MEMPHIS, Tenn — Tigers hoops is around the corner, and Penny Hardaway and his team started official fall practices this week.
There’s a plethora of talent on this squad with a bunch of new faces. Only two players are returning from last year's AAC championship squad: Jayden Hardaway and Malcolm Dandridge.
The offseason has been a whirlwind, but Hardaway said this team will look much different than teams of the past. Their biggest strength is the big shot makers who are not afraid to be big shot takers.
“You've got a veteran team that can score the basketball. We've never had that,” Hardaway said. “That's going to be our identity. Defense is what I like to hang my hat on, but I've got to recognize that we've got a lot of guys that have averaged double figure points. We're going to be a team that can score the ball.”
New faces would be fine if they all arrived at more or less the same time. The team that went to the Dominican Republic in July is not the same team that will take the floor in the fall. The hardest part about building continuity and preparing for the fall was getting all of Hardaway’s players on the floor together.
“It's not having the entire team intact. We keep adding bodies. There were seven guys at first and then you add a couple, you add a couple. You keep adding guys as the year goes on, now you got to get him up to speed. You'd rather have your whole team here,” Hardway said.
There’s no doubt that Tigers fans will have to learn a lot of new faces, but one they're bound to recognize is Dandridge. The fifth year senior flirted with the transfer portal, fielding interest from teams like St. Louis, but the Memphis native ultimately decided to stay home.
“[I] wouldn't do that again if I had to go back. I wouldn't go back in the portal, definitely overwhelming. Me and Penny [Hardaway] were locked in the whole time. Figuring out the options. Great schools were calling me, [I was] just figuring it out,” Dandridge said.
The Tigers already have quite the roster, but one big question mark remains regarding the status of four-star freshman Mikey Williams.
The University of Memphis released the following statement Tuesday:
“While Mikey Williams is enrolled in online classes at the University of Memphis and remains on the roster, he will not have access to team-related facilities or activities until his pending legal process in California is complete. The process to assess and determine his status with the team will be initiated at that time.”
Williams faces six felony gun charges for an incident at his home in March. His preliminary hearing was pushed back three times and now sits on October 10. Hardaway said no new information has been released to make any decisions at this time.
“I mean, we're just supporting him. There is no news that's come out to change our minds or make us think differently. We're just supporting him,” Hardaway said.
The Tigers first exhibition game is October 29 against Lane College.