Hardaway assumes control of struggling Memphis offense
Penny Hardaway’s days as a player’s coach might be over.
When his Tigers take the floor Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPN2) at Tulane in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams, a more heavy-handed version of Hardaway may emerge. If
Memphis continues its pattern of conduct detrimental to the team, the thirdyear coach promised Tuesday the disciplinarian in him will emerge.
“I’ve kind of challenged my staff and I to be more diligent and more strict on situations instead of allowing them to fester,” he said. “We’ll come in today and have a beautiful practice. Everybody’s on board. Then, when the game starts, people deviate. You have to put the team before yourself, and a couple guys just aren’t willing to do that, man.
“It ----- me off. Obviously, I have my fair share of things, as a coach, that I have to take responsibility for. If we lose, I’m taking the hit every time, which is fine. But I don’t like the fact that we’re doing well in practice, then as soon as the game starts, we separate. We have to stay together. And if the guys aren’t trying to do that, you’ve got to pull ‘em.”
Memphis (4-3) has gotten off to a slow start this season and is coming off a narrow loss to Auburn in which it missed a dozen free throws, 16 layups and three dunks. The Tigers’ inability to execute in those situations has become an increas
ingly disturbing trend. The team’s numbers and where they rank in Division I continue to belie the hype that accompany many of the players throughout the recruiting process.
The offense is 222nd in the nation in effective field goal percentage (46.8) and 103rd in the country in adjusted efficiency. Memphis is averaging 0.83 points per possession, a number in the bottom quarter of all Division I teams.
So, starting this week, Hardaway has assumed control of the offense – in addition to being in charge of the defense.
“(Assistant coach Cody Toppert) is kind of like our offensive coordinator,” Hardaway said. “He’s been doing a fantastic job. (But) I’ve kind of taken over the reins from that since the Auburn game. Kind of wanted to get back to kind of what I like to do.”
Hardaway said it’s a mostly a matter of comfort for him.
“I’m just a basic guy,” he said. “When I (coached) in high school … I just did both sides of the ball. (But) I find myself during games trying to get locked in, because I’m more of the defensive mind of the team. But now I need to have both. That’s no knock on Cody. He does a beautiful job. He works his butt off. But for me to be comfortable, I’ve got to get back to the things I used to do.”
Whether these things yield positive results will largely depend on how well Memphis handles Tulane’s zone defense. The Green Wave (4-0) are holding opponents to a 39.4 effective field goal percentage, the seventh-best clip in the country. The Tigers struggled at times against zone last season, but it’s been a different story through the first seven games in 2020-21.
Memphis has faced zone on 17.8% of its possessions and is shooting 47% against it, averaging 1 point per possession (which ranks in the top 35% of Division I).
“Coach (Ron) Hunter, playing that zone, is going to have those guys fired up,” Hardaway said. “I’m very confident we’re going to get the looks we need. Now, making the shots, on the other hand, is on the boys. They have to take care of business. We have to go in and get a win by any means.”
The Tigers could have another potentially valuable weapon at its disposal for the first time this season at Fogelman Arena. The Division I Council is expected to vote on a proposal that would grant immediate eligibility to those transfers still awaiting a decision from the NCAA. The proposal is reportedly expected to pass, and Hardaway said Williams (who has been stuck in limbo for weeks while his former school Evansville, Memphis and the NCAA have tried to hash things out) would be a welcome addition.
“Deandre is our best all-around player,” Hardaway said. “He brings energy. He holds guys to a higher standard. If that rule passes (Wednesday), he will be on the floor (against Tulane).”