Memphis coach Penny Hardaway has struck again on the recruiting trail. Just three weeks removed from landing a commitment from DJ Jeffries, a top-50 prospect and one-time Kentucky pledge, the first-year coach has secured a commitment from the No. 1 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite rankings James Wiseman.
Wiseman, a Class of 2019 center from East High in Memphis, Tennessee, picked the Tigers over Kentucky and Florida State in an announcement ceremony. Kansas and Vanderbilt were also among his final list.
The 7-foot, 210-pound prospect held close to 20 scholarship offers during his recruitment process, but it came down to Kentucky and Memphis. In the end, the Tigers making Penny Hardaway (who coached Wiseman at East High a year ago) their coach, may have sealed the deal and given them the final edge-out over UK.
With Wiseman in the fold, Memphis' class jumps from No. 36 to No. 11 in the national rankings and remains No. 1 in the recruiting rankings in the AAC. He joins a recruiting class that includes the aforementioned Jeffries, a four-star forward, as well as center prospect Malcolm Dandridge, a three-star recruit who is teammates with Wiseman at East High.
