Good news:The head coach of the Memphis Tigers, Penny Hardaway, has just announced, celebration of his son…
Good news:The head coach of the Memphis Tigers, Penny Hardaway, has just announced the celebration of his son…
WMC (EMPHIS, Tenn.): The son of head coach Penny Hardaway, Ashton Hardaway, committed to the University of Memphis.
The 6’8 forward chose the Tigers over offers from many Power 5 institutions and announced his commitment on Instagram.
Hardaway, a four-star prospect in the 2023 class, will play for the Tigers under his father’s coaching.
He is now performing with the sons of LeBron James, Bronny and Bryce, at Sierra Canyon in California.
Leonard Draper had visions of former Tigers star Larry Finch as he peered out at the sea of blue-clad fans posing for selfies and requesting autographs from Penny Hardaway, the new coach of Memphis men’s basketball.
Draper was instrumental in persuading Finch to play for Memphis amid a period of racial unrest in the community. And it was Draper, fifty years later, who declared in the open that Hardaway was the only one capable of rescuing Memphis basketball in the last few months of the Tubby Smith era.
Moments after realizing his dreams, the devoted Memphis basketball fan could not stop remembering back to the time when Finch was hired as the Tigers’ coach and persuaded Hardaway to play for Memphis from home.
Penny Hardaway, the Memphis coach, has the potential to become as a formidable figure in the recruiting process.
The enthusiasm that was evident throughout the Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center on Tuesday during the initial press conference announcing Hardaway’s hire, according to Draper, feels a lot like that excitement now.
“It’s back here. It’s full circle once more,” Draper said. “I’ve saw it rise. I witnessed its collapse. And sooner rather than later, I expect to see it return. Hopefully, the supporters will show up and help this young person and this initiative.
More: At least $4.5 million is owed to Penny Hardaway’s Memphis basketball contract.
See Also: Inside Penny Hardaway’s First Day of Coaching the Memphis Tigers in Basketball
Fans, boosters, and former Memphis players have all responded very favorably to Hardaway’s return to school. In his address on Tuesday, Hardaway compared the festivities surrounding his appointment as Memphis’ head coach to a family get-together.
Hardaway’s dominance of the show and an unrelenting schedule of regional and national interviews have energized the fan base even in the 72 hours that have passed since then in a way that Smith was never able to during his two seasons at Memphis.
“Observing the familiar faces from my playing days and the people who have shown such support for the university, it’s truly amazing,” Hardaway remarked on Tuesday. There is a family get-together. I refer to it as family. We are once again a family.
