What is Penny Hardaway's coaching record? Revisiting Tigers HC's career in wake of NCAA violations
Anfernee Penny Hardaway has made a name for himself as the head coach of his alma mater, Memphis. The former two-time All-American, four-time NBA All-Star, and Olympic gold medalist has guided the Tigers to a 110-52 record in his first five seasons, with five consecutive 20-win campaigns, an NIT title in 2021, an AAC tournament crown in 2023 and back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023.
As Memphis’ head coach, Hardaway has turned his players into NBA prospects and conference stars. He has mentored two first-round NBA draft picks, three AAC Freshmen of the Year, seven all-conference selections, five all-freshman honorees and an AAC Tournament MVP. The Tigers have also taken down eight ranked opponents, climbed to the top 10 twice, and secured the nation’s top recruiting class twice.
Hardaway was introduced as the 19th coach in school history and the third former Tiger player since World War II to lead the program on March 20, 2018. He joined Wayne Yates (1974-79) and Larry Finch (1986-97) in that exclusive club.
Hardaway came to Memphis after a dominant stint at East High School, where he led the Mustangs to three consecutive state titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He capped off his high school coaching career with a win over Whitehaven High in the 2018 Class AAA championship game.
He took over a program that had missed the postseason despite going 40-26 in two seasons under Tubby Smith. At his introductory press conference as Memphis’ head coach, he said he was grateful for the opportunity and promised to “bring the team back to the glory days.”
Penny Hardaway's suspension a setback for Memphis basketball
Despite his achievements and popularity, Penny Hardaway has also faced criticism and scrutiny for his coaching decisions. He will sit out the first three games of next season. The NCAA suspended him on Wednesday for recruiting violations.
Hardaway and an assistant coach made two illegal in-home visits with a top recruit from Dallas in 2021. He has apologized for his mistakes and accepted responsibility for his actions.
Back in 2018, he said that he is not satisfied with just making the NCAA tournament or winning the NIT, but that he wants to compete with the best teams in the country and bring glory to his city.
“I’m here to win championships, “I’m here to win championships. Not just one championship. Championships.”