I was in the Forum last night watching our Tigers destroy UCF. What I noticed was how involved Penny Hardaway was in coaching our guys. Especially in the first half, he was standing on the sideline shouting instructions the whole time. With the small crowd in the Forum these days, his coaching was audible even where I sat, in the opposite end zone.

I have read a lot of junk on here critical of Penny's coaching, so I wanted to express my admiration for how he managed that game. If you check the team stats, this squad has obviously turned the corner, compared to their play earlier this season. So, who should get the credit for changing their direction and their on-court performance? How about our head coach?

Penny has worked through obvious chemistry issues earlier this year and is now showing us what kind of team he has put together. Scrapping an offensive system that wasn't working, then installing a different system in mid-season, was a gutsy move. I hope that some of you nay-sayers are ready to quiet down and enjoy our team now.

(02-02-2021 06:01 PM)covingtontiger Wrote:  I was in the Forum last night watching our Tigers destroy UCF. What I noticed was how involved Penny Hardaway was in coaching our guys. Especially in the first half, he was standing on the sideline shouting instructions the whole time. With the small crowd in the Forum these days, his coaching was audible even where I sat, in the opposite end zone.

I have read a lot of junk on here critical of Penny's coaching, so I wanted to express my admiration for how he managed that game. If you check the team stats, this squad has obviously turned the corner, compared to their play earlier this season. So, who should get the credit for changing their direction and their on-court performance? How about our head coach?

Penny has worked through obvious chemistry issues earlier this year and is now showing us what kind of team he has put together. Scrapping an offensive system that wasn't working, then installing a different system in mid-season, was a gutsy move. I hope that some of you nay-sayers are ready to quiet down and enjoy our team now.

The team is playing better for sure, but turnovers are still a major issue.

Gotta clean up the turnovers for sure

But normal percentages on layups and kids are 13-3

Alas, they missed those shots so 10-6

If Boogie can play like he did last night at the point then we really have turned a corner.

I think the guy has done a pretty damn good job as the season has progressed.
Dipshiits, such as myself, lose sight of the fact that he’s still a young coach. There are and have been times he’s deserved criticism but right now he is very deserving of significant praise.

(02-02-2021 08:19 PM)450bench Wrote:  I think the guy has done a pretty damn good job as the season has progressed.
Dipshiits, such as myself, lose sight of the fact that he’s still a young coach. There are and have been times he’s deserved criticism but right now he is very deserving of significant praise.

Ditto. I've been critical too but most of my comments have come from frustration. I have always wanted Penny to do well. I would love to be made to eat crow.

(02-02-2021 08:19 PM)450bench Wrote:  I think the guy has done a pretty damn good job as the season has progressed.
Dipshiits, such as myself, lose sight of the fact that he’s still a young coach. There are and have been times he’s deserved criticism but right now he is very deserving of significant praise.

One year as an assistant on a D1 team would have done wonders for him.

I started this thread because I was so tired of seeing people bashing our coach. I think that there is room for positive fan comments as well.

Fortunately Penny is not deterred by the opinions of Memphis fans. lol

That alone is the mark of greatness.

Absolutely. And there are plenty of posters who predictably only post after losses.

To put it simply....it’s Penny


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It is all part of the growth and development. Penny is proving that he is willing to implement, evaluate and then improve as needed. That is exactly what you want to see in a newer head coach. The COVID delays seem to have been really good for this team as it allowed additional time to install the new offense.

Everybody played great ... his decision to start Boogie over Jayden was huge. Pressuring them constantly was phenomenal ...
Next game is tomorrow night. A little less weird subbing would be good. Squaring up on shots instead of those off balance attempts is paying off. Just keep it up Tigers !!

(02-02-2021 08:19 PM)450bench Wrote:  I think the guy has done a pretty damn good job as the season has progressed.
Dipshiits, such as myself, lose sight of the fact that he’s still a young coach. There are and have been times he’s deserved criticism but right now he is very deserving of significant praise.

Not only is he an inexperienced coach, our team is 322 in experience.

(02-02-2021 10:19 PM)Tiger87 Wrote:  Absolutely. And there are plenty of posters who predictably only post after losses.

Absolutely! They just want him to fail.

(02-03-2021 12:29 AM)uskjtc02 Wrote:  

(02-02-2021 10:19 PM)Tiger87 Wrote:  Absolutely. And there are plenty of posters who predictably only post after losses.

Absolutely! They just want him to fail.

yeah i know....but why?
It could be because they didn't want him hired---that greg childers guy being a case in point.

Happy for the win. One game is not a trend, but watching the last few games (including the road loss at smu) it does appear the team is improving, the guys are working harder, and shooting better. A lot of credit for this improvement belongs to CPH. Coaching is a long hard slog that is often thankless and frustrating. Why Penny ever decided to take it on is a wonder. I am just glad he did and that he still wants it. GTG

(02-03-2021 01:57 AM)Keeper Wrote:  Happy for the win. One game is not a trend, but watching the last few games (including the road loss at smu) it does appear the team is improving, the guys are working harder, and shooting better. A lot of credit for this improvement belongs to CPH. Coaching is a long hard slog that is often thankless and frustrating. Why Penny ever decided to take it on is a wonder. I am just glad he did and that he still wants it. GTG

I glad he did too. He won’t give up.

(02-03-2021 01:57 AM)Keeper Wrote:  Happy for the win. One game is not a trend, but watching the last few games (including the road loss at smu) it does appear the team is improving, the guys are working harder, and shooting better. A lot of credit for this improvement belongs to CPH. Coaching is a long hard slog that is often thankless and frustrating. Why Penny ever decided to take it on is a wonder. I am just glad he did and that he still wants it. GTG

IMO, Penny has learned more about the long hard slog part this season, than anything else. Part of the problem has been that Penny hadn't been putting in all of the hours needed, and the team was a reflection of that. If you've been a coach for 20 years, you are a brand, and you have so much experience, that you can run all aspects of a D1 program in your sleep, you can get away with not working 80 hour weeks. Until you reach that level, you can't.

There are no shortcuts.