Hardaway name resonates with today’s players
PHILADELPHIA — None of the star basketball players at this year's American Athletic Conference media day are old enough to remember Penny Hardaway in his prime.
But that doesn't mean the first-year Memphis coach's brand fails to resonate with them. They've all done plenty of homework on Hardaway.
A little more than three years ago, the NBA Reel YouTube channel uploaded a video of Hardaway's top 10 career plays. That clip of Hardaway dishing out flashy assists and dunking on defenders has north of 1.3 million views and more than 6,000 likes.
Several of those views came from players who roamed the halls of the Philadelphia airport hotel Monday. There are countless more videos across the web highlighting Hardaway's glory days at Memphis State and as a superstar with the Orlando Magic in the 1990s.
"I'm only 21, but I still watch him now considering there are so many outlets where you can on social media and stuff like that," Wichita State senior Markis McDuffie said, adding he has fallen asleep at night occasionally with Hardaway's highlights playing on the screen in front of him. "I watch guys like Penny, (Michael Jordan) and Tracy McGrady all the time.
"I definitely see (Hardaway) as one of the best players to ever play in the NBA."
Several of Hardaway's highlight videos on social media platforms have been viewed more than a million times. The new Tigers coach was also the focal point of an episode of ESPN's wildly popular documentary series "30 for 30."
"This Magic Moment" premiered in 2016.
"He's a guy we look up to," UConn senior Eric Cobb said. "... He's hope for the youth."
In addition to Hardaway's 6-foot-7 stature, which is towering in comparison to the rest of the AAC's coaches, those online video montages and documentaries make him a distinguishable figure the players can relate to and appreciate.
At 6-foot-8, McDuffie stands slightly taller than Hardaway and plays mostly forward instead of guard. But he admitted he tries to model parts of his game after the four-time NBA AllStar.
"Guys like him are the culture of basketball now," McDuffie said. "6foot-7 guys who can handle the ball. He pretty much started that."
"I was just sitting down next to the Memphis team, and I looked over and had a moment with myself," UConn fifth-year senior Tarin Smith said. "I was like, 'Wait, that's Penny Hardaway. He's an all-time great in the NBA. He changed the guard position.'"
The rest of the league's coaches are aware of the kind of influence Hardaway and the Hardaway name wields. Many, like Cincinnati's Mick Cronin and Temple's Fran Dunphy, said they could see their players' excitement and respect for Hardaway when meeting him.
Tigers guard Jeremiah Martin laughed it off when asked what it's like to have the coolest coach in the league. Now, to him, Hardaway is just an everyday figure in his life, but he understands why so many other players get excited to see him.
"I would say pretty much all of us have watched his highlights online," Smith said. "If not that, they've probably seen his '30 for 30.' If not that, they probably had his shoes. I had myself a few pairs of Pennys when I was growing up."
Perhaps the only player who didn't grow up having some sort of admiration for Hardaway was the Tigers' other player representative, Kyvon Davenport. Davenport didn't start playing basketball until the ninth grade and wasn't interest in professional sports during his childhood.
"To me, the respect comes a different way," Davenport said. "I just see him as a high school coach, and a (former) professional player who is just used to winning."