The 901: What new details were revealed in Memphis NCAA infractions case documents?

Good morning, Memphis, where we’ve seen an increase in rental prices for apartments — mirroring the housing market — but those prices still remain cheaper than other notable Tennessee cities.

But, first, documents obtained by The Commercial Appeal through an open records request revealed new details regarding Memphis basketball’s NCAA infractions case.

The final Independent Accountability Resolution Process infractions hearing for the University of Memphis men's basketball program was held May 20-22 in Atlanta, our Jason Munz reports.

Multiple correspondences from Memphis' legal representation, the Complex Case Unit and the Independent Resolution Panel between November 2021 through April 2022 also provide further insight into the school's defense strategy and shed new light on an array of details in the leadup to the final hearing.

It is unclear when a decision will be rendered, but athletic department officials expect it before the 2022-23 season begins.

Penny Hardaway hires Faragi Phillips as assistant coach

Faragi Phillips is set to join Penny Hardaway’s revamped coaching staff at Memphis as an assistant coach, Jason reports. 

Phillips is no stranger to Memphis, having been the head coach at both Whitehaven and Mitchell for four seasons each. He led both Tiger programs to two state championships apiece and won a total of 199 games in eight seasons. Following back-to-back titles in his first two seasons at Whitehaven, Phillips lost in the Class AAA championship game to Hardaway's Memphis East squad and fell in the state tournament semifinals to eventual state champion Bearden in 2019.

More than half of MSCS second graders at risk for retention

More than half of all second graders who attend Memphis-Shelby County Schools finished the recent school year at risk of being retained and not promoted to the third grade under a new policy aimed at increasing literacy skills for students, our Laura Testino reports.

Of the 8,154 second graders in the district, 56% are not at the reading grade-level metrics the district requires — resulting in most of those students spending their summer in classes hoping to move on to the third grade.

Called the Third Grade Commitment, the district approved the policy in 2019 and has lowered some of the requirements this school year.

What to know about apartment rent in the Memphis area

Rent prices in Memphis remain cheaper than other notable Tennessee cities with the average rate currently between $960 and $1,507, our Omer Yusuf reports in his story for subscribers. 

While the rent rates for studio apartments, two-bedroom and three-bedroom rent rates all rose within the year, the average price for a one-bedroom apartment stayed relatively the same.

The increase in rental prices mirrors the Memphis-area housing market that’s seen notable increases in home sale prices over the past two years due to low inventory and a competitive market.

Omer gives some takeaways that you should know about the average rent prices.

8,600 license plates to be mailed out in Shelby County

About 8,600 backlogged license plates in the Shelby County Clerk’s Office started going out in the mail Monday after the United States Postal Service received payment for postage and loaded it into the clerk’s account, our Katherine Burgess reports.

The $540,000 expenditure for postage was approved by the Shelby County Commission about three weeks ago but still had to go through the county’s process before a check could be sent.

Bill Cash, chief administrative officer for the clerk’s office, said he had already taken 1,034 license plates over to the county mailroom. The rest, he said, would be taken over in increments until all were mailed out.

'Elvis' movie tops box office as streaming channel debuts

Director Baz Luhrmann's movie biography "Elvis" — which opened Friday— exceeded expectations and emerged as the weekend's No. 1 film, topping "Top Gun: Maverick" in a photo-finish finale, our John Beifuss reports.

Also, the launch of the free but ad-supported Elvis Presley Channel was launched Monday — a streaming platform operated by the entertainment company Cinedigm.

The channel is available "on platforms in the U.S. representing 100 million-plus devices, offering a continuous, linear free stream of Elvis concerts, documentaries, specials and movies as well as other lifestyle and entertainment programming."

The 901 is written by Ray Padilla, digital producer for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at raymond.padilla@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter at @Ray_Padilla_.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: The 901: New details in Memphis basketball's NCAA infractions case