On Wednesday, September 4, Memphis men’s basketball head coach Penny Hardaway announced that four members of his coaching staff will not be returning for the upcoming 2024-25 season. Assistant coaches Rick Stansbury, Faragi Phillips, Jamie Rosser, and special advisor Demetrius Dyson were all let go from the program.
“I want to thank Rick, Faragi, Jamie, and Demetrius for their contributions to Memphis and our basketball program,” Hardaway said in the university’s official statement. “These are outstanding coaches whom I’ve worked closely with over the past few seasons. However, I made the difficult decision to move in a new direction with our coaching staff. The timing is less than ideal, but I want to give this team the best chance to achieve our goals of winning an American Athletic Conference (AAC) championship and advancing deep into the NCAA Tournament. As the season is approaching, we will work quickly to finalize our coaching staff.”
Rick Stansbury, who served just one season with Memphis, was considered Hardaway’s top assistant and a strong recruiter. Stansbury filled in as acting head coach during the first three games of the 2023-24 season, while Hardaway served a suspension for recruiting violations. Under Stansbury’s guidance, Memphis went 3-0 during that stretch.
Faragi Phillips, part of Hardaway’s coaching staff for two years, joined the Tigers before the 2022-23 season, a year in which Memphis won the AAC championship. Phillips previously served as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt University under Jerry Stackhouse. His longstanding relationship with Hardaway dates back to their time coaching AAU and high school basketball, with Hardaway at Memphis East High School and Phillips at Whitehaven High School. Phillips’ son, Raj, currently plays as a reserve on the Tigers basketball team.
In addition to these four dismissals, a total of nine staff members from the 2023-24 season will not return. Last season, the Tigers finished fifth in the AAC with a 22-10 record but were eliminated early in the AAC Tournament.
The current Memphis basketball staff now includes assistant coach Mike Davis, director of player development and alumni/community relations Andre Turner, chief of staff Dwight Boyd, director of basketball operations Jordan Verhulst, director of coaching analytics Jermaine Johnson, director of scouting Marcus Nunnally, and strength and conditioning coach Todd Forcier.
Additionally, new athletic director Ed Scott has appointed Tim Duncan as senior associate athletic director, who will also oversee men’s basketball operations.
The Tigers will kick off their new season on November 4 against Missouri, aiming for a fresh start with a revamped coaching staff and renewed ambitions.
