Giannotto
his team into "a blur," result in wins?
Do those three state championships he won at East High School, when he had an overwhelming amount of talent compared to just about anyone on his schedule, mean anything now that he’s at Memphis and competing against established college coaches in the American Athletic Conference?
They are questions we won’t know the answer to after one practice, or one game, or maybe even one season.
Hardaway nonetheless laughed when asked about these preconceived notions Tuesday, confident he’ll be as natural on the bench as he has been on the recruiting trail and the banquet circuit.
When he went to the AAC coaches' meeting in Arizona earlier this year, he admitted to being taken aback by the depth of experienced coaching talent in the league. But in Hardaway’s mind, what he’s been doing at the middle school, high school and AAU levels here in the Memphis area in recent years won’t change now.
“There’s going to be situations you get into you’re going to need help, for sure,” Hardaway said. "For the most part, coaching is understanding who you have on your team, understanding yourself, understanding the situation, and I don’t think it’s much more than that.”
It’s why perhaps the most fascinating part of this first practice was actually watching Hardaway work. For instance, during the portion of practice reporters were allowed to watch, it was assistant coaches Mike Miller and Sam Mitchell doing most of the on-court instruction.
Hardaway stood to the side, a whistle around his neck, and offered commentary on it all, commentary that his staff would then implement immediately.
As for how the practice went, well, it was the first one and it’s hard to draw too much from it with so much time left before the games actually start. There were flashes of what could be, and what still needs work.
But the crowd loved when freshman Tyler Harris drained a high-arcing, step-back 3-pointer, and 6-foot-7 wing David Wingett showed off the smooth shooting stroke and versatility that convinced Hardaway to offer him a late scholarship this past spring.
Senior Jeremiah Martin, meanwhile, looked completely healthy despite last month’s emergency hernia surgery, and senior Kareem Brewton Jr. and freshman Antwann Jones played more point guard than expected.
And then, of course, there was running. Lots of it over the course of three hours.
“Practice is long, ain’t it?” an exhausted senior Raynere Thornton said before heading back to the locker room.
Mission accomplished. At least for Hardaway’s first day.