Days after Mikey Williams enters transfer portal, Penny Hardaway gets 100% real on his Memphis recruitment: "I saw myself in him"

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway has said he was supportive of Mikey Williams throughout his legal struggles because he saw a bit of himself in the youngster.

Williams, a San Diego native, committed to the Tigers, but never played for them due to off-court problems. He joined the UCF Knights in the 2024-25 season and has again entered the transfer portal.

On "The Pivot Podcast" on Tuesday, Hardaway spoke about Williams troubles and why he has always backed the 20-year-old.

“I saw myself in Mikey,” Hardaway said. "From my point of view, this kid was like a household name, one of the biggest stars when he was like 14 years old and can still play."

Going into the recruiting Class of 2023, Williams was rated a four-star recruit out of San Ysidro High School. He was even ranked as the No. 22 overall prospect by One Consensus. He eventually signed for the Tigers in late 2022, but the deal later turned sour due to off-court issues.

In April 2023, Williams was arrested for allegedly shooting at a car that had people in it. That led to a long legal process that ended in November 2023 after he reached a plea agreement. However, he did not go to jail and was ordered to take gun safety and anger management classes. He was also sentenced to 80 hours of community service.

Memphis rescinded his scholarship and his multiyear sponsorship deal with Puma was terminated.

Hardaway said he took on the responsibility of helping Williams deal with the situation.

“But then he gets put in a situation where he gets accused of something. I'm like, OK, has he been convicted of it? He hadn't been convicted of it. This is just pending. I love this kid. I like this kid. He chose me. I chose him. I want to coach this kid."

Hardaway said while it did not work out for Mikey Williams at Memphis, he is hoping he can bounce back now that he has entered the transfer portal.

“I took a chance on him because I saw myself in him, and I knew that all he needed was a break, and he needed a chance," Hardaway said. "It didn't work here at Memphis at the time. He's back in the portal now, and that can come out a totally different way now for him, because you take off two years, you got this unbelievable thing going on where you're having to fight for your freedom."

Where could Mikey Williams move to?

There has been speculation that Mikey Williams could return to Memphis. UNLV also appears to be a potential destination for him, and per On3, he's scheduled to visit the Rebels "in the near future."

What will be paramount for Williams is getting back to his best and reaching the heights many basketball fans hoped he would attain. After overcoming his legal battle, the young shooting guard entered the transfer portal and moved to the University of Central Florida.

Last season, Mikey Williams averaged 5.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 18 games for UCF, but he is now back in the transfer portal and reportedly looking to play as a starter.