A glimpse at next year’s Tigers roster
This month was supposed to mark the triumphant return to March Madness for Memphis basketball.
It was supposed to be the first time the Tigers got invited back to the NCAA Tournament since 2014.
This year was supposed to be the year.
It was also supposed to include James Wiseman, the No. 1 recruit in the country who played three games, sat out the next seven and was supposed to rejoin the team after the next five.
But the 7-foot-1 preseason Allamerican took off in December.
His departure left the program reeling and completely altered its trajectory.
Coach Penny Hardaway pegged the 2019-20 season as the one that would propel Memphis back among the sport’s elite.
Now, unless the college basketball stars align just right over the next two weeks, odds are the Tigers (20-9, 9-7 AAC) will have to settle for
a return to the National Invitation Tournament.
No matter how things play out the rest of this season, Memphis will undoubtedly face a number of roster personnel changes ahead of Hardaway’s third year as coach.
Freshman Precious Achiuwa is a projected first-round pick in June’s NBA Draft, meaning he’s not expected to be back. The team will lose its lone senior, reserve center Isaiah Maurice.
Also it is possible one or more Tigers will enter their name into the transfer portal.
“There are going to be more transfers than there are now, for sure,” Hardaway said recently in response to a question about the prospect of the NCAA allowing players to transfer once without having to forfeit a year of eligibility.
What will Memphis look like next season? And, just how will it go about shuffling things?
Hardaway’s plan of attack on the recruiting front has been clear for months, according to multiple recruiting services.
Priorities No. 1 and 2 are five-star combo guard Jalen Green of Napa, California, and five-star power forward Greg Brown of Austin, Texas. Green, the third-ranked recruit in the Class of 2020, is projected by 247Sports to land at Auburn. But Rivals recruiting analyst Corey Evans wrote recently, “Memphis is still the program to beat” for Green.
Brown’s 247Sports “Crystal Ball” prediction is still Texas, although some national recruiting reporters — specifically Evans and The Athletic’s Andrew Slater — expect him to end up at Memphis. Last week, Evans called the Tigers “the slight leader” for Brown.
Green’s initial plan was to commit on Christmas Day. When that changed, he indicated an intention to announce soon after the conclusion of his high school basketball season, which could come in early April after the GEICO Nationals in New York. Recently, Brown’s father (Greg Brown Sr.) told Adam Zagoria, who covers recruiting, that his son will likely wait until late April to announce his decision.
If Lausanne junior five-star big man Moussa Cisse opts to reclassify to the Class of 2020, the Tigers are in a good position to land him, according to Evans. Cisse would join Isaiah Stokes, who is sitting out this season at Memphis after transferring from Florida in August, and Malcolm Dandridge in the frontcourt next season.
Should those on the current roster who are eligible to return actually do so, there won’t be much room for many more additions. Hardaway said signing high school players isn’t the only avenue he’s exploring.
“We’re looking at a couple of junior college players and grad transfers,” he said. “We’re trying to get older, for sure.”
With Wiseman gone, Hardaway believes many of the Tigers’ problems have stemmed from youth with just one senior, three sophomores and seven freshmen.
Hardaway said he doesn’t regret bringing in so many freshmen because it was done with the assumption Wiseman’s talent — and his ability to make others better — would account for the inexperience. But he admitted this year’s struggles may give him pause in the future if he has the opportunity to bring on that many freshmen.
“It doesn’t change my mind about going after talent,” he said. “You want to get talent. Will you get seven freshmen again at one time? Who knows? This is a veteran’s league. But you’re getting talent and you’re building it. (But) without D.J. (Jeffries, who is done for the season with an injury), without James being here, it’s a totally different team.”
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.