It’s yet another pivotal offseason for the Memphis Tigers after an early exit in the NCAA Tournament.
Head coach Penny Hardaway has yet to reach the Sweet 16 at his alma mater in seven seasons at the helm. Fans are getting restless as the Tigers continue to underwhelm in the American Athletic Conference.
So, what needs to happen this offseason? How can Memphis stay at the top of the conference and potentially make a run in the Big Dance?
Retain PJ Haggerty at all costs
Memphis donors haven’t been afraid to shell out some cash in recent years. While the exact numbers are unknown, they’ve added great talent in the transfer portal with names like Dain Dainja, Tyrese Hunter, David Jones, and Jahvon Quinerly.Â
Needless to say, some serious dough will have to be baked if they hope to retain leading scorer PJ Haggerty.
Haggerty was one of the best scorers in the nation this past year, averaging 21.7 points per game on 47.6% shooting, ranking third in the nation in scoring average. These efforts earned him American Conference Player of the Year honors and a second-team All-American nod. He is the type of talent that can be a program cornerstone for Hardaway moving forward.
Replace 3-point shooting
Part of what made the Tigers so deadly in 2024-25 was their 3-point proficiency. They ranked 24th in all of college basketball from deep at 37.6%.
Unfortunately for Memphis, the two players who made this possible are out of eligibility. Guards Colby Rogers and Tyrese Hunter, who went 37.3% and 40.1% respectively, will not be on the team next season. They also had the most volume on the team with both shooting over five 3s a night. The next closest were PJ Carter and Haggerty, both around three shots from long range.
See what you have in Baraka Okojie
Okojie is an interesting case.
The 6-foot-3 guard made the A-10 All-Freshman Team in 2024 with George Mason. He decided to take his talents to Memphis but took a step back with the Tigers in 2025. In 31 games, Okojie saw his point average dip by nearly seven. His percentage wasn’t much better, dropping nearly six from 46.8% to 41%.
If Hardaway can give a higher role in practice, it might benefit the team to see which version of Okojie is the real one. Is it the freshman at George Mason or the sophomore at Memphis?
