With the season wrapped up, the biggest questions will be about the roster. After replacing all 15 players from last season, eight players have remaining eligibility, but it’s unclear who will return and who will enter the transfer portal.
It has been common over the last few seasons to see high turnover into the transfer portal, and after a disappointing year, it’s likely that the trend will continue this offseason.
This year, the transfer portal won’t open until April 7, the day after the national championship, but some players across the country have already announced their intentions to enter the portal once it opens. Penny Hardaway typically holds exit meetings with players shortly after the season concludes, and rumors will likely begin to swirl once those meetings take place.
Hardaway retained one player ahead of the 2024-25 season before a complete overhaul last offseason, but he has more options going into this offseason. Across the country, teams are showing that continuity matters, and it’ll be interesting to see if he tries to keep a handful of players to use as building blocks for next year’s team.
Here are the eight players who have eligibility remaining:
Aaron Bradshaw (Jr.)
Bradshaw struggled to start the season and made headlines after Hardaway benched him and withheld NIL money, but he turned it around in conference play. The 7-foot-1 center finished the season averaging 8.6 points and 4.2 rebounds, and he finished with 10 or more points in 10 of the 16 conference games.
After a hot stretch in late January and early February, Bradshaw suffered an injury against South Florida and didn’t look healthy the rest of the season.
After spending a season at Kentucky and Ohio State, Bradshaw has one year of eligibility remaining, and it’ll be interesting to see if he’s back with the Tigers.
Julius Thedford (So.)
Thedford joined Memphis after spending his freshman season at Western Kentucky. Thedford only played in 18 games before a season-ending injury forced him to miss a bulk of the conference slate during his freshman season.
The sophomore battled injuries again this season, but he averaged 8.4 points, five rebounds and 1.1 steals in 27 games. The 6-foot-4 guard shot 34.1 percent from deep and made 17 starts.
Thedford is a Memphis native, so there’s a good chance that he would want to return for his junior season. The guard played with effort every game, and he showed that he could impact a game even when his shot wasn’t falling.
Curtis Givens III (So.)
Givens is another Memphis native and started his high school career at MUS before transferring to Montverde Academy. The guard spent his freshman season at LSU, where he averaged 4.8 points in 18.3 minutes per game.
Givens had an up-and-down start to the season before missing five games with an injury. After returning, he played a vital role for Hardaway’s team and started 13 of the final 17 games of the season.
Givens averaged 9.4 points and 2.3 assists per game, while shooting 36.5 percent from deep.
Quante Berry (Rs. Jr.)
Quante Berry transferred in from Temple and has one season of eligibility remaining. Berry became a rotation piece for the Tigers this season, but he did make 11 starts, including the final three games of the season.
Berry averaged 6.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18.1 minutes per game, but he had his best game in the regular season finale when he led the team with 22 points against Tulane.
Ashton Hardaway (Jr.)
Hardaway started his career at Memphis before transferring to Saint Mary’s, but he returned for his junior season. The forward averaged 5.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, while shooting 39.8 percent from the field.
Hardaway appeared in 25 games, but he missed the last five games of the year with an injury. Hardaway doubled his minutes at Memphis this season, and it’ll be interesting to see if he returns for his final year or looks for a bigger opportunity at a different school.
Simon Majok (Fr.)
Majok was one of the most unknown players on the roster at the start of the season, but he quickly became a fan favorite. The freshman was one of the last players to be added to the roster, and he averaged 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 25 games.
The South Sudan native was brand new to American basketball this season, and it was obvious that he was still getting acclimated to the different rules throughout the season. Majok was extremely raw, but he showed a lot of potential and could be a valuable piece if he returns.
William Whorton (Rs. So.)
Whorton’s playing time fluctuated throughout the season, and he only averaged 8.8 minutes in 19 games this season. He made four starts and averaged 1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds per game this season.
The sophomore played with a ton of energy when he saw the floor, but he found himself towards the end of the rotation for the majority of the season. Whorton has two years of eligibility remaining, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he enters the transfer portal.
Arop Arop (Jr.)
After seeing limited minutes at Columbia last season, Arop only played nine games and averaged 2.6 minutes as a Tiger. The junior scored six points and grabbed six rebounds throughout the season.
Arop mainly saw the floor at the end of blowouts, and his season high was seven minutes in December against New Orleans. With one season remaining, it would be a surprise if Arop returns for his senior campaign.