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The Memphis basketball team is in the midst of an NCAA Tournament campaign after reeling off 25 wins in 30 tries. They’ll wrap up their regular season this week before moving onto the postseason.
The Tigers are currently projected to be a seven-seen in Joe Lunardi’s latest prediction. They’ve already won the AAC regular season title.
While there’s still work to be done in terms of cutting down tournament nets, head coach Penny Hardaway has one eye towards the future. He spoke on the outlook for next year’s team on Thursday.
Memphis will face a problem experienced at many mid-major schools this offseason. Power 4 programs will come scavenging the roster after seeing the Tigers’ success.
Star guard PJ Haggerty was the topic of conversation in Hardaway’s latest media appearance. The coach fears notable schools with larger payrolls will soon come calling.
Penny Hardaway wants PJ Haggerty to stay in Memphis.
And why wouldn’t he? The sophomore leads the team in scoring at a 21.3 ppg clip. He’s added 5.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists a night. Haggerty is a star, and a huge reason for the Tigers’ success.
He’s also no stranger to the transfer portal. In fact, he’s playing at his third school in as many years. He began his career at TCU. He then left for Tulsa before arriving at conference rival Memphis.
Hardaway doesn’t want to see another short-term stay. He begged for fan support in hopes of making Haggerty’s upcoming decision more difficult.
Penny says bringing PJ Haggerty back next season will be Memphis’ “No. 1 priority” in offseason.
“That’s on the fan base, too, to show PJ love. … In this transactional world, some team could go, ‘We’ll give you $2 million, $3 million if you come over here.’ But sometimes that…
— Parth Upadhyaya (@pupadhyaya_) March 5, 2025
PJ Haggerty is an expensive player. His NIL value on On3 Sports rests at $1.7 million. Given his production this season, that number could easily grow with a Power 4 program.
Penny Hardaway believes the fanbase can make a difference in keeping the superstar on campus. Of course, a competitive NIL package would help.
It’s worth noting that the coach has let players walk over NIL demands in the past. He might approach the Haggerty situation in a different manner.
Memphis will look to finish this season strong with an NCAA Tournament run. The Tigers will then turn the attention to keeping the roster intact. We’ll see if Hardaway’s pleas make an impact in Haggerty’s recruitment.