It was an unfamiliar sight to those who watched last season’s Memphis basketball team.
Players made plays for one another instead fighting for themselves. The group lifted each other up instead of putting each other down. They fought for rebounds instead of pouting on the floor. They gave tremendous effort defensively, and showed just as much tenacity offensively.
And as senior forward Nick Jourdain put it, the Tigers didn’t take constructive feedback “personal” during their Pro Day practice session Thursday like last year’s team did. They simply responded to it instead, which is one of the reasons why Jourdain (Memphis’ only returning scholarship player) says Memphis is a more cohesive unit this year.
“We’ve been together for longer. Everyone’s hanging out. The vibes are better in practice. The energy’s just always high,” Jourdain told reporters.
Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway didn’t sound necessarily encouraged by what he saw Thursday. But that’s because he doesn’t have to be. Hardaway says he’s seen Memphis’ toughness and effort since the day his team arrived on campus this summer.
“You’re gonna see toughness and togetherness [this season]. This team is really close knit. They hang together off the court. They’re always together, and the toughness is there. [This is] a really tough-minded team that’s gonna scrap and play hard every possession,” Hardaway said.
Scouts from the Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and Brooklyn Nets were all present at Memphis’ Pro Day, which was headlined by a 40-minute scrimmage between the starters and the reserves. The starter team—which wore white jerseys—primarily trotted out Jourdain, Tyrese Hunter, PJ Haggerty, Colby Rogers and Dain Dainja. The reserve team—donning blue jerseys—featured the likes of Tyreek Smith, Moussa Cisse and Baraka Okojie, who’s still recovering from shoulder surgery.
The reserves, who won the scrimmage 42-40, also saw a nice showing from freshman Jared Harris. The 6-foot-2 guard made two baskets through contact while also playing well defensively. He isn’t expected to be a fixture in Memphis’ rotation this year, but that’s not a foreign situation for him.
“When I was a freshman in high school, I really had to work my way up to be the man. Now, I’m in college, so I just feel like I’m back to that little freshman in high school. All the little grind, all the little diving on the floor for loose balls, extra talking, that’s just my role,” Harris said. “I look at [the rest of the team] as big brothers, for real. I’m really copying some of their game and putting some of my own game in. Penny is like one of the greatest coaches of all-time to me because he builds great relationships with his players. So, when I talk to Penny, he always just tells me I have a chance to be on the floor, so I just really go out there and give it what I got.”
Harris and the rest of Memphis’ efforts are largely fueled by Hunter, who averaged 11.1 points and 4.1 assists per game at Texas last season. The 6-foot guard has established himself as the Tigers’ alpha dog this offseason, and continued that leadership Thursday despite tweaking his hamstring in the middle of practice. Every timeout, every pause in the action, Hunter was right there preaching effort and execution.
Cisse, Memphis’ other prominent voice, and Smith are dealing with groin and hand injuries respective according to Hardaway, who says health is Memphis’ only real concern headed into the season, which unofficially begins in the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic exhibition against North Carolina on Oct. 15 inside FedExForum. The Tigers will also have another scrimmage with Alabama in Huntsville on Oct. 28 before beginning the regular season at home against Missouri on Nov. 4.
Memphis still has two scholarships available for players, as well as one opening for another assistant coach after Hardaway fired Rick Stansbury and hired Nolan Smith and Mike Davis. The seventh-year coach says he might add one more coach and player before the season starts.
“It’s kinda up in the air right now,” he said. “It’s not out of the question, [but I] just like what we have right now [on our coaching staff]…I might get one more [player]. Thinking about it.”