Memphis Tigers basketball coach Penny Hardaway has saved it a household affair after appointing his godson, Darrell Brown Jr., as director of participant growth. It is the most recent transfer made by Hardaway in his employees after selling Jermaine Johnson from director of analytics to assistant coach.
Like Hardaway, Brown is a legend in Memphis, starring at Germantown Excessive Faculty and ending as its all-time main scorer. Earlier than becoming a member of the Tigers, he served as director of participant growth for the Bradley Braves.
Other than shoring up his employees, the 53-year-old Hardaway can be eager on injecting the roster with extra expertise. The NBA legend admitted that they nonetheless must fill a particular spot.
“The roster is completed, at this level,” mentioned the Tigers coach in a report from the Memphis Business Enchantment’s Jason Munz. “We’ve obtained to get huge. So, we’re nonetheless on the lookout for another person as effectively.”
Munz famous that Memphis has already signed 13 gamers, leaving the squad with solely two open scholarships to supply.
“Solely two Tigers—Aaron Bradshaw and Simon Majok—are taller than 6-8. Majok, a local of South Sudan who has spent the previous three years taking part in professionally in Serbia, signed with Memphis on June 30. Majok has not but reported to campus, and Hardaway doesn’t have an anticipated arrival date,” wrote Munz.
Hardaway, a four-time NBA All-Star, is not new to recruiting high quality gamers. Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren, New Orleans Pelicans’ Lester Quinones, Boston Celtics’ Josh Minott, and free brokers Valuable Achiuwa, Emoni Bates, and James Wiseman are simply a few of the well-known expertise he coached at Memphis.
Hardaway steered the Tigers to a formidable 29-6 report final season, together with a conference-leading 16-2 within the AAC. They earned a fifth seed within the NCAA Event however had been upset by Colorado State, 78-70, within the first spherical.
Discovering a dependable huge man would positively assist Memphis bounce again from the powerful exit. Hardaway can be not backing away from any problem within the upcoming season, together with non-conference video games in opposition to Baylor, Vanderbilt, UNLV, and Louisville, amongst others.