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Tenn. (WMC) -Memphis Tigers men’s basketball head coach Penny Hardaway opened practice to the media Wednesday, offering a first look at a roster built almost entirely from scratch for the 2026-27 season
“I understand that I have work to do, and we have work to do coming off a really bad season,” Hardaway said
The team carries 12 newcomers and just two returners heading into the new season. The latest addition is former Serbian pro Nemanja Popovic, who arrived on campus this week. Guard Jayden Reid, who transferred to Memphis from Northwestern, said the desire to win is a common thread across the roster
“Trying to get back to winning ways,” Reid said. “I didn’t win last year at Northwestern, I didn’t win my second year at South Florida (Reid’s first collegiate stop), so I haven’t won in two years. So me and Penny both expressed that hunger to just get back in the winning category.”
Hardaway said two players have stood out during summer workouts. One is true freshman and Memphis native Cello Jackson
“Cello is high, high, high energy,” Hardaway said. “I’ve always seen him play, but he came in with a different mindset to just be high energy.”
The other is SEMO transfer Luke Almodovar
“Luke is as advertised and what I thought he would be,” Hardaway said. “Those guys kind of shocked me a little bit with energy, athleticism, toughness.”
The entire roster is on campus earlier than it was a year ago, a contrast Hardaway noted. Guard Josh Holloway said the early arrival has helped the group connect
“We play together, we like each other, and that’s the biggest thing as a team you gotta have if you want to win a championship,” Holloway said. “Everybody has to like each other, everybody has to be on one accord. So just in practice on and off the court, again we just like each other. We gonna play for each other, we gonna fight for each other, that’s what I see from us right now.”
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