The consensus number one freshman basketball player in college, and projected number one overall pick in next year’s draft, is in the midst of a massive NCAA eligibility saga.
James Wiseman is the freshman sensation at Memphis University, playing under former NBA superstar Penny Hardaway.
This past month, the NCAA announced Wiseman was ineligible hours before his game against UIC. Although the NCAA had deemed Wiseman ineligible, Memphis continued to play him two games after.
The reason Wiseman was still able to play, even after being deemed ineligible, is because the NCAA cannot physically stop him from playing; it is merely a suggestion to Memphis, and the University’s President has the power to decide if he plays.
Wiseman is being deemed ineligible because his family accepted money from his current coach Penny to fund a mover from Nashville to Memphis.
The sum of money was allegedly $11,500, which was given to the Wiseman family by Penny Hardaway when he was only a high school coach.
Memphis’s defense against the NCAA is that this infraction happened years before anyone knew what would happen.
Now Memphis and Wiseman play the waiting game as they are sitting him out until the NCAA comes up with a decision.
Memphis hopes to get its star player back soon.
Memphis is currently holding Wiseman out so that the NCAA cannot vacate any wins from them further down the road if Wiseman continued to play and was later found guilty.
The Tiger Times 
Posted on February 4, 2020 by thetigertimes7
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