MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A little more than a week ago, Memphis Tiger head coach Penny Hardaway felt confident that the Tigers would have another season with big man Dain Dainja back in a Tigers uniform.

Thursday, Dainja received news that the waiver he sent for an extra year of eligibility was denied by the NCAA.

In response to the news, University of Memphis men’s basketball coach Penny Hardaway released this statement:

” I’m really proud of Dain and how he handled everything during his time with us. He gave us great energy every single day and embraced our program and culture from day one. We’re obviously disappointed with the NCAA’s decision because we know what this opportunity meant to him, but that doesn’t take away from the impact he had here. Dain’s future is incredibly bright.

I just want to thank him for everything he gave to our program — his time, his energy, and his belief in what we’re building here. I also want to thank our compliance office and university administration. They put in countless hours navigating this complex process and worked tirelessly on Dain’s behalf.

We’re going to keep supporting Dain however we can, and I know he’s going to be successful wherever life takes him next. He’ll always have a place in our Memphis family.“

In his one season at Memphis, Dain Dainja averaged 14.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and shot 61.5 percent from the field, along with claiming both the AAC regular season and conference tournament titles and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.