2025-26 will mark the thirteenth season for Eric Wise with the Jacksonville State women’s basketball program. Rick Pietri’s first addition once named head coach at Jax State, the two had previously worked together for eight seasons at South Alabama.
Wise mentors the Gamecock post players along with steering the program’s recruiting efforts and handling the club's travel logistics. He helped former Gamecock Miranda Cantrell transform into one of the Ohio Valley Conference’s top post players during her career, finishing with over 600 rebounds and a viable scoring threat in the paint. Wise then mentored Tyler Phelion (2013-17), who ranked fifth on the school's all-time rebounding list by the end of her tenure with 725 boards. Most recently he instructed Chloe Long (2015-20), who completed her career with 700 rebounds and earned Jacksonville State's prestigious Eagle Owl Award. Under Wise, the Gamecocks' post presence has ranked among the leaders in the league.
He helped the Gamecocks to a 14-18 overall mark in the staff's first season, which induced a 13-win turnaround from the 1-27 season in 2012-13. The turnaround was one of the best in NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball.
The Gamecocks had a historic outing in the 2022-23 campaign. Pietri, Wise, and the rest of the coaching staff guided Jacksonville State’s women to a Division I program-best 24-8 record. Jax State claimed the ASUN West Division title in their first season back in the league and earned a bid to the WNIT, marking the program’s first postseason appearance in Division I competition.
Wise helped lead the Gamecocks to a 16-14 record in 2022-23 as they posted their fourth winning season in the last five years. Their 9-9 mark in ASUN competition served as the sixth consecutive season with a .500 or better record in conference play. Kennedy Gavin, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, netted selections to the ASUN Conference’s Second-Team All-Conference and Women’s Basketball All-Academic squads. Jax State started the year off hot, breaking program records for points in a game, margin of victory, field goals, and field goals in a half in a 114-33 drubbing of Shorter in the season opener on Nov. 7. Following another successful season against challenging non-conference and conference slates, the Gamecocks once again advanced to the ASUN Tournament in March.
Wise was instrumental in the success of the USA program in Mobile, Ala. Alongside Pietri, the Jaguars were a contender in the Sun Belt Conference, capturing back-to-back Sun Belt West Division titles in 2003 and 2004. South also made consecutive WNIT postseason appearances in 2003 and 2004. The Jags finished with a winning record in five of his last six years, including three straight years with a 17-13 record from 2010-11 through the 2012-13 season.
Prior to his stint in Mobile, Wise coached at McNeese State and Bethune-Cookman University. While at UL-Monroe, Wise was a staff member of one of the program’s all-time great teams, as the 2000-01 squad finished 20-9 overall and 17-3 in Southland Conference play.
Before entering the college ranks, Wise spent four years (1996-2000) as the head girls’ coach at West Feliciana High School. He led his teams to the playoffs every year and won three district titles and was named Coach of the Year three times.
He began his coaching career as the boys’ basketball head coach at Opelousas Catholic. There, he produced one co-district championship team in his four-year stint (1992-96). His 1993-94 and 1994-95 teams advanced to the playoffs.
