Tigers play LeMoyne-Owen to open two-game exhibition schedule

Kyvon Davenport was the team's leading rebounder in 2017-18.

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Tigers play LeMoyne-Owen to open two-game exhibition schedule

Oct 24, 2018 | Men's Basketball

Listen here Memphis Notes (vs. LeMoyne-Owen)

First-year coach Penny Hardaway welcomes eight newcomers

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis and first-year coach Penny Hardaway will take the FedExForum court Thursday night for the first time to face an opponent

The Tigers unveiled this year's team at Memphis Madness Oct. 4, but Thursday they'll play basketball. In their exhibition opener that tips off at 7:05 p.m., LeMoyne-Owen will be the opponent. It will be the first of two exhibition games for the Tigers.

Hardaway, the former Tigers' All-American in the early 1990s and a four-time NBA All-Star, will make his college coaching debut with a solid staff that includes assistants: Sam Mitchell, a former NBA coach of the year; Tony Madlock, a former Tiger guard in the early 1990s and a longtime assistant; and Mike Miller, a former NBA Sixth Man of the Year award winner and two-time NBA champion.

The team will feature returnees Jeremiah Martin, a preseason first-team American Athletic Conference selection, Kyvon Davenport, Mike Parks Jr., Raynere Thornton, Kareem Brewton, Victor Enoh and Evin Olds.

Newcomers will include freshmen Alex Lomax, Tyler Harris, Antwann Jones, David Wingett, Ryan Boyce and Jayden Hardaway, along with transfers Isaiah Maurice and Lance Thomas. Center Karim Sameh Azab is undergoing treatments for leukemia and is not with the team.

Hardaway said Wednesday he hadn't determined how he will use the players he'll have available or who he will start.

"I might start one group the first half and start another group the second half," he said. "I haven't decided."

The Returnees

G Jeremiah Martin (6-3, 195): Martin led the team in points, field goals made, 3-point field goals, assists and steals as a junior and earned second team American Athletic Conference honors.

G Kareem Brewton Jr. (6-3, 190): Brewton started 14 games and finished third on the team with a 9.1 points-per-game average. He also hit two buzzer-beating 3-pointers in wins over Temple and Tulsa.

F Kyvon Davenport (6-8, 215): Davenport led the team in rebounding (6.1 per game) and was the team's second-leading scorer (13.3 average).

F Mike Parks Jr. (6-8, 250): Parks started all 34 games as a junior and shot 58.6 percent from the field in regular-season conference games.

G/F Raynere Thornton (6-6, 230): Thornton started 10 games as a junior and ranked fourth on team in rebounding. Scored career-high 21 points in upset win over Houston.

F Victor Enoh (6-7, 250): Enoh appeared in each of the team's 34 games last season and scored season-high six points on 3-of-3 shooting in a game at UCF.

G Evin Olds (5-11, 175): Olds walked on last season and made his Tigers debut in a home win over UConn.

The Newcomers/Transfers

F Isaiah Maurice (6-10, 224): Maurice comes to the UofM from South Plains Junior College, where he averaged 12.9 points and 5.9 rebounds. He is a former Kansas State player.

F Lance Thomas (6-8, 224): Thomas comes to the UofM from the University of Louisville. He averaged 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 12 games.

The Newcomers/Freshmen

G Ryan Boyce (6-6, 185): A likely redshirt candidate, Boyce played on the 2017-18 East High team that won the Class AAA state championship.

G Jayden Hardaway (6-5, 195): Also a likely redshirt candidate, Hardaway is the son of head coach Penny Hardaway and played last season at IMG Academy.

G Tyler Harris (5-9, 150): Harris comes to the UofM from Cordova High, where he led the city with a 30.3 points-per-game scoring average. He earned the 2018 Class AAA Mr. Basketball Award.

G Antwann Jones (6-6, 205): Jones is a former Texas A&M signee who was ranked the No. 18 shooting guard in the nation while playing for Oak Ridge High in Orlando, Fla.

G Alex Lomax (5-10, 190): Lomax earned the Class AAA Mr. Basketball Award as a sophomore and junior and played on three straight East High state championship teams.

G/F David Wingett (6-7, 200): Wingett led Winnebago (Nebraska) High to the 2015 Class C-1 state title. He averaged 20.8 points and 4.9 rebounds during his prep career.