Video: Penny Hardaway interviewFour-time NBA All-Star emotional following state championship victory Saturday.Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com is among those reporting that
Memphis East (Tenn.) head coach Penny Hardaway has agreed to take the same position at the University of Memphis.
The four-time NBA All-Star guided East to its third consecutive state title over the weekend. The Mustangs are ranked No. 5 nationally by MaxPreps this week.
Hardaway played at Memphis for two seasons, earning All-American honors in 1992-93 after putting up 22.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. He went on to play 14 seasons in the NBA with Orlando, Phoenix, New York and Miami.
The Memphis program reached the Final Four under John Calipari in 2008 but has failed to reach the NCAA Tournament four years in a row under Josh Pastner and Tubby Smith, who was fired last week.
One of the interesting angles to watch going forward with Hardaway and Memphis will be the recruitment of the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2019
James Wiseman. The 6-foot-11 center transferred from Ensworth (Nashville) to Memphis East last fall and also played for the new Tigers head coach on the summer circuit.
Penny Hardaway leads Memphis East earlier this season at the City of Palms Classic.
Photo by: Jim Redman
