Welcome to this week’s Tigers Basketball Insider. Below you’ll find the latest news and analysis from The Daily Memphian’s Parth Upadhyaya, John Martin and Tim Buckley. 

We’ve seen this one play out before.

Though Memphis and Kentucky have yet to face each other on the court during coach Penny Hardaway’s tenure with the Tigers, Hardaway and Wildcats coach John Calipari have developed a different sort of rivalry. It’s one that’s formed on the recruiting trail.

For years, Calipari — a Hall of Fame coach — has been known as the one-and-done king, reeling in the best high school talent available on a consistent basis. But, through his six years at the helm for Memphis so far, Hardaway hasn’t been that far behind. The two have battled it out for a handful of top recruits.

Now, they’re doing so yet again.

Billy “Trey” Richmond III, a 6-foot-7 four-star wing in the 2024 class, listed both Memphis and Kentucky in his final eight schools last month. It’s no secret, though, that his decision could very well come down to just the Tigers and the Wildcats.

Richmond has his official visit with Memphis this weekend (Sept. 29-30) after he took one to Kentucky earlier this month. He’s the No. 31 overall prospect in the Class of 2024, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

Richmond is a Memphis native whose father, Billy Richmond Jr., played for the Tigers from 2002 to 2004 under Calipari after transferring from Vanderbilt. His mother, Kimberly Thomas, is also a University of Memphis graduate.

This dynamic puts the younger Richmond in an interesting position.

On one hand, his dad still has a strong relationship with Calipari and talks to him regularly to this day; on the other, both of Richmond’s parents were Tigers.

“Penny is family,” Thomas told The Daily Memphian’s John Martin last month. “He’s been around forever since Trey was a baby. I completely trust him wholeheartedly with my kid, even outside of basketball. And I think he’s doing a terrific job. He’s bringing love back to Memphis basketball. That’s a hard thing.”

We’ll likely learn more about where things stand in Richmond’s decision-making process after his visit to Memphis this weekend.

But, for now, let’s take a quick look at some of Hardaway’s most notable recruiting wins over Calipari over the past five years (listed in chronological order):

1. D.J. Jeffries (Oct. 2018)

Jeffries, the No. 52 overall recruit in the 2019 class, decommitted from Kentucky in July 2018 after pledging to the Wildcats four months prior in March. The 6-7 forward went on to commit to Memphis that October.

2. James Wiseman (Nov. 2018)

Wiseman was considered a near-lock for Kentucky for a good stretch of time. Well, that was until Memphis hired Hardaway — his former high school coach at East — in March 2018. Hardaway eventually lured Wiseman, the No. 1 recruit in the 2019 class, to Memphis. The 7-foot center committed to the Tigers that November.

3. DeAndre Williams (May 2020)

Williams, one of the more beloved Tigers in recent memory, became one of the most sought-after transfers in the country after a strong season at Evansville in 2019-20. Memphis and Kentucky were among four finalists for the 6-9 forward’s services, with the race between the Tigers and Wildcats coming down to the wire. Williams pledged to Hardaway’s program in May 2020.

4. Jalen Duren (Aug. 2021)

Duren is another top-10 recruit who Hardaway and Calipari battled over. Even after reclassifying from the 2022 to 2021 class, the 6-10 center was ranked the No. 6 overall recruit in the cycle. Duren had Memphis and Kentucky among his final four options but ultimately chose the Tigers in Aug. 2021.

Could Richmond become Hardaway’s latest big win over Calipari? We’ll just have to wait and see.

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