Penny Hardaway remains confident that Memphis basketball's leading scorer, David Jones, will return for the 2024-25 season.
The Tigers' seventh-year coach expects most, if not all, of the revamped roster to be on campus by early June. He expects most, if not all, of the new players to be a better fit with his coaching philosophy. And Hardaway expects most, if not all, of the newcomers to Memphis will have a keen understanding of how important every game on the schedule is.
Hardaway recently spoke publicly for the first time since the team's season ended on March 14. April 12 during a WMC Action News 5 interview with Matt Infield and Dave Woloshin on “The Coach Penny Hardaway Show,” which last aired (and was taped) late Sunday night. ), Hardaway addressed a variety of topics, including the evaluation of the 2023-24 season as undesirable for him.
“Yes, it's been tough. It's certainly (the season) the toughest,” said Hardaway, who was hired before the 2018-19 season. “It was really difficult.”
Here are some other highlights.
Will David Jones return to Memphis basketball?
On April 20, Jones declared for the NBA Draft. But the Tigers' leading scorer and rebounder from last season could (and might) return for next season in Memphis.
Hardaway said in March that he believes the chances of Jones returning in 2024-2025 are in the program's favor.
“It's probably going to be 60-40, 70-30,” he said just before the season ended.
He still likes Memphis' chances.
“Jones is definitely trying to pursue his dreams in the NBA,” Hardaway said on the show. “He wasn't on any draft boards. Could he do something special? Yes. But usually when you're not on a draft board, they want you back. So I think we'll come back with 70 wins and 30 losses. That's just my feeling.”
Jones' most recent public comments on the issue came in early April during an appearance on a sports talk show in his native Dominican Republic.
“I don't know yet. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself with that decision, because if I put pressure on myself, I might make another decision,” he said. That's not the right thing. ”
Penny Hardaway acts with urgency
One of the common themes over the past few offseasons for Memphis has been the length of the schedule. It has become almost standard procedure for multiple players to arrive on campus in July, August and September, rather than late May or early June.
Last season, more than half of the 15-man roster missed the first two months of offseason training and conditioning. Not so this year.
“I'm absolutely adamant about getting everyone here by June, by the first summer session,” Hardaway said. “That's never happened to me. Every team I've ever been on, the players had to go to a second session of summer school or were trying to decide whether to go to the NBA.
“Everyone I'm recruiting right now, I'm not thinking about testing the (draft) waters. It's really only David Jones. But everyone else is looking to come right away.”
Memphis has five players committed to transfer. The program signed one freshman. Forward Nicolas Jourdan also reiterated on Sunday's show that he will be back in a Tigers uniform next season.
This leaves Hardaway with six scholarships.
Penny Hardaway re-establishes her culture
One of Hardaway's biggest regrets for the 2023-24 season is moving away from the identity he worked so hard to establish in Memphis.
Speaking on Sunday's show, he insisted there would be no repeat of this in 2024-2025.
“When we get back to our true selves, there's going to be more gritty grunge guys,” Hardaway said. “We didn't have any knocks on this year's team, but we were an attack-minded team. Anyone who knows me knows that my teams all start on defense.
“Obviously we're going to need some shooting. But the shooters are going to be tough. The shooters are going to be the grunge guys.”
Memphis has guards PJ Haggerty, Tyrese Hunter, Colby Rogers, Baraka Okojie and big man Dain Dainja all signed.
Another characteristic Hardaway is looking for in a new costume is a deeper understanding of the big picture. AAC play is just as important as nonconference games against higher-profile opponents.
“We don't need players coming in who don't understand what this league is about,” he said. “(In the past) once you got into the conference, people started looking down on North Texas, UTSA and Rice, but you can't do that.”
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penny hardaway's mother
After the Tigers' season-ending loss to Wichita State, Hardaway said he did not intend to accept an NIT bid, mainly because his mother, Faye, is hospitalized and battling throat cancer.
He said on Sunday's show that this is just part of the health struggles she has endured since the summer of 2023.
“She experienced COVID-19, pneumonia, congestive heart failure, throat cancer, an intestinal obstruction and had to undergo LASIK surgery,” he said. “All these things are going on and we are still fighting and fighting.”
Contact sportswriter Jason Munz or follow him at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com. @munzly on the social media app X, formerly known as Twitter.