Briarcrest's Fred Smith Jr. commits to Penny Hardaway, Memphis basketball
· Yahoo Sports
After years of hope from Memphis basketball fans, Fred Smith Jr. has finally made it official.
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Smith, a 6-foot-7 forward from Briarcrest Christian School in the 2026 class, announced his commitment to Penny Hardaway and Memphis on April 9, sharing the decision in front of a packed gym at Briarcrest. Smith is rated as a four-star recruit and the No. 87 player in the country by the 247Sports Composite.
He is the first top-100 recruit for Hardaway since Mikey Williams in 2023, although Williams never actually played for the Tigers.
Smith recently won a second TSSAA Division II-AA state championship and Mr. Basketball award, and has a lengthy relationship with Memphis, dating back to first receiving an offer from Hardaway as a sophomore after winning his first state title in 2024. Since, he's been a fixture a Tigers home games, just as Hardaway has frequented those at Briarcrest.
Now, the Memphis native joins four-star guard Cello Jackson Jr., a close friend and fellow Memphis product, in Hardaway's 2026 class. Smith chose the Tigers over Saint Louis and Ole Miss, where he also took visits during his senior year.
What Fred Smith's commitment means for Memphis basketball
With his latest high school pledge, Hardaway is gaining one of the Memphis area's most uniquely productive high school basketball players. Smith is listed as a power forward by most recruiting services, but is a versatile player with great passing ability and basketball IQ. Briarcrest coach John Harrington believes Smith to be the first Memphis high school basketball player to reach career totals of 1,951 points with over 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists.
During his senior season, he excelled as a passer with Briarcrest's addition of sophomore Joshua Huggins, another Memphis target. Smith averaged 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He was recently named The Commercial Appeal's Boys Basketball Player of the Year for the second season in a row.
With Smith and Jackson in the fold, Memphis has four players locked in for next year's roster including Memphis native Julius Thedford and William Whorton, the only returners from Hardaway's 2025-26 roster which finished with a disappointing 13-19 record.
Wendell Shepherd Jr. is The Commercial Appeal's high school sports beat writer. Reach Wendell at [email protected] or on X @wendellsjr_.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Briarcrest's Fred Smith Jr. commits to Penny Hardaway, Memphis basketball