Memphis basketball got its redemption, but the Tigers still aren’t satisfied.

Penny Hardaway never considered resigning as Memphis basketball’s head coach after its disastrous collapse (7-8 in its last 15 games) last season that resulted in it missing the NCAA Tournament.

But he still wondered if he was truly the right person for the job throughout last offseason. He had doubts about whether he was “the guy” to lead his alma mater back to its former glory. He even would’ve accepted it if Memphis moved on from him following the Tigers’ nightmarish campaign—as his ultimate goal is for Memphis to be successful, no matter who’s in charge.

The 53-year-old doesn’t give up easily, though.

“I really wanted to make this work,” he told reporters Tuesday.

Hardaway’s done that and then some this season. His Tigers are the outright American Athletic Conference (AAC) regular-season champions for the first time since joining the league in 2013-14. They’re also penciled in for a return to March Madness later this month. Having 11 combined wins in Quads 1 and 2 guarantees as much.

Memphis went 10-3 against the nation’s third-strongest non-conference schedule, according to the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), and has made 11 consecutive Associated Press (AP) Top 25 polls too. Its 13 total appearances are the program’s most since 2013-14.

Those accolades and more netted Hardaway his first AAC Coach of the Year award in seven seasons.

“It means a lot, because it’s leaving a legacy to the young kids that grew up here in the city that are following in my footsteps…I’m sure Coach [Larry] Finch is smiling down,” he said. “It puts Memphis in a great position, and that’s what makes me happy…But it does feel good to be acknowledged for my hard work.”

Hardaway, while not overly enamored with the trophy itself, is proud of what the honor says about his growth.

“I’m not a traditional coach. The way I do things is different, and I just needed time to really figure things out. I guess that [comes] with the experience of not ever being a college coach [before] and learning on the fly,” he said. “It is a good feeling, though, to know that you are Coach of the Year, and that you have to be respected for that…To win the regular-season [title] and to be Coach of the Year—man, you can’t dream of that.”

Hardaway wasn’t Memphis’ only stamp in the AAC honors, though. Far from it, in fact.

Star guard PJ Haggerty won the AAC Player of the Year award. The 6-foot-3 redshirt sophomore averaged 21.2 points (No. 5 in Division I), 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.8% at the 3-point line in the regular season. He earned AAC Player of the Week honors four times this year—more than anyone else in the league. He joins Precious Achiuwa (2019-20) as Memphis’ second AAC Player of the Year award winner.

Dain Dainja, who transferred from Illinois to Memphis last offseason, is the inaugural winner of the AAC Newcomer of the Year award. The 6-foot-9 center averages 17.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks on 68.1% shooting since becoming a starter 12 games ago. Dainja also boasts six double-doubles this year, including three in his last five games.

Haggerty, Dainja and Tyrese Hunter (14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals) each received All-Conference First Team selections. Dainja and Hunter, who transferred from Texas to Memphis last April, are both on the first-ever All-Newcomer Team.

“That’s what winning does. That’s what sacrifice does. That’s what putting others before yourself [does], and that’s what this team has done,” Hardaway said. “It’s a beautiful thing when the team gets rewarded, because it’s all of our success at once. It wasn’t just us—the guys that got the awards—that did this alone. We did it together.”

This year is already a success for the Tigers, regardless of where things go from here. They have their AAC regular-season crown that’s alluded Hardaway for so long. They’re going to return to the NCAA Tournament too, with several players like Haggerty set for their first appearances in the Big Dance.

“As a kid, if you watch basketball, you always watch March Madness—one of the most dreamed basketball events,” Haggerty said. “Everybody talks about it. I talked with Dain and [Hunter about] the feeling. They said, ‘It’s like no other.'”

Most importantly, the Tigers have their redemption from last season. Memphis, however, is still far from satisfied. Hardaway says his team must advance to the Sweet 16 or further for him to consider this year a success, though it won’t necessarily be a failure if the Tigers don’t get there. Dainja, a former national champion at Baylor, aspires to win his second ring—and Memphis’ first—to end his college career.

The road to these lofty goals begins later this week in Fort Worth, Texas, as the Tigers hope to win their second AAC Tournament championship in three years. Memphis—the No. 1 seed in the field—begins its postseason against either No. 8 Wichita State or No. 9 South Florida inside Dickies Arena on Friday (noon, ESPN2).

“It’s really three seasons—conference, the [conference] tournament and then March,” Dainja said.