In the world of women's college basketball, the Memphis Tigers have a storied past that fans from the mid-to-late '90s might fondly recall. Back then, the landscape of college sports was a different beast altogether.
Fast forward to today, and the Tigers are set to bring back Penny Hardaway for a ninth season, hoping to recapture some of that past glory. It's a nod to a time when conference alignments made more geographic sense, and the rules around player compensation were quite different. Memphis was part of Conference USA alongside Louisville, and the competition was fierce.
One of the high points for the Memphis women's basketball team came in 1998. They clinched a thrilling 79-75 victory over Louisville to take home the Conference USA Tournament title. This was their second conference win in three years, earning them a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive time under the guidance of the late, great coach Joye Lee-McNelis.
However, since that golden era, the Tigers have faced a challenging road. Over the past 28 years, and under four different head coaches, Memphis has not managed to secure another conference title or make a return to the NCAA Tournament. The recent seasons have been tough, with the team finishing their third consecutive losing season and missing out on the conference tournament, a fate shared by only two other teams in the American Conference.
As Memphis looks to the future, the goal is clear: to rebuild and return to the prominence they once enjoyed. With Hardaway at the helm, there's hope that the Tigers can once again roar on the national stage.