Tubby Smith fired as Memphis head coach

After much speculation in the media, Memphis has officially fired head basketball coach Tubby Smith after just two seasons. Smith was 40-26 overall, finishing 5th in the AAC both years.

The story here seems to be related to fit and financial considerations, rather than on-court results. In a statement on Wednesday, the school said “in the best financial interest of the University of Memphis, an agreement of separation with Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tubby Smith has been reached.” No further details were provided.

Smith left Texas Tech less than two years ago to become the head man at Memphis. He has 597 career wins across six schools and won the 1998 NCAA National Championship in his first season at Kentucky.

The news of Smith’s firing also comes with plenty of rumors about his potential replacement: former Tiger and NBA star Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway. The 4x All-Star last played in the NBA in 2007 and since then has mostly popped up with different business pursuits in the Memphis area, including an unsuccessful bid to buy part of the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012.