For Bradley senior Darrell Brown Jr., playing in his hometown Tuesday night against the nationally ranked Memphis Tigers is only part of what makes this an extraordinary moment in his life.
The other major element is his lifelong relationship with Memphis coach Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, the former NBA great who appears to be forging a similarly noteworthy path as a coach.
Hardaway and Brown’s father, Darrell, Sr., have been close friends since before Darrell Jr. was born. They met on a Memphis basketball court one summer when Hardaway was still in high school and Darrell Sr. was a little older.