Memphis gets commitment that resonates
Before Memphis coach Penny Hardaway and assistant Tony Madlock walked into D.J. Jeffries’ home last Sunday, Jeffries thought he had made up his mind earlier in the week.
“I was going to Mississippi State,” he said.
Even though he always wanted to go to Memphis. Even though he grew up in Olive Branch as a Tiger fan. Even though he played for Hardaway on Team Penny.
But it didn’t feel right at Memphis Madness. It didn’t feel right during the couple weeks after that. It didn’t feel like Hardaway really wanted him.
So last Sunday Hardaway bared his
soul in an emotional visit, to make sure Jeffries and his family realized this was all just a misunderstanding. Of course, he wanted him at Memphis.
“I ain’t never seen Penny show feelings like that towards a kid,” Jeffries said Saturday, recounting the moment about an hour after he announced his commitment to the Tigers.
“I know that he genuinely cares about me now. He almost broke down a little bit in the meeting. I know he really cares about me.”
Why Jeffries’ commitment is important for Memphis
That’s how Hardaway scored another symbolic win before he ever got his first official victory as the Tigers’ head coach. And this might be his most significant one yet.
Because it’s about more than bringing Jeffries into the Memphis fold, although what he could become for the Tigers is part of all this, too.
It’s about Hardaway securing the local borders and showing schools like Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Alabama that when he prioritizes a Memphis area recruit, he’s going to get him. Just like he already did with Alex Lomax, Tyler Harris and Malcolm Dandridge.
It’s about securing the Tigers’ highest-rated commitment since Dedric Lawson on the same weekend they’re hosting the No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2019 (East High star James Wiseman) on an official visit.
It’s about securing a top-50 recruit before the early signing period begins Nov. 14, before Memphis plays its first game, and continuing the momentum this program has experienced ever since Hardaway got hired last March.
“Penny is able to get the kids here, so you know he’s going to be able to get national kids, like kids from all over the place, and eventually be able to build a big program that’s going to be like the Duke’s and the Kentucky’s,” Jeffries said. “You can do it right here in the city, so I feel like us being the first ones to do it will help him and the community. I’m just proud to be a part of it.”
It’s also about beating John Calipari, Hardaway’s main competition for Wiseman, and snagging the only recruit who’s ever decommitted from Kentucky since Calipari arrived there from Memphis.
Don’t listen to Kentucky fans who tell you otherwise, who insist it doesn’t matter since the Wildcats ended up getting a better recruit at Jeffries’ position (Kahlil Whitney) once he reneged on his pledge in July.
Because you know who ultimately wanted Jeffries? Calipari.
And you know who got him? Hardaway. There’s nothing insignificant about that with Wiseman’s decision looming.
What Jeffries could be at Memphis
I’ve seen Jeffries play about 20 times at Olive Branch and on Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League over the past two years, and his potential is obvious.
I’ve watched him look like the equal of R.J. Barrett, the No. 1 recruit in the 2018 class who’s now at Duke, in one game. And I’ve watched him float through the next one without making an impact.
I watched him fall in the national rankings when he struggled at times playing up a year on the EYBL in 2017. And I watched him glide through defenders in transition for beautiful finger rolls and consistently hit outside jumpers at Peach Jam this past July.
Ultimately, he’s an intriguing and athletic 6-foot-7 wing who can contribute at Memphis right away, who drew Hardaway’s attention long before he ever became the Tigers’ coach.
“D.J. understands what he wants in life,” Hardaway told me in June 2017 when Jeffries was playing for Team Penny. “He wants to be great, and he’s soaking up all the knowledge that he can get. Some kids just use Team Penny as a platform to get their name up. Some kids use it to try to brainstorm me to learn as much as they can and put it into their games. D.J. is one of those kids that’s trying to brainstorm.”
If Jeffries continues to improve his shooting and ball-handling, and adds more muscle to his frame, perhaps he’ll be the one-and-done recruit he was projected to be early on in high school.
Which would be fine, because Hardaway could use Jeffries’ development as proof that what he and his NBA-style coaching staff are selling on the recruiting trail will work
If Jeffries is at Memphis multiple years, that’s good for the program, too. He could join the long line of local recruits that have shined once they became Tigers, that resonated around here years and decades after they left.
If he does, last Sunday’s meeting will go down in program lore because of what it symbolized.
D.J. Jeffries