Head coach Penny Hardaway and Athletics Director Dr. Ed Scott met with the media on Wednesday to discuss multiple topics, including the decision to retain Hardaway for a ninth season. In addition, both answered questions about various topics, like the roster, coaching staff and plans for next season.
The Tigers wrapped up a 13-19 season last week with a loss against Tulane in the conference tournament, so the offseason has officially begun. It feels like the most important offseason Hardaway has had since taking over, and there are many questions that must be answered before the Tigers start the 2026-27 season against Iowa State.
A lot of the questions won’t be answered until next season, but the head coach brought up several topics that pose questions as Memphis enters the offseason. While he gave some insights on his plans, here are some questions that will need to be answered following Wednesday’s press conference.
Who returns from the 2025-26 roster?
During his press conference, Hardaway said that he met with every player who has eligibility remaining and gave all of them an opportunity to return, but they have a deadline. The players have until Friday to decide if they want to return for next season or enter the transfer portal, which opens on April 7.
Eight players can return next season, and it includes guys who started this past season to guys who rarely saw the court. Quante Berry, Ashton Hardaway, Arop Arop, Curtis Givens III, Simon Majok, William Whorton, Aaron Bradshaw and Julius Thedford all have eligibility remaining.
It’s extremely unlikely that all eight want to return, but it will be interesting to see who returns to lay the framework for next season’s roster.
When do they announce assistant hires?
It was announced earlier this week that three assistant coaches would not be retained for next season, so Hardaway has a lot of work to do to replace his staff. The head coach said that he is “fast-tracking” the hiring process, and he would like to make some hires within the next 7-to-10 days.
It’s unclear what Hardaway will look for when it comes to assistant coaches, but it seems important to have at least an assistant in place before the portal opens in a few weeks.
Is it too late to hire a GM?
The talk about a general manager has only grown throughout the season, and Hardaway even acknowledged the idea during a press conference towards the end of the season. On Wednesday, Hardaway spoke more about the idea and even shared that he told Scott that he needed help.
The head coach talked about the struggles he’s had juggling everything and how bringing in a general manager would fill a void and help him in other areas.
“I’ve been trying to do so much that it’s fatiguing, and I’m missing things that I shouldn’t miss,” Hardaway said.
While a general manager would certainly help, the question remains how effective a general manager would be this offseason, given the time of the hiring. Players around the country have already indicated their intentions to enter the portal, and programs have already started planning for the portal.
A handful of schools made general manager hires early in the year to give them time to evaluate the roster and plan for the offseason, and it’ll be interesting to see what type of impact a general manager will make being hired right before the portal opens.