The Memphis Zoo turned into a basketball launch pad Tuesday night, and 3,594 fans showed up for the 2026 edition of Memphis Madness, dubbed Zoo Hoops, to greet both Memphis teams as the 2026-27 season gets rolling.
The night mixed live entertainment with on-court showcases, including a three-point contest, but it also served a bigger purpose: giving the Tigers a real chance to connect with their fan base in person. That mattered especially for first-year women’s coach Hana Haden and her group, who got one of their first major public moments with Memphis supporters.
"We talk about, you know, it is our responsibility to get out and engage with our community," Haden said during a press conference after the event. "We have made a concerted effort to get out there and serve as much as we can; so it means a lot to see them return the favor and come out and support us."
On the men’s side, Penny Hardaway knows exactly what Memphis basketball means to this city. The Memphis native and ninth-year head coach left the zoo impressed by the turnout and the atmosphere around the event.
"Just an unbelievable event at the zoo, for a lot of reasons," he said. "I know Beale Street was really good last year, but this toped it.
So next year, I don't even know what it's going to be. But at the end of the day, it was a great night at the zoo.
Good to see the kids out, good to see all the fans and their energy. It was just a positive atmosphere."
Hardaway’s team will open its season Nov. 2 on the road at Iowa State. Before that, Memphis will play exhibition games in late October against Mississippi State and Arkansas.
The women’s team has a different buildup. Haden said the Tigers won’t have any public exhibition games before their home opener against LeMoyne-Owen on the same day as the men’s opener. Instead, they’ll hold closed scrimmages while preparing for a season that has already nearly reached a record in season-ticket sales.
"We love hearing that all of our floor seats are sold out and we're looking forward to getting people into Elma Roane to get a chance to look at our team," she said. "I'd still like to sell a few more season tickets and I know we're getting close. I'm competitive, so when I know we're in a ballpark of a record, I want to go get that."
In Other News...
Memphis Clears Up What Penny Hardaways Roster Promise Really Means
After a difficult season, Memphis is still trying to steady the basketball programs footing, and the latest clarification from athletic director Ed Scott helps explain one of the more talked-about parts of Penny Hardaways commitment. The Tigers are working with a $9 million roster budget as they rebuild, and Hardaways promise is tied to making sure the programs fundraising plan gets where it needs to go by the end of the fiscal year.
Scott said Hardaway has not directly paid players, but has agreed to cover any shortfall in the roster budget with his own money if the fundraising comes up short, up to $2.6 million. It is a notable show of support for a program trying to bounce back, and it underscores how much of Memphis immediate future depends on closing that gap as it tries to put a better roster together. [Read more 🡒]