NCAA suspends Memphis coach Penny Hardaway for first three games of 2023 season

The NCAA has suspended Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway for the first three games of the upcoming season due to recruiting violations committed during the 2021-22 academic year.

During that season, coaches made two impermissible in-home recruiting visits with a recruit in his junior year. One was done by Hardaway and one was done by an assistant coach. Visits during the fall of a player’s junior year are required by NCAA bylines to be conducted at the player’s high school.

The suspension was made by a Division I Committee on Infractions panel that reviewed the case.

“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.”

The suspension for Hardaway comes after the NCAA levied penalties against Memphis for the violations in December of 2022.

It received a year of probation, a $5,000 fine and a two-week ban on any recruiting activities during the 2022-23 season, among other penalties.

“As was announced by the NCAA in December, the University of Memphis reached an agreement with NCAA enforcement staff on institutional penalties relating to a violation that occurred in our men’s basketball program during the 2021-22 academic year,” the statement from Memphis read. “As was also indicated in December, one individual, now identified as Coach Hardaway, exercised his right to work directly with the NCAA on his portion of the case, which was finalized today. As we were navigating the IARP process at the time the violation was discovered, we felt it was in our best interest to work through the NCAA’s Negotiated Resolution process.

“We supported Coach Hardaway’s right to work directly with the NCAA on his portion of the case, and we strongly believe Coach Hardaway never intentionally committed a violation. The University of Memphis is committed to compliance. We will learn from this incident and be even more diligent in our education and monitoring. Now that the entirety of this case is finalized, we will move forward in support of Coach Hardaway and our men’s basketball program, as we do all our programs.”

Hardaway has been the head coach of the Tigers, his alma mater, since 2018. He has a 111-52 record during his five seasons, including a 2021 NIT Championship and two NCAA Tournament appearances. However, his tenure has been marked by potential recruiting violations.