The Memphis basketball team — such as it currently is — is in the fourth of eight weeks of summer workouts.
The Tigers have nine scholarship players (although Baraka Okojie is injured) and one visitor on campus. Although there are at least three open scholarships and Tigers coach Penny Hardaway remains steadfast in his search for reinforcements, being relatively so ahead of the game leaves him in a good position.
“This is going to amount to some beautiful things,” Hardaway said during an appearance last week on “TaylorMade Sports” on The Voice of MSCS with Marcus Taylor. “(In the past), everyone has already made the June jump on us. (But) now we’ve put our style of play, who we are, what’s non-negotiable — we’ve put that in June and July. Now, when we get to the fall, We can start working on something else.”
With that in mind, let’s get into this week’s Memphis basketball mailbag.
Hardaway wanted to rebuild his roster with defense as a priority.
“When you have an offensive-minded team, you can’t win championships,” he said last week. “This year, I’m back on that defensive team.”
So it should come as no surprise that those who have stood out so far are the ones who bring this mentality to the table. Former Texas guard Tyrese Hunter, former Ole Miss center Moussa Cisse and former SMU forward Tyreek Smith have generated positive buzz with their skills as well as their mindsets.
Former Tulsa point guard PJ Haggerty (with his multi-level scoring ability) and former Illinois big man Dain Dainja (with his scoring ability on the block) have shown that Memphis will not be a one-dimensional offense.
If you had to set the odds today, how likely would Memphis be to make it to the Big Dance? – anonymously, through Tiger Basketball Insider Group Text
I think it’s an extremely safe bet.
The latest projection from ESPN pollster Joe Lunardi has the Tigers as a 9-seed. I have Memphis closer to 7, but that’s essentially just a hair split. The thing is, I feel like this is a top-30 team right now (even if it’s not even close in the preseason rankings). With a few more pieces, I think they could be in the top 20.
What are the chances of Caleb Mills returning? – Donell Bowdery, via Tiger Basketball Insider Group Text
As close to zero as possible without actually being zero.
Mills suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 14th game of last season. In an effort to get an extra season of eligibility, Memphis is taking the “it never hurts to try” approach and has requested a health care waiver.
But the NCAA rules are clear: To qualify for one, a player can only have appeared in fewer than 20% of his team’s scheduled games. Mills was present in 43.75% of the Tigers’ games last season.
What is the psychological makeup of this team in your opinion? – Verlinda Henning, via Tiger Basketball Insider Group Text
There’s a word I’ve heard over and over again this offseason: Tough. And I think that applies to both the team’s physical approach and its mental makeup.
Hardaway addressed the topic last week when he was asked about his current team.
“At the end of the day, tenacity and endurance are now a skill,” he said. “That’s all we had (when we were players). We were going to outplay you. Now, you can put one kid on a team that’s really tough, maybe two. The rest of them, you have to teach them, ‘This is who we are. are.’ It’s very uncomfortable for them, but you have to keep pushing.”
The Kansas State transfer had not yet determined a landing spot as of Tuesday night.
Memphis was never (and still is not) seriously involved with Kaluma. This may change (although it probably won’t). But reports indicate Kaluma is in Texas and at SMU.
The former Tigers guard told The Commercial Appeal last week that there was a “50-50” chance he would return to Memphis.
I don’t believe that will happen.
MEMPHIS BASKETBALL MAILBAG: Transfer candidates, technical team specifications and more
Will this season be affected by another investigation? – Julius Morris, via Tiger Basketball Insider Group Text
There is no definitive answer here.
Obviously, the book is not closed on the issue of academic misconduct that led to the university keeping Malcolm Dandridge out of the final five games of the 2023-24 season. Therefore, it would not be surprising if he persists into the 2024-25 season.
But then again, no one knows.
It’s early, but has Penny targeted any 2025 recruits so far? – Michael Wofford, via Tiger Basketball Insider Group Text
The Tigers have been more active lately with 2026 prospects including the following: Buckhorn (Ala.) five-star small forward Caleb Holt; Little Rock Christian five-star point guard JJ Andrews; Germantown (Miss.) five-star center Sam Funches; Christ School (NC) combo guard Tyler Jones (former ECS at Memphis); Saint Pius X (Atlanta), guard Tobias Brinkley; Trinity (Louisville) four-star point guard Jayden Johnson; and Hilliard Bradley (Ohio) forward Gavin Lightning.
Contact sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on the Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Basketball Mailbag: Are the Tigers an NCAA Tournament Team Now?
