What is Penny Hardaway's plan for staff hires, Ed Scott's plan for NIL?
· Yahoo Sports
Memphis athletic director Ed Scott is committed to helping Tiger basketball coach Penny Hardaway get the program back on track.
He said as much during an in-depth interview with Grind City Media’s Gary Parrish on March 17, the day after the program announced Hardaway was being retained following a dismal 13-19 campaign.
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One of the biggest pieces of the puzzle for Scott is surrounding Hardaway with the right people. Hardaway fired all three of his assistant coaches (Jermaine Johnson, Mike Davis and Roy Rogers) and his strength and conditioning coach on March 16, as part of a staff shakeup aimed at getting things back on track that will also include hiring a general manager.
Scott hopes Hardaway will have his staff revamp complete within 7-10 days.
“Even if we’re working, if we’ve got (memorandums of understanding) signed, so we know we have them. They can begin working on behalf of Memphis,” Scott said.
The Tigers have already had discussions with five potential general managers, according to Scott, noting that deputy AD Tim Duncan is working closely with Hardaway on that. He added Hardaway is zeroing in on an associate head coach that “Penny would be very comfortable with, and I think fans would really appreciate.”
Scott said it’s important for Memphis to act fast in getting the new personnel in place.
“We all know this, I don’t want to talk about tampering, but people are announcing they’re going in the portal before the portal opens (on April 7),” said Scott. “If Penny doesn’t have an eye on who he wants, both outside the American, within our own roster (who he wants to return and who he wants to procure nationwide), then we’re going to have some problems.”
Another key factor in Hardaway and the Tigers’ path forward is how much money he will have to work with from a revenue sharing standpoint. Scott said Memphis distributed more money to its roster than any other program in the American Conference – and, in some cases, more than some power conference programs.
Will that be the case again in 2026-27?
“Yes, the answer is simply yes,” said Scott. “Rev share is what I guarantee Penny. There’s no doubt in my mind that we should be the most well-funded, not only in the American, but in the Group of Six in men’s basketball.
“We have not gone backwards in funding in any sport since Ed Scott has become the AD. I’ve (more than) doubled the funding for basketball in the rev share from when I got here. Football’s numbers have gone up. Women’s soccer has gone up. I mean, I’m not coming here to strip anything from basketball.”
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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What is Penny Hardaway's plan for staff hires, Ed Scott's plan for NIL?