Villanova transfer TJ Bamba includes Memphis basketball among his six finalists
Villanova transfer guard TJ Bamba has included Memphis basketball among the six teams he is considering.
The others are Kentucky, Louisville, Florida, Stanford and Oregon.
Bamba (6-5) spent one season at Villanova after three seasons at Washington State. Bamba, from the Bronx, New York, averaged 10.1 points per game for the Wildcats. In a win over Memphis in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game in November 2023, Bamba scored 13 points and had three rebounds and two assists.
Tigers coach Penny Hardaway has been active in the transfer portal this offseason, landing guards PJ Haggerty and Colby Rogers, as well as former Illinois big man Dain Dainja. Hardaway also signed incoming freshman guard Jared Harris in November 2023. The Tigers are also expected to return forward Nicholas Jourdain along with walk-on guards Joe Cooper and Noah Stansbury.
Leading scorer David Jones is weighing whether to return or to begin his professional career.
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Bamba (who finished his high school career in Denver) earned All-Pac 12 honorable mention for his work during the 2022-23 season while at Washington State. He averaged 15.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game for the Cougars.
In his only season at Villanova, Bamba also averaged 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He contributed 28 steals and shot 36.9% from the 3-point line and 82.4% from the free throw line.
Bamba's announcement comes the same day that FedEx announced a monumental name, image and likeness deal that will benefit multiple Tigers athletic programs, including men's basketball. FedEx, the Memphis-based logistics giant, has pledged $5 million a year for the next five years that will go directly toward athletes who play football, men's and women's basketball and other women's sports at Memphis. How the infusion of NIL funding is divvied up is unclear, but officials say that will be left up to FedEx's discretion.
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 a finalist for Villanova transfer TJ Bamba
