Every athlete has a different story with collegiate sports, and Division III is not always at the forefront of students’ minds. Many student-athletes never find their perfect fit. Others find it without even trying. 

Piedmont men’s basketball’s transfer, Bailey Wiseman, worked tirelessly to grow roots into a program and a sport he is passionate about.

Wearing the number 10 for the Piedmont Lions basketball team took many years to achieve, with lots of unexpected bumps and turns along the road. Wiseman started playing basketball at age eight and grew into his passion as his story progressed. 

Near the end of his high school career, Wiseman was lucky to be able to choose between a multitude of Division I basketball offers. Every athlete’s dream is to be sought after, until you have to decide where you want your talent to take you. 

“I had a great sophomore year of high school, and then I won player of the year my junior year,” said Wiseman. “But then that’s when COVID happened, so we didn’t get to play basketball that whole summer.”

Most collegiate and high school athletes have their own tale that includes surviving a global pandemic, but Wiseman’s story is especially unique. 

Wiseman went from having offers flying at him from every direction, to a quick silence as the world was changing and evolving around the coronavirus, in ways he could never have imagined.

“I lost all collegiate interest and any offers that I had,” said Wiseman. 

Being forced to take a summer off from basketball meant that Bailey’s college career was on hold. 

Wiseman had expressed interest in Charleston Southern University, but once COVID shook the foundations of life as he knew it, indecision was inevitable. 

He decided to begin his college career at the Division II Converse University in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Wiseman competed in 10 games throughout his freshman season before a change in coaching staff provoked him to explore other options and opportunities. 

He transferred to junior college Spartanburg Methodist as a sophomore, due to his ties with the head basketball coach, Nori Johnson. 

After transferring from Converse his freshman year, he was no longer a stranger to the transfer portal. His previous experience made leaving Spartanburg Methodist his sophomore season, to search for his perfect school and basketball team, a little bit easier. 

A connection that had remained strong over Wiseman’s collegiate journey was with JC Cavin, who was the former video coordinator at Charleston Southern University. Back in 2020, Charleston Southern had been Wiseman’s top choice out of high school, but their offer fell through due to COVID. 

Cavin is now the assistant men’s basketball coach at NCAA Division III Piedmont University.

A school that had supported him nearly three years prior, came back to him through Cavin at a brand new place that would turn into home for the athlete who had done so much searching.

An offer extended to Wiseman as a high school teenager, and the relationships formed through that offer, led him to his final stop on his collegiate basketball journey. 

Wiseman attended a basketball camp at Piedmont, and shortly after, received a tweet from coach Cavin, compelling him to exit the transfer portal for the final time.

Wiseman officially became a Lion on March 1, 2023.

Since joining the team in August of 2023, Wiseman has exceeded expectations and contributed more than just statistics to Piedmont basketball.

“I just feel like when you have the ball you can do anything with it. I just love that creative aspect of basketball and sports in general,” said Wiseman. 

In addition to his creative playstyle, his driven and determined mentality and his competitive spirit,  junior Bailey Wiseman was able to overcome adversity after his relationship with basketball had been dimmed for a brief time during the coronavirus pandemic.

A pandemic and a rollercoaster through the transfer portal could not stop Wiseman as he continued his strides toward a court he could call home, rekindling his passion for basketball along the way.

In the Lion’s scrimmage against the Division II Georgia College and State University Bobcats, Wiseman suffered a concussion that instantaneously forced his body into a seizure. The guard woke up on the sidelines, unable to remember who he was. Athletic trainer Gabby Lotter made the ultimate decision to take Wiseman to the hospital to ensure his safety.

Lotter and graduate student Avery McCallister rode with Wiseman in an ambulance to the local hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia, until Wiseman was cleared and able to return back to his concerned new band of brothers, who had waited for his safe return before making the trip back to Demorest. 

“They were great,” said Wiseman. “I couldn’t really leave my room, so everyone helped me out.”

At Piedmont, Wiseman has found a community unlike any other, that encourages him to be the best he can be. After his severe concussion, his supportive teammates and coaches helped strengthen the newcomer’s mindset while he worked on regaining his health.

“I don’t feel like I would have that same mentality if it wasn’t for sports and if it wasn’t for basketball,” said Wiseman. 

This newfound mentality and strong support system of teammates carried him through the season, especially when he endured a season-ending partial tear in his left ankle during practice in late December. 

Although Wiseman dealt with multiple injuries in his first season at Piedmont, he was able to finish his season with a career high of 97 points. Wiseman put up 16 three-pointers in his 11 games played, four of which came against Birmingham-Southern College, Wiseman’s second game playing for the Lions.

Wiseman was faced with the fears of not fitting into a program, going through the motions with the sport he loved and being unsure if he was in the right place. Yet with every obstacle, Wiseman climbed up from what had felt like rock bottom and utilized the transfer portal to discover a home in Division III. 

“I feel like basketball allows me to wake up every day with a purpose,” said Wiseman. “Like every day I’m trying to get a little better than the day I was before.”

Wiseman took a risk on chasing his dream at a small school in the northeast Georgia mountains, after initially wanting to play at a big school by the ocean in Charleston. His life was forever changed for the better.

Three schools, a couple three-pointers and a Division III institution allowed Bailey Wiseman to discover who he is and what basketball means to him. 

“I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be,” said Wiseman. “I’m happy playing basketball and going to school at Piedmont.”