Memphis basketball walk-on guard Joe Cooper will not return for a second season with the Tigers, a program spokesperson told The Commercial Appeal Tuesday.

The former Olive Branch, Mississippi, standout played in six games in 2023-24, averaging 1.3 points and 2.0 assists in 8.2 minutes per game. Cooper − whose stepfather, Rodney Newsom, also played for the Tigers (1992-96) and was a teammate of coach Penny Hardaway − sat out the first half of the season due to academics but gave the team a boost down the stretch.

Newsom explained the reasoning behind Cooper's decision to leave Memphis in a post on Facebook.

"Just felt he wasn't wanted," Newsom said in response to another poster.

He made his FedExForum debut in a 24-point home win over Charlotte that came on the heels of a nightmarish road trip through Texas that featured a 27-point loss at SMU. Cooper had three rebounds and an assist against the 49ers. His first Division I basket, and the only 3-pointer of his Memphis career, pushed the Tigers' lead to double-digits and sparked a much-needed comfortable win.

"I don't take anything for granted," Cooper said after that game. "I came here to win whatever way I could."

Hardaway is remodeling his roster again this offseason. Guards Tyrese Hunter, PJ Haggerty, Colby Rogers, Baraka Okojie and Jared Harris, along with forward Nicholas Jourdain and big men Dain Dainja, Moussa Cisse and Tyreek Smith reported to campus earlier this month.

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Memphis still has at least three open scholarships. Freshman guard Daniel Vieira-Tuck is committed to the Tigers.

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 walk-on Joe Cooper is no longer with the program