MEMPHIS, Tenn — The Memphis Tigers won their home opener, 94-77, over Jackson State University.
It’s the first of three games they will play without Penny Hardaway on the sidelines as he serves a suspension for recruiting violations. Acting head coach Rick Stansbury will keep the ship will running smoothly in Hardaway’s absence.
“Coach (Hardaway) deserves all the credit. He's got these guys ready to play,” Stansbury said. “Those assistant coaches deserve more credit than I get. Those guys work hard.”
Memphis started the game out a little slow and very sloppy. They turned the ball over 10 times and allowing JSU to lead by six in the first half. Five of the turnovers belonged to David Jones alone.
Jaykwon Walton was no slouch. His 17 first half points kept the tigers afloat until they could refocus. He finished with 19 points, five rebounds and three steals.
“I was really just taking good looks. Taking open shots and trying to find my teammates and telling them if I'm going swing one more so I can score the ball,” Walton said.
Scoring 94 points on 21 assists will win the Tigers a lot of games, and scoring doesn't seem to be a problem for this team.
“When you have multiple weapons, you don't have to just zero in and play that one guy. So many guys can score that basketball,” Stansbury said.
“The best teams usually get better later on in the year. We've got a lot of guys unselfish. We're not worried about who gets off. Kwon had his night tonight, might be Noah (Stansbury) next game,” said guard Caleb Mills.
Stansbury will lead the Tigers for two more games while Hardaway is away. The team is not too much concerned with their head coach’s absence. Walton calls them a “player-led” team.
“It's not really different. We've got a great coaching staff, plus we're player led. It doesn't matter who's coaching us. We've got to go play at the end of the day,” Walton said.
The Tigers' first true road test will be Friday, when they take on the Missouri Tigers in Columbia. Tip off is set for 8 p.m.