Penny Hardaway on Mikey Williams after Memphis statement: 'However it goes, I'm going to have his back'
Memphis Tigers basketball coach Penny Hardaway has stood by Mikey Williams since his four-star recruit was arrested in April on felony gun charges.
Hardaway's stance remains unchanged.
"I mean, we're just supporting him," he said Wednesday following his team's second official preseason practice at the Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center. "There is no news that's come out to make us change our minds or make us think any differently. So, we're just supporting him."
A few hours earlier Wednesday, the Memphis athletic department issued a statement regarding Williams' standing with the program.
"While Mikey Williams is enrolled in online classes at the University of Memphis and remains on the roster, he will not have access to team-related facilities or activities until his pending legal process in California is complete," the statement read. "The process to assess and determine his status with the team will be initiated at that time."
Williams signed with Memphis in November 2022. But his arrest in California after a shooting outside his home casts serious doubt on his future with the Tigers. Williams, despite multiple social media posts showing him in Memphis during the summer, never formally joined Hardaway's program in any capacity.
Williams' preliminary hearing, which has been postponed three times, is scheduled for Oct. 10. He faces up to 28 years in prison if convicted on all six felony charges.
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Hardaway was reluctant Wednesday to forecast whether there's a scenario that includes Williams joining the team for the 2024-25 season if it doesn't happen this year but he is eventually cleared.
"I think we'll get to that bridge when we have to," Hardaway said. "You know, however it goes, I'm going to have his back."
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Mikey Williams update: What Penny Hardaway said after Memphis statement
