Report: James Wiseman drops suit against NCAA, to sit until resolution

Despite being ruled ineligible, Wiseman has appeared in three games this season for Memphis, averaging 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds.

Five-star center James Wiseman has dropped his lawsuit against the NCAA and Memphis and will await a resolution on his eligibility, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Wiseman, seen by many to be a potential top-five pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and potentially even the No. 1 overall pick, was declared ineligible by the NCAA last week due to assistance from Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway in moving from Nashville to Memphis in 2017.

The assistance was ruled as an improper benefit by the NCAA after Hardaway donated to the school in 2008 as an alumnus, which made Wiseman ineligible to play as a result.

This, in turn, triggered a lawsuit by Wiseman’s attorneys that secured a hold against the NCAA’s ruling, allowing Wiseman to play for Memphis as they hosted Illinois-Chicago on Nov. 8.

The NCAA responded by releasing a statement critical of Wiseman’s decision, which was supported by Memphis’ athletic department according to WMCA News’ Kendall Downing, and seemed poised to head for a potential standoff with far-reaching implications.

Last night, rumbles of a potential resolution began to appear, with CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish reporting that the school and NCAA were “working toward a resolution to end the controversy surrounding Wiseman,” with the hope that some kind of reinstatement would be possible. As part of the potential resolution, the school would agree to withhold the 7-foot-1 center from competition until such an agreement could be reached.

While it is unclear exactly how open the NCAA might be to such an outcome, the fact that Wiseman and his attorneys have agreed to drop their litigation hints a settlement of some sort may have been reached, but could also simply be that the prospect and his representation have weighed their options and decided this the best route forward for the young player’s promising future.

Until such a resolution is secured, Wiseman will not play in any more games (he also played vs. Oregon last week) but will be allowed to practice with the team, according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello.

According to Parish, the number of games the Tiger would sit is currently the key sticking point in need of resolution, further hinting a loose agreement may already be in place.

Wiseman’s legal team released a statement (via Charania), which read:

It has become clear to Mr. Wiseman that the lawsuit that he filed last week has become an impediment to the University of Memphis in it’s [sic] efforts to reach a fair and equitable resolution with the NCAA concerning his eligibility status. Therefore, Mr. Wiseman advised his legal team that he wished to withdraw his lawsuit. There will be no further comment at this time.

For now, until more details become available, college basketball fans and those whose livelihood depends on their growth and development must wait and see how the situation plays out before we have a clear picture of exactly how this saga will end.

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