Nolan Smith Signs On At Penny Hardaway’s Memphis

The former Duke star and assistant has a new home

Good news/Bad news department: Nolan Smith, who left Duke for Louisville where his father played, only to see Kenny Payne wreck the program in two short seasons, has found work.

That’s great news!

The bad news?

He’ll be working for Penny Hardaway at Memphis.

Hardaway is a legend in Memphis of course and he has become the face of the program. That’s not necessarily a good thing.

During his tenure, Memphis has gotten into NCAA probation over the Robert Wiseman recruitment, then tried to defy the NCAA and play him anyway, been suspended for three games for other alleged recruiting violations and most importantly, his teams have been erratic.

Last year for example, Memphis looked like worldbeaters for much of the season, starting at 15-2 before finishing at 22-10 and missing the tournament. Hardaway has only made the tournament twice in his first six seasons.

It’s not a glorious resumé and this past season, there was some grumbling in the fan base about his lack of success.

It’s a long way from Duke, obviously.

But it’s a job and Smith, as we saw in Durham, has great charisma. We’ve always thought he had immense potential as a recruiter, though that was frustrated by Payne’s bizarre time at Louisville.

Perhaps he’ll achieve it in Memphis, but given Hardaway’s mercurial management of the program, he may not have enough time to do so.