Penny Hardaway was worried "tampering" would lure Memphis star Dain Dainja away: "I can't put my finger on it but anything could happen"

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway was not sure if Dain Dainja would stay with the team after the Illinois transfer arrived last offseason. Dainja had the option to leave before the season started but decided to remain with the Tigers.

After the Tigers' 83-71 win over Tulsa on Wednesday, where Dainja scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds, Penny Hardaway was asked about the senior forward's evolution this season.

"When we first got him, we understood that he had great footwork, right?" Hardaway said postgame (6:08 onwards). "But where he's grown is being more vocal, being a better defender, being a better leader, getting into practice earlier. And all that stuff marries into how he's playing.

"He's playing better, he's working on his game, he's working hard ... But from when he got here in June, it's light-years now because the care factor is there."

A reporter further pressed Hardaway on whether there were any doubts if Dainja would stay at Memphis.

"You never know because he was one of the players on the team with Tyreek Smith that had the opportunity to leave before the season started," Hardaway continued. "And tampering is always happening. I can't put my finger on that, but anything could be happening, so we didn't know."

Dain Dainja, a 6-foot-9 Minnesota native, averaged 6.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game as a junior at Illinois last season while playing just 10.7 minutes per game.

His numbers have significantly improved in his first year at Memphis, as he is now averaging 12.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 58.6%.

Penny Hardaway reacts to PJ Haggerty and Dain Dainja's combo in Tulsa win

During the postgame press conference, Penny Hardaway was also asked about the dynamic duo of PJ Haggerty and Dain Dainja, who combined for 44 points against the Golden Hurricane.

"That's our one-two punch," Hardaway said (0:59). "We got a lot of pieces, but that's the biggest one-two punch because that's inside-outside, and they just have to make the right decisions.

"We're blessed to have both of those young men. That's something that a lot of teams don't have around the country ... they can knock down shots. That makes you really deadly."

Haggerty, Memphis’ leading scorer, and Dainja, the team's third-leading scorer, combined to make 20 of 30 shots from the floor to lead the Tigers to their sixth straight win.

Penny Hardaway's men improved to 19-4 overall and 9-1 in the ACC. They will return to action on Sunday at home against Temple. The Owls were responsible for Memphis' only league loss this season.