David Jones vs Jayden Hardaway: Does Coach Penny Hardaway’s Take Stand?

The fans rejoiced when the Memphis Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway chose their forward David Jones in the starting five over his son – Jayden Hardaway. The contest was played between the Memphis Tigers and the Arkansas Razorbacks on Thursday. Penny’s unbiased decision helped his team extend their winning run to 5-0.

The Tigers defeated the Razorbacks by a narrow margin of 84-79 and had Penny heaping praises on Jones for his on-court brilliance. During the post-game press conference, Penny stated that Jones was “one of the best players to come through Memphis”. But is Penny’s stand justified? Is Jones really better than his son Jayden? Their performances throughout this NCAA season will give a more clear picture.

Memphis Tigers vs Jackson State Tigers 94-77

The Memphis Tigers played their season opener against the Jackson State Tigers at the FedExForum. Jones who was in the starting five and played for 25 minutes, potted the team’s second-highest 15 points with 2 rebounds and an equal number of assists. He also had a remarkable field goal percentage of 41.7% and a decent three-pointer percentage of 57.1%. 

On the other hand, Jayden plied his trade for only 12 minutes, scoring 6 points with a solitary rebound and a single assist. With his spectacular performance, Jones had surely eclipsed Jayden by a clear margin both in stats and on-court brilliance.

Memphis Tigers vs Missouri Tigers 70-55

The Memphis Tigers squared off against the Missouri Tigers in their second match. Though, they lagged behind in the first half by a decent 26-33, the Penny Hardaway-coached team made a comeback during the next half, decimating the Missouri by a blowout margin of 44-22.

The credit went to the entire team since it was a collective effort in which Jones was on-court for 28 minutes, marking a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He achieved a game-high in rebounds and restricted the Missouri from scoring in the second half.

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Meanwhile, Jayden played for only 17 minutes and scored a singular point with 2 assists. Jones with this performance proved that he was as much a defender as he was an offensive player.

Memphis Tiger vs Alabama State Hornets 92-75

The Tigers upended the Hornets by a respectable margin of 92-75 in their third game. Jones came into his own in this match and basketed a game-high of 22 points, cruising to a double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds. 

He was present on the court for 26 minutes and had an outstanding 4-for-4 field throw tally. Whereas Jayden was given 17 minutes in which he notched six points and a 2-for-2 free throw stat.

Jones had shown sparks of brilliance in this match that established him as one of the major players for the Memphis Tigers.

Memphis Tigers vs Michigan Wolverines 71-67

The Memphis Tigers edged past the Michigan Wolverines by a close margin of 71-67 in their fourth contest that took place at the Imperial Arena. Both Jones and Jayden performed averagely well in this game.

Apparently, Jones besotted 11 points and four rebounds whereas Jayden incised five points. Jones still marked his presence with his free throw skills, standing at 6-for-7.

This game was a major one for the Tigers since it was the first time Penny’s freshman son Ashton performed in a pivotal role by besotting a team high of 17 points. However, he failed to replicate the same success in rebounds and assists.

Memphis Tigers vs Arkansas Razorbacks 84-79

The Tigers inched towards victory when they clobbered the Razorbacks on Thursday by a small margin of 84-79. Jones was the star of his team since he helped the Razorbacks smoke 42 points in each of the halves.

He produced his career-best performance of an astounding 36 points with a 10-for-14 field goal and 12-for-14 free throw score. He trailed Jayden by many miles since the latter could only etch 2 points in this historic victory.

With his performances, Jones has proved that he is a force to reckon with and Penny’s stand looks quite right since he is one of the best Memphis players to be a part of this team.

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Hopefully, Jones will continue his string of admirable performances that will push his team to unprecedented heights.