Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
Memphis (Projected: 1st in AAC)
Penny Hardaway hasn’t quite broken through yet after six seasons at Memphis, winning 20+ games every season but having made just two tournaments and having never won an AAC regular season title. Year seven brings another talented roster for Penny to work with, but another season without a tournament appearance could be the calling card.
Just one player returns for Memphis, senior forward Nick Jourdain (7 ppg, 4 rpg). Jourdain started 25 games for Memphis last season and is a solid all-around forward at the AAC level. He won’t be a star by any means, but he plays his role well and gives this Memphis team a solid player in the frontcourt.
Ten players in the Tigers’ rotation from last year left the program, most notably David Jones (22 ppg, 8 rpg). Jones was the star of the team, but wasn’t the only double-digit scorer to leave, with Nae’Qwan Tomlin (14 ppg, 6 rpg) and Jahvon Quinerly (14 ppg, 5 apg) on the way out as well. The backcourt depth suffered with Jaykwon Walton (8 ppg), Caleb Mills (8 ppg), Jayden Hardaway (3 ppg), Ashton Hardaway (2 ppg), and Jonathan Pierre (2 ppg) on the way out. The frontcourt lost Malcolm Dandridge (8 ppg, 5 rpg) and Jordan Brown (4 ppg).
There’s still a couple of open spots on the roster, but Penny Hardaway has done best in the transfer portal this offseason. The Tigers bring in eight transfers, all of whom played in a top ten conference last season. The backcourt transfers excite me the most, especially sophomore transfer PJ Haggerty (21 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg at Tulsa). Haggerty was an extremely efficient scorer, even on a bad Tulsa team, as a freshman, shooting 49.3% from the field. Along with his scoring ability, he’s a good passer and defender, providing a little bit of everything for the Tigers in the backcourt.
Haggerty’s backcourt mates are good in their own right too, with Tyrese Hunter (11 ppg, 4 apg at Texas) and Colby Rogers (16 ppg at Wichita State) transferring in. Hunter is a very good defender, a solid passing point guard, and has three years of high major experience under his belt. Rogers is a pure scorer and elite shooter, shooting 40.9% from three last season. A likely candidate to come off the bench, George Mason transfer Baraka Okojie (8 ppg at George Mason) is a guy with three years of eligibility left, raw athleticism, and good defensive skills as another guard in the backcourt. PJ Carter (10 ppg at UTSA) rounds out the list of transfer guards at Memphis, likely filling in minutes off the bench.
Three bigs found their way to Memphis via the transfer portal, the most notable being Dain Dainja (6 ppg, 4 rpg at Illinois). Dainja is a big body inside for the Tigers, likely the starting center and a guy that can really crash the glass. Tyreek Smith (8 ppg, 5 rpg at SMU) transfers in after having played against the Tigers as a conference foe last season. Moussa Cisse (5 ppg, 5 rpg at Ole Miss) should be a familiar name to Tigers fans, having played his freshman season at Memphis and now transferring back in for his final year of eligibility. Both Smith and Cisse should see time in the Tigers frontcourt, Smith as a four and Cisse as a true five at seven feet tall.
To round out the roster, Penny Hardaway landed freshman guard Jared Harris (4*, NAT 99) on the high school recruiting trails. Harris could see time as a freshman but will likely have a bigger role as a sophomore when Hunter, Rogers, and Carter are graduated. Daniel Vieira-Tuck, a Portuguese recruit, has verbally committed to Memphis, but is still unsigned as I write this preview. Even if Vieira-Tuck signs, the Tigers would still have two open scholarships, so there is room for late additions if Hardaway chooses to do so.
Penny Hardaway has fallen under a lot of criticism during his time at Memphis, but I believe last year was the only true failure he has had so far. The team had a real chance to win the conference and he just couldn’t get the team to play together and reach their full potential as a talented roster. 2024-25 will be a proving year for Hardaway, and with the talent of this lineup, there’s no reason for the Tigers not to win at least one of the AAC regular season and tournament titles.
The X-factor of this team for me is Tyrese Hunter, a former Texas Longhorn and Iowa State Cyclone. Hunter has plenty of high-level college basketball experience and he now as a team that he can be the leader of. If Hunter uses this to better the team, he can be a guy to create for others and set the tempo and effort level defensively. If Hunter uses this as an opportunity to build his draft stock, his shooting percentages may struggle and the team’s record definitely will. Hunter is the guy that can fit all these pieces together, and I’m willing to count on him to be a positive factor for Memphis.
Memphis will be in a tight race with FAU for the AAC regular season title this season in my opinion, although this is what everyone thought at this time last year as well. I have the Tigers edging out the Owls this year to win the AAC, placing them 1st out of the now-13 teams in the conference.