Former Memphis star Penny Hardaway has agreed to become the men's basketball coach at his alma mater, ESPN reported Monday, citing unidentified sources.
Hardaway, 46, is expected to be introduced at a news conference Tuesday.
The third pick in the 1993 NBA Draft, Hardaway replaces Tubby Smith, who was fired earlier this month after only two seasons in which Memphis missed the NCAA Tournament and attendance at home games fell precipitously.
Hardaway most recently has been the coach at Memphis East High School, which just won its third consecutive Tennessee state title, and also is the founder and coach of a Memphis-based AAU team, Team Penny.
It is in those roles that he has relationships with some of the region's top players and is expected to reverse Smith's tepid results on the recruiting trail.
Hardaway played for four NBA teams from 1993-2008 and was a four-time All-Star.
Smith, 66, this season became only the second Memphis coach since 1951 to not reach a postseason tournament in either of his first two seasons during which the Tigers went 40-26.
