"It was devastating": NBA legend Penny Hardaway reflects on wildfire tragedy after delivering major upset to Dan Hurley's UConn

Memphis Tigers coach Penny Hardaway felt all of the emotions in Monday's 99-97 upset win against the No. 2 UConn Huskies. He was visibly pumped up to see his team victorious right when the buzzer sounded after an exhilarating overtime affair that had controversial calls and neck-in-neck scoring.

During the post-game press conference, the NBA legend poured out his sentiments when asked about how his team was able to deliver a win despite the city of Memphis being hit by a huge wildfire that engulfed the northeast side just a couple of weeks prior.

"We went through horrible wildfires and it was devasting but they grew together. They bonded. I said (to them) we need to use that type of strength for ourselves going into this fabulous tournament," Hardaway said.

The triumph became much more meaningful when Hardaway expressed how much it meant to their fans and the city as a whole.

"To be able to give them this game today, the very first game at 9:30, it's amazing to jump start this thing off. (I'm) so thankful, so blessed to be here, to get the invitation to come. I love everything about Maui, man. I'm glad it's recovering now," he added.

On Oct. 23rd, large mulchfires draped over northeast Memphis. Thankfully, there were no injuries or casualties recorded by the tragedy but areas affected were evacuated due to the heavy smoke and rising temperatures. The Memphis Fire Department managed to put the fires out moments later.

With the inspiring finish, the Memphis Tigers have moved on to the next round of the Maui Invitational. They'll face Michigan State on Tuesday, November 26th, in the same arena, Baha Mar Convention Center.

Penny Hardaway says UConn's win is the biggest of his coaching career

Hardaway also revealed that this win over the back-to-back reigning NCAA Champions might just be the biggest win yet of his coaching career.

"Yeah, with the magnitude of what's going on here at the Invitational, I can say yes," Hardaway said. "I mean that's back-to-back national champions. Undefeated. First round of the Maui Tournament. When we first got picked to play them I was like, "Okay, starting off with a bang." I just got our team prepared. I used it for motivation."

As the Memphis Tigers move to a staggering 5-0 record, they're poised for a deep run in the AAC for the 2024-2025 season.