Ashton Hardaway joins dad Penny Hardaway's top-5 Memphis basketball recruiting class

Ashton Hardaway will be a Tiger.

The Sierra Canyon, California, senior wing announced his commitment to Memphis basketball Wednesday. He will follow in the footsteps of his famous father, Penny Hardaway, by suiting up for his alma mater. Ashton Hardaway is also in line to play for his dad, who is in his fifth season as the Tigers’ coach. Penny Hardaway is under contract through the 2027-28 season.

Ashton Hardaway is the second of Penny Hardaway’s sons to play for him at Memphis, joining Jayden Hardaway, a fifth-year senior guard on the current roster. Jayden Hardaway has one more year of eligibility remaining.

The 6-foot-7 Ashton Hardaway is rated a three-star prospect by 247 Sports Composite, and his pledge moves Memphis’ 2023 recruiting class into fifth place in the country. He joins a group of players currently committed to the Tigers that includes point guard Ty-Laur Johnson, combo guard Mikey Williams, wings JJ Taylor and David Tubek, and guards Carl Cherenfant and Ryan Forrest.

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Ashton Hardaway also holds offers from Kansas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, USC, San Diego, San Diego State and others. Last season, he helped Duncanville (Texas) win a Class 6A state championship – which was stripped last month – averaging 10 points per game and connecting on 40% of his 3-point attempts. Of his 94 made field goals, 75 came from beyond the arc. The title was stripped because the school played Anthony Black, now a freshman at Arkansas, after he’d been ruled ineligible.

Last month, Ashton Hardaway made a trip to the Mid-South with his travel team, California Basketball Club. The team faced off against Platform Basketball Elite in a game at Collierville’s MTM Fieldhouse. In front of more than 3,000 fans, he scored 20 points and gave onlookers a glimpse of his skillset. He displayed a knack for knowing exactly when and where to distribute the ball when he wasn’t scoring himself. When he was the one doing the scoring, he showed he could knock down shots from all three levels. But Penny Hardaway believes the best part of his son’s game is his 3-point shooting ability.

“He’s, to me, arguably, one of the top shooters in the country. I’d say one of the top three shooters in the country in his class, if not No. 1,” said Penny Hardaway. “That’s his thing. He has a gift.”

Jayden Hardaway, who said it would be “really special” if his half-brother attended Memphis, agreed and broke down the differences between his game and Ashton’s.

“He just has a different knack,” said Jayden. “He’s taller, so he can shoot over people a little easier than I can. He can play out the post better − he can knock down open shots, shoot off the dribble. He’s a really talented player. Way more talented than I was at that age.”

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball: Ashton Hardaway commits to Penny Hardaway, Tigers