PJ Haggerty leaving Memphis basketball for Kansas State
PJ Haggerty will not spend one more year in a Memphis basketball uniform − the consensus second-team All-American has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and committed to Kansas State, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Haggerty played one season for coach Penny Hardaway and the Tigers, helping them win the AAC regular-season championship and AAC tournament title. He averaged 21.8 points per game for Memphis and was named AAC Player of the Year.
But the former TCU Horned Frog and former Tulsa Golden Hurricane will play for coach Jerome Tang in 2025-26. Haggerty never appeared on any major media outlet’s mock draft. He performed well at the NBA Draft Combine earlier in May. During individual drills on May 13, Haggerty was one of the top five shooters at the combine, hitting 73% of all shots. Then, during a scrimmage on May 14, Haggerty put up 18 points and seven rebounds in a win for his team at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
Haggerty entered the transfer portal on April 17. Reports subsequently surfaced indicating the Texas native was looking for at least $4 million in NIL compensation for the 2025-26 season and had expressed a desire to play the majority of his minutes at the point guard position. Haggerty primarily lined up at shooting guard in 2024-25 at Memphis, although he initiated the offense much of the time.
While the wait for Haggerty’s decision played out, Hardaway made significant strides toward rebuilding the Tigers’ roster. Memphis has officially signed 12 newcomers, eight of which are guards − Sincere Parker, Dug McDaniel, Zachary Davis, Curtis Givens III, Julius Thedford, Quante Berry, Daniel Vieira-Tuck and Felipe Patino. The Tigers have also signed wings Hasan Abdul-Hakim, Ashton Hardaway and Mason Matthews, as well as big man Aaron Bradshaw.
Memphis’ all-conference big man Dain Dainja is currently out of collegiate eligibility, but he has requested a waiver from the NCAA to allow him to play one more season.
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