'Memphis Head Coach Penny Hardaway Terminates Employment of Four Staff Members'

Penny Hardaway, the coach of Memphis, terminated four members of his staff on Wednesday, a mere two months before the start of the 2024-25 basketball season.

Neither Hardaway nor the university gave a reason for the dismissals of assistant coaches Rick Stansbury, Faragi Phillips, and Jamie Rosser, as well as special advisor Demetrius Dyson.

\"I would like to express my gratitude to Rick, Faragi, Jamie, and Demetrius for their contributions to the University of Memphis and our basketball program,\" stated Hardaway. \"These are skilled coaches whom I have worked closely with over the past few seasons, but I have made the difficult decision to take a different direction with our staff. The timing is not ideal, but I want to give this team the best chance to achieve our goals of winning the American Conference and advancing in the NCAA Tournament. As the season approaches, we will act swiftly to finalize our staff.\"

With the staff overhaul and the addition of eight Division I transfers, the Tigers will bear little resemblance to the 2023-24 team, which had a record of 22-10 after starting 15-2. When comparing the rosters of that team and the 2024-25 team, only forward Nick Jourdain and guard Noah Stansbury, the son of the former assistant coach, will return.

After the season, seven players transferred out, and forward David Jones entered the 2024 NBA Draft, where he was not chosen but later signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Mike Davis, the former head coach of Indiana and Detroit Mercy, is expected to join Hardaway's staff.

Hardaway, 53, has guided Memphis to just two NCAA Tournament appearances in six seasons since taking over at his alma mater in 2018-19.

His tenure has also been marked by numerous NCAA investigations into alleged recruiting violations, and he was suspended for the first three games of the 2023-24 season.