Report: James Wiseman's NCAA Eligibility Hearing Scheduled

Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

A hearing to determine Memphis forward James Wiseman's NCAA eligibility has been scheduled for Nov. 18, according to The Athletic's John Martin. 

“The wheels of justice are moving right along,” attorney Randy Fishman said.

The NCAA notified Memphis on Friday that Wiseman, its star freshman and potential No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA draft, is "likely ineligible" to play. Although a final ruling has not yet been made, the NCAAA appears to have determined that Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway paid for Wiseman and his family to move from Nashville to Memphis in 2017. Hardaway was not the university's coach at the time, and according to a statement released by the school, Wiseman was unaware of the payment.

Despite his possible ineligibility, Wiseman played in the Tigers’ 92-46 win over Illinois-Chicago on Friday night after a local court granted him a hold on the NCAA’s ruling that would have ruled him ineligible.

Following the victory, Hardaway said the decision to play Wiseman Friday was “up to the school.”

“We’re just going to go about it legally moving forward,” he said on the ESPNU broadcast. “James has a right to do what he did, and we’re moving forward from it.”

When Fishman was asked about how confident he was that Wiseman would be ruled eligible, he responded by saying, “We wouldn’t have filed the lawsuit if we didn’t feel confident.”

In a statement Friday night, the NCAA said: “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.”