It took seven seasons, but Memphis Tigers basketball coach Penny Hardaway finally has his first American Athletic Conference regular-season championship.

Parth Upadhyaya was there when Memphis clinched a share of the title by beating UTSA a week ago in San Antonio, and he was joined by Geoff Calkins when Memphis claimed it outright by beating South Florida last Friday night at FedExForum.

Coverage of the Tigers’ conquest highlighted The Daily Memphian’s work for the week, and now, it’s off to Fort Worth, Texas, for up to three games in the AAC Tournament, which for Memphis begins Friday as the No. 1 seed against the winner of Thursday’s Wichita State/USF game.

“There’s no telling what will happen in any of those games. There’s no telling what will happen next year,” Calkins wrote after the win over USF. “But you should have seen Hardaway after this one was over. You should have seen him wading into the crowd and signing autographs for anyone who asked. All he ever wanted was to deliver happiness to Memphians. And now he was delivering a title, too.”

Pre-tournament coverage already has begun, including Drew Hill’s piece published Tuesday on Tigers guard PJ Haggerty, the AAC’s 2024-25 Player of the Year.

The Memphis Grizzlies, meanwhile, were in Texas last week, too.

They snapped their four-game losing streak with a win Friday night in Dallas and followed that up with a victory Sunday in New Orleans. Chris Herrington hit the road to cover both, and on Monday night, Hill was at FedExForum as Cam Spencer got in Kevin Durant’s face and the Grizzlies beat Durant’s Phoenix Suns.

The Grizzlies remain at home for three more in a row, with Utah in town Wednesday night, Cleveland on Friday night and Miami on Saturday night.

Also in the past week, Frank Bonner II reported on what Tigers athletic director Ed Scott had to say at the latest meeting of the University of Memphis Board of Trustees, Bonner told the tale of Tigers baseball coach Matt Riser’s nickname and John Varlas has been all over the high school state basketball playoffs.

Varlas was in Cookeville as state-title bids by both Briarcrest and St. George’s came up short, and he previewed the girls state championship tournament beginning Wednesday in Murfreesboro with four Memphis-area teams — Bartlett High, Memphis Business Academy, Middle College and Whitehaven — chasing the gold ball.

Here’s a look at some of the staff’s top work from the week: — Deputy sports editor Tim Buckley

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'What life is all about’: Hardaway earns redemption a year after hitting bottom By Parth Upadhyaya

The Memphis Tigers' road to an AAC regular-season title By Parth Upadhyaya

Tigers NCAA Bracketology tracker. What seed will Memphis receive? By Parth Upadhyaya

Hill: With PJ Haggerty, Tigers fans can draw up the biggest dreams By Drew Hill

Herrington: Ja Morant hit the road and brought home a new mood By Chris Herrington

Memphis athletics nears stadium renovation fundraising goal By Frank Bonner II

Why 'Skip' is more than a nickname to Tigers baseball coach Matt Riser By Frank Bonner II

Girls state tournament preview: Four local teams chasing the gold ball this week By John Varlas

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