How Memphis and a dog named 'Mama' helped lead Nae'Qwan Tomlin to Penny Hardaway's Tigers
Nae’Qwan Tomlin, the newest of all of Memphis basketball’s newcomers, cracked a smile when he talked about the 3-pointer he made in his much-anticipated debut Saturday.
He smirked when discussing the fans and the energy they brought to FedExForum in the 77-75 win over Vanderbilt. He grinned slightly when talking about his new teammates and the possibility of helping them make a deep NCAA Tournament run.
But there was only one thing that prompted him to light up like a Christmas tree: his new dog, “Mama.”
“Yeah, that’s my girl,” said Tomlin, who had eight points and three rebounds in 15 minutes of action, looking around the room full of media members and flashing a bright smile.
Mama is a young rescue dog. She is a mix of several breeds, he said, and the apple of his eye. She is also one of the biggest reasons how he got through the past few months without losing his mind.
Tomlin, who turned 23 earlier this week, is at Memphis because he was dismissed by Kansas State. The same school he helped get to the Elite Eight in March suspended and ultimately dismissed him after he was charged with disorderly conduct related to an Oct. 29 bar fight in Manhattan, Kansas.
Tomlin was granted diversion in the case, which means if he fulfills its requirements — community service, completion of an alcohol/drug information course, and avoiding alcohol consumption for a year — charges are expected to be dropped.
But things have been hard for him. He admitted Saturday that the entire ordeal and the fact that it kept him from playing basketball (what he calls his passion) was “very depressing.”
To get through it, he leaned on a tight inner circle, which now includes Mama, and discovered Memphis.
Tomlin, who is from New York City, could have gone to plenty of other places. But he and coach Penny Hardaway clicked when he visited the Tigers on Dec. 11. He also clicked with the city.
“I just felt like it was the perfect fit for me,” he said. “Coming on my visit to Memphis, I just knew Memphis was the right fit. I love it being here.”
Even more when PA announcer Geoff Mack’s booming proclamation that Tomlin was entering the game with 16:27 to go in the first half brought the 13,260 fans to their feet. Even more 4 seconds after that, when he launched the first shot attempt of what will be a relatively short Tigers career (his collegiate eligibility expires at the end of this season) from behind the 3-point line and watched it go down.
“The FedExForum, the people of Memphis — you know, incredible crowd. The support is crazy,” he said. “That was big. It felt good. I got comfortable.”
MEMPHIS BASKETBALL: Tigers hang on to beat Vanderbilt. Five takeaways from fifth straight win
Hardaway was most excited about the way things went for Tomlin (who he called an “early Christmas gift”). But he also said it was a little unfair to the 6-foot-10 forward, who had practiced with his new teammates just four times before tip-off. Tomlin had not played in a game since Kansas State lost to FAU in the NCAA Tournament and had not practiced in a team setting since August.
“I can only imagine, him playing 15 minutes and really not knowing the guys around him, not knowing the system and playing against a Vandy team that’s playing pretty good,” Hardaway said. “(But) I loved seeing him on the court.”
Tomlin did not play the last 9:45 of the game. He said he still has work to do in his conditioning and needs to familiarize himself with Hardaway’s system and his teammates. But he doesn’t expect that will take long.
“I think probably after this (Christmas) break, I’ll probably get real familiar with all the tendencies and the X's and O's and stuff,” Tomlin said.
The Tigers' next game is Dec. 30 against Austin Peay at FedExForum (6 p.m. CT, ESPN+).
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How 'Mama' helped Nae'Qwan Tomlin get to Memphis basketball
