Penny Hardaway has harsh criticism for his struggling Memphis squad

Penny Hardaway had some harsh criticism for his Memphis Tigers after their latest loss.

Memphis fell to Ole Miss 67-63 on Saturday for their third straight loss. Their losing streak comes after they began the season 5-0. They have lost consecutive road games to SEC schools, and they lost a neutral-site game to Iowa State by 19.

After Saturday’s game, Penny criticized his players for their effort. He said he had been too nice, but that may be changing.

Penny says if he’d been playing the players that care the most all season, Memphis would be undefeated.

— Jason Munz (@munzly) December 4, 2021

That’s not a great sign.

Hardaway received attention for attracting such a highly-touted recruiting class, including Emoni Bates. But one of the consequences of having highly-rated recruits could be the limit in what a coach feels they can teach and get out of the players. Maybe Hardaway feels he has hit a breaking point.

Bates was just 1-for-10 in the game and missed all four of his 3-point attempts. Second-leading scorer Jalen Duren scored just two points.

Photo: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports