Penny Hardaway already has his eye on a potential starting point guard for next season.
Sources confirm to Bluff City Media that Memphis has “strong interest” in Michigan guard Dug McDaniel, who entered the transfer portal Monday. Georgetown and Maryland are expected to be the Tigers’ main competition for the Washington D.C. native.
The 5-foot-11 sophomore averaged 16.3 points, 4.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals while shooting 41% from the field and 36.8% from 3-point range this season, which is a significant jump from his 8.6 points per game he put up in 2022-23. McDaniel led the Wolverines in points, assists and steals this year.
Michigan, which fired head coach Juwan Howard on Saturday, won just eight games during his fifth and final season with the school. But this can be partially attributed to McDaniel being suspended for six road games throughout January and February due to academic issues. Howard’s team lost each of those contests.
It also played Memphis on Nov. 22 during this season’s Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas, though McDaniel struggled in that game. He recorded 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists against the Tigers, but shot just 5-for-15 from the field, 0-for-3 from the perimeter and 3-for-6 from the free throw line while committing four personal fouls.
The 21-year-old scored a season-high 33 points against both Oregon and Florida in December. His outing versus the Ducks on Dec. 2 was likely his best of the year, as he also racked up 4 rebounds and 3 assists in 42 minutes while hitting 12 of 21 shots from the field and an absurd 7 of 12 attempts from beyond the arc. He recorded 8 rebounds and 5 assists during Michigan’s meeting with the Gators on Dec. 19. But he also turned the ball over a season-high six times.
Memphis, which lost to Wichita State in its American Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament opener Thursday, is expected to lose Jahvon Quinerly, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Caleb Mills, Jaykwon Walton, Jordan Brown, Jayden Hardaway and Malcolm Dandridge due to expired eligibility. Jonathan Pierre will also leave the program after entering the transfer portal Monday morning, which means Penny Hardaway must replace at least eight scholarship players this offseason. McDaniel will presumably take Quinerly’s role as the team’s lead guard if he chooses the Tigers.
Forward Nick Jourdain has announced his return to Memphis next season. The Tigers can also bring back David Jones, Jayhlon Young, Joe Cooper, Ashton Hardaway, Carl Cherenfant and Noah Stansbury. Four-star high school recruit Jared Harris is the program’s only incoming player as of now.