By Devon POV Mason | Shadow League Reporter
Penny Hardaway and Memphis are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to securing Emoni Bates.
You Heard It Here First: Gatorade POY Emoni Bates Is LeBron James Special
With that being said, former NBA great Rasheed Wallace — the master of the technical foul — is moving into the collegiate coaching ranks.
Emoni Bates’ Instagram story.
If Rasheed Wallace and FedEx don’t seal the deal for Memphis, king size Kit Kat bars should. pic.twitter.com/xcHO9sUh5f
— Clayton Collier (@ClaytonJCollier) August 18, 2021
The former NBA-All Star and champion has joined Penny Hardaway’s staff as an assistant coach at Memphis. The move allows Wallace to reunite with his former Detroit Pistons coach Larry Brown. Together, they helped bring the “Motor City” an NBA championship in 2004.
Wallace, 46 has dabbled in coaching before, joining the Detroit Pistons staff an assistant in 2013 after signing a two-year contract, but he was not retained once Detroit brought in Stan Van Gundy the following year.
In 2019, Sheed was hired as the head varsity basketball coach at Charles E. Jordan high school in Durham, NC.
During his tenure as a player, the 7-foot, multi-talented Wallace spanned 16 grity seasons in the NBA playing for the Washington Bullets, Portland Trailblazers, Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks.
A four-time All-Star, he retired following the 2009-10 season for two years before returning to the NBA at age 38 to join the Knicks in 2012-13.
Wallace is remembered for his emotional personality and rugged defensive play. His intensity and demonstrative expression towards the refs often led to him getting T’d up. Wallace still holds the record for most technical fouls and most ejections in a single season.
When asked about the hiring, Penny Hardaway had this to say:
“Obviously, he brings a lot to the table. “He’s played the game at a high level, he’s a champion. He does have that in his corner. Anytime you can add someone like that, just to be able to have a conversation with him about joining our team has been great; the conversations we’ve had.”
The hiring comes as the Tigers are preparing to host 2022 five-star recruit Emoni Bates this weekend.
Emoni Bates was introduced to the national sports audience last year on Stephen A Smith’s radio show by Champ From Detroit. #emonibates https://t.co/SAESXPqP5I
— The Shadow League (@ShadowLeague) April 14, 2020
