NCAA Basketball: 5 recent hires that has had Deion Sanders-level hype

Penny Hardaway – Memphis Tigers

Even since John Calipari took the job at the start of the century, Memphis has become a quality NCAA Basketball that always wins at least 20 games and consistently makes the NCAA Tournament. However, after a few less-than-stellar years under Coach Tubby Smith, the Tigers went to a very famous alum and former Player of the Year, Penny Hardaway to take over.

Hardaway, a former NBA all-star and a coach at a local high school in the city, instantly became one of the top recruiters in NCAA Basketball when he was hired in 2018. In his first full class, he landed the No. 1 overall prospect in James Wiseman, as well as other five-star talents. And a couple of years ago, he made one of the biggest offseason splashes that grabbed everyone’s attention, landing both Jalen Duren and Emoni Bates to beat both Duke and Kentucky for the No. 1 overall class.

That being said, the win-loss record hasn’t completely reflected the star-studded rosters. He’s yet to make it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament and has had some ups and downs with some high-profile players such as Bates.

Still, considering that Memphis once again has one of the best offseasons in terms of roster-building, Coach Hardaway’s name clearly still resonates with players. If he can have his breakout year that includes a run in the Big Dance, look for the Tigers to truly be a national program to contend with.