Memphis basketball, Penny Hardaway starting with colossal stakes, clear goals
Pressure. Even if Penny Hardaway doesn’t feel any as he stares down his ninth season as Memphis basketball coach, it’s there. Even if Tigers athletic director Ed Scott knows pressure can create diamonds, he’s also aware it can bust pipes. Even if point guard Jayden Reid says it’s there, he’s also quick to point out that everything at stake for Hardaway, Scott and the program is partially why he — and others — came to Memphis in the first place. “This is what we want,” Reid said in an exclusive interview with The Commercial Appeal. “With our schedule, you know, with how much faith (Hardaway is) putting in me — especially in a big year coming up for Memphis. “So, obviously, it’s a lot of responsibility. Not only for me, but the whole team.” The reasons why this year is so big have been exhaustively chronicled. For all the notable accomplishments during Hardaway’s tenure — 12 wins over Top 25 opponents, three March Madness appearances in the past five seasons, two American Conference tournament titles — the unremarkable has haunted the Tigers. They are coming off their worst season since the Nixon administration, they are grappling with dwindling attendance numbers,
