Penny Hardaway is timeless in Memphis
As everyone is aware, Penny Hardaway is the new head coach at the University of Memphis. He now has a chance to define the next generation of Memphis basketball.
I still remember the first time that I met Penny Hardaway when I was 9 years old.
We met at West Street Diner, an awesome local place in Germantown where you can get some of the best fried chicken you will ever eat in your life. My dad pointed him out to me, and let me tell you, seeing a former NBA all-star, especially one who played for the University of Memphis, in person is a religious experience for a young kid who loves basketball. For Penny Hardaway, it was probably just another time where he greeted a young fan in public. For me, it was one of those moments that make you remember why you fell in love with basketball.
Fast forward 5 years later, and I met Penny Hardaway a second time.
During the summer before my freshman year, I trained nearly every day at Lifetime Fitness in Collierville. And let me just be honest, I sucked. I was about 5’6 and weighed only about 125 pounds at the time. Needless to say, I could barely hold my own out there on the court.
One day, Penny Hardaway came into the gym to play pickup, and even at nearly 40, the man looked like gravity didn’t affect him. Crossovers, step back jumpers, layups–it was like watching his Memphis State highlight video. He looked ever bit of a former NBA all-star–he looked like everything I ever wanted to be at basketball.
Once he finished, he started talking to my trainer Nick Mattone, a former pro player in Europe. As I started shooting by myself, trying to ignore that freaking Penny Hardaway was watching me play basketball, I noticed Penny point at me. Nick said something to him, and I turned to look at them. I looked at Penny, and Penny looked at me.
And he grinned at me.
And I again remembered why I fell in love with the game of basketball.
Now, Penny Hardaway has the chance to make other kids in Memphis fall in love with the game of basketball once more.
Let’s be real: It has been a hard time to be a basketball fan in Memphis. The Memphis Grizzlies have one of the worst records in the NBA. And there have been tumbleweeds at the FedexForum during Memphis Tigers games.
When I was growing up, Memphis basketball spoiled me. I experienced the greatness of the Calipari era with the Memphis Tigers. As everyone else did, I witnessed the rise and fall of the Grit ‘N’ Grind era for the Memphis Grizzlies. Wherever I looked, there would always be some form of excellence in Memphis basketball. There was always someone that I could look up to.
That has not been a reality recently for the kids of Memphis, but it will soon change. There are kids in Memphis who have hardly experienced real Memphis Tigers basketball–the Grizzlies are all they’ve known. However, they are about to experience what they have been missing for most of their lives. Penny Hardaway will make Memphis Tigers basketball mean something once again.
In a time where Memphis basketball has hit the hardest of times, Memphis needs someone who is timeless to step in and lead. Penny Hardaway was a legend at Memphis State and an NBA all-star in the 1990s. In 2018, he is still Memphis’ favorite son and the heir apparent to the Tigers’ legacy. Truly, he is the bridge between the old and the new.
The timelessness of Penny Hardaway very well may now be his greatest attribute. His presence alone attracts the same older disillusioned people who stopped caring about Memphis Tigers basketball long ago. Yet he also appeals to a younger generation that never watched him play.
Legends pass from one generation to the next, and the legend of Penny Hardaway is no exception.
When Penny was a Memphis Tiger nearly 25 years ago, he inspired countless kids to believe that Memphis basketball meant something more. In the years during his retirement, he found a way to inspire me. And as the head coach of the Memphis Tigers, he now has a chance to inspire a new generation in Memphis.
Only in the movies and in Memphis.