The hottest sport in Memphis? No, not pickleball. Cross country is having a moment. And that’s a very good thing. 

When John Calipari and Penny Hardaway walked to center court at a little after 8 p.m. Monday night, the Memphis fans rose and unleashed an ovation for them both.

Memphis rallied to beat nationally-ranked USF Saturday. And suddenly, all is right with the Tiger football universe once again.

Cedric Coward was perfect and Ja Morant was even better as the Grizzlies opened their 25th season with a win.

“What should Grizzlies fans want out of the team’s 25th season in Memphis? A new lease on FedExForum.”

This is the second installment in a nine-story series remembering games that defined the John Calipari coaching era of Memphis Tigers basketball. Today: A chance to beat Louisville and make the 2005 NCAA Tournament. 

As the city prepares to celebrate John Calipari and his former Tigers as part of the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic preseason game, The Daily Memphian is rolling out nine stories on games that defined a wondrous era of Memphis basketball. 

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What do you get when you combine Penny Hardaway, Beale Street, Memphis Pom, the FBI and the National Guard? A night of Memphis basketball that seemed like a dream.

You know the best way to solve the ills of a community? With hope. There will be plenty of that at Whitehaven High School Wednesday — where they’re cutting the ribbon on a new STEM center.

Penny Hardaway was scheduled to talk about his basketball team. But he spent more time talking about the challenges facing Memphis fans — and the city he has always called home.

Mike Ceide made a life decision when he saw his grandson, Knox, in the neonatal intensive care unit. As he put it, “I finally realized there is more to life than having the best job in the world.”

Rhodes moved from Clarksville to Memphis in September 1925. A hundred years later, the college and the city still rely on each other to thrive. 

The Central High band was banned from a football game Friday night. So how did they respond? With kazoos! A protest story for our time. 

How did Memphis defeat Arkansas? With a crazy, can-you-believe-it play that will be remembered forever in Tiger football lore.

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Box score: Memphis 32, Arkansas 31

For almost exactly 60 years, SEC teams have been traveling to the Liberty Bowl to play Memphis in football. Saturday might be the beginning of the end.

Todd Dixon — a nurse, triathlete, Sunday-school teacher, husband and father — died at 54. Now an entire street in East Memphis is flying Chicago Cubs flags in his honor.

It had to be the right moment for John Calipari to come back to Memphis. This is the right moment.

William Dunavant III has a speech he has already given to 20,000 Memphians. The topic? Why the city is on the cusp of great things. 

A month ago, it seemed as if the event was ending. But a group of women emerged to make certain that Memphians will once again be finishing Liza Fletcher’s run. 

“I understand that it’s unusual,” Mike Perkowski said. “Some people might think, ‘What’s this weirdo doing?’ Or they think there has to be a catch.”

The Grizzlies lease negotiations are nerve-wracking. What is a Memphian to think?

Memphis threw a celebration at FedExForum that was worthy of Fred Smith’s life. Of course, Smith himself might not have liked all the fuss. He would have told us to get back to work.

Grace Amgalan came to Memphis from Mongolia because her little brother was a patient at St. Jude. What happened next is a story about golf, community — and what can happen when we lift up those who come to our shores.

“This will be the first FedEx St. Jude Championship since the death of Fred Smith. Why did Smith embrace the tournament the way he did? It wasn’t about the golf.”