Penny Hardaway hits hometown gold with James Wiseman

This is why Memphis hired Penny Hardaway.

Yes, Hardaway will be asked to also win games at some point, but Tuesday, Nov. 20, was the first order of business for him.

And Hardaway answered the bell, as Memphis landed the No. 1 recruit in the 2019 class, 7-foot center James Wiseman.

Not only did Hardaway convince Wiseman to stay home and play for the Tigers in college, but he also beat out Kentucky and John Calipari -- arguably Memphis' all-time greatest coach and the sport's top recruiter over the past decade -- for the potential No. 1 pick in 2020. Kentucky had been the heavy favorite until March, when Memphis fired Tubby Smith and hired Hardaway, one of the program's greatest players of all…