After seeing Memphis tee off on No. 16 Ole Miss on Saturday, I believe I’m able to acknowledge one thing.
I’m a longtime Memphis skeptic, however now I’m getting on board. Penny Hardaway has a critical workforce, one that may be greater than a flash within the pan come March.
Hardaway has been the topic of loads of criticism, loads of it deserved, since he was employed from a highschool teaching job to take over his alma mater, one of many proudest mid-majors in America. In his first six seasons, he solely reached two NCAA Tournaments, successful only one sport.
The opposite seasons had been largely characterised by middling performances within the American Athletic Convention, a league the Tigers have had the expertise to tear by way of. Final January, for one instance, they misplaced 4 in a row in January after a 15-2 begin to the yr—capped by a house loss to Rice, of all groups—however some AP voters had been nonetheless throwing a number of votes Memphis’ approach due to, I dunno, the model?
Gamers got here out and in of this system lengthy earlier than the portal was really in vogue. There was the James Wiseman eligibility debacle and a workforce that had not solely Wiseman (for 3 video games) but additionally future NBA gamers Valuable Achiuwa and Lester Quinones nonetheless underachieved. Hardaway cursed out the media after a loss in January 2022, when the questions began getting extra pointed earlier than the coach made his first tourney.
Even this very fall, Hardaway fired his total teaching workers about two months earlier than the season—and we nonetheless don’t actually know why.
Chaos mixed with losses to the Tulanes and Rices of the world made it simple to not take Hardaway’s program significantly, however I’m not one to argue with outcomes.
When Memphis upended Ole Miss on Saturday, handing the Rebels simply their second lack of the season, it marked the Tigers’ eighth win towards Quads 1 and a pair of—that they had six all of final season. The Tigers have gone 10-3 towards the fifth-hardest schedule within the nation. And Memphis beat Ole Miss in each aspect of the sport, recovering from a loss to Mississippi State the prior week that Hardaway admitted the workforce was too exhausted to be at their greatest for.
Hardaway spoke to “The Discipline of 68: After Darkish” on Saturday evening, and I used to be most impressed along with his reply when requested about Memphis quieting its doubters.
“I got here in as a beginner and I actually thought it was gonna be a lot simpler than what it was as a result of I knew the sport, I knew I used to be gonna work,” Hardaway stated. “My largest downside was the tradition. My tradition was by no means actually good up till this yr.
“I failed at a variety of issues, and it pissed off me as a result of I believed that it was gonna be higher. The criticism was warranted. All I did was simply attempt to suck it up and go, ‘OK, you understand what you are able to do.’ I went out and acquired a workers that I used to be very comfy with and that allowed me to be me.”
That’s somebody who’s accomplished some real self-reflection and progress. Somebody who isn’t going to let one other workforce unravel late within the season.
One thing that can assist Hardaway is a roster that isn’t top-heavy. There’s a superb mixture of veterans who’ve performed for successful packages (Tyrese Hunter, Dain Dainja), a fearless lead scorer (PJ Haggerty) and glue guys like Nick Jourdain and Colby Rogers, who shot 6-of-9 from three for 28 factors towards Ole Miss.
This workforce already didn’t care for enterprise for a should-win dwelling sport towards Arkansas State simply three weeks in the past, however you understand what? I’ll forgive and overlook. I simply need to see Memphis not get pushed round by Florida Atlantic on Thursday to open AAC play. If the Tigers care for enterprise in January and February, Hardaway’s critics will solely get quieter.