Memphis basketball lands SMU transfer Tyreek Smith

Penny Hardaway now has his sixth commitment from the transfer portal.

Former SMU big Tyreek Smith will join the Tigers next season, as first reported by CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein late Thursday night. The 6-foot-8 senior completed a visit with Memphis earlier this week, according to sources.

Smith joins Tulsa guard PJ Haggerty, Illinois center Dain Dainja, Wichita State guard Colby Rogers, Texas guard Tyrese Hunter and George Mason guard Baraka Okojie in Hardaway’s transfer portal class. He enters next season with one year of eligibility remaining.

The 24-year-old averaged 8.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks on 58.4% shooting last season for Rob Lanier’s Mustangs. He made 13 starts in 33 appearances in 2023-24, and helped SMU advance to National Invitational Tournament (NIT) before losing to Indiana State in the first round.

Smith also had two solid outings against Memphis throughout the campaign. He led SMU with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks during Jan. 7’s showdown inside FedExForum, which the Mustangs lost 62-59 thanks to a last-second bomb by Jahvon Quinerly. Lanier’s club demolished Memphis 106-79 on Feb. 18 inside Moody Coliseum, where Smith recorded 10 points, 4 steals, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks.

Smith’s college career has also featured stops at both Texas Tech (2020-21) and Oklahoma State (2021-23) respectively. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana native put up 5.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while making nine starts for the Cowboys in 2022-23.

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 five players this offseason with Haggerty, Dainja, Rogers, Hunter, Okojie and Smith onboard for next year. Smith will likely serve as a backup center to Dainja.

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 last month. 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.