Joe Rondone/USA TODAY Sports
Memphis freshman star James Wiseman has been suspended a total of 12 games and will be eligible to return this season on January 12.
Wiseman was ruled ineligible by the NCAA on November 8 after they learned that his mother received $11,500 from now head coach Penny Hardaway to help them move from Nashville to Memphis in 2017. Although the family received the money while Wiseman was in high school, and before Hardaway was the university’s head coach, they still deemed him a booster.
Despite the NCAA ruling, Memphis still opted to play Wiseman later that evening against Illinois-Chicago after a judge issued a temporary restraining order pending the outcome of a lawsuit filed by Wiseman against the NCAA. However, Wiseman withdrew the lawsuit and began sitting out last Saturday when the team beat Alcorn State.
In addition to the suspension, Wiseman must donate $11,500 to a charity of his choosing.
Wiseman, a center, is considered by many to be the top pick in next year’s NBA Draft.
