Sport is a competition. On the field, the pitch or the court, the sport may be different, but the competition stays the same — defeat the opposing team. Senior Piedmont men’s basketball player Bailey Wiseman also faces another competitor: himself.
“What drives me is the idea that I can compete against myself every day,” said Wiseman, who was named to the CCS All-Conference First Team for his efforts during the Lions’ season that ended in the first round of the playoffs.
Wiseman’s collegiate basketball journey was anything but typical. Starting his career at the junior college level, the 6-2 guard from James Island, South Carolina learned quickly that in order to get to where he wanted to be on the court, he had to focus internally. Because even though basketball is a team sport, everyone on the team was trying to get to the same place.
“Juco was tough, man. I was one of 20-21 guys on a team, all fighting for playing time,” he said.
Some athletes may not get the offer that they want athletically coming out of high school. Wiseman found himself in that situation after graduating from James Island High School. Complicating matters for high school graduates in 2021 was a NCAA rule change that allowed current college athletes to claim a “COVID year.” With the influx of fifth-year seniors and graduate students returning to play for a fifth season, there was a sudden decline of available roster spaces for high school graduates.
For Wiseman and many other athletes, JUCO was a proving ground to get to the next level. “We were all there for different reasons but were fighting for the same result — getting out of there,” he said.
Being in that intense competition, it can be easy to lose sight of the game and all that it has to offer, including the friendships that are made along the way. Wiseman was not only able to find his way to greener pastures, but he was also able to bring a friend and a brother along the way.
“I made friends from that time who will always be my friends, including Javi, who came here with me,” Wiseman said, referring to Javi Marlowe, who came to Piedmont with Wiseman in 2023.
They proved to be a dominant duo on the Lions, recently setting the single-game and season block record for the men’s basketball program.
During the tough times, Bailey remembered what drove him the most — his toughest competitor —himself. “I fell in love with the process of working towards a goal — the work I put in would take me anywhere.”
