For the first half Friday, Whitehaven looked nothing like a team that was ready for the bright lights of Cookeville. The second half, though, was a whole other story.

NASHVILLE – Losing in the state semifinals is a bad dream that Eric Gray continues to relive. But Sunday was a dream come true.

The official stats read, “HENDERSON, D. rush for 4 yards to the MEM48, 1ST DOWN MEM.” This moment was more significant than one line on Friday's play-by-play in Memphis' 52-31 win over Houston.

Enes Kanter had a career-high 26 rebounds and scored 21 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 22 points and the New York Knicks overcame a poor shooting first half to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 103-98 on Sunday night.

ORLANDO – Just a few days earlier, Penny Hardaway had been sitting along the baseline at the Landers Center, watching three gifted recruits light up the court.

Thirteen Memphis players appeared in their last game as a Tiger in Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on Friday. Some were major contributors; others saw minimal action.

Memphis (2-1) guard Tyler Harris stepped to the free throw line with 35 seconds to go in Saturday's game against Yale.

One of the keys to the Grizzlies’ surprising start to the season is that Mike Conley and Marc Gasol have played every game so far. But the Grizzlies got a reminder on Friday afternoon in Los Angeles of what playing without Conley is like, and it wasn’t pretty.

After Oklahoma State handed Memphis a 20-point loss in the first round of the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando, coach Penny Hardaway called the performance “embarrassing” and vowed to make adjustments.

The high school football season has reached the semifinal stage in both Tennessee and Mississippi. Here's a closer look at Friday's games involving area teams. All kickoffs are at 7 p.m.

Nobody at the breakfast table knew what school Jamirah Shutes would choose for college, not even her parents. Missouri, Ole Miss and Purdue were putting pressure on the 5-foot-7 guard from Brownsville to commit. The school 45 minutes away from her and her family still had a shot, though.

ORLANDO — Penny Hardaway sat in front of the microphone in the wake of Oklahoma State’s blowout win over the Memphis Tigers in the AdvoCare Invitational and decided to really lay into the individual he thought was responsible for the listless performance.

Memphis (8-4, 5-3 American Athletic Conference) overcame a halftime deficit to clinch the AAC West Division over the Houston Cougars (8-4, 5-3 AAC).

The modern college football coach can put the happy shine on almost anything. Even a public sideline spat with a player over a jacket that, well, really wasn’t about a jacket at all.

Chris Herrington, Geoff Calkins, and Don Wade launch the Daily Memphian Grizzlies Podcast by discussing the Memphis Grizzlies’ surprising start and how sustainable it may be.

At the end of the night, they posed for photos. Malcolm Dandridge on the left, DJ Jeffries in the middle, James Wiseman on the right.

The biggest concern for West Memphis football coach Billy Elmore prior to last week's game against Pine Bluff may have been making sure his team wasn't overfed.

Memphis defensive coordinator Chris Ball sat down to watch film of the Houston-Tulane game a week ago and wondered if he would have to abandon his game plan – a strategy developed over months.

Penny Hardaway and his staff are attempting to top the short-notice recruiting job from the spring with their Class of 2019. Memphis has three commitments in the Class of 2019 with big targets still up on the board. Here’s who Hardaway is after and more.

Here are Monday's reported high school sports results, along with reported games from the weekend. For corrections, updates or to send in your team's results, please e-mail jvarlas@dailymemphian.com

As a rematch, Tuesday's game between defending Tennessee state champion East and defending Mississippi state champion Olive Branch at the Landers Center in Southaven left a little to be desired.

Here is this week's Daily Memphian high school honor roll, which recognizes the top individual performers over the last seven days.

Center James Wiseman committed Tuesday to play college basketball at the University of Memphis – among the biggest recruiting successes in the program’s history and a huge accomplishment for first-year coach Penny Hardaway.

Just before noon, James Wiseman looked into the ESPN cameras, and said “After long, thoughtful consideration, I will be attending the University of . . .”

Kentucky coach John Calipari acknowledged Tuesday he may be “overrated” as a recruiter after losing the battle with his former employer – the University of Memphis – to sign top prospect James Wiseman.