Memphis basketball FAQ: Franklin eligibility, lineups

The Memphis basketball team’s season opener is rapidly approaching — 69 days away and counting, as of this writing.

In the meantime, there’s been very little slowdown within the program. The past couple of weeks have seen a flurry of changes to a roster that had already undergone quite a few of them this offseason. These moves come on the heels of several coaching staff moves and likely ahead of a couple more.

All this activity raises plenty of questions, some of which are asked more frequently than others. Let’s address some of the more prevalent inquiries brought about by the Tigers’ latest news and developments.

Will Damaria Franklin be eligible to play this season?

Damaria Franklin announced Monday he was joining the Memphis basketball team.

The Illinois-chicago transfer guard (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) is a senior transfer who played two seasons at a Missouri junior college before spending the 2020-21 season at Tennessee Tech. Franklin then transferred to UIC, where he earned All-horizon League honors last season, averaging 17.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game.

Since he is a two-time transfer, he needs an NCAA waiver to be eligible to play at Memphis immediately. Franklin told The Commercial Appeal on Monday afternoon that he was in the process of filing his waiver request.

There is no deadline the NCAA must meet in ruling on any waiver request. That means a ruling could come later this week or halfway through the season. In addition, there is no guarantee the NCAA will approve Franklin’s waiver request.

That said, Memphis is optimistic Franklin will eventually receive a waiver. That’s largely because UIC has

granted Franklin his full and unconditional release, a move typically regarded as an important precursor to the NCAA’S ultimate decision.

If so, what will the lineups look like?

Kendric Davis will be on the floor, that much we know.

Deandre Williams, assuming he’s healthy — and there’ve been no indications to the contrary thus far — will also play a lot. The guess here is Malcolm Dandridge will be given every opportunity to win the starting job at center as Kao Akobundu-ehiogu grows accustomed to his new surroundings.

Earlier this month, we thought Emmanuel Akot was a cinch for a starting spot. Then, he high-tailed it for Western Kentucky leaving quite a bit of upheaval in his wake. Is it possible Franklin will slide into the shooting guard spot and the 6-5 Keonté Kennedy can shift into more of a wing role?

One of the main hits the Tigers take (on paper, at least) by Akot’s departure is a downturn in 3-point shooting. Akot shot 38.7% from beyond the arc at Boise State last season. Jayden Hardaway is the only player left from last season’s Tigers with a better 3-point shooting percentage than that, but he only attempted 26 triples. Kennedy shot 31.1% at

UTEP last season and Franklin connected on just 29.7% of his tries from deep at UIC. So, if coach Penny Hardaway is looking to increase Memphis’ looks at the perimeter, does he put Alex Lomax at point guard and switch Davis to the two, with either Kennedy or Franklin at the three?

What will Larry Brown’s title be and will he travel for road games?

A couple of weeks ago, Hall of Famer Larry Brown told The Commercial Appeal he was indeed returning for a second season on Hardaway’s staff.

At the time, he knew he wasn’t coming back as a traditional assistant coach, as he was last season. Hardaway hired Frank Haith, Faragi Phillips and

Andy Borman to handle those duties. Brown knew he was returning to provide the kind of support that only he can regardless of title, even if he wasn’t sure what that title would be yet.

While it hasn’t been finalized, a source within the athletic department told The Commercial Appeal that Brown’s title will likely have an advisory ring to it. Because of that, some have assumed that Brown won’t be on the bench during games and won’t travel for the Tigers’ away games.

A source told The Commercial Appeal that Brown is expected to be on the bench for all games (home and away) this season.

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.