The Memphis Tigers basketball head coach has announced his retirement due to the coming of another coach.
The Tigers had been ahead by double digits for 17 straight minutes of play in Memphis’ game on Thursday night, with their largest lead growing to twenty early in the second half. The South Florida Bulls, Memphis’ opponent, had dropped 38 straight games versus opponents ranked by the Associated Press, while the Tigers entered the game on a ten-game winning run and having moved up to #10 in the latest AP Poll, according to ESPN News Services. All of this is to argue that there was no indication that Memphis, who were 11-point favorites, was going to lose this game.
Of course, if Memphis hadn’t blown the game, I wouldn’t have written this entire thing. As is frequently the case, when When a team is winning, the problems that are occurring behind the scenes aren’t often seen or heard. However, Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway was prepared to address all of the behind-the-scenes problems that seem to have beset the 10th-ranked Tigers all season following the shocking defeat.
After the 74-73 loss, a frustrated Penny Hardaway said, “I don’t even know if this is going to be a wake-up call,” according to Mark Giannotto of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “We have so many things that are going on that we’re just dealing with as we’re moving forward that I hope by March they’re all gone.”
Hardaway continued by saying that there were so many negative chemistry problems on the roster that certain teammates were not permitted to be on the court with Tigers players.
He discussed how the team has too many guys that look to be the go-to guys offensively, and that when those players don’t receive the opportunities they deserve, the defense suffers.
Furthermore, as I’ve previously stated, victory does a great job of masking all of these problems. However, following a humiliating defeat such as this one, a spotlight descends and highlights the problems.
