After a tumultuous week where Memphis basketball again made national headlines, Penny Hardaway said in an interview with College Sports Today’s Jon Rothstein on Saturday that he believes he is under the microscope much more so than other coaches are.
“I’m not above criticism, but I know that I’m being judged harsher,” Hardaway said. “I have thick skin, but if we’re talking about facts and you’ve been in the business longer than I have, about someone being in their first six years — from someone who you respect who’s the best in the business to the worst in the business — if those guys were given up on after their fifth or sixth season, they wouldn’t have become who they became. That’s what is so funny to me. Is it harsher because I came from the NBA?”
It has been a wild week for the basketball program. First, the athletic department announced Wednesday that multiple members of Hardaway’s coaching staff (Rick Stansbury, Faragi Phillips, Jamie Rosser and Demetrius Dyson) were being let go. Hardaway released a brief statement announcing their departures, but he had not spoken publicly about the situation.
Later that evening, the university said it was aware of an anonymous letter alleging the program had committed multiple potential major NCAA violations in recent years. Athletic director Ed Scott addressed the situation in an interview on “The Geoff Calkins Show” on Friday, saying Hardaway would “absolutely, unequivocally, based on every piece of information I have right now today,” be Memphis’ coach this season.
The letter alleges that academic violations involving multiple players were committed during the 2023-24 season. Former player Malcolm Dandridge was withheld from competition for the final five games of that season as the school looked into a potential issue with his eligibility status. Sources told The Commercial Appeal in February the circumstances of Dandridge’s situation involved academics.
In March, The Commercial Appeal reported the school fired academic adviser Leslie Brooks the day before it announced Dandridge was being withheld from games.
Scott told The Commercial Appeal last week that the school self-reported its findings to the NCAA. He said Friday that there’s no update from the NCAA on that investigation.
“I’m my harshest critic,” Hardaway said. “I know how things work from being in the NBA. I understand that when you come to this job, what comes along with it — whether it’s good or bad. I understood that from being a professional athlete first. I didn’t pay my dues. I came in and took over to help the team out at a time when attendance was very low and I’m still a newbie to the game, working things out, and getting better every year because I’m understanding who I am.”
In the interview, Hardaway said his “We want all the smoke” moniker was meant to say that the Tigers would play anyone, anywhere, but that it had gotten misconstrued.
“To me, it’s just weird being in this space,” he said. “I came back to do something. I don’t need the money. I came back to the school to teach young men and to try and help my city out and my school out and it’s like I’ve been under some microscope that’s unbelievable. It’s just really weird going through this space because good guys finish last and good guys really finish last at this level.”
Rothstein then asked Hardaway if there was a message he wanted to send to Memphis fans — and if he’s still still confident that the program has momentum right now. He said injuries — including to Caleb Mills — knocked Memphis from No. 10 in the country to unranked and out of the NCAA Tournament picture by the end of the season.
“It happens to a lot of coaches, but if it happens to me then it’s the worst thing in the world,” Hardaway said. “Why do I have to say something to the Memphis fan? I’m my harshest critic. I’m not mad at anybody. I know what needs to be done. I want to win — that’s why I’m still in the job. I don’t have to have a job. I’m still here because I really want to do something good.”
Hardaway was also asked about David Jones’ decision to leave college for the NBA Draft. He said he’d expected Jones to stay, but wished him well because he “had an opportunity” at the next level.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
