MEMPHIS, Tenn — Penny Hardaway and Memphis Basketball add junior college transfer Damarien "Dink" Yates to an already talented roster,
Yates, who played high school basketball at Fayette-Ware, was honored as Tennessee Class 3A Mr. Basketball in 2023. He his freshman year of college at Vincennes University in Indiana.
In his senior year at Fayette-Ware, Yates averaged 18 points and 15 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-8 progressed to the next level at Vincennes (Indiana) University, where he averaged 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in 34 games in 2023-24, shooting 43.4% from the field and 30.6% from three. Yates helped Vincennes to the the second round of the NJCAA Tournament before he decided to transfer.
Memphis is well-prepared for the upcoming season, thanks to a solid foundation. Coach Hardaway has brought in several Division I transfers: guards Tyrese Hunter, PJ Haggerty, Colby Rogers, and Baraka Okojie; wing PJ Carter; and big men Dain Dainja, Moussa Cisse, and Tyreek Smith. The team's only true freshman signee to date is guard Jared Harris, while forward Nicholas Jourdain is the sole returning scholarship player from the 2023-24 season.
Hardaway and the Tigers still have two open scholarships left to fill before the season begins the Fall.