Tennessee basketball: Memphis Tigers No. 1 recruiting class puts pressure on Vols

As Tennessee basketball looks to replace lost talent, Penny Hardaway got the top recruiting class. That puts pressure on Rick Barnes and the Volunteers.

There’s no debate anymore. With the Memphis Tigers securing a commitment from five-star Precious Achiuwa, they have the No. 1 ranked recruiting class across all services. Meanwhile, Tennessee basketball is trying to replace its four most important players from last year.

Back in December, when the Vols beat the Tigers at the FedEx Forum, Penny Hardaway went out of his way to restore the intensity of the rivalry. He continually took shots at Rick Barnes and UT throughout the year, even as Rocky Top was spending weeks on top of the polls while his team missed out on the NCAA Tournament.

But Tennessee basketball was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16. Then, knowing that Admiral Schofield and Kyle Alexander would leave, they began to realize that Grant Williams and Jordan Bone would also leave early for the NBA.

Meanwhile, Hardaway went from being a coach who could only secure local kids and players he had connections with to getting kids from all over the country. His class now includes two five-stars, including the best player in the country, and five four-stars. And it comes one year into the rivalry being restored.

Your move Rick Barnes. Seriously. The next two games between the schools are in Knoxville in Nashville. Given all the talk Hardaway levied against UT this past season, it would be embarrassing for them to fall behind the Tigers in terms of the state of the programs and even lose to them outside of Memphis when they own the rest of the state.

And they already are falling behind in recruiting. Right now, the Vols have a class that includes two three-stars, a player who is sometimes a three-star and sometimes a four-star depending on the service you use, and one five-star in Josiah James who can be a four-star on some services. The class overall is a top 30 class. But it’s not No. 1.

Add in the fact that the Vols lost so much talent, and it’s easy to see the Tigers having a leg up on them. Now, it’s true, Hardaway still has to coach these recruits. And even when the rivalry between the Vols and Tigers was at its peak, when Bruce Pearl and John Calipari were there, Calipari focused more on one and done elite talent while Pearl developed really good players.

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But while Calipari is doing that on a higher level the Kentucky Wildcats now and the Vols have reinvigorated that basketball rivalry, Hardaway just beat him out for that top class. And his class this year is better than any class Calipari ever secured for the Tigers.

There is some good news, however. Barnes is still going the graduate transfer route for some players, and there is still talent on the Vols at this moment. Their new recruits, particularly James, should help with that.

Also, as we said, Tennessee basketball has always been a program more about developing talent. Hardaway may be able to develop the talent, but at this stage in their careers, Barnes is clearly more proven at doing that.

Finally the only comparable class to this one ever secured at Memphis was 2010 under Josh Pastner. That was the No. 2 ranked class overall, and it turned out to be a total bust. Well, part of that was because he is a total bust as a head coach.

Still, it’s unfair to compare Pastner to Hardaway. After all, Pastner canceled the UT-Memphis rivalry because he thought it hurt the Tigers in recruiting. Hardaway just proved it didn’t. And Hardaway does have some track record of developing talent since he spent years coaching at the high school level. Pastner has been a head coach for 10 years and still has none.

Simply put, there are lots of unanswered questions about what will happen between Tennessee basketball and Memphis. But for them to assure themselves the top class across all services with a major pickup the same day Grant Williams announced he’s staying in the NBA Draft is a big deal. And the Vols need to hope they can respond next year.