Memphis basketball to heavily pursue Tulsa guard PJ Haggerty

Penny Hardaway is hoping this season’s American Athletic Conference (AAC) Freshman of the Year will switch sides in 2024-25.

Sources tell Bluff City Media that Memphis will pursue Tulsa guard PJ Haggerty, who entered the transfer portal last week. Haggerty and the Tigers have “mutual interest” in one another. Texas and other high-major programs are also expected to contend for the Crosby, Texas native.

Haggerty, a 6-foot-3 rising sophomore, is the No. 1 player in the transfer portal according to On3. He averaged 21.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.9 steals on 49.3% shooting for Tulsa this year. But the Golden Hurricane finished the campaign with a lowly 16-15 record (7-11 AAC), and a 84-79 loss to East Carolina in last month’s conference tournament.

The 19-year-old, who turns 20 on April 13, started his collegiate career at TCU as a 4-star high school prospect. He only played in six games for the Horned Frogs, however, and ultimately redshirted in the 2022-23 campaign before transferring to Tulsa. He enters next season with three years of eligibility remaining.

Haggerty put up 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals on 10-for-19 shooting during Tulsa’s home matchup with Memphis back in January. The Golden Hurricane overcame a seven-point deficit in the final 63 seconds to nearly force overtime and possibly upset the Tigers—ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 at the time. But guard Jahvon Quinerly nailed a 3-pointer with four seconds left to help Memphis escape the Reynolds Center with a 78-75 victory.

Quinerly, who Haggerty could replace as Memphis’ starting point guard if he chooses the Tigers, is one of seven Memphis players who has expired his eligibility. The other six are Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Caleb Mills, Jaykwon Walton, Jordan Brown, Jayden Hardaway and Malcolm Dandridge. Penny Hardaway has also lost Jonathan Pierre and Jayhlon Young to the transfer portal, so the seventh-year coach must replace at least nine players this offseason.

Forward Nick Jourdain, a rising senior, publicly announced his return to Memphis back in February. But sources have recently indicated that he’s still deciding his plans for next year. The Tigers can also bring back David Jones, 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.

Besides Haggerty, Memphis has reached out to the following players in the transfer portal:

Michigan guard Dug McDaniel

Southeastern Louisiana guard Roger McFarlane

Texas State forward Brandon Love

Iona guard Greg Gordon

Michigan center Tarris Reed Jr.

UT-Martin guard Jordan Sears

BYU center Abou Ousmane

Wichita State guard Colby Rogers

James Madison guard Terrance Edwards Jr.

Drake forward Kevin Overton

Louisiana-Monroe forward Nika Metskhvarishvili

Saint Louis guard Gibson Jimerson