Five takeaways from Memphis basketball's new-look Tigers exhibition against Lane

The Memphis basketball team looked as advertised Sunday in an exhibition shellacking of Lane College at FedExForum.

Explosive. Big. Experienced. Deep. Oh, and good. Very good.

The Tigers trounced the Dragons 106-49. Five players scored in double figures, led by David Jones' 17 points. It was the St. John's transfer's first outing in a Memphis uniform. Jones had played against his future teammates in August during the Tigers' exhibition trip to his home country, the Dominican Republic.

Big men Jordan Brown and Malcolm Dandridge each scored 14 points. Ashton Hardaway dropped 13 and Caleb Mills put up 11.

The Tigers' new formula for success

Penny Hardaway-coached teams have a well-earned reputation for playing elite defense, the kind capable of overwhelming even the most seasoned and prepared teams.

Earlier this month, though, Hardaway alluded to the notion that this new version of the Tigers might flip the script. That it will be a relentless offense that smothers the opposition.

"We've never had that," he said on Oct. 2. "That's gonna be (our) identity."

It was that Sunday. The Tigers lit up the scoreboard, especially early. They made 19 of their first 27 field goal attempts, and even though they missed five straight and six out of seven before halftime, they still led 54-18.

During one particularly productive stretch in the first half, Memphis made 16 out of 20.

“Pretty excited about scoring 106 points and we really weren’t hitting on all cylinders,” Hardaway said Sunday. “I feel like it was a great start with the group that we had out there – without (starting point guard Jahvon Quinerly) being out there on the floor."

No Jahvon Quinerly

Speaking of Quinerly and adding an exclamation point to the Tigers' stellar work on offense is the fact it was done without him.

Quinerly has not practiced much in recent weeks due to what Hardaway labeled "a little hyperextension" of the knee, so he was held out as a precautionary measure. Quinerly tore his ACL in an NCAA tournament game against Notre Dame in March 2022.

“We just want to make sure he is just 100 percent,” said Hardaway, adding Quinerly could play in Thursday’s exhibition game against LeMoyne-Owen.

Jayden Hardaway took Quinerly's spot in the starting lineup, but Mills handled point guard duties early. When it wasn't Mills, UCF transfer Jayhlon Young and freshman Carl Cherenfant were tasked with initiating the offense.

“That was today’s lineup,” Hardaway said. “Jayhlon, to me, can be a starter. He can be a backup. Caleb is definitely capable, (but) that’s not his most comfortable spot, being the starting point guard. I might start totally different next game. I just wanted to see that lineup today.”

Malcolm Dandridge comes out strong

Since returning to the team two months ago, fifth-year senior Malcolm Dandridge has made it clear he feels maybe better than ever. The doubts about his motor that seem to have followed him in recent seasons have apparently subsided.

Dandridge showed how Sunday. The big man from Memphis came off the bench and affected the game in a variety of ways. One sequence in the first half was a good example.

With the Tigers up 23-10, he came up with two blocks on back-to-back plays — one on a Ragi Phillips jumper, the other on a Jeremiah Foster dunk. On the other end, Dandridge extended the lead to 25-10 with a fast-break layup.

In the second half, Dandridge took over, scoring 10 points in a 3:18 span to put the Tigers up 85-38.

"Yeah, Malcolm, man − so key to our season," Hardaway said. "If I had to pick a guy that we need to be healthy and need to be on to be champions, it's Malcolm Dandridge. Because his talent is second-to-none. When he's shot-blocking and running the floor and finishing at the rim like that, I was happy to see him play a great game."

Deep rotation here to stay?

Memphis is known for its deep rotations under Hardaway. The sixth-year coach has proven time and again that he will go down the bench without hesitation.

He did Sunday, playing all 12 healthy scholarship players. While it was in an exhibition setting and the game was lopsided, all 12 who played made significant contributions to the cause.

How the rotation plays out as the season gets going — especially when Quinerly gets back and, perhaps even more so, if the NCAA grants DeAndre Williams' eligibility — will be interesting to monitor.

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How Ashton Hardaway, young Tigers looked

All three of the team's freshmen got into the game. And all three made their presences known.

Especially Ashton Hardaway. The 6-foor-8 wing boosted the Tigers' perimeter presence, knocking down a game-high three 3-pointers on five attempts). A late wide-open dunk sent him into double figures with 11 points.

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Five takeaways from Memphis basketball's exhibition win over Lane