Why Larry Brown is so confident about Memphis basketball's prospects ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Fresh off the practice floor for the first time as a Memphis basketball assistant, Larry Brown took his seat in front of a microphone and a small group of local media Monday morning at the Laurie Walton Family Basketball Center.
He took a few seconds, quietly surveyed the room, then admitted he was a little nervous.
“It's been quite a while since I've done this stuff, so I apologize,” said the 80-year-old Brown, adding he spent his first practice – which he likened to a fire drill – as an official of Penny Hardaway's coaching staff learning names and terminology.
While he might have been out of practice, Brown is very familiar with facing reporters and sitting in front of cameras. The Hall of Famer has won more than 1,000 games as an NBA coach and is the only coach to win an NBA and an NCAA title.
But Brown also made it clear that whatever nerves he might have experienced had nothing to do with what Memphis can expect for the 2021-22 season. The Tigers have won 20-plus games under Hardaway in each of his first three seasons and won the National Invitation Tournament last season. The core of that team – Landers Nolley II, Deandre Williams, Alex Lomax and Lester Quinones – are expected to be back for another season. Hardaway has welcomed a group of newcomers with their own impressive sets of credentials.
Brown – who spent the weekend on the recruiting trail with Hardaway and assistant coach Cody Toppert – walked off the practice floor Monday more convinced than ever that Memphis is positioned for success.
“I told Penny, ‘This can be like Georgetown, like Gonzaga,' ” said Brown. “We're not in a Power 5 (conmember
ference), but this can be anything we want it to be.”
Brown, whose most recent work at the collegiate level was a four-season stint at SMU that ended in 2016, said having Hardaway at the top immediately gives the Tigers a recruiting advantage over most schools in the country. But, he said, it takes more than that, such as the kind of support Memphis gets from the community.
“I went out to eat with the Wilfong family the other night,” Brown said. “Before I walked into the restaurant, eight women were walking out and they gave me a standing ovation. That kind of made me understand what this program means. In Dallas, my first two years (at SMU), I could go to any restaurant and they would say, ‘There's a nice 75-yearold man eating dinner with his family.' ”
For Hardaway, finally getting Brown on board is already paying off. During their recruiting trip to Philadelphia, Brown was a hit with players who remember him as the former coach of the 76ers when Allen Iverson was the face of that franchise. Hardaway said whatever advantage the Tigers may gain in recruiting was far from the No. 1 priority when it came to Brown.
“Iron sharpens iron,” Hardaway said. “Just how widely respected he is as one of the smartest coaches and best coaches to ever coach the game – I've always wanted to be around greatness. That's why I kept fighting to get him here. He's helped me tremendously in the few days he's been here, just talking about scenarios, how to do certain things during practice and how to approach things.
“Usually, they're really good and I use them. So, that's (why I wanted to hire him).”
Penny's marching orders to his new assistant coach: just be yourself.
“I told Penny when he talked to me about it, you know, I've coached some of the greatest players ever. I've sat next to some of the greatest coaches ever. And, I played for maybe the best coaches ever,” Brown said. “So, I want to share everything I was taught. I'm not here to invent Memphis basketball. I'm here to share what Penny needs from me.”
How long it will last is up to Brown, according to Hardaway.
“It's on him. I think he's been rejuvenated after being out of it for a few years,” Hardaway said. “I think he's excited about being back involved. Like he says, smelling the gym. Who knows, we're just going to enjoy him while he's here.”
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.