After winning 20 or more games in each of its first seven seasons under Penny Hardaway, Memphis basketball fell off a cliff in 2025-26. The Tigers were never competitive in the American Conference title race, finishing 13-19 overall and just 8-10 in conference play.
Naturally, that led to some questions about Hardaway's standing as the head coach going into next season. However, the Tigers aren't ready to make a move just yet. The former NBA All-Star will be returning for another season at Memphis in 2026-27, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Hardaway had to do some convincing to earn another season, but he met with the administration and presented a plan that includes changes on the coaching staff. Memphis is also planning on hiring a general manager, per Thamel.
Hardaway has been successful overall during his time at Memphis, making three NCAA Tournament appearances in his last four seasons there. He is 175-86 as a whole at Memphis, so there is reason to believe he can turn things around going into next season. However, the Tigers never recovered from losing leading scorer PJ Haggerty to the transfer portal after last season.
Hiring a general manager should help Hardaway manage some of the roster building responsibilities this offseason, but it remains to be seen whether that will help Memphis get back to the top of an American Conference that was formidable in 2025-26.
South Florida won the American title this season, both in the regular season and the conference tournaments, and it now enters March Madness as one of the best mid-major teams in the nation. The American also produced quality teams such as Wichita State and Tulsa, so Hardaway and company have a lot to compete with next season.
Memphis clearly believes it can do that with a few changes, and that Hardaway is still the right man for the job as it looks to get back on track.
