A Tennessee state court judge has issued a temporary injunction that will allow two nationally rercuited high school basketball players, James Wiseman and Ryan Boyce, to continue playing for East High School in Memphis, despite previous rulings that they were ineligible.
The ruling was issued by Chancellor Jim Kyle (Shelby County).
Wiseman and Boyce, who each transferred from different schools to play for East, were ruled ineligible in November for violating the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association’s bylaws. Specifically, it was alleged they violated the “prior link” coaching rule, having played for former NBA player Penny Hardaway on Team Penny in the Nike EYBL last travel season.
East’s appeal of the ruling was denied, as Wiseman and Boyce missed the team’s first three games.
Shelby County Schools (SCS), the district for East, then filed a lawsuit against the TSSAA, seeking a temporary restraining order “to preserve the privileges and rights of East High School and its students.”
SCS general counsel Rodney G. Moore added: “TSSAA has continued an unlawful practice of acting arbitrarily and capricious and behind closed doors. These secret TSSAA meetings, that rely almost exclusively on rumor and innuendo, deprive schools, students and their families of basic fairness.”
SCS superintendent Dorsey Hopson added: “I have serious concerns about the ruling, the precedent it sets and the unfettered discretion that the TSSAA has over students and their futures. In light of these concerns, we will ask the court to overturn the TSSAA’s decision and operate under clear rules that protect our students.”
