If you had a dollar for every NBA star who went on to become a great college basketball coach, you might be able to afford lunch...but only at a cheap diner.
That's the national skepticism Penny Hardaway faces as he steps into the head coaching position at his alma mater, the University of Memphis. The city, however, couldn't be more optimistic or ecstatic.
Hardaway is a prodigal son and then some. He grew up in Memphis, one of the rare cities in the South where basketball trumps football in terms of popularity.
He knows the turmoil his hometown has faced, with brutal crime and triple-digit homicides every year.