Five-Star Prospect, No. 1 2019 Recruit James Wiseman Commits to Memphis Over Kentucky

Wiseman, No. 1 prospect in the class of 2019, picked his hometown team Memphis over John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats.

Five-star center James Wiseman, the nation’s consensus No. 1 Class of 2019 recruit, has committed Penny Hardaway's program at Memphis, Wiseman announced on Tuesday on ESPN's SportsCenter.

The seven-foot center is a Memphis native who played for Hardaway in high school before the Memphis legend and former NBA All-Star took over the Tigers program in March.

Wiseman wields a 7'6" wingspan and a standing reach of over nine feet. He's a talented rim runner on both sides of the ball and shows promising athleticism for someone of his size. He has room for improvement as a shot blocker and rebounder, but is still projected to be a one and done prospect and will be in contention to be the top pick in the 2020 NBA draft.

James Wiseman to Memphis announcement pic.twitter.com/DZSpHnoFKd

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) November 20, 2018

Wiseman, nicknamed 'Big Ticket,' picked Memphis over Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky and Vanderbilt, who rounded out the top-ranked prospect's final five schools. The race, however, was largely considered a two-school contest between Memphis and Kentucky.

Wiseman may ultimately be bumped from the No. 1 spot in the 2019 class after five-star guard Anthony Edwards reclassified from 2020 on Tuesday, but he's an elite prospect who instantly boosts Memphis's profile under Hardaway.

Four-star power forward and fellow top-50 prospect DJ Jeffries will also be playing for Memphis, after decommitting from Kentucky to join Hardaway's up-and-coming program. The Olive Branch, Miss. native lives just 30-minutes south of Memphis and also played for Hardaway on the EYBL circuit in 2017.

Wiseman joins Jeffries as just the second consensus top-50 prospect to commit to the Tigers since Dedric Lawson, now a Kansas Jayhawk, in July 2014.