DeAndre Williams is back in Memphis as he prepares for whatever ‘God’s got in store’
Memphis Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway, center, works out with DeAndre Williams, left, and some of his former players at the Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center, June 12, 2024. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Even as he gasped for breath toward the end of an hour-and-a-half training session, DeAndre Williams knew he had to muster up the energy to dish it right back at Penny Hardaway.
Williams had just finished a 3-point-shooting drill Wednesday morning, June 12, inside Memphis’ Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center when the Tigers coach appeared to jab at him for being winded. The former Memphis star forward pulled Hardaway in and gave him a friendly nudge as the two laughed uncontrollably.
It was a moment that resembled one of many the player and coach had shared during Williams’ three seasons with the Tigers. And it reminded Williams that — despite his journey not playing out how he’d originally planned — he’s still right where he’s meant to be.
“Every time I come back, it always feels like familiar territory, with the history that I made here and everything,” Williams said to The Daily Memphian on Wednesday while sitting inside a lounge with an image of him and his Tigers teammates hoisting the 2023 AAC Tournament title trophy in the backdrop. “So I just get excited to come back, man, and work with my coach to keep my game up to par and get ready for whatever God’s got in store for me.”
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Memphis Tigers Memphis Tigers Basketball DeAndre Williams Penny Hardaway Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
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Parth Upadhyaya
Parth Upadhyaya covers the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team. A Raleigh, N.C., native and a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Media and Journalism, Upadhyaya is a longtime college hoops junkie. Prior to joining The Daily Memphian in 2022, he covered high school sports in western Pennsylvania for the Beaver County Times and Penn State football for the Centre Daily Times.
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