No NCAA tournament, March Madness for Memphis basketball, Penny Hardaway. Now what?

Jahvon Quinerly, only minutes earlier, hit his second game-winning shot in a row.

The left-wing 3-pointer gave Memphis basketball its eighth straight victory. But it was the fourth consecutive game where red flags were popping up with regularity. So Quinerly, rather than basking in the glory of lifting the Tigers to another win, spent more time trying to warn people everything could soon crumble if things didn’t change soon.

“If this continues, we’re gonna get stung soon,” said Quinerly.

Eleven days later, the Tigers’ epic downward spiral began, losing the first of four games in a row by blowing a 20-point, second-half lead at home to South Florida. Memphis (15-2 before that and ranked No. 10 in the country, with wins over Clemson, Texas A&M and Virginia) lost eight of its last 15 games. Its stunning collapse culminated on March 14 in a convincing loss to a sub-.500 team (Wichita State) in the second round of the AAC tournament.

The fashion in which Memphis’ season devolved, however, is of little consequence now. Unless Penny Hardaway, who just completed his sixth season as coach of his alma mater, uses it to inform how he approaches his seventh and potentially beyond.

For the first time since Hardaway became coach, the Tigers will not appear in the NCAA tournament nor the NIT.

So, what now?

Changes – as is the case for every program, every offseason – will inevitably be made. Some must be made. Significant, precarious off-court issues must be resolved. In the immediate aftermath of Memphis’ season-ending loss, Hardaway sounded like someone ready to take action immediately.

“I mean, obviously, I’m definitely a man on fire from this season,” Hardaway said. “(How this season played out) does not sit well with me.”

A culture rife with distractions and drama

Since he was hired, Hardaway has prided himself on being a player’s coach. Easily accessible and willing to bend over backwards to appease his roster.

But that approach has created a culture rife with distractions and drama. The monthslong Mikey Williams saga that ended in January when the former signee took his legal baggage to UCF, and the team’s chemistry issues on and off the court, made more news than wins.

There is also the matter concerning now-former center Malcolm Dandridge’s eligibility status. With four games left in the regular season, the athletic department ordered Dandridge be held out of competition pending the results of an internal review. That news came during the same season that Hardaway was suspended for three games due to recruiting violations committed in 2021. And those recruiting violations occurred not even two years after the program came under fire for its handling of James Wiseman’s eligibility status.

Hardaway, in a moment of introspection, said last week he has to be better at holding his players accountable when they step out of line. Too often, he said, he lets certain things slide because he identifies with the players, having been in their shoes.

“It just has to be different for me next year,” he said.

Identity for 2024-25 season

The best teams under Hardaway have been those with a strong defensive pedigree.

So, is it any wonder that the team with the worst defensive numbers (102.4 points allowed per 100 possessions) at Memphis since Tubby Smith’s final season is also the first since then to miss out on the postseason?

“Memphis basketball is about defense and rebounding and blocked shots – the whole nine,” Hardaway said. “I’m a defensive-minded coach. That’s what I believe in, (but) I veered away from that this year to get talent. And every game becomes to be about offense instead of defense.

“That’s not Memphis basketball.”

As with every new season, Hardaway will have the opportunity to re-tailor his roster to his strengths as a coach. There will be at least seven openings to fill. But that number could be closer to 10 or 11. Two spots are seemingly already spoken for, since forward Nicholas Jourdain announced he plans to return and the Tigers have one incoming freshman (6-2 guard Jared Harris) already signed.

While it is tempting to load up on big names, Hardaway must be committed to prioritizing fit over flash.

Transfers must have the right make-up

Even the most ferocious collection of transfers might not necessarily mean much if they don’t have the right make-up.

MEMPHIS BASKETBALL: Which Tigers can come back and whose college careers are over

Hardaway spoke at length recently about the differences between his two most recent rosters. In 2022-23, Kendric Davis, DeAndre Williams and Alex Lomax led a group of players high on motivation to win above all else. That was not necessarily the case in 2023-24.

“Everybody’s just playing basketball (since Caleb Mills suffered a season-ending injury on Jan. 4),” Hardaway said before the AAC tournament began. “There’s not like a leader saying we’re going to go and we’re going to do this.

“I think these guys, they’re a great group. They love one another. It just hasn’t been the focus on a lot of talk about wanting to make the (NCAA) tournament. It’s really weird.”

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: No March Madness for Memphis basketball, Penny Hardaway. Now what?