It could be billed as James Wiseman versus Charles Bassey when Memphis East plays Aspire Academy (Louisville) in the Marshall County Hoop Fest Sunday afternoon in Benton. The 6-11 Wiseman transferred to Memphis East this season to play for coach Penny Hardaway. He’s ranked as the No. 1 player in the 2019 recruiting class. Bassey, also 6-11, transferred from Texas to Aspire Academy and is considered a top five player int he 2019 recruiting class.
Both have a bevy of scholarship offers and Wiseman has emerged as a priority target for Kentucky. But as good as both players are, their teams are also loaded with future Division I players.
“I have seen Wiseman and he can do a lot of things,” Aspire coach Jeremy Kipness said. “He is somebody that likes to play out on the perimeter. He is long and he’s athletic. Pretty skilled player. Him going up against Charles is going to be a battle.
“They are both very skilled. I think Charles is somebody that can do a little bit of everything. He can get down in the post and go back to the basket. Or he can face up. I think he is the best defender — and best rebounder for sure — in the country. That is where his edge is. He plays hard and with that motor all the time.”
“We know plenty about Charles Bassey. He’s the real deal,” Memphis East staff member Chan Douglas said. “James likes a matchup like the one with Bassey. I am not saying they will be matched up against each other, but we know that is what the media is going to make out of it.
“But James will love this. He is a fairly reserved young man, but he loves to step up in the big moments. He has a motor 24/7. This will just be another opportunity for him to showcase his skills. He is looking forward to moments like this.”
Hoop Fest fans should be, too. Matchups like this are rare between two players with this kind of skill, especially with the other Division I talent on both teams.
“I know they are talented and have a lot of depth. They probably have one of the best front courts in the country. They are athletes. They like to get up and play an aggressive style of play which I think fits the way we want to play. It is definitely going to be an exciting game,” Kipness said. “I think pretty much every player on both teams is a Division I player. Obviously you have the big name guys in that matchup between Charles and James but just look down the line and there are so many great matchups.”
Take a look at the Memphis East talent:
— Chandler Lawson, a 6-7 junior, has offers from Florida and Georgia Tech already.
— Alex Lomax, a senior point guard, has offers from LSU, Memphis, Mass, Florida, California, Ole Miss and Temple.
— Johnathan Lawson, a 6-5 freshman, is one of the top players in the 2021 recruiting class.
— Malcolm Danridge, a 6-8 junior center, has offers from Florida and Georgia Tech.
“We take every game one at a time but when you have a high profile game like that when you can really go out there and play in front of such a great crowd at Marshall County and showcase we can play at that level is always a motivating factor for our guys,” Kipness said.
Douglas said Memphis East tried to find what events were best suited for a national schedule this season. However, the team is limited in that it is allowed to travel to only one event that exceeds a 600-mile round trip. Marshall County is less than 600 miles round trip.
“The Grind Session was mentioned several times to us and coach Hardaway thought Hoop Fest would be a great event to attend,” Douglas said. “We knew the Grind Session had national caliber talent. It was a no-brainer for us to play at Marshall County.”