Hardaway gets another East player to join Tigers
The Memphis men’s basketball team apparently added another one of coach Penny Hardaway’s former players to its roster Thursday.
Forward Ryan Boyce, who starred at East High School this past season and signed with UAB in November, announced on social media that he plans to play at Memphis.
It’s unclear at this point whether Boyce will be a scholarship player or a walk-on. His father, Rhea Boyce, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the situation.
After adding Louisville transfer Lance Thomas last week, Memphis already had 14 scholarship players for next season. NCAA rules state that there is a 13-scholarship limit for men’s basketball teams.
Multiple sources within the Memphis athletic department told The Commercial Appeal last week when Thomas announced his commitment that the Tigers probably will attempt to secure a medical hardship waiver for forward Karim Sameh Azab. That would allow him to remain on scholarship but not count against the team’s 13-scholarship limit next season.
Azab is currently undergoing treatment for leukemia.
Even if that waiver goes through, Memphis still would be one player over the limit next season if Boyce is on scholarship. If he’s a walk-on, the school would not be able to announce his arrival until he enrolls in classes this fall.
Regardless of how Memphis fits Boyce into the program, his addition gives the Tigers another athletic option who can play multiple positions. The 6foot-6 wing transferred to East for his senior season after previously playing for Houston High School.
Known for his prolific dunking ability and consistent outside jumper, Boyce could quickly become an impact player at the college level if he further develops his ball-handling on the perimeter. He won a state championship with East this past season and played for Team Penny on Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League last summer.
Boyce becomes the fourth prospect who played under Hardaway there to either sign or commit to Memphis this off-
season.
Guards Alex Lomax and Jayden Hardaway, who is Penny Hardaway’s son, signed national letters of intent with the Tigers as part of their 2018 recruiting class. Forward Malcolm Dandridge, a 2019 prospect, also committed to the Tigers last month.
Boyce is considered a four-star prospect by ESPN and earned a three-star rating from 247Sports and Rivals. He is the eighth new player to join the program since Hardaway took over in March.
Boyce received a release from his national letter of intent at UAB in order to attend Memphis.
The Tigers are expected to begin another home-and-home series with the Blazers next season with a game at FedExForum. Both teams also are slated to participate in the Advocare Invitational in Orlando over the Thanksgiving holiday.