Exclusive: Judge rules against TSSAA decision that made James Wiseman, Ryan Boyce ineligible at East

A Shelby County Chancery Court judge has found that the TSSAA's decision to rule former East High basketball players James Wiseman and Ryan Boyce ineligible was "void and of no effect," according to a document obtained by the USA Today Sports Network. 

Attorney Richard Colbert said that the TSSAA filed a notice of appeal on Thursday. 

The Shelby County Board of Education filed a motion to amend the Oct. 3 ruling that the TSSAA "correctly applied" its coaching link rule when it declared Wiseman and Boyce ineligible for the 2017-18 season. 

The motion asserted that the TSSAA violated the Open Meetings Act when its Board of Control met privately to vote on Wiseman and Boyce's eligibility. 

The act states: "all meetings of any governing body are declared to be public meetings open to the public at all times." 

The TSSAA rules a student ineligible if a student transfers because an athletic coaching link existed in the past 12 months. That student is ineligible for 12 months at all levels. Coaching links include a player's attendance at an individual camp and then transferring to that coach's school, playing on a non-school team and then transferring to that coach's school, transferring to a school where a former coach has been hired and transferring to a school where a former or current personal trainer or strength and conditioning coach is employed.

The TSSAA ruled Wiseman and Boyce ineligible because they transferred to East after playing for Team Penny, an AAU basketball program that Penny Hardaway began sponsoring in 2012. Hardaway was an East basketball coach at the time.

Judge Jim Kyle found that the TSSAA did not permit the Shelby County Board of Education to attend any portion of the meeting and that the TSSAA did not dispute that the minutes from the meeting did not include a record of who was there or the results of the vote. 

The court also found that the TSSAA violated the Open Meetings Act when its Legislative Council developed and enacted the coaching link rule, saying:

"Although the meeting where the Legislative Council formally adopted the coaching link rule was open to the public, this does not negate the fact that all deliberations leading up to the formal adoption of the coaching link rule were closed to the public and there were no records from the meetings."

Wiseman and Boyce played for East during the 2017-18 season after getting a court injunction following TSSAA's initial decision. The Mustangs went 31-3 and beat Whitehaven to claim the Class AAA state title.

They later enrolled at the University of Memphis before both left the program in December. Boyce transferred to Georgia State and Wiseman signed with an agent to prepare for the NBA Draft.

The court stated that its ruling does not prevent the TSSAA from "re-reviewing" Wiseman and Boyce's case or adopting a coaching link rule, but that the process in which the rule is adopted must comply with the Open Meetings Act. 

The court "begrudgingly reaffirmed" two cases — a 2019 Chancery Court decision in Melanie Roberson et al. vs. TSSAA and the 1968 Tennessee Supreme Court case TSSAA vs. Cox, which were used as precedent for the Oct. 3 ruling.

The ruling of the Cox case found that courts can't interfere with the internal affairs of "voluntary associations" like the TSSAA. But the court argued that this viewpoint is outdated and that it's time for a change. 

"Taking a privilege away from an individual behind closed doors may have worked in 1968, but that is not where we are today as a society," the ruling read.