Where Memphis Stands With St. John’s Transfer David Jones

Penny Hardaway and the Memphis coaching staff have attacked the transfer portal relentlessly this off-season. Hardaway and the Tigers have quickly adapted to a new era of college basketball that has seen an increased focus on player empowerment.

Just this off-season, the Tigers have earned the commitments of five players through the transfer portal: Florida State guard Caleb Mills, MTSU wing Teafale (Tee-Ahh-Fae-El) Lenard, Nova Southeastern (D2) wing Jonathan Pierre, Temple forward Nick Jourdain and UCF guard Jayhlon Young.

Hardaway and company are still looking to improve the roster through various means – including the transfer portal – as the off-season continues. And with two roster spots still available, the staff continues to look at areas of weakness that it will want to upgrade.

Memphis’ Weaknesses

While Memphis has built a strong and versatile roster this off-season, there are still areas of improvement it can focus on.

The three main weaknesses of the team are a lead guard, a big man, and scoring pop (particularly from a wing).

Despite two transfer portal additions on the wing in Lenard and Pierre, scoring won’t necessarily be their biggest strong suit. In Lenard, Memphis is getting an athletic freak with monster defensive capabilities. You’ll probably see him on an ESPN Top 10 ranking sometime this season. On the other hand, Pierre brings versatility on the wing with solid shooting and ability as a “jumbo-facilitator.”

So, it’s safe to say that the Tigers still need scoring on the wing, and there’s one player in particular still in the transfer portal that fits this mold: St. John’s transfer David Jones.

Who is David Jones?

Jones is a talented wing that played for St. John’s this past season. He spent his first two collegiate seasons at DePaul.

The 6-foot-6, 210-pound forward averaged 13.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for the Red Storm this season. He shot 39.2% from the field, 29.4% from three and 78.5% from the free throw line.

After playing just nine games in his freshman season, it was his sophomore year when Jones broke out, averaging 14.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game for the Blue Demons. In his best collegiate season, he shot 44.5% from the field, 29.7% from three and 69.2% from the free-throw line.

Can Memphis Land Jones?

Since entering the transfer portal, Jones has had many suitors looking to land his services. The talented wing is a priority target for many programs.

The main programs that have contacted him the most are Kentucky, Memphis, Xavier, UConn and Arkansas. Of these schools, Memphis, Kentucky and Xavier are the primary three contenders.

As a two-time transfer, Jones would typically need a waiver to be eligible to play next season. However, since he is taking summer classes, Jones is looking to qualify as a grad transfer. If he passes his classes, this means there will be no need for a waiver.

I would currently call Memphis the favorite to land Jones. With its need for scoring on the wing, Hardaway and company have been heavily pursuing Jones, and all signs are pointing toward him committing to the Tigers.

He just took a visit to Memphis this week, and sources said that it went exceptionally well. 

Kentucky is the main competitor for Memphis to land the St. John’s transfer, as it has plenty of roster spots and minutes available to land Jones. However, the Wildcats’ off-season has gone extremely poor, and this momentum isn’t helping them with this recruitment, either.

In the end, expect Memphis to land Jones while Kentucky keeps searching for answers. 

Don’t blink, though, because the Tigers still aren’t done yet.