On the evening of May 3, Memphis basketball fans were convinced the sky had fallen.
The Tigers had just missed out on Alabama transfer point guard Jaden Bradley, who was seemingly a Memphis lock a few weeks prior. The 6-foot-3 guard instead chose to play for Arizona and head coach Tommy Lloyd.
This was the newest setback in an off-season that had seemingly gone totally awry for Penny Hardaway’s program. Memphis failed to get most of its early targets in the transfer portal, and were left with what looked to be a subpar roster as a result.
Florida State transfer Caleb Mills was the only player on the team that had any history of being a top collegiate option. That’s not to say the rest of the transfers committed at the time aren’t talented, though.
After all, Teafale Lenard is one of nation’s best defenders and a projected NBA draft pick. Jonathan Pierre was the best player on a division two National Championship team. Nick Jourdain is a versatile big man and a threat from all areas of the court. And Jayhlon Young, who ironically committed to Memphis on May 3, is a good player that was stuck in a terrible situation at UCF last year.
Still, seeing Young commit to Memphis that day instead of Bradley left a sour taste in the fans’ mouths.
Though Young’s potential was obvious, it was also clear that Memphis didn’t recruit him to be its starting point guard. Bradley, on the other hand, is someone who could’ve fit the bill as that primary ballhandler.
The former McDonald’s All-American was looking for a fresh start after a lackluster freshman season with Alabama. And Memphis looked to be the perfect destination for that kind of opportunity.
NIL Changes Everything
But it’s never that simple anymore with NIL now being in the picture. Memphis missing on Bradley is just another example of NIL altering what would’ve otherwise been a swift recruitment. However, NIL didn’t alter it the way most thought at the time.
Memphis knew that other options would be available later in the off-season because of NIL. It knew that better options were on the horizon.
Now, could Memphis have simply caved into Bradley’s ridiculous demands right then and there?
Sure, it could’ve.
Luckily, though, Hardaway and staff opted to not do that.
Patience Paid Off
It’s true that Memphis needed someone like Bradley at the time. It’s true that Bradley would’ve provided a dose of high-level talent Memphis lacked at that point.
Let’s face it. By May 3, the team compiled of Mills, the other four transfers, a few high school recruits, Jayden Hardaway and Chandler Lawson, who later transferred to Arkansas.
The highest rated of said high school recruits, Mikey Williams, was (and still is) facing 6 gun-related felonies after allegedly firing at a moving car filled with five people—including three minors—as it was departing his home in San Diego, Calif.
And don’t kid yourself. Memphis actually needed Williams then.
Why Memphis Missed on Bradley
On top of that, missing on Bradley caused a massive influx of overreactions and criticisms in Memphis media.
The biggest overreaction of all was the perceived notion of Memphis having NIL issues, which was nonsensical even then. It didn’t make sense in May. It certainly doesn’t make sense today.
.@pupadhyaya_ chopped it up with @GaryParrishCBS today on how NIL is affecting the current Memphis basketball roster👀
Memphis didn’t miss on Bradley because it didn’t have the money. Memphis missed on Bradley because he wasn’t worth the money it would’ve taken to acquire him.
It doesn’t matter that he was a 5-star recruit in high school, or a McDonald’s All-American in his senior year.
It’s simply asinine to expect a program of Memphis’ caliber to engage in a bidding war for a player that averaged 6.4 points and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 39.1% from the field, 31.8% from three-point range and 69.5% from the free-throw line last season.
Will Bradley be better than that this year? Probably, but Memphis can’t take that chance.
If Memphis is going to spend money, it has to spend it on players that will be worth it. Players that will take Memphis to the next level. Players that will help the Tigers win the AAC and go to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
Memphis Cashed In and Won Big
So, what did Memphis do?
It spent money on players that will do all those things and more. Players like David Jones, Jordan Brown and Jahvon Quinerly, Bradley’s former teammate.
Jones, a 6-foot-6 wing, has averaged double figures at two different Big East programs in back-to-back seasons.
Brown, a 6-foot-11 center, won the Lou Henson Award, which goes to the nation’s best mid-major player, at Louisiana last season. He also won the Pac-12’s 6th Man of the Year award at Arizona in 2021.
Quinerly, a 6-foot-1 point guard, was one of the nation’s best players in 2021 and 2022 at Alabama. His career, however, was suddenly derailed by a torn ACL in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. And though he rehabbed the injury in eight months, he wasn’t the same immediately upon his return.
Ironically enough, he forfeited a lot of his minutes to Bradley for most of 2023. Quinerly managed to earn his spot back by season’s end, however, averaging 14.4 points and 4 assists per contest in Alabama’s final nine games, and proving his superiority over Bradley in the process. The 6-foot-1 guard also won the SEC’s Co-6th Man of the Year award, sharing the honor with Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves.
Memphis is also hoping for All-AAC forward DeAndre Williams’ return. The 26-year-old senior, who turns 27 in October, is seeking an additional year of eligibility from the NCAA. Williams’ attorney, Don Jackson, has reportedly submitted all required documents to Memphis’ compliance department for submission to the NCAA.
If Williams is declared eligible, he’s not playing for free either.
Memphis and Bradley are Both Winners
Just to be clear, none of this is meant to disparage Bradley.
He is an extremely talented player, and he will, again, likely have a much better season at Arizona this year.
The reality, however, is that he and Memphis were never a great fit logistically. Bradley wasn’t what Memphis was ultimately looking for, and vice versa.
Simply put, it was a blessing in disguise for both sides that Bradley didn’t end up at Memphis. Both Bradley and Memphis are winners in this situation.
Bradley will make a lot of money at Arizona this year, and will get to be backcourt mates with Caleb Love in the process. Additionally, it’s possible the Wildcats end up as the preseason favorite to win the Pac-12.
Memphis, meanwhile, will be the mega-talented, veteran-led team Hardaway wanted it to be. It’ll likely be the American’s best team this season, and possibly Hardaway’s best team yet in his tenure at Memphis.
This off-season has truly been prolific for Memphis basketball. The season itself should be even more exciting. In a weird, twisted way, the catalyst for all this success was Memphis’ failure to land Bradley.
And about those claims of supposed “NIL issues?”
Well, let’s just say there’s a reason those articles and radio segments aren’t being written or broadcast anymore.
Senior Editor for Tiger Blueprint. See more of my work on Bluff City Media, where I’m the Memphis basketball beat writer, the Men in Hoodies podcast on Apple and Spotify and on “Sports with Roman Cleary” live on University of Memphis Radio—The ROAR Fridays from 3-4 p.m. during the fall and spring.
