Penny Hardaway, No. 6 Memphis East cruise to three-peat state title

Video: Memphis East wins state title
James Wiseman, Alex Lomax lead the way for the Mustangs.

In what may have been his last game as head coach of the program, Penny Hardaway led Memphis East to its third consecutive Class AAA state title in Tennessee with a 72-50 win over Whitehaven (Memphis).

Ranked No. 6 nationally by MaxPreps, East led by only five at halftime but pulled away over the final 16 minutes for its fifth win over Whitehaven (24-7) this season – all coming since Jan. 25.

Hardaway guided East (29-3) to a state title in all three seasons he was on the sideline after taking over prior to the 2015-16 season. The Mustangs accumulated a record of 94-8 over that span.

Top junior recruit James Wiseman, a 6-foot-11 center, paced Memphis East with 19 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots. Wichita State-bound point guard Alex Lomax added 14 points and three assists while junior wing/forward Chandler Lawson piled up 11 points and 16 rebounds.



Multiple media outlets are reporting that Hardaway will be named the new head coach at the University of Memphis next week.