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Memphis basketball got hit with quite a 1-2 punch on April 17.
First, after weeks of will-he-or-won't-he speculation, consensus All-American guard PJ Haggerty entered the transfer portal. Then, minutes later, unanimous first-team all-conference big man Dain Dainja reportedly followed suit.
Neither move constitutes finality for the players' association with Penny Hardaway's Tigers. Haggerty could decide to withdraw and return to Memphis, and the same goes for Dainja. But the prospect of losing both players is a sobering one for a program coming of its best season in more than a decade.
Only guard Dante Harris and forward Bouna Kebe (who redshirted this season) are players from the 2024-25 roster with eligibility remaining who have not entered the transfer portal.
Dainja, whose career began at Baylor and continued at Illinois before spending this season at Memphis, is currently out of eligibility. However, he is pursuing a waiver in hopes of playing another season at the collegiate level. There is no guarantee the NCAA will grant his request.
Dainja struggled with consistency early in 2024-25, but came on strong late, playing like one of the best big men in the country. He averaged 15.0 points and 7.7 rebounds a game as a senior.
Hardaway has made headway in his efforts to rebuild his roster yet again. In April, he has secured commitments from transfers Quante Berry, Julius "King" Thedford, Ashton Hardaway and Zachary Davis. Memphis has also hosted official visits for Ohio State power forward Aaron Bradshaw, Villanova guard Kris Parker and McNeese State guard Sincere Parker in the past three days.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at [email protected], follow him @munzly on X, and sign up for the Memphis Basketball Insider text group.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball's Dain Dainja to enter transfer portal | Report
Continue reading...
First, after weeks of will-he-or-won't-he speculation, consensus All-American guard PJ Haggerty entered the transfer portal. Then, minutes later, unanimous first-team all-conference big man Dain Dainja reportedly followed suit.
Neither move constitutes finality for the players' association with Penny Hardaway's Tigers. Haggerty could decide to withdraw and return to Memphis, and the same goes for Dainja. But the prospect of losing both players is a sobering one for a program coming of its best season in more than a decade.
Only guard Dante Harris and forward Bouna Kebe (who redshirted this season) are players from the 2024-25 roster with eligibility remaining who have not entered the transfer portal.
Dainja, whose career began at Baylor and continued at Illinois before spending this season at Memphis, is currently out of eligibility. However, he is pursuing a waiver in hopes of playing another season at the collegiate level. There is no guarantee the NCAA will grant his request.
Dainja struggled with consistency early in 2024-25, but came on strong late, playing like one of the best big men in the country. He averaged 15.0 points and 7.7 rebounds a game as a senior.
Hardaway has made headway in his efforts to rebuild his roster yet again. In April, he has secured commitments from transfers Quante Berry, Julius "King" Thedford, Ashton Hardaway and Zachary Davis. Memphis has also hosted official visits for Ohio State power forward Aaron Bradshaw, Villanova guard Kris Parker and McNeese State guard Sincere Parker in the past three days.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at [email protected], follow him @munzly on X, and sign up for the Memphis Basketball Insider text group.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball's Dain Dainja to enter transfer portal | Report
Continue reading...
