New Memphis Tiger Julius Thedford eager to finally play for hometown team
Julius Thedford grew up a Memphis Tigers fan, played his high school basketball at Whitehaven High and Cordova High, and looks forward to being able to play for ‘The City’s Team.’ (Courtesy Memphis Athletics)
In an era in which it’s far from a given that the best local talent stays home to play for the Tigers, Julius Thedford is the type of player Memphis diehards point to when making the case for the Tigers still owning the title of “The City’s Team.”
Thedford, who starred at Cordova High as a senior in 2023-24 and at Whitehaven High before that, watched those who came before him make the jump. Jeremiah Martin from Mitchell High. Tyler Harris from Cordova. Alex Lomax from East. All Memphis born and bred guards, like Thedford.
Though Thedford had to wait a little longer than he would have liked for his opportunity to be a Tiger, he knows the timing couldn’t have worked out better.
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Memphis Tigers Basketball Julius Thedford NCAA transfer portal 2025-26 college basketball season Subscriber OnlyAre you enjoying your subscription?
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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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