Penny Hardaway’s focus on defense this offseason
Penny Hardaway saw it with his own eyes against Texas Tech.
Houston and Cincinnati, too – twice each.
In his first season as Memphis basketball coach, Hardaway got a firsthand taste of the vast difference an elite defense can make. That is why he has set some awfully lofty goals for his newlook Tigers in 2019-20.
“We're focusing on getting the ball up and down the court, of course,” he said Tuesday, less than a week before Memphis departs on a four-game exhibition tour of the Bahamas. “But also trying to be the best defensive team in the country this year. (If not that) we want to be ranked in the top 20, for sure.”
Teams measure defense in "tempo-adjusted defensive efficiency," which is the number of points allowed per 100 possessions. It's regarded as a more accurate measure of defense than just points allowed per game because it takes into account the pace of play. That means teams aren't penalized for playing fast and allowing opponents more possessions and potentially more points.
Why is it so important? Consider these statistics compiled by Kenpom.com:
❚ 70% of teams that have reached the Final Four in the past 10 years finished the season ranked in the top 20;
❚ 75% of teams that reached the title game during that stretch and every national champion since at least 2002 were in the top 20.
Last season, national runner-up Texas Tech had the No. 1 defense. National champion Virginia was No. 5. NCAA tournament participants Houston and Cincinnati finished 11th and 28th, respectively.
The Tigers ranked 54th.
“Taking the numbers and watching film on all the top defensive teams around the country, I think I just really respected how they went about their
business,” Hardaway said. “Playing against Texas Tech, against Cincinnati, against Houston, those teams were very successful getting through the tournament and getting very far because of their defensive prowess.”
So he hit the books and dedicated time in the film room.
“I studied Virginia, Texas Tech and all these teams – Cincinnati – on how they do defensively,” Hardaway said. “How they play pick-and-roll. How they communicate. How they talk about switching. Everything they do defensively. Because we weren't very good defensively last year. We got better as the season went on. But when I saw that, I said, ‘That's where I want to be.'”
That's music to Alex Lomax's ears.
“I love defense,” the sophomore guard said. “Defense makes offense better. So our offense will be 10 times better with a defense-first mind-set.”
Memphis has been there before, most recently in 2012-13 when it ranked 17th and ended the year 31-5 and reached the round of 32 at the NCAA tournament. Four of the past five times the Tigers have gone to the NCAA tournament, they've been among the 20 best defensive teams in the country – including 2008 and 2009, when they were second and first, respectively.
Sophomore forward Lance Thomas said the team did not hesitate to buy into Hardaway's philosophy.
“Defense wins championships; everybody knows that,” he said. “We're ready to defend anybody. Everybody, really.”
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.