After weeks of swirling rumors on will he stay or will he be booted, Memphis made it official in their firing of Tubby Smith. As far back as two weeks ago, rumors began to fly about Penny Hardaway being interested in the Memphis job. From there whispers of administration being interested in the thought of replacing Tubby with Penny. Smith took over for Josh Pastner just two years ago, coming over from Texas Tech after winning Big 12 Coach of the Year.
Tubby was originally supposed to meet with school officials yesterday in a meeting to discuss his future. The meeting was rescheduled to today in which he was informed that the school would be moving in a different direction.
Penny Hardaway is considered the favorite to replace Tubby Smith at Memphis. Hardaway has become a successful coach in the city of Memphis and coaches multiple high-level high school recruits. With the possible addition of Hardaway as their head coach, Memphis has the chance to make a quick turnaround if he brings in the trio of recruits he has a connection with.