James Wiseman Faces Ineligibility
James Wiseman Faces Ineligibility
by Z Roney
11.14.2019 For years, there has been controversy and scrutiny involving some of the NCAA's policies. The Rich Paul rule is a recent example of this. On a broader note, the guidelines prohibiting athletes from being paid or receiving money have also been a subject of extensive debate, and have been the cause of a handful of disputed cases.
Recently, these issues have been thrust into the spotlight once again, this time due to a ruling involving Memphis center James Wiseman. Standing at 7 feet and weighing 240 pounds, the freshman is projected to be a lottery pick in next year's NBA draft, if not the 1st overall pick. However, now his draft stock may be in jeopardy. As of last week, the NCAA made a controversial ruling regarding his eligibility to play. Less than an hour after news broke that the NCAA had ruled Memphis freshman James Wiseman ineligible, a Shelby County judge granted the potential top pick in the 2020 NBA draft an emergency temporary restraining order, allowing Wiseman to play a game against Illinois-Chicago.
Wiseman’s attorney, Leslie Ballin, said that Memphis Coach Penny Hardaway helped pay for Wiseman and his family to move to Memphis in 2017 during his junior year of high school. Hardaway “provided $11,500 in moving expenses … unbeknownst to James,” according to a statement from the University of Memphis. Ballin said that action caused the NCAA to deem Hardaway a booster.
Blake Ballin, another Wiseman attorney, said the NCAA sent a letter before Wiseman’s collegiate debut Tuesday deeming him ineligible, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The 7-foot-1 Wiseman would play in that game anyway, a 97-64 win over South Carolina State, and had 28 points and 11 rebounds for the No. 14 Tigers.
Given the circumstances, the benefit his family received was impermissible by NCAA standards. If this verdict is passed, Wiseman's appeal to NBA scouts will no doubt be stained. The program at Memphis is currently working to resolve this issue; in the meantime, he is continuing to play for the team, having contributed in their past two games.
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