Memphis athletic director Ed Scott and men’s basketball coach Penny Hardaway spoke last Wednesday.

Members of The Daily Memphian sports staff listened intently to both two days after Scott made it known he did not plan to fire his men’s basketball coach following Memphis’ 13-19 season. Afterward, The Daily Memphian produced a trio of stories that collectively set up what seems bound to be a pivotal offseason for Hardaway and the Tigers.

The rebuild began with native Memphian Julius Thedford’s decision to remain with the program, news Parth Upadhyaya broke Sunday.

Tim Buckley also headed over to the Memphis Hilton last week to catch up with NCAA-champion golfer and new Memphis Amateur Sports Hall of Fame inductee Rachel Heck, the St. Agnes and Stanford product now serving in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and embarking on a professional painting career rather than chasing what at one point had been LPGA Tour dreams.

Meanwhile, Frank Bonner II was there Monday as the Memphis Tigers football team held its first spring practice under new coach Charles Huff. Bonner spoke exclusively with Huff after the practice and heard about how transfer safety Ian Foster made a rather favorable impression as spring drills began.

Back to basketball, John Varlas is back home for a while after three straight busy weeks shuttling back and forth for some terrific high school state tournament coverage, capped by the Bartlett High boys team’s Class 4A championship win in Murfreesboro.

On the NBA front, the Memphis Grizzlies keep on losing — three straight, and 11 of their last 12 now — and Drew Hill and Chris Herrington continue to keep tabs on the tanking team.

The Grizzlies are back at FedExForum on Wednesday night to face the San Antonio Spurs at the start of a six-game homestand that also includes games Friday night against the Houston Rockets, Saturday night against the Chicago Bulls and Monday night against the Phoenix Suns.

Hill also wrote last week about how Memphian Dontae Horne won conference tournament MVP honors to help his school, SWAC-champ Prairie View A&M, do something the Tigers could not this year: make the NCAA Tournament field.

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

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Buckley: Hardaway, Tigers concerned about fans in the stands. What's the plan to fix it? By Tim Buckley

Memphis AD Ed Scott details why Penny Hardaway will return next season By Parth Upadhyaya

'A Tiger for life’: Julius Thedford will return to Memphis for 2026-27 season. What's next for the Tigers? By Parth Upadhyaya

Buckley: Painter. Air Force reservist. Bride-to-be. Rachel Heck isn't just a star golfer from Memphis anymore. By Tim Buckley

Tigers spring ball preview: Who will start at quarterback this season? By Frank Bonner II

Safety Ian Foster shines on first day of Tigers spring practice By Frank Bonner II

Panthers steam into Class 4A final; Whitehaven very nearly joins them By John Varlas

Grizzlies shellacked in 39-point loss to Hawks By Drew Hill

Former Grizzly and Briarcrest standout Kennedy Chandler returns to NBA By The Daily Memphian Staff

Hill: He's a March Madness success story — thanks to Memphis By Drew Hill

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