Penny Hardaway's first public comments this offseason: David Jones, Memphis basketball identity

Penny Hardaway is still confident he will have David Jones, Memphis basketball’s leading scorer, back for the 2024-25 season.

The Tigers’ seventh-year coach expects to have most – if not all – of his revamped roster on campus by early June. He expects most – if not all – of his new players will be better suited for his coaching philosophy. And Hardaway expects most – if not all – of the newcomers to Memphis will have a keen understanding of how important every game on the schedule will be.

Hardaway recently spoke publicly for the first time since his team’s season ended on March 14. During an interview on WMC Action News 5 with Matt Infield and Dave Woloshin on the final “The Coach Penny Hardaway Show,” which aired late Sunday night (and was recorded April 12), Hardaway addressed a range of topics, including the unwanted distinction the 2023-24 season has for him.

“It was taxing, yes. The most taxing (season) for sure,” said Hardaway, who was hired prior to the 2018-19 season. “It was really tough.”

Here are some of the other highlights.

Will David Jones be back at Memphis basketball?

On April 20, Jones declared for the NBA Draft. But the Tigers’ leading scorer and rebounder last season can (and might) still return for another season at Memphis.

In March, Hardaway said he thought the odds of Jones coming back for 2024-25 were in the program’s favor.

"I would say 60-40, 70-30 us,” he said shortly before the season ended.

He still likes Memphis’ chances.

“Jones is definitely trying to chase his dreams with the NBA,” Hardaway said on the show. “He wasn’t on any draft boards. Can he do some special things? Yes. But usually when you’re not on draft boards, they want you to come back. So, I’m thinking 70-30 coming back. That’s just my feel.”

Jones' most recent public comments on the matter came during an appearance on a sports talk show in his native Dominican Republic in early April.

"I don’t know yet,” he said. “I don’t want to put a lot of pressure on myself with that decision. Because, if I put a lot of pressure on myself, it can make me make the decision that is not the right one."

Penny Hardaway operating with urgency

One of the more common threads of the past few offseasons at Memphis has been an elongated timeline. Having multiple players arrive on campus in July, August and September – as opposed to late May or early June – became almost standard procedure.

Last season, more than half the 15-man roster missed the first two months of offseason workouts and conditioning. But that will not be the case this year.

“I’m really adamant on getting everybody here by June – by the first summer session,” said Hardaway. “I’ve never had that. Every team I’ve had, guys have had to go second session of summer school or they’re trying to decide if they’re gonna go to the NBA or not.

“Everyone that I’m recruiting now is not thinking about testing the (draft) waters. The only one really is David Jones. But everyone else is willing to come right away.”

Memphis has commitments from five transfers. The program has signed one incoming freshman. Forward Nicholas Jourdain also reiterated on Sunday’s show that he will be back in a Tigers uniform next season.

That leaves six available scholarships for Hardaway.

Penny Hardaway re-establishing his culture

One of Hardaway’s biggest regrets about the 2023-24 season is that he got away from the identity he has worked so hard to establish at Memphis.

During Sunday’s show, he maintains there will not be a repeat of that in 2024-25.

“Going back to who I am, and that’s getting guys that are grit-and-grind and grunge guys,” Hardaway said. “No knock on this year’s team, but we were an offensive-minded team. Anyone that knows me knows that all my teams have started with defense.

“We’re going to need shooting, obviously. But the shooters are gonna be tough. The shooters are gonna be grunge guys.”

So far, Memphis has commitments from guards PJ Haggerty, Tyrese Hunter, Colby Rogers and Baraka Okojie, as well as big man Dain Dainja.

Another trait Hardaway is looking for in his new outfit is a better understanding of the bigger picture. That AAC play is every bit as important as the non-conference games against higher-profile opponents.

“We don’t need guys coming in not understanding what this league is about,” he said. “(In the past), once we get into conference, guys start disrespecting North Texas, UTSA, Rice – and you can’t do that.”

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Penny Hardaway’s mother

Following the Tigers’ season-ending loss to Wichita State, Hardaway said he did not intend to accept an NIT bid largely because his mother, Fae, was in the hospital battling throat cancer.

On Sunday’s show, he said that is only a small part of the health struggles she has endured since summer 2023.

“She’s gone through COVID, pneumonia, congestive heart failure, throat cancer, blocked intestines, having to have Lasik surgeries,” he said. “All these things going on and still battling and fighting through.”

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: What Penny Hardaway said about Memphis basketball roster, David Jones