By Alex Kline

For years, Will Wise has been one of the biggest names in Philadelphia. On and off the court, Wise has made his name known.

This was not always the case during his early days as Will struggled throughout his life. Starting at a young age, the young boy who would grow to roam the basketball courts of Philly could not do much with his life. He was bound to a homeless shelter. After transferring from one shelter to another, and yet another, Wise got his big break. At the age of 14, he was adopted. Following that, school became a struggle for Will as he had to transfer to seven different schools in eight years.

“Life was crazy,” he stated. “But I adjusted to it. It got us to moving around a lot so I dealt with it. He went on to say, “It’s crazy because if you look at me now, you would of never known that I was without a home and a guardian from the ages of eleven to fourteen because of the way that I act. I’m silly and play around but I’ve been through some real horrifying situations. The reason I always keep my head is because i have a strong will.”

As Will was not determined to let the past determine who he was, the tall boy would watch movies with a pen and paper in hand. Using the paper and pen, Wise wrote down parts about the movie that were negative and mentioned how life could always be worse for himself. He had it bad but never wanted to admit it. As Wise copped with everything, he took all his aggression out on the court.

Once he reached high school, the young man played early and often during his early years at Abington Friends High School in Pennsylvania, Will saw some success. When the 6-foot-9 forward received a better opportunity, he decided to head to prep school. The big man entered his junior year at the Hun School in Princeton, New Jersey. After a battle during the regular season, Wise and company led the Raiders to a Prep A State Title game berth against Peddie. While they came up short by a basket, the group reached a high level of expectations.

Entering his senior year, Will had plenty of goals to accomplish. Before the season started, however, he wanted to get one big decision off of his mind. Tonight, the forward has made his college decision and has verbally committed to the University of Maryland Baltimore County. “I committed to UMBC,” he stated with a smile on his face. “I chose to commit there because of my relationship with the coaching staff. The campus was amazing! The school is only forty years old so everything is up to date.” He continued by saying, “I feel like I will be able to make a big impact there early and often.”

While some people are inspired by music, Will is inspired by one quote. “Our deepest fear is not that we’re inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.” As he recited the quote by memory and heart, he has is tattoed on his chest. “This quote changed my life.”

As Will Wise continues with another part of his destiny, the quote will stick with him and so will his heritage and pride. While he may be known for his skills on the court in Philadelphia, he has more heart and passion than any one of the hundreds of dunks that he had thrown down.

(Photo courtesy of The Hoop Group)