MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Penny Hardaway added one of the nation's top transfer students to his 2023-2024 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team Monday, earning a commitment from St. John's forward David Jones.
Jones announced the commitment on Instagram Monday, and will await official signing from the University of Memphis.
Hailing from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, he was St. John's second-leading scorer in 2022-2023 with 13.8 points per game, adding 6.8 rebounds per game from the floor, making him a possible replacement for DeAndre Williams, should he not return to the Tigers.
Williams indicated last week he may seek an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA.
The NCAA granted a fifth year of eligibility to athletes whose careers were impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020. Williams—who turns 27 this fall—played four seasons of college basketball, including three with the Tigers. He sat out his freshman season with Evansville in 2018 for academic eligibility issues. While Williams did not play in 2018-19, the season counted against his eligibility.
Jones could also factor in as a possible replacement for Malcom Dandridge, who entered the transfer portal at the end of the season.
Jones enters his senior season with the Tigers. He played for St. John's in 2022-2023, transferring there from DePaul University, where he averaged 14.5 points per game in 2021-2022.
He, along with Middle Tennessee State transfer Teafale Lenard, create another strong transfer class from Penny Hardaway, whose overall recruiting class for 2023-2024 potentially took a major hit in April with the news that star recruit Mikey Williams was arrested in California.
