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James Wiseman is hitting the home stretch of his recruitment.
This weekend, Wiseman will visit the Memphis Tigers, who many perceive to be the favorite in this recruitment. Between Wiseman now playing high school basketball in Memphis and his connection to Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway, Kentucky is facing an uphill climb to land arguably the best player in 2019.
That’s why John Calipari is pulling out all the stops to land him, including an in-home visit right before Wiseman visits Memphis.
Kentucky’s John Calipari had an in-home visit with James Wiseman (https://t.co/EA2UTjXh6j) this evening, his mother Donzaleigh Artis tells @247Sports.
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) October 24, 2018
This weekend will be Wiseman’s last official visit, so Calipari was smart to get one more meeting in before visiting the school many think will land the five-star center. The 247 Sports Crystal Ball has Memphis edging Kentucky by a 70-30 margin, but Evan Daniels is one of the few experts still picking the Wildcats.
After originally planning to sign in the spring, Wiseman is now trending toward a fall decision. How this weekend’s visit goes may solidify those plans, especially if Memphis is in fact the leader.
The assumption has been that if Wiseman signs in the fall, it will be with Memphis since he won’t know for sure who is staying and leaving Kentucky for the NBA Draft. I think that’s a big overrated, as Kentucky will likely lose at least two of Nick Richards, PJ Washington and EJ Montgomery to the NBA Draft while Reid Travis graduates.
Remember, this is shaping up to be a very weak 2019 draft class, so two of those guys should be able to boost their stock enough this season to leave for the pros, opening up a clear path for Wiseman to come in and be the featured frontcourt player.
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