After losing 78-70 in the opening round of the men’s NCAA Tournament to Colorado State, the Memphis Tigers’ immediate future is looking murky.
They’re losing some key players to the transfer portal, including star point guard PJ Haggerty, who averaged 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists a game this past season. He will now become a player who will be greatly sought after by other schools.
Advertisement
Memphis and its head coach, Penny Hardaway, the former NBA All-Star, are also poised to lose center Dain Dainja. Dainja has reportedly also entered the transfer portal after making some impressive strides during the 2024-25 campaign.
Dainja stands 6-foot-9 and weighs 271 pounds, and he put up 14.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 0.9 steals a game while shooting 61.5% from the field this past season. He came on strong late in the season, and he had 22 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and three blocks in that March Madness loss to Colorado State.
Before that, his 23 points and 11 boards helped the Tigers get past Tulane 78-77 in the American Athletic Conference title game.
Memphis’ head coach Penny Hardaway during the game between UNC and Memphis in the Hoops for St. Jude Tip-Off Classic at FedExForum.© Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Prior to last season, Dainja spent two years at Illinois after his freshman year of college basketball came at Baylor.
Advertisement
If he maintains his eligibility for next season, perhaps he can take another step forward and make himself into a legitimate prospect for the NBA draft. While he’s undersized, height-wise, for the center position in the NBA, he can defend the low post well and has a promising set of offensive skills.
Related: Houston’s Kelvin Sampson Gets Major Roster News on Thursday
