How are former Tigers playing in college basketball this season

Penny Hardaway is in his eighth season as the Tigers’ head coach, and every year he has added players from high school and the portal. While he has brought in a lot of players, there are currently 14 former scholarship players that are on different rosters in college basketball. 

Most of the former Tigers are from recent rosters, but there is still one guy playing college basketball that was part of Hardaway’s first recruiting class. 

Here’s a look at where former Tigers are playing and how they’ve started the season:

Antwann Jones (UNC Greensboro)

Current stats: 5 games, 2.6 pts, 2.2 rebounds, 38.5/40/50

Antwann Jones played for Memphis in Hardaway’s first season as head coach, and he averaged 4.7 points in 35 games. The guard left Memphis after one season, and he has made stops at Creighton, Louisiana, UCF and Bethune-Cookman before transferring to UNC Greensboro for his final season of eligibility.

Jones has dealt with injuries throughout his entire collegiate career, and he hasn’t played more than 24 games since the 2020-21 season.

John Camden (California)

Current stats: 10 games, 13.8 pts, 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 46/39.1/91.3

John Camden spent one season at Memphis, but he only played in one game before he transferred to Virginia Tech. Camden spent two seasons with the Hokies before spending last season at Delaware, where he had a breakout season. 

The forward led the Blue Hens in scoring last season, and he shot 41 percent from deep. He has continued to shoot the ball well this season, and he’s started all 10 games for the Golden Bears.

Sam Onu (Alabama A&M)

Current stats: No stats in 1 game

Sam Onu redshirted at Memphis in the 2021-22 season before transferring to Florida Gulf Coast. Since then, he has spent time at a JUCO, Grambling State and Alabama A&M, and he hasn’t seen any real playing time.

Johnathan Lawson (Little Rock)

Current stats: 10 games, 14.1 pts, 3.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 43.1/38.1/70.8

Johnathan Lawson spent one year at Memphis before transferring to Creighton for his sophomore campaign. He didn’t see a ton of playing time at either stop, but he has found a perfect home at Little Rock.

Lawson has led the Trojans in points, assists and steals over the last two years, and he’s averaging a team-high 33.9 minutes per game.

Carl Cherenfant (McNeese)

Current stats: 10 games, 6.1 pts, 4.1 rebounds, 52.3/26.7/78.6

Carl Cherenfant only played in 18 games as a freshman, and most of his opportunities came when games were out of hand. Since playing for the Tigers, Cherenfant spent a year at New Mexico State, and now he’s averaging 19.3 minutes and has started two games for McNeese.

JJ Taylor (Northern Illinois)

Current stats: 3 games, 8.7 pts, 2.7 rebounds, 38.9/11.1/68.8

JJ Taylor joined the Tigers as a 4-star recruit, but he only played in three games before transferring to UCF. Taylor is now at Northern Illinois in his third season of college basketball, but he suffered an injury in the third game of the season and hasn’t played since.

Mikey Williams (Sacramento State)

Current stats: 10 games, 14.1 pts, 2.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 34.2/26.3/81.7

Mikey Williams announced his commitment to Memphis alongside Taylor, but he never stepped foot on the court with the Tigers after being arrested in California before his freshman year. The guard transferred to UCF for his sophomore year and is now back in his home stats playing for Mike Bibby at Sacramento State.

Williams is now in a situation where he can run the show, while still playing for a former NBA player.

Damarien Yates (Alabama State)

Current stats: 9 games, 5.4 pts, 3 rebounds, 1 assists, 52.9/47.4/50

Damarien Yates became a fan favorite last season for the energy he brought to the court in limited playing time. After appearing in 14 games last season, Yates transffered to Alabama State to play for former Memphis player and assistant Tony Madlock.

Jared Harris (Wyoming)

Current stats: 9 games, 4.7 pts, 2.4 rebounds, 40/33.3/76.5

The American Conference named Jared Harris its preseason freshman of the year before last season, but he only appeared in 16 games and averaged 3.1 minutes per game. This year, he has served as a role player for an 8-2 Wyoming team.

PJ Haggerty (Kansas State)

Current stats: 10 games, 24 pts, 4.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 50.9/41.7/72.8

PJ Haggerty led the Tigers last season, and many hoped that he would return to the Bluff City for his junior season. The guard averaged 21.7 points and was named a second-team All-American. 

Haggerty entered the portal and landed at Kansas State, and he’s currently leading the country in points per game.

Dante Harris (Tennessee State)

Current stats: 9 games, 13.4 pts, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 44.1/35.3/80.5

Dante Harris joined Memphis in the middle of the season last year, and he served as a nice backup point guard. Harris entered the portal for his final season of eligibility, and he’s now at Tennessee State with former assistant Nolan Smith.

Harris has started all nine games for Tennessee State this season.

Bouna Kebe (Delaware)

Current stats: 5 games, 1.2 pts, 1.4 rebounds, 42.9 FG%

Bouna Kebe joined the Tigers after spending two seasons at junior colleges, but he didn’t appear in a game at Memphis. This season, he is averaging 3.3 minutes per game, but he recorded 13 points and four rebounds in 13 minutes against George Washington on Wednesday.

Baraka Okojie (Mercer)

Current stats: 8 games, 17.9 pts, 4.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 37.3/24/84.7

Baraka Okojie served as a rotation piece for the Tigers last year, averaging 11.4 minutes per game. The guard hit the portal and is now the starting guard for Mercer. 

Okojie now averages 32.3 minutes per game and leads the team with 17.9 points per game.

PJ Carter (LSU)

Current stats: 9 games, 3.6 points, 0.2 rebonds, 37.9/37/NA

PJ Carter played in every game last year for Memphis and averaged 5.4 points off the bench. Carter entered the transfer portal and decided to go to LSU for his last season of eligibility.

The guard is averaging 9.1 minutes off the bench, and he scored 12 points, on 4-for-7 from deep, earlier this year against Omaha.