Memphis basketball fires 4 members of Penny Hardaway's coaching staff - ESPN

Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway announced the firing of four staff members Wednesday, just two months before the start of the season.

Assistant coaches Rick Stansbury, Faragi Phillips and Jamie Rosser, as well as special adviser Demetrius Dyson, will not return to Hardaway's staff this season. Neither Hardaway nor the school provided a reason for the firings.

«I want to thank Rick, Faragi, Jamie and Demetrius for their service to the University of Memphis and our basketball program,» Hardaway said in a statement. «These are good coaches that I've worked with closely over the past few seasons, but I made the difficult decision to go in a new direction with our staff. The timing is not ideal, but I want to give this team the best opportunity to reach our goals of winning the American Conference and advancing in the NCAA Tournament. With the season rapidly approaching, we are going to move quickly to complete the staff.»

With the four coaches no longer on staff, the only remaining coaches listed on the program's website are Dwight Boyd, the team's chief of staff, and Jordan VerHulst, the team's director of scouting. Trainer Darrell Turner and physical therapist Kevin Olds are also holdovers from last year's staff.

The staff turnover continues a busy offseason for Hardaway and Memphis, which brings back just one player from last season's team. Seven players transferred out of the program, while David Jones left early for the NBA draft and several players used up their remaining eligibility.

The Tigers will welcome eight Division I transfers, including talented guards PJ Haggerty (Tulsa), Colby Rogers (Wichita State) and Tyrese Hunter (Texas), as well as ESPN 100 freshman Jared Harris.

Wednesday's announcement