Calkins: It was a surreal night on Beale Street — and everything Penny Hardaway dreamed
“I wanted [the Tigers] to experience Memphis and they got Memphis today,” University of Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said at the Ballin’ on Beale event Oct. 16, 2025. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Geoff Calkins
Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. He is host of "The Geoff Calkins Show" from 9-11 a.m. M-F on 92.9 FM. Calkins has been named the best sports columnist in the country five times by the Associated Press sports editors, but still figures his best columns are about the people who make Memphis what it is.
What do you get when you combine Penny Hardaway, Beale Street, Memphis Pom, the FBI and the National Guard? A night of Memphis basketball that seemed like a dream.
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