How Penny Hardaway attempted to fix Memphis basketball’s defensive woes before ECU game
Penny Hardaway gave the Memphis basketball team the next day off after last week’s 96-89 loss at Tulane.
“Then, we got to work,” the fifth-year Tigers coach said Friday.
Memphis (11-4, 1-1 AAC) spent the majority of the past four days – leading into its home matchup Saturday (1 p.m, ESPN+) with ECU (10-6, 1-2) – focusing strictly on defense. The Tigers, 3-2 in their last five games, allowed 82.6 points per game during that stretch.
“That’s not Memphis basketball,” Hardaway said.
The Tigers, he added, have developed some bad habits. Help defense seems to be the primary point of contention in recent games. More specifically, help defense when help defense is unwarranted.
“We’re a big help team,” said senior guard Kendric Davis. “I think sometimes we depend on it a little too much. If you’re able to guard that man in front of you, then guard him. If you get beat because a dude makes a move, then we got your back. But we’re not trying to bank on having the help.”
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So, Hardaway brought out a series of stations that the Tigers rotated through each day in practice this week. One station focused strictly on 1-on-1 work. Another was for 2-on-2 drills. There was a station devoted solely to drills involving wall-up technique and taking offensive charges. Interior defensive drills made up another station.
“We worked those stations all week just to let them know, ‘This is who we are,’ “ said Hardaway.
The thinking is, by eliminating some of the over-helping that has victimized the Tigers, they can spend more time concentrating on boxing out, rebounding and pushing the break. If it doesn't work?
“Then, you’ve got to come out of the game,” he said. “Just how it is. It’s gonna be more accountability.”
But solving its defensive issues is more nuanced than just dedicating the bulk of one week’s worth of practice time to hammering home the fundamentals. It is for Davis, at least. The preseason All-American said Hardaway challenged him and fellow all-AAC performer DeAndre Williams to communicate better on both ends of the floor. While Davis tends to command the flow of the game more through his actions, Hardaway told him being more vocal isn’t limited to when he’s on the floor.
“(Hardaway) said be me, but just, when timeouts come, we gotta talk, like, ‘Hey, man, we can’t give that up’ or, ‘Hey, we gotta get that crackback,’ “ Davis said.
While the emphasis this week has been on shoring up a recently shaky defense, Davis recognized a need for Memphis to adjust its mindset. The former SMU star watched his former team get blasted by No. 2 Houston on Thursday. The Tigers tend to “play with our food sometimes,” according to Davis. He said Houston has set the bar in the AAC by always “putting their foot on people’s necks.”
“To be at the top of the league, you can’t play around,” said Davis, who leads the AAC in scoring and assists. “You’ve got to win the games you’re supposed to win. (With us), some games be closer than they’re supposed to be. You rarely see that with great teams and we know that’s what we want to be.”
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball: Penny Hardaway tries to fix Tigers woes on defense
