Penny Hardaway now has his fifth pledge from the transfer portal.
Sources confirm to Bluff City Media that former George Mason point guard Baraka Okojie is committed to Memphis after visiting the school this weekend. He joins Tulsa guard PJ Haggerty, Illinois center Dain Dainja, Wichita State guard Colby Rogers and Texas guard Tyrese Hunter in the Tigers’ transfer class.
The 6-foot-3 freshman averaged 8.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 46.8% from the field for the Patriots last season after reclassifying from 2024 to 2023. He ultimately made 10 starts and 32 total appearances as his role increased throughout the season.
Okojie, who hails from Brampton, Ontario in Canada, averaged 34 minutes per game in the Patriots’ final five outings. This included a 22-point performance against St. Joe’s in the second round of the Atlantic 10 tournament, where Okojie shot 60% from the field to go along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. But GMU still fell short 64-57 despite the 18-year-old’s phenomenal showing.
Okojie—a former standout for both DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida and Canada Elite on the AAU circuit—also put up 11 points and 3 assists during a Dec. 5 meeting with eventual SEC Regular-Season Champion Tennessee, which advanced to the Elite Eight in this year’s NCAA Tournament. He enters next season with three years of eligibility remaining.
Memphis is expected to lose Jahvon Quinerly, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Caleb Mills, Jordan Brown, Jayden Hardaway and Malcolm Dandridge due to expired eligibility. It’s also losing Jonathan Pierre, Jayhlon Young, Carl Cherenfant, Ashton Hardaway and Jaykwon Walton to the transfer portal, so Penny Hardaway must replace at least six players this offseason with Haggerty, Dainja, Rogers, Hunter and Okojie onboard for next year. Okojie will likely be a backup point guard for Memphis in 2024-25.
Forward Nick Jourdain, a rising senior, publicly announced his return to Memphis back in February. The Tigers can also bring back star forward David Jones, who declared for the 2024 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility Saturday. Jones has until May 29 to withdraw his name from the draft and return to school.
Walk-on guards Joe Cooper and Noah Stansbury could also come back next season. Four-star guard Jared Harris is the program’s only incoming high school recruit as of now.