Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway announced the firing of four staff members on Wednesday, just two months before the start of the season.
Assistant coaches Rick Stansbury, Faragi Phillips and Jamie Rosser, as well as special adviser Demetrius Dyson, will not return to Hardaway's staff this season. Neither Hardaway nor the school provided a reason for the dismissals.
“I want to thank Rick, Faragi, Jamie and Demetrius for their service to the University of Memphis and our basketball program,” Hardaway said in a statement. “They are fine coaches who I have worked closely with over the past few seasons, but I have made the difficult decision to take a new direction with our staff. The timing is not ideal, but I want to give this team the best opportunity to achieve our goals of winning the AFC Championship and advancing in the NCAA Tournament. With the season quickly approaching, we will act quickly to complete the staff.”
With all four coaches no longer with the team, the only remaining coaches listed on the program's website are Dwight Boyd, the team's personnel chief, and Jordan VerHulst, the team's director of scouting. Coach Darrell Turner and physical therapist Kevin Olds are also members of last year's team.
The turnover continues with a very active offseason for Hardaway and Memphis, which returns just one player from last season's team. Seven players transferred out of the program, while David Jones left early for the NBA draft and several players exhausted the remaining time on their eligibility.
The Tigers will welcome eight Division I transfers, including talented guards PJ Haggerty (Tulsa), Colby Rogers (Wichita State) and Tyrese Hunter (Texas), as well as ESPN 100 freshman Jared Harris.
Wednesday's announcement adds to the pressure on Hardaway, who is entering a critical season for his future with the Tigers. After starting last season with a 15-2 record and ranking as high as No. 10 in the AP poll, Memphis went 7-8 the rest of the year and missed the NCAA tournament.
Hardaway has been to the NCAA tournament just twice in six seasons at the helm of his alma mater, winning a first-round game over Boise State in the 2022 tournament.
Hardaway's tenure has also been marred by off-court issues. There was an 18-month NCAA investigation into alleged violations involving James Wiseman and other recruits; the independent accountability resolution process ultimately concluded that Hardaway did not violate NCAA rules because of his long-standing philanthropy in Memphis.
Last summer, Hardaway was suspended for three games by the NCAA for recruiting violations and for violating head coach accountability rules in a separate investigation.
Toward the end of last season, senior Malcolm Dandridge missed the team's final five games while the school conducted an investigation into his eligibility.
