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Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway has been suspended for the first three games of the 2023-2024 season. Penny Hardaway's suspension is the result of recruiting violations that were determined by a Division I Committee on Infractions panel. The Memphis basketball program agreed to self-imposed penalties last year.
The NCAA's panel determined that Memphis basketball coaches made two impermissible in-home recruiting visits with a high school junior. Hardaway was suspended because he made one of those visits and failed to monitor the violations made by members of his coaching staff.
“Ignorance of the rules is not an excuse,” the panel said in its decision. “The head coach's inattentiveness to compliance — particularly at a time when his program was under scrutiny related to a different infractions case — resulted in careless violations. Head coaches must remain diligent in monitoring their staff and promoting compliance at all times and cannot delegate those responsibilities to compliance staff members and administrators.”
Hardaway's suspension with force him to miss Memphis' scheduled games against Jackson State, Missouri and Alabama State.
Last year, Memphis agreed to one year of probation and a $5,000 fine. Memphis' penalties included limits on the number of recruiting visits it was able to make last year.
Hardaway has been the Memphis basketball coach since the 2018-2019 season. The four-time NBA All-Star has a 111-52 record with the Tigers. He has yet to lead Memphis to the Sweet 16 as the head coach.
Memphis was a No. 8 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Florida Atlantic upset Memphis in the Round of 64 on their way to making the Final Four.
