Quick decisions helped Hardaway get Tigers transfer forward Maurice
Nothing. That's what Memphis Tigers basketball junior Isaiah Maurice said he really knew about basketball when he arrived as a freshman at Kansas State in 2015. His time with Bruce Weber's Wildcats was a rude awakening for a player fresh out of prep school. Nothing. That's how Maurice described Levelland, Texas, the town where South Plains College is located. It's also the place where he led his team to a junior college national championship after departing from Kansas State. Nothing. That's what Maurice believes is holding him back from being one of the top contributors on Penny Hardaway's first Memphis Tigers team, which hosts UAB on Saturday at noon (ESPN3). He's completing his long journey to become the college player he always knew he could be.
"Wipe the slate clean," Maurice thought as he arrived at Memphis this summer. "It won't be easy. I don't expect anyone to think it would be easy."
Just a year earlier, the 6-foot-10 forward wasn't even sure where he would play in junior college. Not until South Plains assistant coach Justin Brown discovered Maurice was scheduled for a 6 a.m. workout at his old prep school and made the four-plus-hour trek overnight from Washington D.C. to Durham, N.C.
"I knew from the day that I saw him work out that morning we would have a chance to win the national championship," Brown said. "He's so skilled. He's rare."
Maurice was dismissed from Kansas State in June 2017 due to a violation of team rules. He redshirted his freshman season with the Wildcats and averaged 8.8 minutes and 3.0 points during the 2016-17 campaign.
The forward knew the spoils of playing for a Division I program and already had a grasp on the style of high-level college basketball.
So when Brown arrived for the workout that morning, he knew he had to be honest about the less-glamorous side of junior college hoops. There were no opportunities to sell future dreams.
What Brown didn't know was that Maurice would commit to South Plains just a few hours after their meeting.
How Isaiah Maurice ended up in Memphis
Was the decision impulsive? Absolutely. But Maurice said it was also correct. "I saw the vision that coach Brown was telling me," Maurice said. "I could tell he had watched tons of film on me from when I left K-State, and it just felt like a good move."
So he didn't hesitate, and that vision was brought to life when Maurice averaged 18.5 points on the way to a junior college national championship last March.
And what worked once he wasn't afraid to try again.
Before he received interest from other Division I programs, Maurice visited and committed to New Mexico on the same day.
Four months later, he made another abrupt decision when he flipped from the Lobos to Memphis.
For Brown, the news that the Tigers wanted to host Maurice on an official visit "came out of nowhere" because he was still committed to New Mexico.
But out sight from the South Plains coaches, Hardaway had connected with Maurice's former prep coach at Bull City, Daryl Harris, to talk about the prospect.
Harris and Hardaway had an instant bond between AAU basketball ties, and a mutual friend in former Phoenix Suns player Rodney Rogers.
"We got together and realized that our connections were not accidental," Harris said. "We felt like this was God's plan. When Penny laid out his plan for Isaiah, I was like 'Man, this is a nobrainer.'"
Harris, who traveled to Memphis on his own to be with Maurice for the visit, said Hardaway's plan included making him a featured player, even with the possibility of future five-star recruits looming.
"I've never been one of the more highly recruited guys or had the most popularity," Maurice said. "To me, all of that doesn't matter. I feel like I'm just as skilled as those guys are."
And by the time Hardaway's pitch was over, Harris and Maurice knew it was a done deal. He was going to be a Tiger.
In fact, the hardest part for Maurice's second recruitment was telling the New Mexico coaches about change in heart, according to Harris. The Lobos had a recruit swept out from under them in a matter of "four or five days."
"Penny didn't like the idea of 'stealing' someone else's player, but it was clear that Memphis was going to be the right fit," Harris said. "And Isaiah was ready to go."
"I was ready to get out of Levelland, Texas," Maurice added. "Nothing against it, but it's in the middle of nowhere."
He felt nothing like the same player who showed up to Kansas State thinking the college game would be easy three years ago.
Maurice and Hardaway's relationship
Maurice played a season-high 21 minutes, scored 10 points, and grabbed eight rebounds Tuesday in Memphis' win over South Dakota State. He's averaging 12 minutes and 5.4 points.
"It's games like this that I knew he could play like," Hardaway said Tuesday. "I think we're going to see more of this by Isaiah Maurice. He's a talent that we have to get more minutes to and let him play, and we feel like we're going to get more of this from him."
Hardaway and Maurice met for a heart-to-heart conversation about the junior's comfort level last week. In that talk, the coach challenged his big man to do more than score.
"He told me he wants me to box out harder, deflect more passes, be more aggressive with blocks," Maurice said. "It's all stuff I've done before, but I wasn't challenged with until I got back to this level. The first thing is, I have to stay out of foul trouble."
The junior tagged his overall confidence this season around "80-90 out of 100," and credited he and Hardaway's personal connection for his recent play.
Maurice, like Hardaway, wants nothing to distract him from the season he worked so hard to reach.
"My sights aren't on next year — or getting big recruits for next year," Maurice said. "It's on this team right now, and we'll do whatever it takes to help win. That's the biggest reason why fans should care about the players' success."