Last season coach Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers took a step backward.
They missed the NCAA Tournament after making it the previous two seasons. Now, the Tigers are back where they belong. On Sunday, they were announced as a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Memphis plays No. 12 Colorado State Friday in Seattle.
"It's a great feeling," Hardaway said. "We heard so much as bad as 8, 9, for the last month and that's what kind of pushed us through, even though there was nothing we could do about it. It makes you feel good to see the 5. That's respecting us a lot. And we put the work in. We earned it.
Penny Hardaway greets the fans! pic.twitter.com/NXdSohX5Oq
— Jeff Brightwell (@JeffABrightwell) March 17, 2025
It seems Hardaway finally has things trending in the right direction in his seventh season. If his coaching career continues to thrive, it may help offset the disappointment from his NBA career. Hardaway was one of the league's brightest stars when he teamed with Shaquille O'Neal to lead the Orlando Magic to the 1995 NBA Finals.
They lost to the Hakeem Olajuwon-led Houston Rockets but it was supposed to start a decade of dominance for the young Magic. Orlando lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls the following year in the Eastern Conference finals.
The following year O'Neal left for the Los Angeles Lakers, breaking up the pair. A four-time All-Star, Hardaway had a few strong seasons with the Magic before a series of injuries derailed his promising career.
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
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