Memphis forward James Wiseman, the No. 1-ranked prospect in the 2019 class and potential No. 1 in the 2020 NBA draft, has been ruled ineligible, his lawyers said in Memphis on Friday.
Memphis attorney Leslie Ballin says that the NCAA determined Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway helped Wiseman and his family move to Memphis in 2018 while the forward was in high school and are considering Hardaway to be a booster.
Wiseman, a 7-footer from East High School, is the first No. 1 prospect to commit to Memphis since ESPN’s recruiting database began in 2007 and is also the first top-10 prospect to pick the Tigers since 2011.