Memphis Basketball’s Rocky Start: Penny Hardaway Faces the Fallout of a Roster Reset
The Memphis Tigers are in unfamiliar territory - and not in a good way. Sitting at 4-7, with a pair of losing streaks already in the books, Penny Hardaway’s eighth season at the helm has turned into a grind before the calendar even flips to conference play. And while the record speaks volumes, it’s the deeper context behind the Tigers’ struggles that tells the full story.
This isn’t just a team trying to find its rhythm. It’s a roster that’s been rebuilt from scratch - literally.
Not a single player from last season’s squad is back. That kind of turnover is rare, even in the modern transfer portal era, and it’s left Memphis looking like a team still trying to learn each other’s names, let alone gel on the court.
So how did we get here?
A Calculated Gamble That Didn’t Pay Off
Hardaway made a strategic bet this offseason - and he’s owning it. The Tigers’ head coach decided to hold off on locking in key players from the transfer portal while he waited on two potential difference-makers: All-American guard PJ Haggerty and all-conference big man Dain Dainja.
“We were really talking to a lot of guys,” Hardaway explained after Memphis’ latest loss at Mississippi State on Dec. 20. “But we couldn’t afford to get them and then also possibly get Dain or PJ.”
It was a high-risk, high-reward play. Unfortunately for Memphis, the reward never came.
Haggerty eventually committed to Kansas State in late May, and the NCAA denied Dainja’s waiver request for another season in late June. By that point, many of the top-tier transfer options were off the board.
Hardaway was left scrambling.
“We didn’t go and get the guys that really fit the system,” he admitted. “Now, we’re just trying to get the guys with talent and then mold them to the system.”
That’s a tough way to build a team, especially in a sport where chemistry and continuity matter more than ever. And while Hardaway stands by his decision to wait on Haggerty and Dainja - “those were two players that would turn your team around,” he said - he also acknowledged that the experience has reshaped his approach moving forward.
“I think the process moving forward is you just have to take more of an approach to get the guys that you know will play like you want to play,” he said.
The Transfer Portal Exodus
It’s not just about who didn’t arrive - it’s also about who left. Several players from last year’s team still had eligibility but chose to move on. That list includes PJ Carter (now at LSU), Dante Harris (Tennessee State), Baraka Okojie (Mercer), Jared Harris (Wyoming), Damarien “Dink” Yates (Alabama State), and Bouna Kebe (Delaware).
Of that group, only Carter, Okojie, and Dante Harris played more than 11 minutes per game last season, and none cracked 15 minutes per contest. Still, in today’s college basketball landscape, limited playing time often leads to the portal.
“If they don’t play a lot of minutes, they’re going to want to transfer,” Hardaway said.
That’s the reality of coaching in this era. Player movement is constant, and roster construction has become a year-round chess match. For Memphis, the result has been a team full of new faces trying to find footing in a system they weren’t necessarily recruited to fit.
Searching for Identity
The Tigers’ current skid - including a four-game losing streak followed by a current three-game slide - isn’t just about talent. It’s about cohesion.
It’s about identity. And right now, Memphis is still searching for both.
This isn’t the first time Hardaway has had to retool on the fly, but the stakes feel different this year. The expectations remain high, and the patience is thinning - not just from fans, but from a coach who knows the standard he’s set.
There’s still time to turn things around. But if this season has made anything clear, it’s that the margin for error in today’s college basketball world is razor-thin. One missed opportunity, one delayed decision, and the dominoes start to fall fast.
For Memphis, the challenge now is about more than salvaging a season. It’s about finding direction in the chaos - and building something sustainable from the ground up.