Jason Munz, Memphis Commercial AppealTue, February 3, 2026 at 2:19 AM UTC·2 min readPenny Hardaway wants fans of his Memphis basketball program to know something.
"I will be the last person ever to damage this program in any way, shape or form," he said during his regular weekly radio show Feb. 2 at Brookhaven Pub & Grill.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe eighth-year coach was moved to address Tigers fans in the wake of the 78-76 home loss to Tulane on Feb. 1 — yet another blow in what has become a very rocky season. Memphis (10-11, 5-4 American Conference) has lost four of its past seven games and will have to win the league tournament in March if it wants to avoid missing the NCAA Tournament.
Hardaway has taken plenty of heat for the Tigers' disappointing play, which comes on the heels of perhaps the best season of his coaching career. Last season, Memphis won the American's regular-season and conference tournament titles, earning a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. But a first-round loss to Colorado State yielded an unceremonious exit, and the program has not yet recovered.
As a result, Hardaway has come under fire and faced some intense criticism from fans, many of whom voice their frustration either by posting on social media or by not showing up to home games.
Hardaway acknowledges the team's struggles and his role in them. But he's still confident the Tigers can turn things around and hopes fans will be there whether they do or not.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"You don’t want to feel like people are against you in your hometown or at your school," he said. "At the end of the day, people know why I do this. It doesn’t excuse me from anything. But I’m doing it for the right reason.
"It guts me every time we lose. I want us to be part of the elite. I feel like we can really turn it around, and I thank the people really pushing for us, all out, 100%, because they understand things can happen. The more you support the team, support me, the better we’re going to be."
Memphis' next game will be on the road, at UAB's Bartow Arena Feb. 5 (8 p.m., ESPN2).
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at [email protected], follow him @munzly on X.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Everything Penny Hardaway said in impassioned message to Memphis fans
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