Memphis Basketball Electrifies at First Ever Student Madness

University of Memphis students formed a circle around campus in anticipation for Memphis basketball’s first ever Student Madness Wednesday night.

Once the doors opened at 6 p.m., they were treated to free pizza, a mini-concert and a V.I.P-level view of the 2023-24 editions of Tigers basketball.

The students are ready for the 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒

Stream Here: https://t.co/fohzGJ5jcw pic.twitter.com/6F6ZK5k4Os

— Memphis Tigers (@TigersAthletics) October 4, 2023

The student-only event, which emanated from Elma Roane Fieldhouse, featured a myriad of activities and happenings throughout the night.

The men’s and women’s teams—coached by Penny Hardaway and Alex Simmons respectively—were introduced for the first time. David Jones and a student won a three-point shooting contest. Nick Jourdain, JJ Taylor and Jayhlon Young held a lackluster dunk contest, which Jourdain won after originally being eliminated in the first round. Another student tried and failed to win $5,000 by making a half-court shot (He had two attempts, plus help from Jahvon Quinerly and Hannah Riddick). And Memphis rapper Big Boogie capped everything off with an energizing performance that sent the crowd into its only real frenzy of the night.

Jourdain’s “contest winning” dunk. pic.twitter.com/eo1NkvnFac

— Roman Cleary (@RoAClear) October 5, 2023

Student Madness was quite the mixed bag on the court. But in terms of energy, participation and student enthusiasm, the event was a success, according to Simmons.

“The turnout was great,” she said. “You can’t ask for anything more than packing [Elma Roane Fieldhouse] out. The line was wrapped all the way through campus.”

Hardaway was impressed by both the aforementioned turnout and the way his team bonded throughout the evening.

“[Tonight was] very important for team bonding,” he said. “Obviously, it’s [only] the students. It was new. But having the night with the students and with the women’s team—it was a special night.”

Madison Griggs, last year’s leading scorer for the women’s team, thought that Student Madness was a welcome change from the traditional Memphis Madness typically held at FedExForum. There hasn’t been a Memphis Madness event since the 2021-22 season, as it was replaced by a block party on the U of M campus last year and Student Madness this year.

“[Having the students in attendance is] more personal because they see us,” Griggs said. “Most students see us like all the time around campus, so they know what’s going on with us….[Regular fans] don’t see us all the time. They only see us on the court.”

Both Hardaway and Simmons also addressed the progress of their respective teams after one week of official practices. Simmons said the women’s team has had “a pretty tough two weeks” of practice, but they’re also “where they need to be” right now.

Hardaway’s Tigers are also moving in the right direction, but they still have some work to do on the offensive end.

“We’ve been [working] on defense since June, so that’s something we hang our hat on,” he said. “Offensively, we gotta figure out what style we want to play with this team.”

The men’s team begins its season in just over three weeks time with an exhibition at FedExForum against Lane College on Oct. 29. It begins the regular season eight days later against Jackson State. The women’s team also tips off its campaign on Nov. 6 in Murfreesboro against MTSU.

Uncertainties Regarding the Tigers’ Roster

The men’s team is still awaiting final answers regarding the statuses of both Mikey and DeAndre Williams.

Mikey Williams, a 4-star high school signee, has yet to join the team due to ongoing legal proceedings. He’s still trying to resolve his six gun-related felony charges that stem from an incident at his (San Diego, Calif.) home back in March. The 6-foot-3 guard allegedly shot at a moving car filled with five people—including three minors—as it was driving away from the house. If convicted, he could possibly spend up to 28 years in state prison.

His preliminary court hearing for these charges has been postponed several times, most recently from Sept. 5 to Oct. 10. Memphis Athletics released a statement regarding Mikey Williams on Sept. 27.

“While Mikey Williams is enrolled in online classes at the University of Memphis and remains on the roster, he will not have access to team-related facilities or activities until his pending legal process in California is complete,” the statement reads in part. “The process to assess and determine his status with the team will be initiated at that time.”

Hardaway, despite the statement, reiterated his endorsement of Mikey Williams and his desire for the 19-year-old to be a part of the team during a media availability last week.

“I mean, we’re just supporting him,” Hardaway said. “There is no news that’s come out to make us change our minds or think any differently [about Mikey Williams].”

DeAndre Williams, meanwhile, is still awaiting an official answer from the NCAA regarding his eligibility for this season. His attorney, Don Jackson, reportedly submitted all required documents for the waiver to Memphis’ compliance department in July. Jackson later submitted additional documents last month after the NCAA denied the initial waiver application.

This situation stems from the 2018-19 season, in which DeAndre Williams was enrolled at Evansville but didn’t play due to being academically ineligible. The NCAA still counted that year of eligibility against him, however, citing a “delayed enrollment” violation. The 27-year-old and his legal team allege that he received bad advice from people in position of authority while in high school, which includes having him enroll in an online institution that wasn’t NCAA accredited, and that the violation would’ve never happened without that poor advisement. To clarify, the 6-foot-9, All-AAC forward used his COVID-19 waiver to play last season, and is now trying to get that first year of eligibility back to play this season.

Hardaway didn’t offer much comment regarding DeAndre Williams’ situation during last week’s aforementioned availability, saying that he hopes to have a decision “soon.”