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Message: [QUOTE="Drew, post: 2708967, member: 3723"] [SIZE=4][B]The jury’s out:[/B] [B][/B][/SIZE] [I][B]Penny Hardaway, Memphis:[/B] True, it’s a gamble to take a coach straight out of high school for a prominent Division I job. But Hardaway [URL='https://theathletic.com/239434/2018/02/13/memphis-blues-a-penny-for-this-mans-thoughts/']wasn’t just any high school coach[/URL]. He’s a legend in Memphis and knows the recruiting scene in a city that’s a hotbed for talent. That talent comes with a caveat, though, and in many cases a posse that can get in the ear of players and undercut the influence of the Memphis coach. Just ask Josh Pastner and Tubby Smith about that. As the recruiting haul that Hardaway and his staff just completed in less than a week might indicate, he’s going to be able to get players, as many expected. He was also astute enough to hire another former Memphis player, veteran assistant Tony Madlock, who got a brief taste of the head coach’s seat while serving as the interim at Ole Miss late this season. Madlock is as experienced as they come. Hardaway also hired another big name, former Florida and NBA star Mike Miller, who happens to have a talented son playing for the Memphis-based M33M youth program. At this writing, Hardaway was trying to add a former head coach to his staff. Trent Johnson, the former Nevada, LSU and TCU coach, is among the candidates reportedly being considered.[/I] [/QUOTE]