Penny Hardaway is new to this. The first-year Memphis head coach's inexperience, however, doesn't make him an idiot. Or give him the right to blatantly lie.
In the final minute of the Tigers' 102-92 loss to Tennessee on Saturday, a hot-tempered affair only exacerbated by poor officiating, officials assessed technical fouls to one Tennessee player and two Memphis players for their roles in a minor dust-up. During the dust-up, some Vols left the bench. The bench-leaving Vols were not ejected because, according to Hardaway's explanation he received from the officials, it was a timeout.
"I said [to referees], 'The entire Tennessee team ran over to fight,' " Hardaway said after the game. Their entire team emptied the bench to run over. They didn't come over because it was a timeout."
The entire didn't empty the bench to run over, though that lie is only an appetizer to the whopper.
"You could visibly see guys with their fists balled, talking trash to our guys. It was almost like a standoff. I was asking the referee why they were able to come across the line into our area and not get a technical."
Liar.
Tennessee players did not have their "fists balled." Trash talking? Sure, but Memphis players were doing the same. Tennessee players came across half-court? Yep.
Fists balled? Ready to fight? Liar.
You can watch the video here (Tennessee players arrive with swords and brass knuckles and at the 13-second mark).
