Memphis basketball mailbag: Defensive concerns, injury updates, who has eligibility left?

The Memphis basketball team has lost sight of what's most important, according to coach Penny Hardaway.

"There's so much going with the team, their focus isn't where it needs to be, (which is) on winning," he said Monday. "And we need to get it back to that."

Hardaway intends for that to start this week as the No. 22 Tigers (15-4, 4-2 AAC) prepare to face UAB (12-6, 4-1) on Sunday (4 p.m., ESPN) in Birmingham. Memphis has lost back-to-back games for the second time this season, falling to South Florida at home and at Tulane in New Orleans last week.

With no midweek game before facing the Blazers let's reach into the mailbag and address some of the most pressing questions from Tigers fans:

What are our injury reports on Jaykwon Walton and Nae'Qwan Tomlin? − Frank Watts, via Tiger Basketball Insider text group

So far, so good.

In case you missed it, Walton played 17 minutes, scoring 11 points with one rebound in the first half against Tulane. On his way to the locker room at halftime, Walton was favoring his right side and was wearing a back brace when the team returned to the court .He did not play the rest of the game.

Hardaway said after the game that Walton "said something about his ribs." Tomlin played 21 minutes versus the Green Wave, but only 58 seconds of the final 5:47 after being poked in the eye.

Both injuries are considered minor, and both players are expected to be available against UAB.

Last good defensive game was against Virginia. Thoughts on why it's been so poor? − Vance Laws, via Tiger Basketball Insider text group

It boils down to mindset.

The Tigers are plenty capable (physically and mentally) of playing better defensively. There just seems to be a void in the will department. In other words, their priority levels are out of whack, in my mind.

I don't believe this is the case for every player on the team. But the most reasonable explanation is there are too many players who believe giving more effort on offense makes up for giving less effort on defense.

Essentially we've learned how much Caleb Mills meant to this team. Who is next man up? − Leonard Matlock, via Tiger Basketball Insider text group

It wasn't talked about enough when Mills' injury happened, and I'm still not sure it's being discussed enough.

Mills fractured a kneecap on Jan. 4, ending his senior season. Hardaway was asked about it during his weekly radio show Monday.

"You can’t replace Caleb Mills. He was our vocal leader, emotional leader," he said. "When things got out of hand, he was the guy who spoke up in the huddle. Now we don’t have anybody speaking up in the huddle. So, at the end of the day, he was that big of a loss for us."

In a sense, Hardaway is right. No one can replace everything Mills brought to the team. But, Jayhlon Young is probably the closest option Hardaway has to Mills. A strong defender, who can score some, and a veteran who possesses above-average leadership qualities.

Curious why we don't see Carl Cherenfant (who looked good to me when he played) and also Jonathan Pierre? − John T. Fisher, via Tiger Basketball Insider text group

Cherenfant is an intriguing candidate for increased playing time. On the defensive end, the true freshman from Florida is beyond his years. But he's got a ways to go offensively, which is what might be holding him back.

Pierre (once he gets over the illness that kept him out of the Tulane game) is another Tiger who could get a crack at proving himself. So far, though, the spare minutes he has gotten have drawn mixed reviews.

How are things with Jordan Brown? Is the team distanced from him? − Lyn Jones, via Tiger Basketball Insider text group

While there may have been some hard feelings initially, my understanding is most (if not all) of the team has come around and welcomed Brown back to the team.

Much was made of a social media post from Malcolm Dandridge prior to last week's Tulane game that seemed to indicate he was upset by Brown's return. Dandridge told The Commercial Appeal his post was being misinterpreted.

"It's a blessing for us to have Jordan back," he said. "I want what's best for everybody. Glad to see him here. We're going to start to get him back in rhythm and flow. Hopefully, we just become more dangerous."

How do you see Mr. Brown within the rotation after two straight losses and the team needing to make some changes? − Frederick McDale, via Tiger Basketball Insider text group

I am tempering expectations pretty significantly, at this point. Brown's struggles during the seven games he was with the Tigers have been well documented. He was averaging 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game before missing the next 11 games.

One of the knocks on Brown early in the season was the shape he was in. He said Sunday, however, that he has dropped lost 7 pounds since leaving the team after its Dec. 2 loss at Ole Miss.

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I expect Brown to start contributing Sunday at UAB, coming off the bench in short spurts, serving as the backup center to Dandridge. And, as a traditional big man, Brown gives Memphis the flexibility to more effectively put games away when it has a late lead.

Can you please provide a list of who has eligibility remaining after this year? − Richard Perkins, via Tiger Basketball Insider text group

David Jones, Nicholas Jourdain, Jonathan Pierre and Jayhlon Young each have one season of eligibility remaining after this season. Ashton Hardaway and Carl Cherenfant have three seasons apiece left. Walk-ons Noah Stansbury and Joe Cooper have one and two seasons remaining, respectively.

Of course, with professional opportunities and the transfer portal, the chances of everyone returning to Memphis next season are slim.

Reach 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 Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball mailbag: Defensive concerns, injury updates