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Rosemont's Wise one of eight selected for ACE program

06/22/2015, 10:15am EDT

By Jeff McDevitt

Jeff McDevitt (@JeffMcDev)
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To call him “wise beyond his years” might seem like a bad pun, but it is hard to deny when the NCAA agrees.

Rosemont College assistant coach Rudy Wise was selected to participate in the NCAA-sponsored Achieving Coaching Excellence (ACE) program, which included a three-day conference in Indianapolis last week.

“It was an honor to receive the official notification asking if I was interested in applying to become a member. A group of eight coaches, with only one representative from D-II and myself from D-III is first and foremost amongst elite company,” Wise said. “It’s a tremendous program and a tremendous experience.

“The ability to connect with the best and brightest in the NCAA was a great experience. I expanded my coaching network and pick the brains of AD’s.”

The ACE program is a collaboration with the Advocates for Athletic Equity and is part of a year-long professional development opportunity for minority coaches that are identified as potential head coaching candidates in the next two to three years.

The eight participants included (L to R in photo above): Akeem Miskdeen (Assoc. Head Coach, Hampton University); Wise; Juan Dixon (Special Assistant to the Head Coach, University of Maryland); Janie Mitchell (Assistant Coach, Kennesaw State University); Daniyal Robinson (Assoc. Head Coach, Loyola Chicago); Jen Brown (Assistant Coach, James Madison University); Ricky Moore (Assistant Coach, UConn) and Rodney Billups (Assistant Coach, University of Colorado).

Over the three days, the coaches had breakout sessions with athletic directors, NCAA representatives, representative of coaching search firms, where he got the “nuts and bolts” of what goes on behind coaching hires. They also got to go through simulated interviewing sessions to work on the ultimate goal--landing a head coaching job.

Wise got to rub shoulders with many NCAA bigwigs, including University of Virginia Athletic Director Craig LIttlepage.

“It gives you a chance to learn and gain some personal insight from those who represent the NCAA. Those three days in Indianapolis far surpass any of the Final Four’s I’ve attended,” Wise said of the experience.

Wise is one of the most connected coaches in Philadelphia. After growing up in South Carolina and playing at D-III Lake Forest (Ill.), Wise got his master’s degree at Villanova and joined Jay Wright’s staff as a graduate assistant. He’s coached in camps for Fran Dunphy before joining Jerome Allen’s staff at Penn in 2010.

“I’ve been so fortunate with the opportunities that I have been able to experience in my 10 years in Philadelphia. Being around Coach Dunphy, Coach Wright, Coach Allen, Coach (Bruiser) Flint to name a few, these guys are obviously some of the best and brightest, they are so well-respected. I am so appreciative to be able to entertain their conversations and company when those opportunities present themselves,” Wise said.

After spending two years at Penn as the third (volunteer) assistant, Wise went back into the business world.

He got a job in 2013 at Rosemont as the admissions recruiter for the school of graduate and professional studies, and joined the basketball coaching staff until the following year.

“I wasn't sure, given his background, if he would want to coach here...some guys think D3 is beneath them,” Rosemont head coach Barney Hughes said. “From our first conversation, Rudy was excited about the opportunity and he has been a tremendous asset ever since.”

Now at Rosemont, Wise used this opportunity in Indianapolis as not only a stepping stone for himself, but for Rosemont as well.

“It was great to be able to represent the school that I’ve been afforded the ability to work for the last two years. It might have given Rosemont a little bit of exposure as well and I took it upon myself to represent the school in a first class fashion. Division III at times can be overlooked. It’s made up of student-athletes that still have a thirst and desire to compete, and when you talk to representatives from the NCAA that recognize that,” Wise said.

About the conference specifically, Wise said the different workshops helped him learn what to expect when the time comes for him to look to become a head coach, and helped him learn about himself.

“We were told to become comfortable being uncomfortable,” Wise said. “You have to be OK with situations where you stretch beyond your comfort zone. When you are out of your comfort zone you tend to learn about yourself and learn about your weaknesses and hopefully turn them into strengths.”