THE HARD WAY
Our dad is an NBA legend and All-Star – now we’re playing for him in March Madness bid as college brother stars
Jayden said in the past that playing for his dad was both a blessing and a curse
NBA icon Penny Hardaway's job as the head coach of the Memphis Tigers men's basketball team ought to be a rewarding experience in his private as well as professional life.
Both of the four-time NBA All-Star's sons, Jayden and Ashton, play for his Tigers during the 2023-24 season in a bid to make their third straight March Madness appearance.
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Jayden, 24, is a 6-foot-5 guard who has been with the team since 2019-20.
His half-brother Ashton, 19 – a 6-foot-8 forward and a three-star recruit – joined the Tigers before the start of the current campaign.
The Hardaway bros have largely been role players for their dad's team – which is also the former No. 3 overall NBA pick's alma mater – in 2023-24.
Coming off the best season of his college career, during which he logged 5.4 points per appearance, Jayden averages 2.8 points, 0.4 assists, and 1.0 rebounds over 12.6 minutes on the floor.
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Meanwhile, Ashton records 2.5 points, 0.4 assists, and 0.8 rebounds while clocking 8.9 minutes per game.
However, he's showing great potential as a scorer having exploded for 17 points in just 18 minutes during the 71-67 win over Michigan in November.
Also, the Tigers forward is shooting 16-for-47 (34%) from behind the arc, emerging as a promising big man who can stretch the floor.
"He’s, to me, arguably, one of the top shooters in the country," Hardaway Sr. said of Ashton in an interview with Commercial Appeal after he committed to Memphis in 2022.
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"I’d say one of the top three shooters in the country in his class, if not No. 1. That’s his thing. He has a gift."
A few years ago, Jayden said that playing for his dad was both a blessing and a curse.
On one hand, he got to follow in the footsteps of the very man who inspired him to play basketball in the first place.
"I’d be lying if I said the path that I’m on wasn’t inspired by my dad," the Tigers guard told the school's Behind The Stripes.
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"Man, I remember being a little five-year-old kid traveling around to different games just to watch him play. Just being around all of that at such an early age made me fall in love with basketball."
But there were also the comparisons to the ex-Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns star and the pressure to prove he got the offer from Memphis because of his talent and skills, not because he was a Hardaway.
"The best part about it was that this opportunity came from the work I put in — not because I was his son," Jayden said.
"But obviously, just because dad and I know this doesn’t mean everyone else does. So, I joined the program with a bit of a chip on my shoulder.
"I had to grind like never before to show people what I had to offer the team."
The Tigers registered a strong start to the season, going 15-2 over the first two months.
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But they won just four of their next 10 games in a major blow to their March Madness hopes.
The 2024 NCAA Tournament will begin on March 19.