2021–22 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team

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2021–22 Memphis Tigers men's basketball
Memphis Tigers wordmark.svg
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
2021–22 record6–4 (0–0 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaFedExForum
(Capacity: 18,119)
Seasons
← 2020–21
2022–23 →
 Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
UCF 1 – 0   1.000 8 – 2   .800
No. 12 Houston 0 – 0   – 11 – 2   .846
Cincinnati 0 – 0   – 10 – 3   .769
East Carolina 0 – 0   – 9 – 3   .750
SMU 0 – 0   – 9 – 3   .750
Wichita State 0 – 0   – 9 – 3   .750
Memphis 0 – 0   – 6 – 4   .600
Tulsa 0 – 0   – 6 – 5   .545
South Florida 0 – 0   – 5 – 7   .417
Tulane 0 – 0   – 3 – 6   .333
Temple 0 – 1   .000 7 – 5   .583
† winner
As of December 25, 2021; Rankings from AP Poll


The 2021–2022 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represents the University of Memphis in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers are led by fourth-year head coach Penny Hardaway. The team plays their home games at FedExForum as members of the American Athletic Conference.

Previous season[]

The Tigers finished the 2020–21 season 20–8, 11–4 in AAC play, finishing in third place. They entered as the No. 3 seed in the AAC Tournament, where they would lose to No. 2 seed Houston in the semifinals. They were selected as a No. 1 seed in the NIT. The Tigers would go on to win the tournament, their second overall, and first since 2002.

Offseason[]

On June 11, 2021, speculation emerged that Penny Hardaway was a candidate for multiple head coaching jobs in the NBA including his former team, the Orlando Magic.[1] On June 28, reports emerged that Hardaway had in fact interviewed and emerged as a top candidate for the vacant head coaching job.[2] Two days later, via Instagram, Hardaway confirmed he was not leaving the University of Memphis, and reports emerged that Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown had accepted an offer to be his assistant.[3]


Departing players[]

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
D. J. Jeffries 0 F 6'7" 215 Sophomore Olive Branch, MS Transferred to Mississippi State[4]
Isaiah Stokes 4 F 6'8" 250 RS Sophomore Memphis, TN Dismissed from team
Boogie Ellis 5 G 6'3" 180 Sophomore San Diego, CA Transferred to USC[5]
Damion Baugh 10 G 6'3" 185 Sophomore Nashville, TN Transferred to TCU[6]
Jordan Nesbitt 14 G 6'6" 185 Freshman St. Louis, MO Transferred to Saint Louis[7]
Lance Thomas 15 F 6'9" 224 Junior Norcross, GA Transferred to South Alabama (mid-season)[8]
Ahmad Rand 20 F 6'8" 180 Junior Lincolnton, GA Transferred to Oregon State (mid-season)[9]
Moussa Cissé 32 C 6'10" 220 Freshman Conakry, Guinea Transferred to Oklahoma State[10]

Incoming transfers[]

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Earl Timberlake 0 G 6'6" 220 Sophomore Washington, D.C. Transferred from Miami (Florida). Timberlake will have four years of remaining eligibility.[11]
Chandler Lawson 4 F 6'7" 215 Junior Memphis, TN Transferred from Oregon. Lawson will have three years of remaining eligibility.[12]
Tyler Harris 14 G 5'9" 148 Senior Memphis, TN Walk–on; transferred from Iowa State. Harris will have two years of remaining eligibility.[13]

2021 Recruiting class[]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Emoni Bates*
SF 		Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsi Prep Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) August 25, 2021[14] 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 98
Jalen Duren*
C 		New Castle, Delaware Montverde Academy (FL) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (100 kg) 8/6/21[15] 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 97
Josh Minott
SF 		Boca Raton, Florida Saint Andrew's School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 08/08/20[16] 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 84
Johnathan Lawson
SF 		Memphis, Tennessee Wooddale High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 4/22/21[17] 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 84
Sam Onu
C 		Malvern, Pennsylvania The Phelps School 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 10/13/20[18] 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 81
John Camden
SF 		Downingtown, Pennsylvania Brewster Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 09/30/20[19] 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 79
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 1  247Sports: 1
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Memphis 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  • "2021 Memphis Tigers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021.

*Originally class of 2022, but reclassified to 2021.[20]

2022 Recruiting class[]

Preseason[]

AAC preseason media poll[]

On October 13, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards[22]

Coaches Poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Houston 98 (8)
2 Memphis 92 (3)
3 SMU 77
4 Wichita State 76
5 UCF 66
6 Cincinnati 52
7 Tulsa 43
8 Temple 37
T-9 South Florida 25
T-9 Tulane 25
11 East Carolina 14

Preseason Awards[]

  • AAC Preseason Rookie of the Year - Jalen Duren
  • AAC Preseason All-Conference First Team - Jalen Duren
  • AAC Preseason All-Conference First Team - Landers Nolley II
  • AAC Preseason All-Conference Second Team - Emoni Bates
  • AAC Preseason All-Conference Second Team - DeAndre Williams

Roster[]

Of the eighteen players on the Tigers' roster for this season, eight of them are from the city of Memphis.

2021–22 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Earl Timberlake 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Miami (FL) Washington, D.C.
F 1 Emoni Bates 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Ypsi Prep Academy Ypsilanti, MI
C 2 Jalen Duren 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Fr Montverde Academy (FL) New Castle, DE
G 3 Landers Nolley II 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 208 lb (94 kg) RS Jr Virginia Tech Fairburn, GA
F 4 Chandler Lawson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Oregon Memphis, TN
G 5 Johnathan Lawson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Wooddale HS Memphis, TN
G 10 Alex Lomax 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Sr East HS Memphis, TN
G 11 Lester Quiñones 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Jr IMG Academy Brentwood, NY
F 12 DeAndre Williams 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Evansville Houston, TX
G 14 Tyler Harris (W) 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 148 lb (67 kg) Sr Iowa State Memphis, TN
F 15 John Camden 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Fr Brewster Academy Downingtown, PA
F 20 Josh Minott 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Saint Andrew's School Boca Raton, FL
C 23 Malcolm Dandridge 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr East HS Memphis, TN
G 25 Jayden Hardaway (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 209 lb (95 kg) RS Jr IMG Academy Memphis, TN
G 30 Conor Glennon (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 172 lb (78 kg) So Brother Rice HS Chicago, IL
G 31 Tadarius Jacobs (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Bartlett HS Memphis, TN
G 32 Nikc Merriweather (W) 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 130 lb (59 kg) Jr Southwest Tennessee CC Memphis, TN
C 55 Sam Onu 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 270 lb (122 kg) Fr The Phelps School Malvern, PA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on
  • (T) Transferred
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: August 25, 2021

Schedule and results[]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 24, 2021*
4:00 p.m. 		No. 12 LeMoyne–Owen W 105–57  –
  20 – Quiñones   7 – Timberlake   7 – Tied  FedExForum (10,925)
Memphis, TN
October 31, 2021*
1:00 p.m. 		No. 12 Lane W 88–49  –
  18 – Nolley II   6 – Duren   4 – Nolley II  FedExForum (10,741)
Memphis, TN
Non-conference regular season
November 9, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 12 W 89–65  1–0
  17 – Bates   7 – Quiñones   4 – Tied  FedExForum (12,928)
Memphis, TN
November 13, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 12 North Carolina Central W 90–51  2–0
  15 – Bates   10 – Duren   6 – Timberlake  FedExForum (12,893)
Memphis, TN
November 16, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 11 Saint Louis W 90–74  3–0
  18 – Harris   10 – Nolley II   4 – Tied  FedExForum (13,302)
Memphis, TN
November 19, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 11 Western Kentucky W 74–62  4–0
  22 – Duren   19 – Duren   4 – Lomax  FedExForum (13,375)
Memphis, TN
November 24, 2021*
8:30 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 9 vs. Virginia Tech
NIT Season Tip-Off semifinal 		W 69–61  5–0
  16 – Williams   10 – Williams   3 – Nolley II  Barclays Center (2,804)
Brooklyn, NY
November 26, 2021*
8:30 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 9 vs. Iowa State
NIT Season Tip-Off championship 		L 59–78  5–1
  12 – Bates   6 – Tied   3 – Lomax  Barclays Center (2,655)
Brooklyn, NY
December 1, 2021*
6:15 p.m., SECN 		No. 18 at Georgia
American/SEC Alliance 		L 79–82  5–2
  17 – Nolley II   8 – Williams   5 – Quiñones  Stegeman Coliseum (8,629)
Athens, GA
December 4, 2021*
11:00 a.m., ESPN2 		No. 18 at Ole Miss L 63–67  5–3
  13 – Williams   5 – Timberlake   3 – Nolley II  SJB Pavilion (8,629)
Oxford, MS
December 10, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Murray State L 72–74  5–4
  15 – Harris   5 – Tied   4 – Harris  FedExForum (13,607)
Memphis, TN
December 14, 2021*
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 6 Alabama W 92–78  6–4
  20 – Williams   6 – Duren   6 – Tied  FedExForum (15,266)
Memphis, TN
December 18, 2021*
11:00 a.m., ESPN2 		vs. No. 18 Tennessee
Nashville Showcase 		Canceled due to COVID-19 issues within Memphis program [23] Bridgestone Arena 
Nashville, TN
December 21, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Canceled due to COVID-19 issues within Memphis program FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
December 29, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Tulane       Devlin Fieldhouse 
New Orleans, LA
January 1, 2022
11:00 a.m., CBS 		at Wichita State       Charles Koch Arena 
Wichita, KS
January 4, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Tulsa       FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
January 9, 2022
2:30 p.m., ABC 		Cincinnati
Rivalry 		      FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
January 12, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UCF       Addition Financial Arena 
Orlando, FL
January 15, 2022
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at East Carolina       Williams Arena 
Greenville, NC
January 20, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		SMU       FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
January 23, 2022
2:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Tulsa       Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
January 27, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		East Carolina       FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
February 3, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Cincinnati
Rivalry 		      Fifth Third Arena 
Cincinnati, OH
February 5, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU 		UCF       FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
February 9, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Tulane       FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
February 12, 2022
2:30 p.m., ABC 		at Houston       Fertitta Center 
Houston, TX
February 20, 2022
2:00 p.m., ESPN 		at SMU       Moody Coliseum 
University Park, TX
February 24, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Temple       FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
February 27, 2022
2:00 p.m., ESPN 		Wichita State       FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
March 3, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU 		at South Florida       Yuengling Center 
Tampa, FL
March 6, 2022
11:00 a.m., CBS 		Houston       FedExForum 
Memphis, TN
March 10–13, 2022
TBA 		vs.        Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[24]

Awards and honors[]


Rankings[]

See also: 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Final 
AP 12 11 9 18 RV Not released 
Coaches 16 16^ 10 19 RV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a week 1 poll.

References[]

  1. ^ Cordner, Jason (2021-06-11). "Penny Hardaway Draws Interest of Several NBA Teams For Head Coach". The Source. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  2. ^ Cali, Mike (2021-06-27). "Report: Penny Hardaway interviewed for Orlando Magic head coaching job and is a "serious candidate"". Orlando Pinstriped Post. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  3. ^ "Penny Hardaway won't coach Magic, reportedly hires Hall of Famer Larry Brown as Memphis assistant". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  4. ^ Coleman, Joel (April 19, 2021). "D.J. Jeffries transferring to MSU from Memphis". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  5. ^ Kartje, Ryan (13 Apr 2021). "Guard Boogie Ellis to transfer to USC from Memphis". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 Apr 2021.
  6. ^ Backus, Will (12 Apr 2021). "Former Memphis basketball guard Damion Baugh announces transfer to TCU". Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 18 Apr 2021.
  7. ^ Durando, Stu (5 Apr 2021). "Former St. Louis Christian Academy's Jordan Nesbitt will transfer to SLU". St. Louis Today. Retrieved 18 Apr 2021.
  8. ^ @JonRothstein (March 7, 2021). "Source: Memphis transfer Lance Thomas has committed to South Alabama. Another big transfer for Richie Riley" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Daschel, Nick (18 Jan 2021). "Memphis transfer forward Ahmad Rand lands at Oregon State, eligible to play next season". The Oregonian. Retrieved 27 Feb 2021.
  10. ^ Givony, Jonathan (15 Jul 2021). "Moussa Cisse transferring to Oklahoma State after one season of Memphis basketball". ESPN. Retrieved 15 Jul 2021.
  11. ^ Givony, Jonathan (8 Apr 2021). "Miami Hurricanes transfer Earl Timberlake commits to Memphis Tigers". ESPN. Retrieved 18 Apr 2021.
  12. ^ Johnson, Steven (22 Apr 2021). "Lawson brothers commit to Memphis". Daily Memphian. Retrieved 27 Apr 2021.
  13. ^ Munz, Jason (26 Apr 2021). "Former Cordova star Tyler Harris returns to Memphis after one season at Iowa State". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 26 Apr 2021.
  14. ^ Munz, Jason (25 Aug 2021). "Memphis basketball lands Emoni Bates, a five-star prospect compared to Kevin Durant". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 25 Aug 2021.
  15. ^ Munz, Jason (6 Aug 2021). "Jalen Duren, the nation's No. 1 recruit, commits to Penny Hardaway and Memphis basketball". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 6 Aug 2021.
  16. ^ Munz, Jason (8 Aug 2020). "4-star prospect Josh Minott commits to Memphis". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 8 Aug 2020.
  17. ^ Johnson, Steven (22 Apr 2021). "Lawson brothers commit to Memphis". Daily Memphian. Retrieved 27 Apr 2021.
  18. ^ Munz, Jason (13 Oct 2020). "Sam Ayomide Onu, 7-foot center, commits to Memphis basketball over Kansas, Seton Hall". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 23 Nov 2020.
  19. ^ Munz, Jason (30 Sep 2020). "John Camden commits to Memphis. Will there be others for Penny Hardaway and Co. this week?". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 1 Oct 2020.
  20. ^ "Top recruit Jalen Duren commits to Memphis, will reclassify to 2021 class". theathletic.com. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  21. ^ Munz, Jason (1 Jan 2021). "Memphis scores commitment from Amarr Knox, Bartlett's 2022 point guard". commercialappeal.com. The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 6 Jan 2021.
  22. ^ "Houston Selected as 2021-22 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  23. ^ "Memphis-Tennessee Game Canceled". gotigersgo.com. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
  24. ^ "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". gotigersgo.com. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
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