Rick Stansbury to be acting Memphis basketball coach during Penny Hardaway suspension
When Memphis basketball begins the regular season Monday, coach Penny Hardaway will hand the reins over to assistant coach Rick Stansbury.
The Tigers are set to take on Jackson State (7 p.m., ESPN+) at FedExForum. But Hardaway won't be there. And he won't be at Missouri for the Nov. 10 game, or at FedExForum on Nov. 17, when Memphis plays Alabama State.
"I've never been in this situation, so it's gonna be weird, obviously," Hardaway said. "You know, the preparation, I'm hoping (it) carries over with me being out these first three games. But it's gonna be weird and tough (for me)."
The NCAA slapped Hardaway with a three-game suspension in June for recruiting violations that occurred in 2021. Hardaway is prohibited from all coaching and recruiting activities between the hours of 12:01 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on Monday, on Friday, and on Nov. 17. He is not permitted to have any contact with current players, recruits or members of his coaching staff on those days, which includes, but is not limited to team travel, practice, video study, recruiting and team meetings. The only exceptions are his two sons, Jayden and Ashton Hardaway, who are both on the Tigers' roster.
Following Thursday's 104-63 win over LeMoyne-Owen, Hardaway confirmed it will be Stansbury who will assume head coaching responsibilities on game days until he is permitted to return.
It's a fitting assignment for the former Mississippi State and Western Kentucky head coach. Stansbury, who has more than 400 victories in his coaching career, was the SEC Coach of the Year in 2004. In 14 seasons as head coach at Mississippi State, Stansbury's teams reached the NCAA tournament six times.
Memphis senior center Jordan Brown doesn't expect Hardaway's game-day absences will create any substantial issues.
"We already have a culture set right now," Brown said. "We know the things we have to do. I think he trusts in us to get the job done. So we're just gonna play our game, play how we're supposed to play."
PENNY HARDAWAY SUSPENSION: What are the terms and how game days will work in his absence
Said Tigers Jaykwon Walton: "Even with (Hardaway) here, it's still a player-led team. Whether he's here or not, it's on us. Because we've got to step on the court every night."
Stansbury has not been made available to the media at any point in the preseason.
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: Penny Hardaway suspension: Rick Stansbury to lead Memphis basketball
