Penny Hardaway lets go of Rick Stansbury, Memphis assistants two months before season

Multiple reports indicate Penny Hardaway let go of all three assistant coaches on Tuesday, just two months before the college basketball season begins. The flurry of moves creates a picture of uncertainty entering a make-or-break year for Memphis.

First, it was revealed that Faragi Phillips and Jamie Rosser, along with staffer Jermaine Johnson, would not return. Then, late Tuesday night, reports surfaced that lead assistant Rick Stansbury – who recruited most of the current roster – was let go too.

On Wednesday, Hadaway released a statement on the changes, which also include special advisor Demetrius Dyson.

“I want to thank Rick, Faragi, Jamie and Demetrius for their service to the University of Memphis and out basketball program,” Hardaway said. “These are good coaches that I’ve worked with closely over the past few seasons, but I made the difficult decision to go in a new direction with our staff. The timing is not ideal, but I want to give this team the best opportunity to reach our goals of winning the American Conference and advancing in the NCAA Tournament. With the season rapidly approaching, we are going to move quickly to complete the staff.”

Johnson, who was not listed on the team’s website as a staff member, was notably not mentioned in the release.

UPDATE: Reports now suggest Jermaine Johnson will return to the staff for the 2024-25 season.

In addition to the unprecedented overhaul in early September, Memphis has parted ways with five other staff members from 2023-24. Assistant coach Andy Borman had already left the program, along with support staffers Garrett Kelly, Jeremy Kipness, Andy Pennington and Darby Rich.

Meanwhile, Memphis still has not finalized a deal with former Duke and Louisville assistant Nolan Smith, who reportedly made the move this offseason.

Another possibility for Hardaway to fill out his staff this late in the cycle is the promotion of new consultant Mike Davis to a full-time position.

Memphis entering pivotal season under Penny Hardaway

A staff overhaul after players report to campus and enroll in classes is less than ideal for any college basketball program, much less one under pressure to perform. Memphis missed the NCAA Tournament last season after two straight appearances.

However, there has been a sense of underachievement at times within the program across recent seasons. From issues with staff turnover to team chemistry questions, rarely has a season come and gone without a bumpy road to wherever things went.

Despite all this, Memphis has made continued progress under Penny Hardaway. The team progressed from the NIT field to NIT champions with the COVID year between, then made two straight NCAA Tournament appearances in years four and five. Last season, the Tigers soared up the Top 25 in the first half of the season before a collapse in conference play.

The inconsistency and question marks have largely overshadowed any sense of progress nationally and distracted from the fact Memphis has been involved in top-level recruiting and transfer targets under Hardaway’s leadership.

Chemistry appeared to be the missing piece to the puzzle, but now only two months remain to create that within the coaching staff before instilling it in the players.

Memphis is currently projected to land on the right side of the bubble – and earn an automatic bid as the AAC champion – in the latest On3 Bracketology projections.