Penny Hardaway was on the second floor of the National Civil Rights Museum on Thursday evening. The Memphis Tigers basketball coach helped honor recent high school graduates and current college students, who were presented with scholarships at a reception for The Penny Hardaway Memphis District Golf Classic.
Hardaway’s message to the scholarship recipients was about giving back to Memphis, something he often emphasizes. One of the latest examples is the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic.
Announced on Thursday morning, the Tigers’ men’s and women’s basketball teams will face off against North Carolina and South Carolina, respectively. The preseason games will take place Oct. 15 at FedExForum, with proceeds going to support St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital.
“St. Jude’s brand is nationwide, worldwide, it is everything,” Hardaway said. ‘I’m sure that North Carolina’s brand understood what that is about, and South Carolina. Kudos to them for even wanting to do the exhibition. That’s a big deal for the city of Memphis.”
North Carolina and South Carolina were the first two programs contacted for the opportunity to play. On the floor, playing against a Tar Heels team that won the ACC regular-season title last season and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament will be a major test. Hardaway believes the matchup will help the Tigers measure themselves ahead of the season.
“Even though it’s an exhibition, both teams are going to play hard,” he said. “I know that it can do so much for both teams.”
‘No bad blood’ with former assistants
Hardaway recently announced four coaching changes to his staff, openings that he’s planning to have filled by the start of the season. Although those decisions have not been finalized, Hardaway made sure Thursday night to dispel notions that he and his past assistants were not on good terms.
“I do know wholeheartedly that everyone that has come through my program, I still have a relationship with,” he said. “So there is no bad blood. I don’t have any bad blood with anybody.”
A bigger St. Jude Classic?
This year’s matchup with North Carolina will be an exhibition game, but Hardaway wants the event to eventually be featured in the regular season.
“It’s going to be a bigger TV game, it’s going to be more money for St. Jude,” he said. “It’s a big game for our city. If we can grow that past an exhibition, that’s great.”
Future games with LeMoyne-Owen and Christian Brothers?
Playing local colleges like LeMoyne-Owen and Christian Brothers has been a staple of Tigers exhibition games for decades, dating to Larry Finch’s emphasis of giving back to the city. Hardaway said he has had conversations with LeMoyne-Owen coach Antonio Harris about the opportunity to give back to St. Jude being too good of an opportunity to pass up.
“I told (Harris) I’m going to try my best to get that game back,” Hardaway said. “But I think we can get these types of games for the cause, you have to do that.”
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
