Teafale Lenard, projected NBA draft pick and MTSU transfer, commits to Memphis basketball

Teafale Lenard Jr. will transfer to play for Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway, he announced Monday.

The 6-8 wing appeared in 70 games in two seasons at Middle Tennessee State, which were enough to open the eyes of some NBA mock drafters. Averaging 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2022-23, ESPN's Jonathan Givony projected Lenard as the 48th overall pick in the 2024 draft − one spot ahead of Creighton guard Trey Alexander, a former 4-star recruit.

Lenard (whose first name is pronounced "Tee-AH-Fae-ELL," according to MTSU's media guide) is the fourth transfer Hardaway has landed since the Tigers' season ended with a first-round NCAA tournament loss to FAU in March. Former Temple forward Nick Jourdain announced his commitment to play for Memphis on March 30. Combo guard Caleb Mills, who played at Houston then Florida State, pledged to the Tigers on April 7. Jonathan Pierre, who helped lead Nova Southeastern to a Division II national title this season, went public with his commitment on April 9.

Lenard, originally from Snyder, Texas, finished his high school career at Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) and committed to Tulsa before signing with Middle Tennessee.

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An athletic, high-flying, two-way slashing playmaker, Lenard established a new single-season record for dunks (50) at Middle Tennessee in his freshman season, then tied it as a sophomore.

But, where Lenard is perhaps more valuable is on the defensive side of the ball. A true disruptor, Lenard played in 12 games this season where he finished with multiple blocks and multiple steals − the most of any player in Division I. His 61 blocks as a sophomore are the fourth-most in single-season history at Middle Tennessee, and he sits in fourth on the school's career blocks list (with 119, for a 1.7 per game average) despite playing only two seasons with the Blue Raiders. All that helped him score a spot on Conference USA's All-Defensive Team as well as an all-CUSA honorable mention nod.

Lenard's best attribute, according to him?

"I would probably say what I do best is probably hustle," he told The Commercial Appeal recently. "I don't never give up on no play, which probably comes from just always being an underdog. Growing up in a small town, you gotta get it how you get it."

The additions of Lenard and Jourdain, who do not exactly fit the bill of a prototypical rim protector, clearly shows Hardaway is motivated to shore up the Tigers' defense. Memphis, in his second and third seasons as coach, finished fifth and first respectively in adjusted defensive efficiency. The past two seasons, the Tigers have finished 33rd and 38th. Lenard and Jourdain had 96 blocks between the two of them in 2022-23 − just three fewer than Memphis' top three shot-blockers (Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, DeAndre Williams and Malcolm Dandridge).

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball: Teafale Lenard, MTSU transfer, commits to Tigers