Hardaway motivates his Tigers
Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway looked down at the black key that dangled from the chain around his neck in his press conference after Thursday's Memphis Madness at FedExForum.
On it, it read the word "believe."
During Memphis Madness, Hardaway and assistant coach Mike Miller could be seen roaming the sideline with the matching keys hanging from their necks.
But what looked like it could be just another fashion trend, actually meant more. After all, the coaches all wore matching blue hoodies with the words "say less" printed on the back, and the newest edition of Hardaway's shoes.
Every Memphis player and immediate staff member was given the black "believe" key.
"The first key is we have to believe," Hardaway said while twirling the key in his hand. "So that's what this is about."
Hardaway ordered the keys a little over a month ago as a motivational tool for his program. He said Thursday that they come from an online store called The Giving Keys, which has a mission statement online that states it is a "pay it forward" company that helps people transition out of homelessness by giving them a job opportunity.
On the company's website, The Giving Keys claims to have generated over 138,000 hours of work for those transitioning out of homelessness.
The coach gave the team strict instructions not to lose the key, but told his players it's not required that they wear them. As the season progresses, Hardaway hopes to add more and more keys around the necklace.
"I believe, and I wear mine every day," Hardaway said. "So does Mike."
Some of the other key possibilities available on the company's website include create, dream, faith, fearless, hope, inspire and strength, but they can also be customized.
Which key choose next? will Hardaway