Memphis basketball is ready to welcome Nae’Qwan Tomlin as soon as possible—maybe even this weekend if he’s ready.

December has been quite a whirlwind for Memphis basketball.

It started with a devastating loss at Ole Miss on Dec. 2, a game the Tigers really should’ve won. Memphis then looked rather sluggish for most of the night at VCU on Dec. 6, but managed to win in overtime. Little did we know this would be the catalyst for a monumental stretch of games.

But chaos ensued two days before Penny Hardaway’s team began that stretch at Texas A&M (ranked No. 21 in the AP Top 25 before tip-off). Louisiana transfer Jordan Brown, who’d averaged just 6 points and 4 rebounds in the season’s first seven games, missed the Tigers’ trip to VCU with an apparent illness.

Hardaway then proclaimed that Brown (19.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game at Louisiana last season) was still sick early afternoon on Dec. 8. Bluff City Media, however, reported a few hours later that the 6-foot-11 center likely won’t return to the program at all this season—and it’s not because the 2023 Lou Henson Award winner caught the second coming of the Great Plague. Sources indicated he and his camp weren’t happy with how his season at Memphis had gone up to that point, and that he’d be pursuing other options like a professional career overseas.

Memphis quickly found a replacement for Brown in mid-season transfer Nae’Qwan Tomlin. Tomlin, who comes from Kansas State, had a productive year in Jerome Tang’s program last season. The 23-year-old averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for the Wildcats while shooting 50% from the field in 2022-23. He was also a key contributor in Kansas State’s run to the Elite Eight, averaging 12.5 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in last season’s NCAA Tournament. Tomlin started all 36 games for the Wildcats last year.

He was dismissed from the team by KSU’s administration earlier this month, however, and subsequently entered the transfer portal. Tomlin had previously been suspended since late October, when he got arrested after a physical altercation at a sports bar in Manhattan, Kansas. The 6-foot-10 center was later granted diversion in the case, per The Topeka Capital-Journal.

Tomlin’s obviously a great add for any team, especially in December, but he isn’t even Memphis’ most exciting development this month. That would be the three consecutive victories Memphis has earned against ranked opponents in the past nine days—a statement win at Texas A&M on Dec. 10, a fight to the finish against No. 18 Clemson last Saturday and a demolition over No. 22 Virginia Tuesday night. The Tigers’ game against the Cavaliers was the first top-25 matchup FedExForum has hosted since 2014.

David Jones (20.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game) looks like one of college basketball’s brightest stars. Jahvon Quinerly (13.3 points, 4.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game) fits the bill as one of the nation’s finest point guards. The Tigers also have other quality pieces in Caleb Mills (9.4 points per game), Jaykwon Walton (9 points per game), Nick Jourdain (6 points and 4 rebounds per game) and Malcolm Dandridge (6 points and 5 rebounds per game). Add Tomlin to the mix, and it’s easy to see why Memphis—which officially announced Tomlin’s signing Tuesday—wants him to play as soon as possible.

“He can guard 1 through 5. He’s a rim protector. He’s an unbelievable rebounder,” Hardaway said Tuesday. “He’s a playmaker. He’s a rim-runner. He gets out and he flies. He can make plays and he can shoot. So, for me, you just put him out there and let him get his feet wet and we’ll just work around him…I think his natural, God-given talent will just take over in areas…If he’s eligible to play, he’s gonna play in the Vanderbilt game for sure.”

Now that Tomlin’s signed, he can practice with the team and sit on the bench during games. But he won’t be eligible to play for the Tigers until Kansas State processes his graduation, per Memphis Athletics.

It’s possible this happens before the Vanderbilt game Saturday (3 p.m., CBS), and that Tomlin will don a Memphis jersey for the first time this weekend. But just because Hardaway will play him as soon as possible doesn’t mean he’ll use him as much as possible, at least not immediately.

“[Just] because he plays doesn’t mean he has to play 20-30 minutes…He hasn’t played a game in a while, and I’m gonna go off his flow. I’m not rushing him out there,” Hardaway said. “If he says he’s not ready yet Saturday, he won’t play Saturday. If he’s like ‘give me another week,’ we’ll give him another week. This isn’t about rushing him back.”

Many pundits both locally and nationally are already beaming when they imagine what Memphis could look like when Tomlin becomes available. After all, Memphis is already ranked No. 23 in the AP Top 25 poll without him. It already owns five wins over top-55 KenPom opponents without him. Bracketologists Jerry Palm (CBS) and Joe Lunardi (ESPN) are already projecting Memphis as a No. 4 and 5 seed respectively based off the work it’s done without Tomlin. If the Tigers can go 9-2 against this beast of a non-conference schedule without the Kansas State transfer, who knows what they can be with him?

Hardaway isn’t pondering about any of that yet, though. He first wants to see how the newest Tiger looks on the court before jumping to any conclusions. But that doesn’t mean he denies Tomlin’s talent or potential.

“[His impact] has yet to be seen. But with his talent, you can say he’s gonna make a huge impact,” Hardaway said. “I think you gotta know Nae’Qwan just from being around him the last couple days. He’s gonna do whatever it takes. If he just has to go out there and rebound and block shots, that’s what he’ll do. If he has to go out there and post up and makes plays, that’s what he’ll do…He’s just willing to do whatever we need him to do and that’s a beautiful thing…[The rest of the team] loves him because he’s such an easy-going guy…He’s flowed right in.”