Faced with a bare cupboard, University of Memphis men’s basketball coach Penny Hardaway once again turned to the NCAA transfer portal to rebuild his roster for the 2025–26 season.
In total, seven new players were added to the Tigers’ roster via the portal before it closed on April 22. The newcomers will be tasked with replacing a squad that won the American Athletic Conference championship before a first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament.
After the 2024–25 season concluded, Memphis lost most of its 15-man roster to transfers, graduation and expired eligibility. The most notable departure was redshirt sophomore guard PJ Haggerty, a second-team All-American who ranked third in Division I with 21.1 points per game.
One incoming transfer with plug-and-play potential is former Kansas State point guard Dug McDaniel. The junior averaged 11.4 points, 4.9 assists and 1.7 steals last season. A former four-star recruit, McDaniel spent his first two seasons at Michigan and is a three-year starter.
Hardaway also reloaded his backcourt with a trio of shooting guards. Perhaps the most game-ready is Quante Berry, a 6-foot-4 junior who averaged 10.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals last season at Temple. In a Feb. 9 loss at Memphis, the Cleveland, Tennessee, native posted 16 points and four steals.
The Tigers also landed former Cordova High School standout Julius Thedford. As a freshman at Western Kentucky, the 6-4 wing averaged 12.4 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 36.6% from 3-point range. Coming out of high school, 247Sports rated him the No. 5 recruit in Tennessee.
Former McNeese State shooter Sincere Parker adds more depth to the backcourt. The 6-3 guard averaged 12.2 points and 2.5 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game last season. Though his 3-point shooting dropped to 30.1% from 42.6% the previous year, Parker still led his team with 15.9 points per game as a sophomore.
In the frontcourt, former five-star recruit and 2023 Naismith High School Player of the Year finalist Aaron Bradshaw headlines the additions. The 7-foot transfer from Ohio State averaged 6.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 16.9 minutes last season. Memphis will be Bradshaw’s third stop after stints at Kentucky and Ohio State.
Former South Carolina forward Zachary Davis will also compete for minutes. The 6-7 junior averaged 8.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals last season.
Hardaway rounded out the frontcourt additions by bringing in his son, Ashton Hardaway. The 6-7 sophomore transfer from Saint Mary’s averaged 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds while shooting 35.4% from 3.
So far, Memphis’ high school recruiting efforts have not yielded any roster additions. Of the 12 scholarship offers extended, nine players have signed elsewhere or made verbal commitments.
Top remaining targets include five-star point guard Arterio Morris of Levellton, Texas, and four-star recruits Terrion Burgess and Tyler Jackson.
Other Tigers who joined Haggerty in the transfer portal include redshirt seniors PJ Carter and Tyreek Smith, sophomore guards Baraka Okojie and Demarian Yates, and freshman Jared Harris.
So far, Smith is the only one who has committed to a new school. He will spend his final year of eligibility at Kansas State.
Haggerty, meanwhile, has reportedly complicated his transfer process by seeking a $4 million NIL (name, image and likeness) deal from his next team. Before entering the portal, he informed Hardaway he planned to test the 2026 NBA Draft waters.
