San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
New Sharks hire quickly left Isles
The San Jose Sharks on Friday hired assistant coach Brian Wiseman, who lasted less than a month with the New York Islanders this summer. They let him go around the time a sexual assault accusation, for which he was acquitted in 1996, surfaced on social media.
The Islanders hired Wiseman on July 5 and released him at the end of the month. No reason was given by the Islanders at the time.
“The Sharks organization takes accusations of this nature extremely seriously and the type of behavior described would not be tolerated,” general manager Mike Grier said in a statement. “In this instance, based on the results of the legal process following the accusation in the mid-1990’s, in addition to our own additional diligence and fact-finding, we felt comfortable with the results that came back.” Wiseman, 50, had been coaching in Edmonton since 2019 after he served as an assistant coach at Michigan.
He sent a statement to San Jose Hockey Now that read, “In the early 1990s, I was falsely accused of sexual assault. You never want to be placed in that position, but I understand that the authorities must take
man, I just couldn’t open that bottle.”
The pressure that accompanies being one of the NBA’s top draft selections is intense, and all eyes have been on Wiseman since the Warriors selected him No. 2 overall out of Memphis in 2020. The spotlight will be even brighter this season, as he’ll be thrust into the rotation of the defending champions, who hope he’ll be a foundational piece of the franchise’s next era.
Lost in the lofty expectations and sometimes crippling criticism is the fact that he’s essentially still a kid who’s trying to figure things out, while enduring a knee rehabilitation that largely sidelined him for 14 months.
To alleviate some of the pressure, Wiseman learned to lean on different positive influences, like spending more time with his family and friends, or playing Apex Legends to take his mind off the court. Or scribbling his thoughts in a journal he keeps in his highrise apartment tucked safely under a lamp. Or writing rap lyrics on his phone to transform his negative emotions into something more constructive. He even jumped in the recording booth a few times.
Wiseman started going to therapy in recent months to give himself another nonjudgmental environment where he can express himself comfortably. Those private sessions have been instrumental in his sustained positive outlook, he said.
“I was just able to get my feelings out because when you go into your workplace, sometimes you can’t, sometimes you have to put on a front,” Wiseman said. “I just got tired of that. I had to express myself
Center James Wiseman traveled with the Warriors to Boston to cheer them on during the NBA Finals against the Celtics. He got in some rehab work during a practice at TD Garden on June 9.
because I couldn’t just keep holding it in.”
Wiseman’s at an age where he’s still discovering the nuances of life. He’s learning how to spend his free time away from the court. How to manage his finances. How to manage his inner circle. Never mind the challenge of staying healthy and carving out a role in pursuit of another ring.
His ability to strike that balance while radiating positivity speaks to his mental toughness — a quality that hasn’t been discussed enough publicly, according to those who know him best.
“I don’t think anyone can put themselves in his shoes and handle things the way he’s handled them,” said Warriors rookie guard Lester Quiñones, Wiseman’s former college roommate at Memphis.
Jama Mahlalela, on James Wiseman
Said second-year forward Jonathan Kuminga: “Going through whatever he went through, a lot of people would’ve given up. Seeing him grow and being here every single day and coming out every single day and working hard, the team is proud of him and we want to have him around more.”
Since establishing himself as the No. 1 high school player in the nation, Wiseman’s basketball career has seen adversity
at every turn. His stay at Memphis was cut short in the aftermath of an eligibility battle. He has appeared in just 39 games with the Warriors because of a torn meniscus in his right knee suffered in April 2021. The subsequent setbacks and months of rehabilitation that followed have been difficult to navigate.
“Just experience, going through adversity, it teaches you a lot,” Wiseman said. “It basically draws you closer to yourself. I’m not afraid to be myself anymore. I’m happy about everything I’ve gone through because it’s molded me into the person I am today. It’s strengthened me mentally, physically, in all aspects.” An advantage Wiseman has now compared to his rookie season, he says, is the ability to reframe his thinking. When skeptics say his career won’t amount to much, especially when compared to the other top-three picks in 2020 — Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards and Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball — Wiseman’s able to take that criticism and weaponize it.
“People only see me on the basketball court; they don’t see the real stuff behind the scenes,” Wiseman said. “I had to do a lot of stuff for myself, a lot of self-reflection and healing. Those were just unseen hours people don’t understand.”
Warriors assistant Jama Mahlalela remembers that when Wiseman first joined the organization, a specter of uncertainty hung over him as he roamed the team’s facility. He preferred to keep to himself. Teammates and coaches couldn’t get a read on who he was off the court, or what kind of player he could become on it. His maturity was questioned.
Then Wiseman tried his best to fly under the radar at team meetings. Now, Mahlalela says, he walks into rooms and greets whoever’s in there with a booming voice and a wide smile.
These are the subtle signs of growth from Wiseman that have led to a sense of encouragement in the Warriors’ locker room. For a young player to make his presence felt in the company of veterans and future Hall of Famers, that takes maturity, character and a great deal of confidence. The path to becoming a true differencemaker starts with embracing a certain mind-set.
“You see his demeanor and the way he carries himself now, it’s vastly different because of his adversity than it would have been otherwise,”
“Whenever you go through struggles, you have to navigate them, and in the end it changes you.”
Mahlalela said. “Whenever you go through struggles, you have to navigate them, and in the end it changes you.”
While sitting out last season, Wiseman soaked up details about playing within the Warriors’ system. He witnessed the effort it takes to compete in the playoffs firsthand. He watched in awe as center Kevon Looney dominated the glass and plans on adding certain aspects of Looney’s game to his own: active rebounding, disciplined pickand-roll coverage, effective communication.
As expected, Wiseman’s performances were somewhat inconsistent during Las Vegas summer league, his first taste of real on-court action since playing three games with
Warriors G League affiliate Santa Cruz in March. More was desired of him on the glass. At times, he could’ve been more decisive at both ends. But he made plenty of plays that brought fans out of their seats.
The rim-rattling dunks. The dynamic blocks. The confidence he displayed when stepping into long-range shots. His conditioning, the way he darted down the lane on offense and sprinted back on defense. Is Wiseman ready to play 25 minutes on opening night? Unlikely. But his upside is just as tantalizing as it was on draft day 2020.
“I think for him it’s learning how to play in whatever minutes we give him, and that’s going to be the challenge for him going into this season, is when to be ready and how to
stay ready,” Mahlalela said. “And postgame, how to do the work to be prepared for the following game. Being a young player in the NBA is difficult. We know that. We’ve all seen that. James is special, and I think him learning how to manage what a season will be like as an active member of our team will be different for him, but I’m sure he’ll be successful at it.”
The road ahead only gets more strenuous. As training camp approaches in late September, the next steps in Wiseman’s development will require continued patience from both him and the Warriors organization.
“I feel like the odds are stacked against me every day just because of my injuries,” Wiseman said. “I’ve had so many setbacks where now I
feel like I have to play catchup. But that’s why I’m just being patient with myself. I’m just trying to figure everything out, that’s really it.”
For Wiseman, the challenge now becomes staying healthy. Learning how to take care of his body at the professional level. Entering each practice and game with the right mindset and preparation. Learning how to be efficient with his offensive touches, and evolving into the intelligent, tenacious defender his physical gifts suggest he can be. To do all that, without losing sight of the young man he’s becoming off the court. Wiseman appears to be back on track. If his mind-set continues to match his work ethic, perhaps the next time Warriors players are popping bottles of Moët atop a parade bus, he will have proved to be one of the most impactful players of all.
“I just see a young guy full of talent and desire trying to make his way through a ton of adversity,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s so tough to build confidence in this league without getting court time, but James did a great job of engaging in practice and film sessions this past year, asking good questions and seeking help from the veterans.
“Now that he’s back playing, you can see him trying to put all the pieces together mentally, physically and spiritually. He just needs time.”