MEMPHIS – James Wiseman has formally withdrawn from the University of Memphis, the freshman star confirmed on his Instagram on Thursday.

Wiseman will immediately begin preparing for the NBA draft, he posted. The Tigers’ 7-foot-1 preseason All-American is viewed as a potential No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA draft, according to several projections.

The former East High star and Nashville native played in three games for the Memphis Tigers before being ruled ineligible by the NCAA. On Nov. 5, the NCAA informed the university that Wiseman had been deemed ineligible “based on alleged recruiting violations.” On the same day, Wiseman made his collegiate debut and scored 28 points to go along with 11 rebounds.

Wiseman averaged 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and three blocks per game in his short collegiate career.

 

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Today I formally withdrew from the University of Memphis and I will be preparing for the next chapter of my life. Ever since I was a little kid, it’s been a dream of mine to play in the NBA. Throughout this process, I’ve asked God to ordain my steps and lead me in the right direction. God is my lord and salvation, and throughout this process he has comforted me. This was not how I expected my freshman season to be, but I’m thankful for everyone who has supported my family and me throughout this process. I want to thank the coaches and staff for all their support and my teammates for pushing me everyday at practice. I feel blessed for the opportunity to be a Tiger and for having the honor to play with these special group of guys. I can’t wait to see what all they accomplish this season. The friends and fans of Tiger Nation will always hold a place in my heart. #GoTigersGo 🐯🔵🐯

A post shared by James Wiseman (@bigticket_j13) on Dec 19, 2019 at 11:41am PST

The Memphis coaching staff was aware Wiseman was strongly considering withdrawing from school, a source within the athletic department told The Commercial Appeal Thursday. As recently as 1 p.m. CT Thursday, the coaching staff was still working to set up meetings with Wiseman in an effort to persuade him to stay, the same source said.

“They found out (the) same time as everyone else (that) he actually did it,” the source said.Wiseman’s ineligibility stemmed from a $11,500 payment made by Memphis coach Penny Hardaway to Wiseman’s mother, Donzaleigh Artis, during the summer of 2017 for moving expenses. Because Hardaway is considered a University of Memphis booster (due to his donation of $1 million to the school’s athletic department in 2008), he is prohibited from providing financial assistance to prospective student-athletes and/or their families, according to NCAA bylaws.

Upon being ruled ineligible, Wiseman sought a temporary restraining order against the NCAA and the university so he could continue to play. After playing two more games, he dropped the pending litigation. The NCAA subsequently ruled Wiseman must sit out a total of 12 games, making him eligible to return on Jan. 12, 2020, for Memphis’ game at South Florida. He also would have had to contribute $11,500 to a charity of his choice by 2023 as a condition of reinstatement.

Memphis’ appeal of the NCAA’s ruling was denied.