2022 Record: 26-9 (13-5)

Head Coach: Penny Hardaway (Career Record 111-52)

Projected Rotation:

PG: Jahvon Quinerly (Alabama 8.7 Pts, 1.9 Reb, 3.6 Ast)

SG: Caleb Mills (Florida State 13.0 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 3.4 Ast)

SF: Jaykwon Walton (Wichita State 13.9 Pts, 5.3 Reb, 1.9 Ast)

PF: David Jones (St. John’s 13.2 Pts, 6.8 Reb, 1.6 Ast)

C: Jordan Brown (Louisiana 19.3 Pts, 8.6 Reb, 1.8 Ast)

6: SG Jonathan Pierre (Nova Southeastern 14.4 Pts, 5.2 Reb, 3.3 Ast)

7: PF Nick Jourdain (Temple 6.3 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 1.1 Ast)

8: SG Jayden Hardaway (5.4 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.6 Ast)

9: C Malcolm Dandridge (5.7 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 0.4 Ast)

10: PG Mikey Williams

11: PG Jayhlon Young (UCF 4.5 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 2.0 Ast)

12: SF Ashton Hardaway

13: SF JJ Taylor

14: SG Carl Cherenfant

Memphis underwent a complete roster turnover from a team that made the NCAA Tournament as an 8 seed and lost a heartbreaker to FAU. The only players that Memphis returns from last seasons team are Jayden Hardaway and Malcom Dandridge. Hardaway, the son of Penny, averaged just over 5PPG last season while shooting 43% from the floor and 34% from three. With all the additions made at guard in the portal, Hardaway is likely to come off the bench this season while still playing a significant role. Dandridge is going into his 5th season with the Tigers program. He’s been successful in an off the bench role at the center position. He will have the same role this year and should be a leader on the team as the guy who has been with the program the longest.

Memphis won big in the portal when they were able to land big man Jordan Brown from Louisiana. Brown is a former 5 star recruit and also played in the past for Nevada and Arizona where he was also successful. Brown averaged a very impressive 19PPG and 9RPG this past season dominating the mid major level. He will play a big role at Memphis and has a chance to be their leading scorer. Memphis also signed David Jones a transfer forward out of St. John’s who also played for DePaul. Jones will be a great scoring piece for the Tigers this season. The Dominican Republic native averaged 13PPG this past season with St. John’s and had a career high of 15PPG average in the 2021-22 season. Memphis also landed big man Nick Jourdain out of Temple who will be staying in the AAC. Jourdain will provide some nice depth at the PF position for Penny Hardaway and co.

Memphis also got some elite guard talent in the portal. The most notable get at the guard spot was Jahvon Quinerly from Alabama. Quinerly has been a very good player at the high major level. He is going into his 5th season of CBB and will take on a new leadership role with Memphis this upcoming season. He has the potential to score at a high level but is also known as being a very good passer. Memphis also signed Florida State transfer Caleb Mills who will take on more of an off-ball role with the Tigers this season. Mills previously spent time at Houston so he already has experience in the AAC. He’ll fit well into an off the ball scoring role who is capable of being a highly productive player on all three levels. Jayhlon Young is another player who’s staying in the conference going from UCF to Memphis. Young had a very successful JUCO career and spent this past season at UCF where he averaged 5PPG, 2RPG, 2APG.

The Tigers also signed transfers Jonathan Pierre from the D2 champions Nova Southeastern and Jaykwon Walton from Wichita State. Walton was a very good player this past season with Wichita State. He is yet again another player transferring within the conference. Walton should start this season for the Tigers. He was previously committed to Alabama before flipping to Memphis this offseason. Walton showcased his ability to score from all levels and also has great size/length for his position. Walton was at Georgia where he struggled to find his footing then he took the JUCO route. Jonathan Pierre from Nova Southeastern is a unique player also with great size and length. Pierre was contacted by nearly 100 schools once he entered the portal due to his unique skillset. He put up over 14PPG on a team that won the D2 national championship this past season.

Memphis also signed 4 freshman this year to fill out the roster. The Tigers class of 2023 was headlined by PG Mikey Williams who was ranked as the #39 player in the country. He had some legal trouble this past summer, but he still remains with the team and figures to be a productive piece as a freshman. SF JJ Taylor was once ranked as a 5 star but he has dropped off a bit in recent months. He now finds himself ranked as the #86 player in the country. Ashton Hardaway, the son of HC Penny Hardaway is ranked as the #110 player in the country. SG Carl Cherenfant is ranked as the #120 player in the country.

Memphis will be a very good team yet again. They are an immensely talented team with all the additions they made this offseason. It could take a bit of time for the chemistry to come together with 12 of the players on the team being newcomers. There will be some tight battles this season between Memphis and conference favorite Florida Atlantic. Memphis seems cemented in the #2 spot in the AAC, but they do have a chance to win the league if the chemistry of this team comes together.