Memphis needs Hardaway more than he needs Memphis
This is about a college basketball coach without an NCAA Tournament appearance or a top-four finish in conference play after two years on the job.
He went from securing the best recruiting class in the country one year to securing one that features a junior college product and two transfers who may not be available the next.
He’s also dealing with a major NCAA infractions case that could alter the future of his program. He just lost his top assistant coach. And he’s entering the last year of his contract.
Let’s pretend for a moment this coach is not named Penny Hardaway.
Would that coach be facing a lot of pressure right now? Probably.
Now let’s jump back to reality. If that coach is Penny Hardaway at Memphis, he’s not.
He’s just different than every other coach in the country. His path to getting the job was different. His motivation for taking the job is different. His connection to the city he works in is different. Even the way he speaks and dresses and carries himself is different.
So the recent revelation that Hardaway
earned $3 million from equipment/shoe contracts during fiscal year 2019, a fact The Commercial Appeal learned via documents obtained through an open records request with the university, shouldn’t be all that surprising.
Hardaway is different than every other college basketball coach in the country.
It’s why this new fact simply reinforces a notion just about anyone who roots for the Tigers knew the moment Hardaway took over the Memphis basketball program in March 2018: The university needs Hardaway a lot more than he needs the university.
It’s why, even though the results on the court haven’t quite lived up to the hype off the court at this point, Memphis fans have returned to Fedexforum in droves since Hardaway was hired. Most of them still believe in Hardaway, still believe he’s the right man to return Memphis basketball to its place among college basketball’s elite.
We also knew Hardaway has had an endorsement deal with Nike since his playing days in the NBA, back when “Lil’ Penny” became a national phenomenon. His 1 Cent brand and shoe line play a big role in how relevant Hardaway still is with this generation of basketball players. We just didn’t know
ward to is an enormous step forward,” he said.
When the season was suspended March 11, the Grizzlies were 3.5 games ahead of Portland, New Orleans and Sacramento. Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Clarke and Grayson Allen were all sidelined with injuries. Jackson and Clarke were closing in on returning to the floor, but Allen was ruled out for the rest of the season in January with a hip injury. Whether enough time has passed to allow Allen to recover is unclear.
“We still need to sort through where we are in terms of official medical disclosures and being in the middle of the hiatus,” Wexler said. “But we're pleased with what our guys have done during the hiatus from an individual workout perspective. They've worked closely with our performance team and things are progressing in the right direction.”
The Grizzlies coaching staff is also one person short. Assistant Niele Ivey was named Notre Dame's women's coach in April. Wexler declined to say whether the team will fill the vacancy before play resumes.
Wexler also declined to disclose whether anyone in the Grizzlies organization has tested positive for COVID-19, but expressed confidence in the NBA'S plan to create a safe working environment.
“The league has spent a lot of time and energy, and developed a lot of expertise, to try and come up with as good and safe a plan as they can for the resumption of play in a campus environment,” he said. “I think there's a lot of confidence throughout the league that the folks at home office are doing the best they can to create the best possible environment for everybody to return to play.”
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.