Memphis stars PJ Haggerty and Dain Dainja both entered the transfer portal Thursday in part of a roster exodus from the Tigers program that leaves them without two All-AAC performers from last season. Haggerty was the league’s Player of the Year and a Second Team AP All-American, while Dainja was an First Team All-AAC performer.
Both produced career years leading Memphis to 29 wins — the program’s most since 2012-13. The season culminated with AAC regular season and conference tournament championships. The Tigers earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament but were bounced in the first round by No. 12 seed Colorado State.
Haggerty was nation’s third-leading scorer averaging 21.7 points per game and shot 36.4% from 3-point range. Dainja averaged 14.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and shot 61.7% on 2s.
Haggerty led the AAC in minutes played and Dainja was fifth among AAC players in field goal percentage.
Haggerty will be looking for his fourth school in four years after one-season stints at TCU and Tulsa. It will be the fourth stop in five years for Dainja. He began his career at Baylor, spent two seasons at Illinois then transferred to Memphis last offseason.
Replacing both Haggerty and Dainja will be a tall task for Hardaway and his staff, but they are already off to a fast start in the portal with four incoming additions led by South Carolina guard Zachary Davis and Western Kentucky’s Julius Thedford. Temple guard Quante Berry is also committed to the Tigers alongside Ashton Hardaway, Penny’s son, who began his career at Memphis before spending last season at Saint Mary’s.
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