What makes 4-star Kaden Magwood’s official visit with Memphis basketball, Penny Hardaway significant

Memphis basketball has scored an official visit from four-star guard Kaden Magwood.

The 6-foot-2 Class of 2025 recruit told The Commercial Appeal that he is scheduled to be on campus starting Sept. 3.

“I went to the (Penny Hardaway Basketball Camp) last summer,” said Magwood, who spent the past two seasons at Oak Hill (Virginia) but will suit up for Combine Academy (North Carolina) as a senior. “I feel like I really impressed coach Penny. I saw the weight room and practice gym while I was there. It seems like a good spot there.

“I’m excited to get on campus.”

The No. 57 overall recruit in his class (according to the 247Sports Composite) also has visits set up with Louisville (his hometown school), NC State, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, USC, Mississippi State and Wake Forest – and could set up others with the likes of Kansas and Auburn, he said.

But Magwood’s planned visit to Memphis is notable. The Tigers, like plenty of other programs, have leaned heavily on the transfer portal and been more selective in recruiting high school players in recent years. That will likely continue.

There is one true freshman on Penny Hardaway’s 2024-25 roster. Last season, there were two unless you count Mikey Williams and JJ Taylor, who combined to play three games before heading to UCF.

The season before that: zero.

Sure, Hardaway has recruited high school prospects. Earlier this offseason Memphis was in the mix for five-star big man Jayden Quaintance, who signed with Arizona State. Memphis signed Jared Harris last November. Last fall, Curtis Givens III and Billy Richmond III both took visits with the Tigers before signing with LSU and Arkansas.

Magwood says he recognizes what it means that Memphis is making him a priority.

“I’m very aware of it,” he said. “It seems like they really like me. I’m going to just see the recruitment out and go from there.”

Magwood isn’t just familiar with Hardaway and the Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center. He also has history with assistant coach Rick Stansbury. The former Western Kentucky coach offered Magwood when he was a freshman at Western High School in Louisville. Magwood, whose first offer came from Coastal Carolina the same year, attended a camp at WKU and caught Stansbury’s eye.

So, Magwood said, he and Stansbury reconnected last week. That’s when he received an offer from Memphis and got an official visit on the books.

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“I’m looking forward to just seeing how the vibe on campus is and seeing how they break down film,” he said. “How they operate in practice and stuff.”

Magwood has seen his stock rapidly rise over the past year. As a junior at Oak Hill, he averaged 17.4 points on 45.3% shooting (43.6% from 3) with 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals a game. In seven games at the 3SSB Palmetto Road Championship last month, Magwood averaged 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.

“People say I’m the best scorer in the country in my class,” he said. “I feel like my game will translate good to the NBA. (Memphis tells me) they like my scoring ability and they think I can be a pro one day.”

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: Kaden Magwood visit is big for Penny Hardaway