Penny Hardaway reeling Tigers in after lenient start

ORLANDO — As if Penny Hardaway wasn't already clear about the coaching adjustments he needed to make after Memphis' 20-point loss to Oklahoma State Thursday in Orlando, freshman guard Antwann Jones kept it simple.

"He's not playing around no more," Jones said. "He's the type of person that does not like to lose – not in anything."

That was distinct in the coach's irritable tone after the game.

Hardaway's team responded to its "embarrassing" loss to the Cowboys with an eight-point victory over Canisius one day later.

Friday, the change in the team's mood was evident from the day before. A shift in temperament that, without a 20-point loss, probably never would have happened.

There was less chatter before the game, more frequent substitutions, and a noticeable difference in attentiveness from the players on the bench. Hardaway gave Tigers too much rope

"That's what this tournament was for," Hardaway said after the loss. "It wasn't to come down here and get beaten by Oklahoma State by 20 points. It was to win the tournament, and also see where we are as a team."

What the first-year coach learned is that he's given his Tigers too much rope.

"What I mean by that when I say I've given too much rope is that I just allow guys to play freely," Hardaway said. "And sometimes, they don't play with caution. They just play wild."

It was most obvious on the defensive end, where Hardaway said his players "were gambling way too much." But he was also frustrated with Memphis' play on offense, which included players launching several shots from over 30 feet. Earn everything

"That's not going to get you wins," Hardaway said. "Right now I'm in a mindset of earn everything. Nothing is going to be given anymore, and I was kind of giving some things to some guys."

So now, that rope is a little bit shorter. Hardaway apologized to his team after the Oklahoma State game for being too lenient from the start.

The challenge is finding the balance between being a players' coach, while also putting his team in the best position to win.

"No matter what anyone says, or how they talk about a certain player, or if he's their favorite player, or whatever is going on," Hardaway said. "If the guys, as a whole, aren't going out there and playing together and the right way – the way we want it – then they're going to come out of the game."

That showed Friday against Canisius when Hardaway decided to take players out after mistakes in favor of lineups that have the most success. Lineup adjustments

He hinted at the use of a more traditional lineup – one that's not so guardheavy – after the loss to Oklahoma State, and followed through with it. In Thursday's loss, Memphis forwards combined to play 66 minutes. In Friday's win, they played 80.

Hardaway began by moving junior Isaiah Maurice and senior Kyvon Davenport out of the Tigers' starting lineup for the first time all season. Seniors Mike Parks Jr. and Raynere Thornton replaced them.

It worked, because not only did Parks provide a scoring jolt to begin the game, but Davenport also responded by contributing a team-high 16 points off the bench.

But he knows moving players in and out of the game won't solve all of his concerns as he attempts to "reel the team in."

Memphis' 16 turnovers per game still make him uneasy, and the Tigers had 20 against Canisius.

"That's another part I'm really going to have to take control of," Hardaway said. "Becuase sometimes playing freely you don't make the best decisions, obviously."

Hardaway will let aggressive mistakes fly, but it's the unforced errors – like the Tigers' three failed alley-oop attempts in the last two games – that are the reason for Hardway's concern.

"We have to do better with that," Hardaway added. "We play three point guards pretty much 95 percent of the game. There's no way that we should have 20 turnovers." 'It's equal opportunity'

So as the team moves ahead to its final game of the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando Sunday, Jones knows Hardaway isn't going to let up.

"After we lost to Oklahoma State that way, he's going to be more strict and more enforced in the way he's teaching every day in practice."

But Hardaway's new mindset to make his team earn it is one the Tigers appreciate.

"Yeah," Jones said. "It's equal opportunity."