Memphis forward Ashton Hardaway plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal
Memphis forward Ashton Hardaway, the son of head coach Penny Hardaway, plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, per On3’s Joe Tipton. Ashton Hardaway only spent one season with the program.
In his lone season at Memphis, Hardaway made 30 appearances and three starts. He averaged 2.3 points in 8.3 minutes per game. He shot 34.3% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.
Hardaway’s best game of the season came against Michigan on Nov. 22 when he erupted for a season-high 17 points while shooting 5-7 from 3-point range. It was the only game this past season Hardaway scored double figures.
Ashton Hardaway played high school basketball at Sierra Canyon, where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 127 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Hardaway is the latest Tiger to enter the transfer portal, joining forward Jonathan Pierre and guards Jayhlon Young and Carl Cherenfant. Memphis finished the 2023-24 season with a 22-10 overall record and an 11-7 mark in conference play.
Memphis aims to get back on track next season
Memphis hasn’t only suffered losses in the transfer portal. This week, the program added Illinois‘ Dain Dainja and Tulsa’s PJ Haggerty, via the portal. Haggerty is a particularly excellent pickup.
Haggerty was listed as the No. 2 available player in On3’s Transfer Portal Player Rankings. He chose Penny Hardaway and the Tigers over Texas, Kansas State and Providence.
The 6-foot-3 redshirt freshman averaged 21.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists this past season for the Golden Hurricane. Haggerty, the AAC Rookie of the Year, began his college career at TCU, where he redshirted.
He will look to help Memphis rediscover its footing. For the first time in three years, Memphis did not reach the NCAA Tournament this season. The farthest Memphis has gone in the program’s six seasons under Penny Hardaway was in 2021-22 when it reached the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32.
In the midst of Memphis’ underwhelming campaign, some critics called for Hardaway’s job. Last month, the former NBA All-Star responded to his doubters.
“I don’t need any sympathy from anybody,” Hardaway said after his weekly radio show at Brookhaven Pub & Grill. “(But) it’s just, it’s funny to me how guys are always talking about how I need to be fired. I’m not resting on anything. I want to be in the NCAA tournament, making it to Final Fours. Everybody has their opinion. They can do whatever they want.
“But I feel like my résumé’s pretty damn good for coaches that have just started.”