Jonathan Wiley’s career shows his ability to overcome adversity

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Saluki senior forward Jonathan Wiley remains sidelined with a knee injury, but don’t bet against him returning to play basketball, either this season or somewhere down the road. He has a history of overcoming whatever obstacles come his way.

Ironically, basketball wasn’t even Wiley’s first love as a kid growing up in Houston, Texas. Football was his favorite sport, but his tall, slender body type wasn’t a good fit for the gridiron.

Wiley pulling up in the paint against three Indiana State defenders (Madison Case, SIU Sports Information)

“I wanted to be a football player so bad,” he recalled. “I think that’s the Texas dream. I finally quit after my freshman year because I wasn’t good enough. I put my focus on basketball.”

His basketball career took off at St. Pius X High School, where he was a two-time All-District MVP. Wiley committed early to Texas State, right after his junior season, so that the recruiting process wouldn’t be a distraction during his senior year. He played just one season at Texas State and left the school disillusioned after a 14-17 season amid friction between the players and coaches. Complicating matters, Wiley struggled in the classroom, where he posted a 1.8 GPA.

“There were times I didn’t even want to be in school, there were times I didn’t want to play basketball anymore,” Wiley admitted.

Wiley spent the 2015-16 season at Panola College, a junior college in Carthage, Texas. He averaged 12.1 points and 8.3 rebounds, experiencing a rebirth both on and off the court. He learned how to better manage his time. His grades improved. He even became a father with his girlfriend giving birth to a son, Jovi.

“I think that’s the reason for the sudden spike in my academics,” Wiley said. “I didn’t want to let him down. I didn’t want to let my parents down. You can’t do nothing with a 1.8 (GPA).”

Southern Illinois assistant coach Brad Autry saw Wiley play at Panola and envisioned a role for the 6-foot-7 swingman with the Salukis. Wiley had other Division I offers but said SIU’s 22-10 season convinced him to come to Carbondale.

“I knew from my freshman year that winning is so important because the team stays together,” he said. “When you lose, you start seeing little clicks and everybody is not a family. I saw a lot of that my freshman year and I didn’t want to be on a team like that.”

Wiley played less than 10 minutes per game last season behind All-Conference forward Sean O’Brien and averaged 2.6 points, but it was a great learning experience for him.

“One thing ‘OB’ did consistently every game, whether he put the ball in the hole or not, was play hard every game,” Wiley noted. “He was a double-double machine because he played hard.”

During the off-season, Wiley was determined to refine his game so he could play a bigger role during his senior year.

“I looked at where I got the majority of my shots from and the type of shots I was taking, and I just went back over the summer and only practiced those shots I would take in a game,” he explained. “I also wanted to get better at finishing at the rim.”

The plan paid immediate dividends as he earned a starting spot at forward for the first eight games of the season. He had a career-high 19-point outing at Saint Louis and scored 14 points against North Carolina A&T. After moving to the bench to allow Armon Fletcher the opportunity to play forward, Wiley was still a key sub when he hurt his knee in the game against Drake on Dec. 31. He was originally told the injury would sideline him for two weeks, but an MRI revealed more extensive damage, and that timeline was pushed to 6-8 weeks.  Wiley continues to rehab the knee with the outside chance he could play again this season.

“I’m really trying to come back, even if it’s for a game or two games,” he said. “I wasn’t too emotional about it at the time. I have a lot of life to live, a lot of basketball to play and stuff to accomplish. It hits me a little more now that these games are happening and I’m not playing in them.”

Wiley is in a good place, though. His academics are solid, his knee is improving and he has a host of career options ahead of him. He could try to play professionally, or get into coaching, or pursue a career in health care administration. He said time management is a skill he’s finally mastered, and it’s paying off.

“Being able to balance work, academics and basketball, finding time to still be with friends and do the stuff I like,” he said. “It’s all come together.”