Penny Hardaway, the man who teamed with Shaquille O’Neal to put Orlando Magic basketball on the map in the mid-90s, was back in O-Town on Wednesday, preparing his new team for an appearance in the AdvoCare Invitational college basketball tournament at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports.
Hardaway, in his first year as head coach at his alma mater, the University of Memphis, said it felt great to be back in Orlando.
“It means a lot because this is a second home to me,” Hardaway said. “Orlando has always been that way and I’m glad to be back.”
When asked what it was like being a coach now instead of being the player, Hardaway laughed and said, “It sucks.
“But no honestly, I’m still trying to draw back from all of the things I’ve learned in the past from all the great coaches I’ve played for and use that experience to help me out on this level,” Hardaway said. “It’s one of those things where you have to understand where the coach is coming from and where the player is coming from, and somewhere in there you have to be able to agree on some things.”
Hardaway mentioned several coaches who mentored him and said he has a little bit of each of them in him to this day.
“All those guys … Coach [Brian] Hill was the guy who allowed me to post up and use my ability down in the post against smaller guards,” Hardaway said. “Coach [Chuck] Daly from the defensive side of the game, Coach Larry Brown, all of those guys. I’ve learned a lot from all those guys and I’m using it with my team right now.”
Hardaway grew up in Memphis and remembers when the Tigers were a powerhouse college basketball program featuring top players Keith Lee and Larry Kenon and famed former head coach Larry Finch. He wants to get the program back to that level.
The Tigers enjoyed success recently under John Calipari, but he left to lead Kentucky and others couldn’t sustain it.
“It’s a huge drive to get it back to the glory days,” Hardaway said. “And I feel like with my staff and the type of players we feel like we can get in Memphis, we can do that.”
Hardaway has lots of memories of his days with the Magic and he said it will always hold a special place in his heart. Penny and Shaq led the Magic to the NBA Finals during the 1994-95 season, when they were swept by the Houston Rockets.
“The memories are great. This is a one-team town. The Orlando Magic is everything here,” Hardaway said. “There’s no other pro sports, so all the memories of the old-school teams, the original team all the way up to now, to Dwight Howard’s run to T-Mac being here, exploding, so it’s a lot of great memories.”
Hardaway’s fondest Magic memory was the victory that sent the team to the NBA Finals.
“That moment that stands out the most is that Game 7 against Indiana when we went to the Finals, and the guys lifted Coach Hill up on their shoulders. That was magical. … Oh, I said magical, wow,” Hardaway said. “It was an amazing feeling.”
Hardaway spent six seasons with the Magic, averaging 19 points, 6.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. During his NBA career, which spanned 15 seasons, he averaged 15.2 points, five assists and 4.5 rebounds.
Hardaway was inducted into the Magic Hall of Fame last year.
“It meant a lot to me, because I felt like my whole career was the Orlando Magic,” Hardaway said. “I didn’t end my career the way I wanted, but everybody identifies me with the Orlando Magic and to be able to go into the Hall of Fame was only fitting.”