Memphis guard PJ Haggerty has entered the transfer portal, according to several reports. The nation’s third-leading scorer will be playing elsewhere next season.
Haggerty, 21, will be a redshirt junior and play for his fourth program in four seasons next year. After redshirting as a freshman at TCU, he transferred to Tulsa for one season before joining Penny Hardaway’s program at Memphis.
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The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 21.7 points for the Tigers this past season, ranking third in the nation. He shot 36% on 107 3-point attempts while averaging 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals. That performance earned him AAC player of the year and second-team All-America honors.
Haggerty scored 42 points in Memphis’ 83-80 win over Wichita State in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament, adding nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. With that total, he tied a conference record for points scored in a single tournament game.
“We all understand that teams are going to be calling him. They’re probably calling him now,” Hardaway said after the Tigers defeated UAB to win the AAC tournament and fans chanted, “One more year!” to Haggerty.
“It’s so enticing, right?” he added. “Dangling that carrot like, ‘OK, you can come here and be even bigger than you were at Memphis.'”
Evidently, Haggerty believes he can do more elsewhere, whether that’s in NIL compensation or national profile. Or perhaps, with Memphis losing four other starters, including second-leading scorer Dain Dainja, Haggerty thought it best to move on. A player with his scoring talent figures to attract high demand in the transfer portal.
With Haggerty leading the way, Memphis finished 29-8 and won the AAC regular-season and conference tournament titles. In the NCAA tournament, the Tigers lost in the first round to Colorado State, 78-70. Haggerty scored 18 points with six rebounds, three assists and two steals in that defeat.
