant joined last week in Damaria Franklin. He had a big year at Illinois-Chicago, averaging a team-leading 17.8 ppg and 6.9 rpg in 28 games at 32 mpg. The 6’4 senior guard had 10 games of at least 20 points, including a season-high 28 points against Robert Morris.

Franklin became the top free agent in the portal, getting plenty of power conference interest. Programs such as DePaul, Arizona State, Iowa State and Memphis were after the Chicago native. In the end though, the former All-Horizon League performer apparently had an easy decision to make.

It’s a big commitment for the Tigers, assuming of course that Franklin gets a waiver to play this upcoming season. The university already started classes and we’re a day away from September so it’s not a guarantee that the transfer is immediately eligible. But let’s assume that Franklin is able to play this season. He’s essentially the replacement for Akot in the backcourt and will compete for minutes with another transfer in Elijah McCadden from Georgia Southern.

On paper, Franklin would have the edge. Neither are great three-point shooters but McCadden shot 23% from deep last season, compared to 29% from Franklin. The UIC transfer also is a better rebounded and has more offensive versatility. The senior guard can play alongside SMU transfer and AAC Player of the Year Kendric Davis at the two-spot and should be impactful at the AAC level.

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All things considered, Franklin (assuming he’s eligible) is a nice pickup for the program after suffering their own transfer portal. The new-look roster has depth at every position and if the newcomers on the perimeter and handler their own, Memphis should be a top-25 caliber team and make another NCAA Tournament appearance as well.