Everything Penny Hardaway said before Memphis Tigers face ECU

Penny Hardaway talked to the media on Wednesday ahead of the Memphis Tigers' showdown with the East Carolina Pirates. In his opening statement, Hardaway discussed why facing a team like ECU will be difficult for the Tigers on Saturday.

"Every game for us is personal. We have a lot of respect for ECU because they’re capable," Hardaway said (Timestamp 0:01). "It’s not like they’re not capable just because the country thinks they’re not good. Anybody will get up for us, man."

"Any guy you know, they bond together to beat us because they know it’s a big game to play and they come in ready to go. It doesn’t take much for their coaches to get them fired up, and for us, we understand that."

The Pirates enter their showdown against the Tigers with a 9-7 record. They are coming off a thrilling 80-79 victory over Temple on Wednesday, which snapped their three-game losing streak. Penny Hardaway talked about the Pirates' strategies on both ends of the floor.

"They’re playing a lot of zone now so they might try to slow you down, but offensively, they’re trying to go," Hardaway said (Timestamp 0:35).

"They’re trying to put you to sleep with the zone, hope that you take a bunch of jump shots and they get out and run. They’ll mix it up with us. They’ll play some zone and some man."

Hardaway highlighted key players on his roster who ensure the Tigers remain vigilant against complacency. Memphis crushed Florida Atlantic by 28 points in its AAC opener before pulling off a narrow 68-64 victory over North Texas on Sunday.

"Colby (Rogers), PJ Haggerty, PJ Carter and Nick (Jourdain) are warning these guys. The first game wasn’t a true test of what our conference is all about," Hardaway said (Timestamp 2:51).

"Now you’re favored every game. You got to go in with a mentality of kill or be killed and you know that going into the game."

Penny Hardaway praises Moussa Cisse's mental growth

Moussa Cisse has been a vital cog for the No. 19 Memphis Tigers this season. The Guinean big man is averaging 5.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and a team-best 1.5 blocks per game. A reporter asked Penny Hardaway about Cisse's growth.

"I think mentally," Hardaway said (Timestamp 5:41). "Obviously, his physical stature is way bigger than what he was. But mentally, he knows who he is. He’s not trying to be something else. He doesn’t have an identity crisis like he did his freshman year."

"He really wanted to be a wing when he was really the best defensive big (rebounding and blocked shots) in the country. Now he understands that’s who he is."

Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway and Moussa Cisse (#32) speak during their game against Arkansas State at FedExForum on Sunday, December 8, 2024. Photo: Imagn

Hardaway also gave a promising update on Dante Harris, who missed the Tigers' last game against North Texas because of a foot injury. Harris joined Memphis via the transfer portal after spending last season with the Virginia Cavaliers.

"He practiced today," Hardaway said (Timestamp 7:10). We really missed Dante in that last game because he’s so tough, he’s fast and he’s a defensive guard. Hopefully, he’ll be ready by ECU."