5 Best Memphis Tigers Basketball Players, Ranked

Betting on the college basketball odds of the Memphis Tigers during the 2007-08 season likely went well for you as they had a national title run, though ultimately losing; the controversy surrounding that season led to all of their records being vacated in Aug. 2009. 

Freshman Derrick Rose—who appears on this list later—had an invalid SAT score, thus making him ineligible to play. 

Today, you can wager on their basketball odds at the BetMGM online sportsbook.

See where Rose and others land on my list of the best Tigers players below. 

Who Are the Best Memphis Tigers Basketball Players?

1. Penny Hardaway

Afernee “Penny” Hardaway played for Memphis from 1991 to 1993, but he was phenomenal there.

Across those two seasons, which were 66 games, he averaged 20 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. 

Those are mind-boggling numbers. 

He was a consensus first-team All-American and a two-time Great Midwest Player of the Year, and the school retired his No. 25. 

As for single-season stats, he’s third in program history in points (729), fourth in assists (204), and third in steals (86). 

2. Keith Lee

Lee spent four years with the Tigers, playing there from 1981 to 1985. He averaged 18.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. 

Over his career, he had 2,408 points (first), 1,336 rebounds (first), and 320 blocks (first). 

In addition to holding three school records to this day, Lee was a two-time consensus first-team All-American, a consensus second-team All-American, a two-time Metro Conference Player of the Year, and a four-time first-team All-Metro Conference. His No. 24 was retired by the school. 

3. Larry Finch

Before Finch coached Memphis in various roles, including head coach, from 1979 to 1997, he played for the program from 1970 to 1973. 

In those three seasons, he averaged 22.3 points per game. He had 1,869 points (fourth), which, if he played a fourth season and had the same production, he almost certainly would’ve passed Lee’s all-time scoring record. 

Finch holds the single-game scoring record for the Tigers with 48 in a game against St. Joseph’s during the 1972-73 campaign. 

He was a consensus second-team All-American, the MVC Player of the Year, and three-time first-team All-MVC, and the school retired his No. 21. 

4. Chris Douglas-Roberts

While Memphis’s 2008 national championship runner-up finish was vacated, Douglas-Roberts was the player who led them in scoring on their run, scoring 724 points that season, which is No. 4 in the single-season record books for Memphis. 

Over his three seasons there from 2005 to 2008, he averaged 14.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and one steal per game. 

As a junior in the national championship season, he averaged 18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. 

He was a consensus first-team All-American, the Conference USA Player of the Year, and two-time first-team All-Conference USA. 

5. Derrick Rose

Rose was one-and-done at Memphis, but that season was the national championship run. 

He had 189 assists that season, sixth in a single season for the Tigers. 

Rose was a third-team All-American. He averaged 14.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. 

During the tournament, he scored 21 points or more in three games. In the national title game against Kansas, he scored 18 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. 

Although he doesn’t hold any program records, considering what he accomplished as a freshman, he belongs on this list.