The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball players went to school during the summer to get classes out of the way and prepare for the upcoming season, and many of them were counselors at their head coach Penny Hardaway’s summer basketball camp, where they teach children the fundamentals of the game.
Hardaway had his entire team together in Memphis then for about a week and started to set the tone for the group. The 2018-19 roster comprises two groups: the veterans who come from the short-lived Tubby Smith era and the freshmen who were hand-picked by Hardaway. Competition is at its highest, and Hardaway would not have it any other way.
“All of the freshmen are looking good, and they are competing really hard,” Hardaway said. “The veterans are being veterans, but the freshmen are coming in letting the guys know, ‘Hey we’re here.’”
Hardaway said he is pleased with the way the players returned this summer. Many times, coaching staffs must get their team back into shape, which takes time away from other important things, but that is not an issue for Hardaway and his staff.
“I can say that everybody came back in great shape,” Hardaway said. “The freshmen that came in were all in great shape. The guys from last year, we told them before school was out to come back in shape. No one disappointed us. Everyone’s in shape, and everyone is working hard.”
Hardaway said in June he was establishing the culture for his team. He also said, despite the competitiveness throughout the team, he is not surprised by anyone so far because everyone is doing the job they are supposed to do.
In addition to getting his team ready for the season, Hardaway has been busy finalizing his coaching staff. He confirmed reports of the hiring of former NBA head coach Sam Mitchell.
“Well, we hired Sam Mitchell,” Hardaway said. “Sam is on board now, and Sam has been doing a great job. Sam Mitchell was coach of the year in the NBA. He coached in the NBA for a while. He played for a while. It’s just the knowledge and also the development that he and Mike (Miller) bring to the table. With Tony’s (Madlock) experience being a college coach for 20-plus years, with that all together, makes me feel really good about ourselves.”
With all the experience in the coaching staff, it may be difficult for some to pinpoint a specific role, but Hardaway reassured everyone is on the same page.
“It’s working well because of our personalities,” Hardaway said. “We are all like happy-go-lucky guys. We are working well together. There’s no big I, little you, or anything. We are all just combining our brains trying to make things work for the university and for the team.”
Other than putting together a top-30 recruiting class during the last few months, the biggest story has been the scholarship situation at Memphis. As of now, the program is at its maximum allowance for scholarships. It is unclear how Hardaway and staff will address this situation. Even as he spoke with the media, he was not clear as to what or how this will pan out.
“I think everything will work itself out,” Hardaway said. “I think that everything will be the way that it is supposed to be. We’ll know who we need and what we need after this season, and those are the guys we are going to go after.”
Penny Hardaway talks to a group of reporters about his 2018 signing class. Hardaway's 2018 class is currently top-30 in the nation.
