Buckley: Penny Hardaway had portal problems. Some lessons to be learned.
University of Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway during action against the University of Louisville on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
Tim Buckley
Tim is a veteran sportswriter who graduated from CBHS in Memphis and the University of Missouri. He previously covered LSU sports in Baton Rouge, and the University of Louisiana football and basketball for The Daily Advertiser/USA TODAY Network in Lafayette, the NBA’s Utah Jazz for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning for the St. Petersburg Times in Florida, and West Texas State basketball for the Amarillo Globe News in Texas.
Last offseason didn’t exactly go as Penny Hardaway planned.
It took far too long for the Memphis Tigers to learn where point guard PJ Haggerty, their top scorer in 2024-25, would play in 2025-26, and far too long to learn if big man Dain Dainja would be granted an additional season of eligibility.
Ultimately, Haggerty — the Tigers unwilling and/or unable to meet his $3 million asking price — signed elsewhere. And Dainja – despite what’s now an era in which the NCAA seems to grant everybody and their brother an extra season — was denied his request.
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