Watch Penny Hardaway lose his cool after Memphis basketball loss to SMU
By Ethan Lee
Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway doesn’t exactly seem thrilled after the Tigers fell flat against the SMU Mustangs Thursday evening.
While things are going well for the Memphis Grizzlies, not everyone in the city of Memphis is having a ton of fun with basketball right now.
The Memphis Tigers aren’t exactly having a great time this year and that’s probably why Memphis basketball’s Penny Hardaway is expressing a bit of frustration while meeting with media members.
Penny Hardaway's answer to if he can get the job done at Memphis.
— Cassie Carlson (@CassieCarlsonTV) January 21, 2022
"Stop asking me stupid f***ing questions about if I feel like I can do something. If I had my roster like they did, then I feel like I can do whatever I want to do." pic.twitter.com/WA79u6Y7bc
Okay, maybe that was more than a “bit of frustration.”
Hardaway’s response there is apparently to Geoff Calkins of The Daily Memphian. Calkins apparently asked if Hardaway believed he’d be able to “get it done.” It’s a fairly straightforward question, all things considered, but it’s very clearly not one that Hardaway wanted to answer in that moment.
I asked Penny if he “thought he could get it done.” He told me to “stop asking me stupid fucking questions.” Seemed fair, no? I’ll have some thoughts in my column.
— Geoff Calkins (@geoff_calkins) January 21, 2022
Memphis basketball: Penny Hardaway angered after Memphis Tigers lose to SMU Mustangs
Hardaway’s anger with the way his team is struggling is understandable. It’s also understandable that his team would be struggling. Hardaway has a collection of young players on the court and there have been some injury issues.
Something that probably doesn’t bode well for how this team will do down the line is the fact that Rasheed Wallace, an assistant coach for the Tigers, will no longer be with Memphis in an “in-person capacity” for the remainder of the year.
Memphis assistant Rasheed Wallace will not be with the Tigers in an in-person capacity the rest of this season, according to coach Penny Hardaway. https://t.co/VyHln3vPCH
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) January 20, 2022
So, yeah, it makes sense that Hardaway might be a little upset with the way things are going right now.
Not helping matters are the facts that some fans are growing frustrated with Memphis not winning this year and Hardaway previously promising that his team would win a national championship. Hardaway, who is now in his fourth season, has a record of 72-40. While Memphis did make it to the NIT and won the championship there in 2021, many believed the Tigers would be further along at this point.
The Tigers are currently 9-8 on the season and it appears unlikely that they’ll make the NCAA Tournament, barring some sort of miracle turnaround, that is.
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