A surprise name is emerging as a serious candidate for the vacant Orlando Magic head coaching position.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, University of Memphis coach Penny Hardaway has interviewed for the Magic head coaching job and is regarded as a serious candidate. The 49-year-old has strong ties to Orlando, where he is a franchise icon after playing there between 1993-1999.
Hardaway has become renowned for his player development skills at Memphis, and has forged many relationships throughout the basketball community. That could fit nicely with a very young Orlando roster that is currently in the midst of a significant rebuilding phase. Hardaway was linked to the Orlando job earlier in the process, but it did not appear to be serious at that point.
Whoever takes the Orlando job will likely have to endure some losing, but there is young talent in the organization that can be nurtured into something. There hasn’t been a lot of news on the vacancy lately, though it sounds like this candidate is another finalist.
