NCAA insiders give their 2 cents about Penny Hardaway's "underwhelming" Memphis roster

Curtis Givens, a four-star transfer from LSU, became the latest addition to Penny Hardaway's Memphis roster for the upcoming season. In total, the Tigers have added nine new players through the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.

However, the team's recruiting class ranks just 39th in the country, raising concerns about the team's overall talent level.

Analysts Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster expressed their doubts about Memphis' potential on "The Field of 68: After Dark" podcast on Monday, questioning the construction of the roster.

"Memphis, I mean, look at their roster right now ... you're just like, okay, how are they going to do?" Goodman said (Timestamp: 0:40). "Dug McDaniel has lost a lot of games in his college career, and they were desperate, so they got him. Aaron Bradshaw has a ton of talent, but we haven’t really seen it materialize yet.

"And then you’ve just got a bunch of other guys — Sincere Parker was a nice player at McNeese State, Quante Berry was a nice player at Temple — but overall, it’s an underwhelming roster put together by Penny Hardaway and his staff this year."

The Tigers were also unable to retain their star players, PJ Haggerty and Dain Dainja, who both entered the transfer portal. Haggerty has since signed with Kansas State, while Dainja is still uncommitted.

Dauster echoed Goodman's concerns, suggesting that Memphis' new additions are a step down from the players they lost. He used the transitions from Haggerty to McDaniel and from Tyrese Hunter to Parker to further illustrate his point.

Penny Hardaway's Memphis Tigers' summer workout is underway

Memphis has started its summer workouts on Monday, gearing up for an important season that could be pivotal for coach Penny Hardaway's future with the program.

Parth Upadhyaya, a beat reporter for the Tigers at Daily Memphian, reported Sunday on X (formerly Twitter) that all 13 scholarship players are expected to be available.

The Tigers had a somewhat decent 2024-25 season, posting a 29-6 record and winning the American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. However, it was marred by an early exit in the NCAA Tournament at the hands of Colorado State.

The upcoming season could be make or break for Hardaway, who is entering his eighth year as head coach. Dug McDaniel, who averaged 11.4 points and 4.9 assists at Kansas State and Sincere Parker, who averaged 12.2 ppg and 2.5 rpg at McNeese, could be a difference makers.