Penny fires 4 Memphis staffers as season nears

Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway announced the firing of four staff members Wednesday, just two months before the start of the season.

Assistant coaches Rick Stansbury, Faragi Phillips and Jamie Rosser, as well as special adviser Demetrius Dyson, will not return to Hardaway’s staff this season. Neither Hardaway nor the school provided a reason for the firings.

“I want to thank Rick, Faragi, Jamie and Demetrius for their service to the University of Memphis and our basketball program,” Hardaway said in a statement. “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.”

With the four coaches no longer on staff, the only remaining coaches listed on the program’s website are Dwight Boyd, the team’s chief of staff, and Jordan VerHulst, the team’s director of scouting. Trainer Darrell Turner and physical therapist Kevin Olds are also holdovers from last year’s staff.

The staff turnover continues a busy offseason for Hardaway and Memphis, which brings back just one player from last season’s team. Seven players transferred out of the program, while David Jones left early for the NBA draft and several players used up their remaining eligibility.

The Tigers will welcome eight Division I transfers, including talented guards PJ Haggerty (Tulsa), Colby Rogers (Wichita State) and Tyrese Hunter (Texas), as well as ESPN 100 freshman Jared Harris.

Wednesday’s announcement increases the pressure on Hardaway, who is entering a critical season for his future with the Tigers. After starting 15-2 last season and being ranked as high as No. 10 in the AP poll, Memphis went 7-8 the rest of the way and missed the NCAA tournament.

Hardaway has been to the NCAA tournament just twice in six seasons at the helm of his alma mater, winning a first-round game over Boise State in the 2022 tournament.

Hardaway’s tenure has also been mired by off-court issues. There was an 18-month NCAA investigation due to alleged violations involving James Wiseman and other recruits; the independent accountability resolution process eventually concluded that Hardaway didn’t violate NCAA rules because of his long-standing philanthropy in Memphis.

Last summer, Hardaway was suspended three games by the NCAA for recruiting violations and violating head-coach responsibility rules in a separate investigation.

Toward the end of last season, senior Malcolm Dandridge missed the team’s final five games as the school conducted an investigation into his eligibility.