Ashton Hardaway, Penny Hardaway's son and 3-star recruit, puts on a show in front of dad

Penny Hardaway was there Saturday night with much of his family.

The Hardaways had front-row seats inside the jam-packed MTM Fieldhouse at Collierville High, where California Basketball Club breezed past Platform Basketball Club Elite 73-50 at the Mid-South Basketball Classic. Bronny James, son NBA star LeBron James, put on a show, scoring 24 points against a team made up mostly of players who made names for themselves in Memphis and across the Mid-South.

But the game itself, which also brought out the likes of rapper BlocBoy JB, was secondary for the Hardaway family. It was the moments immediately afterward that brought more smiles to their faces than anything that happened on the court.

Ashton Hardaway, Penny’s son, is a starting wing for California Basketball Club. The senior at Sierra Canyon (California) is a 6-foot-7, 195-pound, three-star recruit. He dazzled during the game, scoring 20 points and showing a knack for knowing exactly when and where to distribute the ball when he wasn’t scoring the ball himself.

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Soon after the game ended, Ashton Hardaway made a beeline toward his relatives. Amid a jumbled collection of fans, he posed for photos with his brother Jayden Hardaway, a senior guard at Memphis. Up next was a moment with Penny, followed by more posing for photos. Later, Ashton, Penny and Jayden gathered with several more family members outside the team’s locker room.

Ashton Hardaway was not made available to the media following the game, which can be standard for a team with such star power. In addition to Bronny James and Ashton Hardaway, California Basketball Club also suits up Bryce James – LeBron’s younger son – and Justin Pippen, the youngest son of former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen.

But Saturday’s game is believed to have marked the first time Ashton Hardaway played an organized game in the Mid-South, where his father was born, raised, played college basketball and now coaches at his alma mater. While several of the first shots Ashton Hardaway took didn’t fall, once he found his groove, he kept it.

California Basketball Club fell behind 4-0 early, but Ashton Hardaway and Bronny James jumpstarted a 17-0 run. James threw down an alley-oop dunk, and Ashton Hardaway knocked down a fall-away mid-range jumper.

Penny Hardaway was asked earlier this week about Ashton’s strengths.

“He’s, to me, arguably, one of the top shooters in the country. I’d say one of the top 3 shooters in the country in his class, if not No. 1,” said Penny Hardaway. “That’s his thing. He has a gift.”

Ashton Hardaway knocked down three 3-pointers. In a loss Thursday in Atlanta against a team made up of players from Overtime Elite, Ashton Hardaway made five 3s on his way to 19 points.

Penny Hardaway, known for his shooting prowess at one time, said Ashton has a better shot than him or Jayden.

“I’m last right now,” said Penny Hardaway. “But Ashton just has that gift. Jayden’s getting there. He’s more of a mid-range shooter and a guy that gets into the paint. Ashton is strictly behind the arc. He’s already transferred his game over to today’s game, for sure.”

Penny Hardaway is dad first, but he’s also the Tigers’ coach and always looking to add skilled players.

“Oh my gosh, you can always use shooting,” he said. “I know he’s my son, but his skill set would definitely be needed here.”

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

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Ashton Hardaway, Penny Hardaway's son, puts on a show in front of dad