PJ Haggerty, former Tulsa guard and top-3 transfer, commits to Memphis

Memphis received a boost Thursday with transfer guard PJ Haggerty committing to the Tigers.

Haggerty, who told On3 about his commitment, averaged 21.2 points and 5.5 rebounds on 49.3 percent shooting in one season with Tulsa. That included a monster 27-point, eight-rebound, four-assist outing against Memphis on Jan. 4.

Tulsa went 16-15 (7-11 in American Athletic Conference play) this season and lost to East Carolina in the second round of the AAC tournament.

Haggerty, a 6-foot-3 rising sophomore, capped off his season by being named AAC Freshman of the Year and making the AAC All-Freshman rookie team. He ranked No. 3 on The Athletic’s college basketball transfer portal rankings.

Haggerty started his collegiate career with TCU in 2022-23 but only played six games before redshirting and later transferring to Tulsa.

How Haggery fits with Memphis

His commitment is an enormous get for Memphis, although selfishly I am a bit disappointed that we don’t get to see Haggerty in a stronger top-to-bottom conference than the American, which we’ve already seen him dominate.

Memphis’ roster is fluid. Forward Nick Jourdain will be back. He started 25 games for Memphis and will be useful as a forward who can space the floor for Haggerty’s foul-drawing drives into the paint. The big one that coach Penny Hardaway will be waiting on is David Jones, as the wing averaged 21 points per game this year and is seen as likely to declare for the NBA Draft to find out where his potential as a professional stands. A first-team All-AAC pick last season, Jones’ return paired with Haggerty would give Memphis a real chance at the top 25, depending on the rest of its offseason moves.

But with just Haggety’s commitment alone, the Tigers have gotten their offseason off to a strong start. He gives the team a genuine building block that could be there long-term. — Sam Vecenie, NBA Draft and college basketball writer

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(Photo: William Purnell / USA Today)