MEMPHIS – They were the best team in the AAC all season long, so it should really come as no surprise that the Tigers racked up Tuesday when the conference announced its postseason awards.
Highlighted by another first for Penny Hardaway.
Hardaway was named the AAC Coach of the Year for the first time in his seven seasons on the Memphis bench. Hardaway led the Tigers to a 26 and 5 record, a number-16 national ranking, and the number one seed in this week’s AAC Tournament after winning the outright regular season conference title for the first time since 2013.
“Just to get this award, it puts Memphis in a great position, and that’s what makes me happy. The individual award, I’ve had those my entire life from basketball but never as a coach because I’m always about team and about this city. But it does feel good to be acknowledged for my hard work because I do know I work really hard,” Hardaway said. “Being from Memphis, this thing coming full circle to be the coach now, to win a regular season and to be coach of the year, man, you can’t dream of that.”
But Hardaway’s Coach of the Year honor… the first of many for the Tigers.
PJ Haggerty, one of the top scorers in the country, named the league’s Player of the Year after averaging over 21 points a game. Haggerty is also top ten in the conference in ten different categories, first in minutes per game and field goals made and second in steals per game.
Haggerty was also a unanimous pick for first team All-AAC and joined on that first team by Tiger teammates Tyrese Hunter and Dain Dainja.
Dainja also tabbed as the AAC Newcomer of the Year.