MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The official action at the FedEx St. Jude Championship is underway, but golf was being played elsewhere Thursday morning as well.
Golfers were up bright and early, not at TPC Southwind, but at Spring Creek Golf Ranch for the Danny Thomas Celebrity-Amateur benefitting St. Jude Children's Hospital.
"For us, I tell everybody whenever we get the opportunity to do these things, it’s almost more rewarding for us than it is for the kids to say they were able to meet somebody," said Brevin Knight, former NBA guard and TV analyst for the Memphis Grizzlies.
NFL Hall of Famer and former Memphis Tiger Isaac Bruce was ready to tee off, but said he’s also looking forward to checking out his alma mater in the heat of training camp while in Memphis.
"I know I’m going to gravitate right to the wide receivers and see what we got, and then to the quarterbacks and see where we’re maturing and developing there, but I’m going to make it over to training camp. I’ve got to see what my Tigers were doing," Bruce said.
The competitive juices were really flowing with the former NBA greats. Penny Hardaway, Chris Webber, and Vince Carter were all on hand talking trash about each other's golf games.
"Oh yeah, I’m gonna go over there and talk some smack to Chris for sure," Hardaway said. "We’re gonna have some bets. For sure, I’m about to make those bets happen right now."
"I’m better, but hopefully Vince says he’s better and Penny says he’s better. Catch us coming off the course and you can just read it on our face," Webber said.
But away from the course, there are always questions about Hardaway's Tigers. A burning question in everyone's mind is if Alex Lomax will come back to the 901 after reports he may chase a pro dream overseas and now rumors of his return. Hardaway gave a non-committal answer, deferring to Lomax.
"I think he’s still kind of in between, but I think he’s leaning more towards coming back. He hasn’t made an announcement so I’m going to let him make that decision," Hardaway said.
With a scholarship remaining, Hardaway said he could potentially add “one or two players” before the season. The second player would likely depend on Lomax's decision to stay or go. He said it was too early to comment on the reported hire of Andy Borman as an assistant, but said Larry Brown’s status was still in the air.
"We’re talking to Coach Brown. He has a friend that’s ill so he’s with his friend, but we’re hoping that he’s gonna come back," he said.
The focus was on the links and St. Jude, but in Memphis basketball is never far away from conversation.