The Memphis Tigers' 2025-26 basketball campaign has officially come to a close.
Penny Hardaway's squad (13-19) was eliminated by Tulane 81-69 in the opening round of the American Conference Tournament on March 11 in Birmingham, Alabama — a fitting, if painful, conclusion to one of the program's most turbulent seasons in recent memory. The Tigers never recovered from a brutal non-conference stretch, and a seven-game skid heading into the regular-season finale underscored just how deeply the roster struggled to find its footing throughout the year.
Context matters here: Memphis entered this season with a completely overhauled roster, carrying no returning contributors from the 2024-25 squad that captured both the American Conference regular-season and tournament crowns and earned a No. 5 NCAA Tournament seed. The magnitude of that roster turnover made cohesion nearly impossible from day one. Looking ahead to the 2026-27 cycle, however, the program isn't without foundational pieces — several players retain eligibility and could form the nucleus of a rebuilt roster.
Below is a breakdown of the players who could factor into Memphis' plans for next season.
Three seasons of eligibility remaining
C Simon Majok
Majok's limited appearances this season offered only glimpses of his ceiling, yet those glimpses were enough to generate genuine intrigue about his long-term trajectory. Averaging 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in sporadic action, the big man clearly needs continued development — but the raw tools are evident.
At 7-foot-1 and 210 pounds, Majok represents the kind of high-upside developmental project that programs build around over multiple seasons. Should he commit to Memphis long term, he could evolve into a genuine program cornerstone.
Two seasons of eligibility remaining
G Curtis Givens III
A homegrown talent with roots in the Memphis basketball community, Givens arrived as a four-star recruit before beginning his collegiate career at LSU. After one season with the Tigers of Baton Rouge, he made the decision to return home, and the move paid dividends — Givens averaged 9.4 points per game and earned starting assignments in the majority of contests he was available for, establishing himself as one of the team's more reliable offensive contributors.
G Julius Thedford
Another Memphis native who found his way back to his hometown program, Thedford arrived via Western Kentucky following a standout freshman campaign. He quickly distinguished himself not through scoring volume but through the intangibles that coaching staffs prize most — relentless defensive intensity and a blue-collar work ethic that resonated with the fanbase. His status as the team's leading rebounder further cemented his value, and his positional versatility makes him a viable fit within a variety of roster constructions.
F William Whorton
Whorton's path to Memphis ran through South Dakota State, where he spent two seasons including a redshirt year before making the transfer. His role with the Tigers this season was largely peripheral — he appeared infrequently and posted 1.8 points per game — but the experience gained within the program could position him for a more expanded role with another year of development.
One season of eligibility remaining
F Aaron Bradshaw
Perhaps no player on the roster carries a more complex narrative than Bradshaw. A former McDonald's All-American who has yet to fully translate his prep pedigree into consistent college production, his 2025-26 season was emblematic of that ongoing tension — marked by inconsistency and health challenges, yet punctuated by stretches where his quality was unmistakable. After stints at Kentucky and Ohio State, Bradshaw carved out a defined role with the Tigers and showed meaningful improvement down the stretch when his body allowed it.
G Quante Berry
Berry's season-long journey was one of fluctuating responsibilities and evolving impact, but when the program needed him most, he delivered emphatically. His 22-point eruption in the Tigers' 96-95 overtime victory over Tulane on March 8 — capped by clutch game-winning free throws — single-handedly snapped Memphis' seven-game losing streak and punched the team's ticket to the American Conference Tournament. That performance alone speaks to the kind of high-leverage value Berry brings. He originally redshirted at Providence before logging two seasons at Temple prior to arriving in Memphis.
F Ashton Hardaway
Ashton Hardaway's collegiate path has been anything but linear — he launched his career at Memphis, departed for Saint Mary's, then ultimately circled back to the program. This season he contributed 5.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, offering a steady if unspectacular presence on a roster that was searching for consistency at multiple positions.
F Arop Arop
Arop made the move to Memphis following two seasons at Columbia, but found himself outside the regular rotation for the Tigers, logging appearances in just nine games throughout the 2025-26 campaign. His impact was minimal, though his continued presence in the program could hinge on how aggressively Hardaway pursues roster reconstruction via the transfer portal this offseason.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Which Memphis basketball players could come back for 2026-27 season