Memphis basketball star Tyrese Hunter adds Tom Izzo to fan list

MAUI, Hawaii – Tom Izzo was almost in disbelief.

Michigan State’s Hall of Fame basketball coach sat in front of a room full of reporters at the Lahaina Civic Center on Tuesday – after Memphis had just beaten the Spartans 71-63 (6-0) to advance to the Maui Invitational championship game for the first time qualified in program history – and could only scratch his head while still processing Tyrese Hunter’s recent star performance.

Hunter scored 23 points against Michigan State (5-2), just over 24 hours after dropping 26 points in a win over No. 2 UConn on the same floor.

Izzo, who saw a lot of impressive individual performances, couldn’t ignore this performance. More than 30 minutes after the final buzzer, it was still gnawing at him.

“He made some shots for sure (Memphis coach) Penny (Hardaway) – I don’t know if Penny made those shots when he played, and I mean it,” Izzo said. “He fell right, fell left, at the end of the shot clock, and he left it empty.”

Izzo wasn’t finished yet.

“I can’t blame any of our players for some of his shots. There were some terrible shots,” he said.

Hunter has been great this season, averaging 17 points per game. But he was downright dominant in paradise. The former Iowa State and Texas guard shot 53.5% from the field, 60% from the 3-point line and 70% from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Hunter has been steering a determined ship. As the primary point guard, he only has three turnovers in 73 minutes.

In his first season in Memphis, Hunter led the way in the prestigious tournament, where the Tigers entered with the sixth-best odds in the eight-team field.

This was the Hunter Hardaway thought he was getting after seeing him at Barclays Center on November 26, 2021. Back then, Hunter scored nine points, had five assists and three rebounds in a 19-point win over the Tigers in the NIT season tip-off multi-team event.

Hardaway said Hunter “destroyed us” in that game.

“When he entered the portal, he was the guy I targeted. I thought we needed him,” Hardaway said. “It was like I just want to get back to who I am and my roots and I told him if you come here we’ll put the ball in your hands, we’ll allow you to be able to do that be.” play.”

Hunter was particularly great from 3-point range. He posted a career 31.7% shooting percentage this season and only had four games with four or more three-pointers made.

In six games in Memphis, Hunter has had three games with four or more 3-pointers. He had seven against UConn and five against Michigan State and is shooting 52.6% this season.

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