As the Memphis Tigers men's basketball continues navigating the NIL and transfer portal era, the most important hire could be a true Memphis Tigers basketball general manager. A "player acquirer" at the highest level. Rick Stansbury did a decent job by all accounts. What about Mike Miller? Bill Laurie is close to the program. Is there somebody in his circle who can help Penny assemble and pay a functional roster? J&J discussed this on Tuesday's (2/17) J&J Show (AUDIO):
A strong candidate would be someone with NBA front-office experience or high-major personnel background, a talent evaluator who can work alongside Penny Hardaway without ego, but with authority. Memphis doesn’t need a figurehead; it needs a strategist who can build a sustainable roster, manage collectives, and anticipate portal movement before it happens.
In today’s landscape, recruiting is year-round free agency. The Tigers must treat it that way. The right GM would bring structure, cap-style discipline to NIL, and a long-term vision, turning Memphis from reactive to proactive, and restoring championship-level consistency in the AAC and beyond.
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