Martin: Memphis basketball deserves better than the AAC
University of Memphis coach Penny Hardaway motions to his offense during a Feb. 25, 2024 game against FAU. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
John Martin
John Martin is a contributing college sports columnist for The Daily Memphian. Martin is a lifelong Memphian who’s covered the Memphis Tigers’ basketball program for more than a decade. Before joining The Daily Memphian team, he was the Memphis beat writer for The Athletic. Currently, he is the co-host of the Jason and John Show on 92.9 FM ESPN, weekdays at 11 a.m. Martin is a graduate of White Station High School and the University of Memphis.
Tuesday morning, Gonzaga made it official: It’s joining the revived Pac-12 for all sports, including men’s basketball.
This was not a surprise to anyone paying attention. Brett McMurphy reported the move just an hour after Memphis declined its own invitation to join the league.
But the official announcement likely causes pangs among some Memphis basketball fans. Wouldn’t it have been nice to play Gonzaga twice a year? How about another two games with San Diego State? Wouldn’t it have been fun to participate in a conference that had five teams in the NCAA Tournament last season?
This does seem like a good moment to underscore the importance of basketball for Memphis in the future of any realignment discussions — and to emphasize that the current situation for Memphis basketball is unsustainable.
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