Memphis basketball: The three things we'd like to see on Tigers' exhibition tour of the Dominican
The Memphis basketball team will be cruising the Caribbean coast this week.
The Tigers are embarking on a weeklong exhibition tour of the Dominican Republic, playing three games, the first of which is set for Wednesday. Penny Hardaway's team will face the Dominican National team (6:30 p.m. central time), at the Palacio de los Deportes − a multi purpose arena in Santo Domingo, the country's capital city. The Tigers are also playing a game Friday (5 p.m.) and Sunday (4 p.m.), both in La Romana, where the team is staying.
This will be the first preseason international trip for Memphis since playing three games in the Bahamas in 2019. The only player from that season who is still with the team is Jayden Hardaway. He's also the only player from last year's roster traveling to the Dominican Republic. The rest of the team is made up of transfers and freshmen.
Hardaway, heading into his sixth season as coach, has drummed up a wave of intrigue leading into the Tigers' trip. With uncertainty swirling about the eligibility statuses of prized pickups Jahvon Quinerly (point guard) and Jordan Brown (center), both arrived on campus last week. Between their arrivals, Jaykwon Walton (wing) also landed at Memphis.
All of it helped calm some fans' nerves and significantly bolstered the Tigers' outlook. Here are three things we'd like to see from the team this week.
First glimpse
Wednesday's game will be Hardaway's first chance to show off most of his celebrated acquisitions.
St. John's transfer David Jones (wing) and freshman signee Mikey Williams (guard) are not expected to be available to Memphis this week. But Quinerly, Brown, Walton, Caleb Mills − all potential starters this season − figure to get their first minutes in a Tigers uniform in the Dominican Republic.
Expectations should be tempered throughout the week − especially in Wednesday's game, where Memphis will be taking on a group that could include multiple pros. But will Quinerly show signs of being the floor general the Tigers needed to replace Kendric Davis? Will Brown be the frontcourt stabilizer Memphis largely lacked last season? How much of the team's trio of freshmen (Ashton Hardaway, Carl Cherenfant and JJ Taylor) will we see − and what will they show us?
Lester Quinones and David Jones
The Tigers could also be visited by their own versions of the ghost of Memphis basketball past and the ghost of Memphis basketball future while in the Dominican Republic.
Former shooting guard Lester Quinones, who recently signed a new two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors, intends to be on the court Wednesday with the Dominican National team. There's also a chance David Jones (a Santo Domingo native) will get some minutes against the Tigers.
Jones, a 6-6 St. John's transfer committed to Memphis on June 5, but he has not yet formally joined the team. On Monday, the Dominicanos en Basket Instagram account posted a photo of Jones training with the Dominican National team. Jones will play for the Tigers this week, and it is unclear whether he will be on the floor for his home country.
Quinones, who spent three seasons (2019-22) at Memphis, is expected to play Wednesday.
“That’s gonna be fun because, you know, I love the guy,” said Hardaway. “I’m so proud of his growth. How ‘bout him, man. I think he’s worked so hard and put himself in position to be one of the best young players in the NBA.
“It’ll be fun to compete against him. I’m gonna double-team and trip-team him.”
How much cohesion will there be?
Wins and losses don't matter much when it comes to preseason competition.
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Instead, international tours are often viewed as invaluable from a team-building, chemistry and cohesion perspective. That will especially be the case for Memphis.
Some Tigers (Mills, Nick Jourdain, Jonathan Pierre and others) have been working together since late May. Others have only just joined the team, making the reps they will get together in actual game settings all the more important.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball: What we'd like to see from Tigers in the Dominican
