James Wiseman
Personal information | ||||||||||||
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Born | Nashville, Tennessee | March 31, 2001|||||||||||
Nationality | American | |||||||||||
Listed height | 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) | |||||||||||
Listed weight | 251 lb (114 kg) | |||||||||||
Career information | ||||||||||||
High school |
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College | Memphis (2019–2020) | |||||||||||
Position | Center | |||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||
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Stats at NBA.com | ||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball Reference | ||||||||||||
Medals
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James Wiseman (born March 31, 2001) is an American basketball player. He played college basketball for the Memphis Tigers. Listed at 7 feet 1 inch (2.16 m) and 240 pounds (109 kg), he plays the center position.
Wiseman began high school at The Ensworth School in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee before transferring to Memphis East High School, where he was coached by former NBA player Penny Hardaway for his first year. As a senior, Wiseman was a consensus five-star recruit, with most recruiting services ranking him number one in the 2019 class. He claimed multiple national player of the year awards and played in the McDonald's All-American Game after his final season.
In college, Wiseman joined Memphis to play for Hardaway, who had become the Tigers' coach. Early into his freshman season, he was suspended by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which deemed that Hardaway had acted as a booster by facilitating Wiseman's move to Memphis, Tennessee in 2017. He served part of the suspension before withdrawing from school to prepare for the upcoming 2020 NBA draft.
High school career
Entering his freshman season for The Ensworth School in Nashville, Tennessee, Wiseman stood 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg). He was teammates with future NBA player Jordan Bone.[1] By June 2016, ESPN ranked Wiseman among its top 25 players in the 2019 recruiting class.[2] In 2016, he played for the St. Louis Eagles Amateur Athletic Union team.[3][4] As a sophomore in 2016–17, he guided Ensworth to the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Division II-AA semifinals.[5] He averaged about 20 points and six rebounds per game and was named MaxPreps Sophomore All-American honorable mention.[6]
In May 2017, Wiseman joined Team Penny, founded by former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Penny Hardaway, on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit. In August, he announced his transfer to Memphis East High School in Memphis, Tennessee, where Hardaway was promoted to head coach.[7] On November 16, 2017, the TSSAA ruled Wiseman ineligible for his junior season because an "athletic coaching link" existed between him and Hardaway.[8] However, on December 13, he was cleared to play because the TSSAA rule was "not clear in its application."[9] During the season, Wiseman rose to become the number one overall recruit by ESPN in the 2019 class. On March 17, 2018, he led Memphis East to a TSSAA Class AAA championship, leading all scorers with 19 points.[10] He averaged 18.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game, earning MaxPreps Junior All-American third team recognition.[11]
Entering his senior season, Wiseman remained at Memphis East instead of transferring to a prep school, citing "the East High tradition" and the improvements he made as a junior with the program.[12] On March 1, 2019, he recorded a triple-double of 27 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 blocks to help his team win the Region 8AAA championship.[13] Memphis East finished as TSSAA Class AAA runners-up to Bearden High School, even though Wiseman posted 24 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks in his final high school game.[14] After averaging 25.8 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 5.5 blocks as a senior, he was named Gatorade National Player of the Year and Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year.[15][16] Wiseman also won the Tennessee Class AAA Mr. Basketball award while appearing in the McDonald's All-American Game, the Jordan Brand Classic, and the Nike Hoop Summit.[17][18] He shared most valuable player (MVP) accolades with Cole Anthony at the Jordan Brand Classic.[19]
In October 2019, after Wiseman had moved on to the University of Memphis, the TSSAA's original ruling of ineligibility for the 2017–18 season was upheld by a Memphis judge, who ruled that the TSSAA coaching link rule was not too vague and did not violate Wiseman's property rights as an athlete.[20]
Recruiting
Wiseman was a consensus five-star recruit out of high school and was considered the top recruit in the 2019 class by 247Sports and ESPN.[21][22] On November 20, 2018, he committed to Memphis despite strongly considering Kentucky. As a result, he reunited with former high school coach Penny Hardaway, who had become the team's head coach in the previous season.[23] On November 29, Wiseman signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for Memphis.[24]
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
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James Wiseman C |
Nashville, TN | Memphis East (TN) | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Nov 20, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 97 | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 1 247Sports: 2 ESPN: 1 | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
In August 2019, a minor shoulder injury kept Wiseman from joining Memphis for a series of preseason exhibition games in Nassau, Bahamas.[25] He missed his team's two preseason games in October after sustaining an ankle injury.[26] On November 5, Wiseman made his regular season debut with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks in 22 minutes as the Tigers defeated South Carolina State, 97–64.[27]
On November 8, Wiseman's lawyers announced that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ruled him ineligible to play for Memphis. The University of Memphis stated that head coach Penny Hardaway had paid for $11,500 in moving expenses to help him and his family move to the city of Memphis in 2017.[28] According to Wiseman's lawyer, Leslie Ballin, the NCAA deemed that Hardaway, a Memphis alumnus, had acted as a booster.[29] On the same day, a Shelby County judge granted Wiseman a temporary restraining order against the NCAA's ruling, allowing him to keep playing.[28][30] Less than two hours later, he had 17 points and nine rebounds to lead Memphis past UIC, 92–46.[31] Wiseman's lawyers filed a lawsuit against the NCAA to restore his eligibility before withdrawing the case six days later in hopes of reaching an agreement.[32] On November 20, the NCAA ruled that Wiseman would be eligible to return on January 12 after serving a 12-game suspension if he donated $11,500 to a charity of his choice.[30][33]
On December 19, 2019, after missing seven games due to suspension, Wiseman announced that he would leave Memphis, hire an agent and prepare for the 2020 NBA draft, effectively ending his college career. He was one of the highest rated prospects in his class, according to draft analysts.[34][35]
National team career
Wiseman averaged 11.4 points and five rebounds per game for the United States at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Formosa, Argentina.[36] He helped his team win the gold medal over Canada.[37] Wiseman was unable to join the United States for the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup because he was injured.[38]
Career statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
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2019–20[39] | Memphis | 3 | 3 | 23.0 | .769 | .000 | .704 | 10.3 | .3 | .3 | 3.0 | 19.7 |
References
- ^ Bossi, Eric (December 5, 2015). "Wiseman, Bone impress in Nashville". Rivals. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- ^ "17 EYBL players ranked in ESPN 2019 Top 25". D1Circuit. June 9, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff (December 19, 2019). "Penny Hardaway, James Wiseman and the Memphis Tigers: A timeline". ESPN. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff; Medcalf, Myron; Merrill, Liz (December 20, 2019). "James Wiseman, Penny Hardaway and the high-stakes collision of two stars". ESPN. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ McGaw, Sam (March 2, 2017). "Strong defense pushes BA basketball past Ensworth in state semifinal". Brentwood Home Page. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- ^ "2016-17 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Sophomore All-American Team". MaxPreps. April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- ^ Giannotto, Mark (August 21, 2017). "James Wiseman, a top 2019 basketball recruit, has transferred to Memphis East High School". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Varlas, John (November 16, 2017). "Why Memphis East, a national power coached by Penny Hardaway, has 2 ineligible players". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Ostrander, Lynden (December 13, 2017). "Memphis East basketball transfers Wiseman, Boyce ruled eligible". MaxPreps. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Varlas, John (March 17, 2018). "James Wiseman, the top player in Class of 2019, caps rough season with coveted title for East". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Divens, Jordan (April 13, 2018). "2017-18 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Junior All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Thompson, Khari (March 16, 2019). "'From Day 1, James could have left': Why Wiseman stayed at Memphis East". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Greer, Jarvis (March 1, 2019). "Wiseman leads East to region championship". WMC-TV. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Varlas, John (March 16, 2019). "Bearden ends East's run in Class AAA despite stellar play by Wiseman". The Daily Memphian. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Zagoria, Adam (March 20, 2019). "Memphis commit James Wiseman named Gatorade National Player of the Year, not done recruiting". ZagsBlog. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Gallant, Jacob (March 16, 2019). "Wiseman wins Morgan Wootten Player of the Year". WMC-TV. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Fowler, Christian (March 6, 2019). "James Wiseman wins Tennessee Class AAA Mr. Basketball Award". 247Sports. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "James Wiseman Player Profile". RealGM. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Nelson, Ryne (April 20, 2019). "Cole Anthony & James Wiseman Win MVP of 2019 Jordan Brand Classic!". Slam. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Kreager, Tom (November 12, 2019). "Memphis judge rules in favor of TSSAA regarding James Wiseman, Ryan Boyce coaching link". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ "James Wiseman, East, Center (BK)". 247Sports. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "James Wiseman". ESPN. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff (November 20, 2018). "No. 1 recruit James Wiseman joining coach Penny Hardaway at Memphis". ESPN. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Updahyay, Sudu (November 29, 2018). "James Wiseman officially signs with U of M". WMC-TV. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Munz, Jason (August 13, 2019). "Penny Hardaway updates James Wiseman's status, says Precious Achiuwa will not make trip to Bahamas". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
- ^ Munz, Jason (October 28, 2019). "James Wiseman will not play vs. LeMoyne-Owen". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
- ^ "Wiseman has 28 and 11 in winning debut for No. 14 Memphis". ESPN. Associated Press. November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Pickman, Ben (November 8, 2019). "Memphis' James Wiseman Ruled Ineligible by NCAA, Will Play Friday After Court Order". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff (November 8, 2019). "NCAA rules Memphis' James Wiseman ineligible; top prospect gets stay to play Friday". ESPN. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
- ^ a b Walker, Teresa M. (November 13, 2019). "Memphis, James Wiseman have 1 more game, then it's back to court". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
- ^ "Wiseman gets restraining order to play; Memphis wins". ESPN. Associated Press. November 8, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ Parrish, Gary (November 14, 2019). "Memphis' James Wiseman withdraws lawsuit against the NCAA, will sit in hopes of having eligibility restored". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ Witz, Billy (November 20, 2019). "James Wiseman of Memphis Can Return From Suspension in January". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ^ ESPN News Services (December 19, 2019). "James Wiseman leaves Memphis, to enter NBA draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
- ^ Boone, Kyle (April 10, 2020). "2020 NBA Draft: The top four prospects who have a realistic shot at being the No. 1 overall pick". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ "James Wiseman's profile". FIBA. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "USA claim FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2017". FIBA. June 19, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Roster Announced for 2018 USA Basketball Men's U17 World Cup Team". USA Basketball. June 21, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "James Wiseman College Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2020.