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Memphis basketball: Malcolm Dandridge out indefinitely for potential academic misconduct

Memphis basketball senior Malcolm Dandridge will be withheld from competition by the program until further notice, the athletic department announced Saturday.

“The University of Memphis is currently gathering and reviewing information regarding a potential issue impacting Malcolm Dandridge’s eligibility and is withholding him from competition until further notice," the department said in a prepared statement. "To protect the integrity of that process, we are unable to comment further at this time.”

The decision to keep Dandridge out of games indefinitely stems from potential academic misconduct by the former East High star, multiple sources confirmed to The Commercial Appeal.

The sources requested anonymity because academics were not included in the statement.

The 6-foot-9 Dandridge is enjoying his best season since he became a member of coach Penny Hardaway's team starting with the 2019-20 season. He is averaging 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He is also top-10 in the AAC with 1.44 blocks per game.

Dandridge also played for Hardaway at East, helping the Mustangs to a state championship in 2018 − which was later ordered to be vacated by the TSSAA as a result of the school's violation of the organization's recruiting rule.

The Memphis basketball program is also currently serving three years' probation, which was imposed in September 2022. That stems from an Independent Accountability Resolution Process investigation into the program's handling of former star center James Wiseman's eligibility status. The investigation found multiple Level II and Level III violations occurred under Hardaway.

Hardaway was also suspended for the first three games of the 2023-24 season as a result of a recruiting violation that occurred in the fall of 2021.

The Tigers (19-8, 8-6 AAC) are set to host FAU (21-6, 11-3) at FedExForum on Sunday (1 p.m., ESPN).

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Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball: Tigers holding Malcolm Dandridge out indefinitely