Memphis coach Penny Hardaway fires four staffers

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway fired four staff members on Wednesday, just two months before the start of the 2024-25 basketball season. Neither Hardaway nor the school provided a reason for the dismissals of assistant coaches Rick Stansbury, Faragi Phillips and Jamie Rosser or special adviser Demetrius Dyson. "I want to thank Rick, Faragi, Jamie and Demetrius for their service to the University of Memphis and our basketball program," Hardaway said in a statement. "These are good coaches that I've worked with closely over the past few seasons, but I made the difficult decision to go in a new direction with our staff. The timing is not ideal, but I want to give this team the best opportunity to reach our goals of winning the American Conference and advancing in the NCAA Tournament. With the season rapidly approaching, we are going to move quickly to complete the staff." Including the staff overhaul and the addition of eight Division I transfers, the Tigers will look almost nothing like the 2023-24 team that finished 22-10 following a 15-2 start. In comparing the rosters between that team and the 2024-25 edition, only forward Nick Jourdain and guard Noah Stansbury -- the former assistant coach's son -- return. Seven players transferred out after the season and forward David Jones entered the 2024 NBA Draft, where he was not selected but later signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. Mike Davis, the former Indiana and Detroit Mercy head coach, is expected to join Hardaway's staff. Hardaway, 53, has led Memphis to just two NCAA Tournament appearances in six seasons since taking the reins at his alma mater in 2018-19. His tenure also has included multiple NCAA investigations into alleged recruiting violations, and he was suspended for the first three games of the 2023-24 season. --Field Level Media