Memphis basketball’s PJ Haggerty, Penny Hardaway headline AAC honors

Memphis basketball clinched the outright American Athletic Conference (AAC) regular-season championship last week, and took home even more hardware Tuesday.

Star guard PJ Haggerty won the AAC Player of the Year award. The 6-foot-3 redshirt sophomore averaged 21.2 points (No. 5 in Division I), 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.8% at the 3-point line in the regular season. He earned AAC Player of the Week honors four times this year—more than anyone else in the league.

Haggerty is also a candidate for several national honors, such as the John R. Wooden Award, the Jerry West Award, the Oscar Robertson Trophy and the Naismith Trophy. He joins Precious Achiuwa (2019-20) as Memphis’ second AAC Player of the Year award winner.

Penny Hardaway, meanwhile, won his first AAC Coach of the Year award. The seventh-year headman guided Memphis to 11 combined wins in Quads 1 and 2, and a 10-3 mark against the nation’s third-strongest non-conference schedule, according to the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET). Memphis also boasts 11 true road victories this season—the second-most in program history.

The No. 16 Tigers have made 11 consecutive Associated Press (AP) Top 25 polls and 13 overall this year, which is the most appearances they’ve had since 2013-14. These accomplishments cement Hardaway as a top-15 finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year award.

“The [AAC] Coach of the Year [award] would mean a lot to me, because it would validate what I already know I am. It would validate what I’ve worked so hard for,” he said last week. “They gave me the title of being a good recruiter, but I’ve never had the title of being a good coach.

“I know a lot comes along with that, because the X’s and O’s—I can do that in my sleep. But it was about the culture, being a leader, having accountability and then having growth. I’ve grown in all those areas.”

Dain Dainja, who transferred from Illinois to Memphis last offseason, is the inaugural winner of the AAC Newcomer of the Year award. The 6-foot-9 center averages 17.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks on 68.1% shooting since becoming a starter 12 games ago. Dainja also boasts six double-doubles this year, including three in his last five games.

Haggerty, Dainja and Tyrese Hunter (14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals) are all All-Conference First Team selections. Dainja and Hunter, who transferred from Texas to Memphis last April, are both on the first-ever All-Newcomer Team.

Selections for all these honors were made by the league’s 13 head coaches, who weren’t allowed to vote for their own players.

Memphis—the No. 1 seed in this week’s AAC Tournament—begins postseason play against No. 8 Wichita State or No. 9 South Florida Friday (noon, ESPN2) at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Here’s the full AAC honors list and All-Conference teams:

Player of the Year
PJ Haggerty, R-So., G, Memphis
 
Coaches of the Year
Penny Hardaway, Memphis
Amir Abdur-Rahim, South Florida – Honorary
 
Newcomer of the Year
Dain Dainja, R-Sr., F, Memphis
 
Defensive Player of the Year
Yaxel Lendeborg, Sr., F, UAB
 
Freshman of the Year
Matas Vokietaitis, C, Florida Atlantic
 
Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportsmanship Award
Tre Carroll, R-Jr., F, Florida Atlantic
 
Most Improved Players
Tre Carroll, R-Jr., F, Florida Atlantic
Moulaye Sissoko, Sr., F, North Texas
 
Sixth Man of the Year
Brenen Lorient, Jr., F, North Texas
 
All-Conference First Team
Yaxel Lendeborg, Sr., F, UAB*
RJ Felton, Sr., G, East Carolina*
C.J. Walker, Gr., F, East Carolina
Dain Dainja, R-Sr., F, Memphis*
PJ Haggerty, R-So., G, Memphis*
Tyrese Hunter, Sr., G, Memphis
Brenen Lorient, Jr., F, North Texas
Atin Wright, Sr., G, North Texas*
Rowan Brumbaugh, R-So., G, Tulane
Xavier Bell, Sr., G, Wichita State
 
All-Conference Second Team
Alejandro Vasquez, Sr., G, UAB
Tre Carroll, Florida Atlantic
Kaleb Glenn, So., F, Florida Atlantic
Baba Miller, Jr., F, Florida Atlantic
Jamille Reynolds, Sr., F, South Florida
Jamal Mashburn Jr., Gr., G, Temple
Primo Spears, UTSA
Kaleb Banks, Jr., F, Tulane
Dwon Odom, Gr., G, Tulsa
Corey Washington, Jr., F, Wichita State
 
All-Newcomer Team
Dain Dainja, R-Sr., F, Memphis*
Tyrese Hunter, Sr., G, Memphis
Atin Wright, Sr., G, North Texas
Jamal Mashburn Jr., Gr., G, Temple
Rowan Brumbaugh, R-So., G, Tulane
 
All-Freshman Team
Matas Vokietaitis, C, Florida Atlantic*
CJ Brown, G, South Florida*
Aiden Tobiason, G, Temple
Kam Williams, G/F, Tulane*
Ian Smikle, F, Tulsa
 
* denotes unanimous selection