James Wiseman Deemed Eligible After Court Ruling In Penny Hardaway Scandal

It ain’t over for University of Memphis star James Wiseman … at least, not yet!!!

The 7’1″ college basketball superstar — the projected #1 overall pick in the ’20 NBA Draft — got a court order allowing him to play Friday night, minutes after the NCAA had deemed him ineligible.

The scandal is bizarre and complex but boils down to this … the NCAA claims ex-NBA star Penny Hardaway provided $11,500 in moving expenses to Wiseman’s family in 2017.

At the time, Hardway was an assistant basketball coach at Memphis East High School — where Wiseman played his final two years of prep ball.

Hardaway later became the head coach at U of M — and now the NCAA says the transaction makes Penny a “booster,” which is a big problem.

On Friday, the NCAA announced Wiseman was ruled ineligible to compete and it seemed the 18-year-old’s college career was basically over.

But, the University immediately filed for an emergency court order to restore Wisman’s eligibility and it was GRANTED late Friday … so he was able to take the court against the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Wiseman was a 5-star recruit coming out of Memphis East HS and flashed big-time in his college debut, scoring 28 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.