Penny Hardaway has assembled the University of Memphis men’s basketball team just as he wants it, and the fanbase is anxious to see the team return to respectable levels. Hardaway said Tuesday the team would place better than an eighth seed in the conference, but he would not say exactly how far the team would go. However, his players were more vociferous, saying they plan to go dancing in March.
“Tournament or bust,” senior forward Raynere Thornton said.
Thornton said the roster bolstered explosive players, and they have what it takes to get to the next level.
Freshman guard Alex Lomax echoed both Hardaway and Thornton, saying the sky is the limit, and this program has everything in place to achieve just that.
“I one hundred percent agree with Coach (Hardaway),” Lomax said. “I feel like we can go better than eighth. That’s just based off (that) we have a great coaching staff. The coaching staff makes sure we get the work in, and they’re going to make sure we are doing what we are supposed to do.”
Lomax said as long as the team is listening and taking the guidance of the coaches, that will get them where they are trying to go.
“Making it to the Tournament is a realistic expectation,” Lomax said. “Like I just said, anything is possible. We got a great coaching staff, and we got guys who are ready to put work in and ready to give it their all. So, making it to the Tournament is very realistic.”
Every player on the team has been working hard to make it to the tournament. Veteran guard Jimario Rivers, who is expected to fully recover by the start of the season, said he and his teammates have been leaving it all on the court.
“Everybody has been working hard, really since they got here,” Rivers said. “But obviously it (hardwork) went up now because the season is (almost) here. Now, everybody is playing for playing time and stuff like that. You know everybody is going to be going harder and doing things they probably weren’t doing at first. They’re focusing in on the little things because we know what Coach preaches every day.”
Rivers also weighed in on the expectations for this upcoming season. He said he wanted the team to go dancing in March, something he has wanted to do since he came to the U of M.
“People are expecting us to do big things, which I know that we are,” Rivers said. “I feel like this is our best chance doing it now (making it to the Tournament), and this is my last year, so, it’s do or die.”
Now that everything is in place, it is on the Tigers to prove themselves. This program has not made it to the NCAA Tournament since 2013-14 under then head coach Josh Pastner.
Antwann Jones (pictured left) announced April 9 he will be transferring from the University of Memphis. He is the second player on the team to announce their transfer intentions after Victor Eron.
