The James Wiseman Situation- The NCAA Needs to Change

Overtime Heroics Editorial

1300 days ago

James Wiseman came into his Freshman year as the number one overall recruit in the 2019 class. College basketball fans were sitting in anticipation for his first game, where he then proved why he was the top recruit. Wiseman dominated anyone in his path. In his first-ever college game, he had a stat line of 28 points and 11 rebounds. His first game James was in the spotlight on the floor, but it wasn’t until his second game where the NCAA took over the spotlight.

Pregame of UIC game.

About two hours before their game last Friday, the NCAA declared Wiseman ineligible because of an accusation of Penny Hardaway helping the Wiseman family with a move back in High School, when Penny was also his coach.

Memphis took no time barring the suspension. University officials went to a courthouse to get an emergency restraining order an hour before tip so Wiseman could play.

The NCAA later came out with a statement stating, “The University of Memphis was notified that James Wiseman is likely ineligible. The university chose to play him and ultimately is responsible for ensuring its student-athletes are eligible to play.” This incident, unfortunately, is just the beginning.

Breaking News on Wednesday

There was movement in this case, and we heard it on Wednesday evening. It was looking like if Wiseman continued to play, he could be stripped of his title back in high school. It wasn’t much later that we got more news on this case.

Wiseman Withdraws Lawsuit

News broke yesterday that James Wiseman withdrew his lawsuit and will be withheld from any competition. He will still be able to practice with the team. This is a smart move by Memphis and Wiseman himself as he is looking to be the #1 overall draft choice come June.

Not many people were a fan of what the NCAA did, and I could not agree more. There have been cases where there has been money given to the players to play. Instances like Sean Miller, yet, he still has a job. This is something that the NCAA needs to address and fix because I am sure this had nothing to do with James. It was between Penny and the Wiseman parents. Some change needs to happen with the NCAA, and it needs to happen quickly.

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