Saint Mary’s Ashton Hardaway has entered the transfer portal, per Portal Updates.
One of former NBA star and Memphis Tiger men’s basketball head coach Penny Hardaway‘s sons, the sophomore forward was a three-star recruit coming out of Sierra Canyon in the Class of 2023, ranking 92nd on the ESPN 100. At the time, he held offers from Memphis, San Diego, Texas Tech, and Wyoming, all of which are programs that usually earn commits from players who won’t be one-and-done prospects.
Saint Mary’s Ashton Hardaway Enters CBB Transfer Portal
Hardaway originally signed his letter of intent looking to join his father at Memphis. However, he transferred after just one season, heading to a school on the other side of the country. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t earn much more opportunity with the Gaels.
Saint Mary’s sophomore Ashton Hardaway has entered the transfer portal.
The 6’8” forward appeared in 30 games, averaging 2.1 points, and 1.2 rebounds per game.
Ashton is the son of Penny Hardaway
— PortalUpdates (@portal_updates) March 31, 2025
With that in mind, it’s possible that he looks to return to his original school.
Memphis Return Incoming?
Playing for his father likely has its share of pros and cons. Nevertheless, there’s a certain comfort level and understanding that they’ll have with one another that he probably can’t get elsewhere. For a young player trying to find their footing and perhaps even rebuild their confidence, that can be a game-changer.
Furthermore, after the season the Tigers just had, they’re a much more attractive destination. Not only did they win seven more games than they did in 2023-24, they went 16-2 in their conference, winning the AAC regular season championship and AAC tournament title. This led to Memphis earning their third NCAA Tournament appearance under the Hardaway patriarch.
Of course, Saint Mary’s went 29-6 in 2024-25, making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They’ve gone dancing in each of longtime head coach Randy Bennett’s last four seasons. Thus, playing for a more competitive program is unlikely to be more important to Hardaway than the opportunities he receives.
To that point, he logged 246 minutes as a freshman, playing 8.2 per game. As a sophomore, he played 315 minutes (9.5 per game). However, his only three career starts came at Memphis, averaging 17 minutes per game across those contests.
That being said, it’s possible that minutes open up for Hardaway. At this juncture, there are only four players from last season that could return, per Parth Upadhyaya of The Daily Memphian.
Working to confirm with sources, but I can tell you this decision was not unexpected.
This shortens the list of possible returnees for Memphis to:
– PJ Haggerty
– Dante Harris
– Bouna KebeAnd of course Dain Dainja, if NCAA grants him an extra year of eligibility via waiver. https://t.co/iBhfBkMleb
— Parth Upadhyaya (@pupadhyaya_) March 31, 2025
It’s also worth noting that he won’t be behind players like David Jones and Nae’Qwan Tomlin again, both trying his hand at the NBA. In 2023-24, Jones played 32.3 minutes per game. Tomlin wasn’t too far behind, playing 26.9 minutes per game.
© Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
