"I work too f**king hard" - Penny Hardaway angrily confronts the media after Memphis Tigers lose to SMU, demands they stop the disrespect against him

Head coach Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers came into the 2021-22 college basketball season with some serious intrigue. The Tigers welcomed a number of big-time high school recruits, including guard Emoni Bates and athletic big man Jalen Duren. Both prospects were known as high school phenoms, and many wondered if Memphis could become a force in the college basketball world.

Unfortunately, it has been a rude awakening for Memphis. The overall inexperience of the team has continued to stand out and thus has resulted in the Tigers struggling with inconsistent play. After another disappointing loss tonight against SMU, Memphis currently finds themselves with a 9-8 record this season.

Speaking to the media postgame following Memphis' 62-70 defeat, head coach Penny Hardaway reminded everyone that Memphis is in a tough position. The team was forced to start four freshmen in the game against SMU, a fact that the media seem to ignore in Hardaway's eyes.

"We don't have our full roster y'all know we don't have our full roster. Stop asking me stupid f**king questions about if I feel like I can do something. If I had my roster like they (SMU) did, then I feel like I can do whatever I want to do, I’m coaching really hard. My boys are playing really hard. I’m not embarrassed about nothing. We had four freshmen starting"

Hardaway continued to express his frustration, noting that the constant criticism he and his team face is unwarranted and that people in the media need to realize the challenges that Memphis is dealing with this season and how hard the program is working.

"“C’mon, man. Stop disrespecting me, bro. Like, don’t do that. I work too f**king hard. I work way too hard for that. Y’all write all these f**king articles about me and all I do is work. We’ve got young kids on the floor.”

The Tigers have continued to struggle this year on the court, mainly due to the fact that a number of their freshmen players have been forced to play major minutes despite the fact that they aren't as experienced as players on other teams.

---

Penny Hardaway and Memphis Continue to Struggle

Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers are trending in the wrong direction

There are a number of points that Penny Hardway brings up that carry some weight when it comes to the challenges Memphis has had to deal with. Although the Tigers brought in a number of highly touted recruits this year, two of the best recruits are incredibly young for their playing age.

17 year old Emoni Bates was one of the top high school players before he decided to reclassify to join the Tigers early. Known as an off-the-ball player, Bates has suddenly been forced into being the team's primary ball-handler and has struggled throughout the year.

Freshman big man Jalen Duren was the prized recruit brought in this year for Memphis. Standing at 6'11" 250 pounds with freakish athleticism, Duren is trending towards becoming a top 10 selection in the 2022 NBA Draft. However, at 18 Duren is also one of the youngest players in college basketball and is technically still supposed to be a senior in high school.

Other freshmen on the team have also seen heavy minutes this season. 19 year old forward Josh Minott has been a regular starter this season, while walk-on guard Tadarius Jacobs has gotten a lot of playing time coming off the bench.

There's no doubt that Memphis has a serious amount of talent on their roster, but their lack of experience at the college level and the sheer amount of young players they have to play on a nightly basis has put them at a disadvantage.

Penny Hardaway is fully aware that Memphis doesn't have the roster that they are supposed to have this season, stressing that they are missing a number of veteran pieces this season. Experienced 25 year old forward DeAndre Williams has missed a number of games this season, while 21 year old guard Landers Nolley has missed his second consecutive game as well.

Although Memphis continues to struggle when it comes to the win column, NBA teams are still going to be keeping a close eye on the Tigers to evaluate the likes of Jalen Duren as a prospect. The freakish big man stands out with his shot blocking ability and athleticism and will be one to watch throughout the rest of the college basketball season.