Local 4-star recruit Fred Smith Jr. commits to Memphis basketball
Smith chose the Tigers during a ceremony at Briarcrest Christian School on Thursday. (Image Credit: @fredhoops_ on Instagram)
Memphis basketball has its second local commitment in the Class of 2026.
Briarcrest forward Fred Smith Jr. is officially staying home, he announced during a ceremony at the school Thursday.
Smith joins fellow Memphian and 4-star prospect Cello Jackson, whom he visited the Tigers with last September. He also visited Ole Miss and Saint Louis before ultimately choosing Memphis—the long-presumed favorite to acquire his services.
Smith led Briarcrest to two TSSAA Division II-AA state championships in 2024 and 2026 respectively throughout his illustrious high school career. He tallied 18 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in a 62-52 victory over Pope Saint Paul II in this season’s title game last month. The Saints finished as the state runner-up in 2025 as well.
Smith averaged 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists this year, earning him his second consecutive Division II-AA Mr. Basketball award. The 6-foot-7 wing is just the seventh Memphis native to win the honor more than once.
247Sports ranks Smith as the nation’s No. 88 overall recruit. Him and Jackson (No. 155) are the first Memphis-area high schoolers to join the Tigers since Johnathan Lawson in 2021.
Penny Hardaway’s club has filled four of its allotted 15 roster spots for 2026-27, including Smith and Jackson. Sophomore guard Julius Thedford (8.4 points, 5 rebounds and 1.1 steals), another Memphis native, and sophomore forward William Whorton (1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds) will both return from last season’s team.
But Memphis is losing sophomore guard Curtis Givens III (9.4 points), junior guard Quante Berry (6.1 points and 1.1 steals), freshman center Simon Majok (2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds), junior forward Ashton Hardaway (5.6 points) and junior forward Arop Arop (nine appearances) to the transfer portal.
The Tigers must also replace point guard Dug McDaniel (13.9 points, 4.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals), shooting guard Sincere Parker (11.4 points and 3.7 rebounds), small forward Zach Davis (7.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals), center Thierno Sylla (3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds), big man Tariq Ingraham (3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds) and reserve forward Mason Matthews (seven appearances) due to exhausted eligibility.
Dismissed forward Hasan Abdul Hakim (6.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals), who officially left the team on Feb. 18, has played his last college season too.
This means Penny Hardaway still has to build the majority of next year’s roster via the portal, which opened Tuesday and closes on April 21.