Published: June 02, 2008 12:19 am            

Ravenswood’s Wise signs with FSU

FAIRMONT — To say Ben Wise has enjoyed a successful high school athletic career may just be a bit of an understatement.

After all, the youngster from Ravenswood has been a member of state championship teams in cross country, track and basketball.

If the truth be told, Wise is good enough to compete at the college level in both cross country and track, but it's basketball, his admitted first love, which he will continue to play as a collegian.

Wise, a 6-0, 160-pound point guard from Ravenswood High School, has signed to play basketball next season at Fairmont State University.

“Ben is an extremely intelligent player who knows how to play the game,” said FSU head men's basketball coach Tim Murphy. “He's a great passer and he possesses the ability to score from the point.

“He comes to us from an outstanding high school program at Ravenswood where he was well-coached by Mick Price.”

Price, the veteran boss of the Red Devils, is a Mannington native and former Falcon himself. He says he's thrilled to finally have one of his Ravenswood players heading to his alma mater and feels FSU is getting a top-quality player in Wise.

“I have to admit that I'm a little biased when it comes to Ben Wise,” said Price, who played at FSU from 1970-74. “From the time he could first ride a bike, he'd come from the pool here in Ravenswood to the gym and we'd shoot and play games like horse and other shooting games until he got worn out. Then he'd go back to the pool and an hour or so later he'd be right back here at the gym wanting to shoot some more. And he was young. He could barely touch the pedals of his bike and the pool is about a half-a-mile from the gym.

“He's the ultimate gym rat. A kid who loves to compete and constantly is striving to make himself better. I love him because I feel like he has a real passion for the game of basketball. He loves to play and he loves competition. I think his competitive greatness started at a very early age and you know that's one quality a coach cannot teach a player.

“He was a big part of four state championships in cross country, he won some state titles in track as a member of some relay teams and he was a vital part of our state title basketball team when he was a sophomore and our runner-up team this year. He's a great kid, a great student and a terrific athletic. I'm very happy he's going to Fairmont. That's my home. I've been coaching now for 34 years and he's my first player to go there and I believe before it's all said and done, they're going to realize they got a top-notch player and person in Ben Wise.”

A three-year starter and four-year letterman for the Red Devils, Wise helped lead Ravenswood to a 26-1 record and the Class AA state title in basketball as a sophomore. As a junior, he was captain of the third-team Class AA All-State squad, averaged 11.1 points and led the Red Devils to a 20-5 mark.

This past season, Wise helped lead Ravenswood to the brink of another state title. The Red Devils lost in the championship game, 50-48, to Wyoming East and finished the season 25-2. During Wise's three years as a starter, Ravenswood posted an impressive 71-8 overall record.

Wise, a second-team all-state selection as a senior, averaged 12.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists. He set the Ravenswood single-season school record for assists with 196 and also recorded 80 steals. In addition, he scored in double figures in 18 of the Red Devils' 27 games.

For his career, he finished 13th in school history in points scored (896), third in assists (415), fourth in steals (201) and fifth in 3-pointers (156).

“When I was younger, I felt like my best chance to compete in college would be in cross country. But basketball is my first love and when people started contacting me this year about playing college basketball, I was a little surprised and very excited,” said Wise. “I'm really looking forward to this opportunity at Fairmont. I know they're losing Ronnie Means at the point and I know that's a big loss for them because I've heard a lot about him over the years as a player.

“I just want to come in there, compete and get better. I'm really looking forward to the challenge of playing college ball because I think it's only going to make me a better player. I love challenges. I always have.”

Endurance, shooting and intelligence are three of Wise's strongest attributes on the basketball court. He does note that he wants to work hard this summer to get himself physically stronger for the demands of playing at the college level.

“I feel like my endurance, because I am a runner, is very good and one of my real strengths,” he said. “I don't get tired out there. I can shoot and late in my career I also learned that I can take the ball to the hole, but I need to work more on being a better finisher. I also have to work on getting stronger. Because I was a runner I never wanted to bulk up too much in the weight room, but now I can concentrate more in that area. I need to get physically stronger. That's one of my biggest goals this summer.”

Two other factors which helped to influence Wise to sign with FSU are the fact that his father, Chuck, is a Fairmont State graduate and his older brother, Aaron, is a sophomore just down the road at West Virginia University.

Wise says right now he's undecided upon a major, but is leaning heavily toward sports management.

        

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