Why Penny Hardaway ignored those who told him not to take Memphis basketball job

Penny Hardaway knew criticism would come with the territory when he became Memphis basketball coach in 2018.

There were even those around the native son – who became legend playing for his hometown team – discouraging him from taking the job because of it.

“There were plenty of people telling me not to do it,” Hardaway said during a recent interview with “Let’s Be Clear” podcast host Casey Cooper, “because it could tarnish my reputation and my legacy.”

While the scrutiny facing the seventh-year coach has increased after the once-promising 2023-24 season ended without an NCAA Tournament berth, Hardaway has never lost sight of his rationale behind accepting the gig in the first place.

The program was in rough shape and trending in the wrong direction. Four years removed from its last March Madness appearance, the Tigers were struggling across the board – on the court, on the recruiting trail and at the box office. When the university decided to move on from former coach Tubby Smith, it went to Hardaway (then the coach at East High School).

“When I finally made my mind up to do it, it was basically to try to save the situation,” he said. “I saw what was going on. You know, the fan base had pretty much given up on the university. The team was fighting, but they just weren’t winning.

“It was basically like, ‘OK, this is your last group that you came in with at East High School – the timing is perfect. The city and the school needs me. I’m not going anywhere, so let’s go do it.’ ”

Hardaway restored Memphis’ status as an attractive destination for top-tier talent. Attendance bounced back. The Tigers won an NIT championship (in 2021), then made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.

But disillusionment set in for some when Memphis crumbled down the stretch. After starting 15-2 and climbing as high as No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, the Tigers went 7-8 over their final 15 games. Tacked on to those struggles was the athletic department’s decision to withhold senior center Malcolm Dandridge from competition for the final five games of the season amid potential academic misconduct.

Hardaway, however, quickly turned the page. Even though he has admitted in previous podcast interviews this offseason some of the criticism directed toward him has been out of bounds in his mind, he told Cooper he is optimistic about the 2024-25 season.

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The Tigers have almost completely reconstructed their roster. While forward Nicholas Jourdain is the only returning player from last season, Hardaway has added a host of transfers headlined by guards Tyrese Hunter and PJ Haggerty and big men Dain Dainja and Moussa Cisse.

But the key in Hardaway’s mind is that almost everyone reported for summer workouts as soon as possible.

“What works for me now is that I have my entire team during the summer,” Hardaway said. “I haven’t had my entire team (this early before) because guys have had to go to summer school and couldn’t come until the fall. You pray to have them in June and July. If you can get your team early, then you can kind of work the kinks out.”

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why Penny Hardaway ignored those who told him not to take Memphis basketball job