Ok that Tulane loss was rough. That wasn’t just a gut punch. This loss against Tulane was a brutal smack in face while lying on the ground after being kicked in the groin. Maybe even worse than that. I mean we had a time out in those last few seconds. Tulane is not even a good team. So what’s that make us??? Memphis fans are mad because this season has been ugly and….fair. But turning that frustration into “Penny ain’t it” is lazy, short-memory talk.
Start with who he is as a Tiger player. Penny wasn’t just good—he was program-defining. He averaged 17.4 points in his first season playing and 22.8 the next, earned All-American honors, recorded the first triple-double in school history, and helped lead Memphis Tigers to the Elite Eight in 1992. His No. 25 is retired, and his 1,319 career points still sit high on the school list.
Now the part people conveniently ignore, and are now straight up refuting: he’s been a real coach, not just a famous face. In seven seasons, his official record was 155–68, with an NIT title (2021), AAC tournament titles (2023, 2025), an American Athletic Conference regular-season title (2025), and multiple NCAA trips.
And if you want “proof” he can develop and deliver talent, look at the pros. Under Penny, Memphis put three first-round picks into the league—James Wiseman, Precious Achiuwa, Jalen Duren—and had Josh Minott drafted too. Add guys who earned NBA deals like Lester Quiñones.
And if anyone needs a reminder that Penny’s “Memphis-to-the-league” pipeline is real: Jalen Duren was just named a first-time NBA All-Star reserve—the kind of headline that hits different for Memphis fans because we watched him grow up in Tiger blue first. The announcement has been covered broadly, and he immediately backed it up with an All-Star-type line in Detroit’s next game. That’s exactly why the “Penny can’t coach” takes don’t hold up—his guys aren’t just getting drafted; they’re becoming stars.
So yeah—this year? It’s been rough. The record sits at 10–11, with a brutal 1–6 away mark, and losses that make you sick (like 99–75 vs. Arkansas, 99–73 at Louisville, 66–83 at Tulsa, 78–89 at Florida Atlantic). And the kind of gut-punch that fuels the hate—Tulane slipping past 78–76.
But here’s the point: you don’t erase the résumé because of one messy season. And if you want the “where does he rank” ammo—using Memphis’ official 155 wins, Penny sits 6th all-time in Memphis head-coaching wins, behind John Calipari (252 wins), Larry Finch (220), Zach Curlin (173), Josh Pastner (167), and Dana Kirk (158). That means he’s four wins from catching Kirk on the program list and on track to pass Past we and Curlin in the next couple of years.
And there’s something else people are ignoring: help is coming. Marcellous “Cello” Jackson is a real reason to be excited—6’4”, 205, SF, from Columbus High School (Miami), Class of 2026, and he committed to Memphis on 11/1/2025. He’s rated 89 by 247Sports, with a .9261 composite and a top-200 national profile (No. 157 composite). That’s a legit, physical wing piece to build with—exactly the type of talent Penny has consistently convinced to buy in.
Larry Finch is the cautionary tale Memphis should never forget. Larry Finch was a Tiger legend who coached Penny, took the program to six NCAA tournaments, and recruited/developed guys like Penny and Lorenzen Wright. But when it was time to turn the page, the University handled it in a way that still makes fans wince: his contract was bought out ($413,660) and the “forced resignation” became a public-relations mess that ended at the concession-area in the Pyramid.
That’s exactly why the “what are we doing with Penny?” talk should stop. We already lived through what it looks like when Memphis rushes a legend out the door instead of treating him like family. Penny is our guy. Even discussing a Finch-style ending—public, messy, disrespectful—is the kind of self-inflicted wound that programs make and take years to recover from.
So vent about the season, the off-year, the change of the game with the NIL, But stop acting like Penny isn’t our guy. He’s a Tiger legend who’s won, recruited, and sent dudes to the league.
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