Penny Hardaway lost two exhibition games, but he may have found his next superstar in the process.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Memphis basketball looked completely lost at first against the nation’s second-ranked team Monday night.

The Tigers’ offense sputtered possession after possession. Their defensive effort was exceptional, but their execution left lots to be desired.

Memphis had shot a porous 27.8% from the field once halftime came around in the 2024 Rocket City Classic, while Alabama rang up a 47.1% clip (35.3% from 3-point range). The Crimson Tide also scored 16 second-chance points and 10 points off turnovers heading into the locker room.

Simply put, Penny Hardaway needed an answer if Memphis wanted a shot at avoiding an 0-2 mark in exhibition play. But perhaps he flashed back to the second half of the Tigers’ 84-76 loss to No. 9 North Carolina earlier this month, and that’s when it all became so clear.

PJ Haggerty—Hardaway’s first commitment via the transfer portal this offseason—just might be the key to unlocking Memphis’ offense.

After all, he kickstarted his time as a Tiger by scoring 24 points against the Tar Heels inside FedExForum. Fifteen of those points came in the second half on 6-for-7 shooting.

That, however, is chump change compared to what the former Tulsa star did in the final 20 minutes versus Alabama.

Haggerty—with Memphis trailing by as many as 21 points—erupted with bucket after bucket as the Tide’s lead kept shrinking and shrinking. Whether it was man-to-man, zone or even double-teaming, Alabama coach Nate Oats didn’t have an answer for Haggerty’s penetrating attack.

The 6-foot-3 guard ultimately scored 28 points in the second half, finishing with a game-high 32 on 9-for-22 (8-for-14 in the second half) shooting. He also sunk 14 of his 18 free throw attempts while racking up 9 rebounds (4 offensive), 4 assists and 4 steals.

”I’ve seen it up close and personal when he played for Tulsa last year, so I know how dynamic he is,” Hardaway said postgame. “I think as the moment gets bigger, he goes harder. He becomes the guy, and I think these guys understand that…That’s just who he is.”

Haggerty averaged an astonishing 21.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game last season in route to winning the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Freshman of the Year award. The league’s coaches also selected Haggerty as a preseason all-conference first team selection.

But the Crosby, Texas native hasn’t received as much national hype as some of his new teammates like Texas transfer guard Tyrese Hunter or Illinois transfer center Dain Dainja.

Hunter, who scored 12 points Monday, has never slept on his ultra-talented backcourt mate, though.

”I think PJ has put—from last year going on to this year—his reputation on the player he is and who you can expect him to be,” Hunter said. “It’s no surprise [to me]. We just gotta play off that. He makes the guys around him better.”

Haggerty and Dainja, who finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds, led a furious comeback that saw Memphis out-score Alabama 59-47 on 51.4% shooting in the second half.

The Tigers’ rally eventually fell short despite slicing the deficit to just 6 points with 1:01 to play, however, as the Crimson Tide held on for a 96-88 victory.

But neither of these games count against Memphis at the end of the day, and nobody knows that better than Hardaway and Co. The Tigers took free shots at two top-10 teams, and missed both times.

Memphis—in its view—is all the better for it headed into its regular season opener at home against Missouri on Nov. 4 (7 p.m., ESPN+).

“I feel like we’re just as good as these teams, if not better,” Dainja said. “We just gotta tighten up on the little things. The way we practice is a big thing. We gotta practice harder. You guys have seen how we can play in the second half.

”If we just start like that and play like that the whole game, we’re just as good as anybody in the country.”

Hardaway lost two exhibition games, but he may have found both his team’s identity and Memphis basketball’s next superstar in the process. Players like Haggerty come few and far between, and that combined with a solid foundation is bound to generate victories at one point or another.

The 20-year-old seems to think as much, at least.

”The wins will come,” Haggerty said on Oct. 15.