Hardaway's blunt dunk advice after Almodovar's scary fall in loss to No. 22 Vanderbilt

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway offered solid advice to senior guard Luke Almodovar following his alarming fall during a loss to No. 22 Vanderbilt. The coach emphasized the importance of holding onto the rim when performing a dunk. "You can't let that rim go," Hardaway stressed, "Just the way he jumped, a lot of momentum going forward. You got to keep the rim, fell and kind of hit the back of his head. It’s an ugly fall, but just good to see him come back out on the court."

The incident occurred with 10:27 remaining in the game, which Memphis lost 105-81. Almodovar's dunk was impressive, but his awkward landing on his head sent shockwaves through the arena. He lay motionless on the court for a couple of minutes before getting assistance and heading to the locker room. After a brief time back on the bench, Almodovar was back in the game and contributed 21 points, including a game-high 21 points.

The severity of Almodovar's fall brought back unsettling memories for Vanderbilt senior Berke Büyüktuncel. The transfer, who played at Nebraska and UCLA, recalled a similar incident where a teammate choked on his tongue. Büyüktuncel expressed relief that Almodovar was unharmed and hoped he would recover quickly for future games.