Columnist
There are 269 articles by John Martin :
Now that the decision has been made to bring Penny Hardaway back, everyone in Memphis hopes he’ll be successful — and that his ninth year will be the charm. The task before him is immense.
“It’s March, and Penny Hardaway and the Tigers have a chip and a chair.” Bracket set for American Conference Tournament American Conference Tournament berth A tumultuous regular season complete, Tigers excited to enter ‘new season’Related content:
Memphis escapes in OT against Tulane to clinch
One fact to sum up Penny Hardaway and this Memphis basketball season: This is the most losses the Tigers have suffered in 56 years.
Parth Upadhyaya and John Martin look ahead to what changes Penny Hardaway needs to make.Related content:
This wasn’t a fiery coach fighting back against an establishment that he felt was out to get him — this was a coach who was hurting.
The magnitude of these losses — and the demoralizing way that they’re unfolding — highlight the fact that this team and program are in real trouble.
The Tigers may have weathered one storm. But the bad news is that another storm cell arrived, and it could hang around. Self-inflicted mistakes cost Memphis in road loss to North Texas Martin: How is Penny Hardaway doing at Memphis? We asked AI.Related content:
With so much emotional discussion around the Memphis basketball program and its future, John Martin took to ChatGPT and asked it for its brutally honest and objective view of the Tigers and coach Penny Hardaway.
The timing of such a performance couldn’t have been more perfect for the Tigers and coach Penny Hardaway.
What the Tigers are doing this season is undeniably disappointing, and there’s basically nothing they can realistically do to redeem themselves at this point. But what would a successful season look like?
Right now, Memphis isn’t the dominant team in the conference. It’s not even second-best in the conference. It’s a mediocre program that is currently in seventh place.
It’s time to confront some hard truths about this Memphis basketball team and program.
“There’s a major problem brewing elsewhere for the Memphis administration. It’s that the gap has been closed — it’s just the one that used to exist between Memphis basketball and the rest of the American Conference.”
Parth Upadhyaya and John Martin answer some of the most pressing questions as the Tigers prepare to open conference play against North Texas.
As 2025 draws to a close, it’s time for John Martin’s annual list of Memphis sports predictions for the new year.
It’s a win, to be sure. The Tigers are 2-0 in league play and have won three in a row. But can you really look at this team and think the arrow is pointing up?
While it’s probably unwise to base anything off one particular game, the magnitude of the loss to Louisville should cause any Memphis fan to wonder what should be taken from it.
The goal for Memphis has to be to elevate the status of its athletic programs so that it can credibly say that it’s a peer of Louisville’s once again.
“What matters in the end is not the sizzle of the name. ... It’s the players. It’s always about the players.”
Is Ed Scott about to make the most important hire of the Memphis athletic program? And who should he pick? Ryan Silverfield posts goodbye message to Memphis Is Memphis football the best non-power conference job on the market?Related content:
You could almost start to see the vision of the rest of the season. Sure, it was a really bad loss to UNLV. But Memphis would escape the Bahamas with a 1-1 record, the team is playing hard, and players are settling into roles. But it all came undone. Slowly, then all at once.
Considering they were promised that the standard at Memphis would be maintained when Ryan Silverfield was hired, there are lots of reasons for Tigers fans to be ready to turn the page. Does that mean Memphis will be making a change at head coach?
CBS Sports analyst Emeka Okafor called the gutty win for Purdue “championship vitamins.” But the truth is that even a close loss like this one — to the top dog in the sport — will make Memphis fans feel a whole lot better.
The Memphis basketball season may be off to a tepid start, but I’ve got five burning questions as the Tigers prepare to play No. 1-ranked Purdue in the Bahamas.
As Memphis embarks on yet another grueling nonconference schedule against Power 4 programs it’s clear the playing field has shifted. Should our annual expectations follow?