Wise is new Slocomb football head coach

While evaluating candidates for Slocomb’s head football coach and athletic director jobs, principal Max Whittaker said he couldn’t find a reason not to select James Wise.

Last week, Whittaker finalized his decision, starting the process of Wise to be the next Red Tops coach and A.D.

A standout in the 1980s at Elba under legendary Mack Wood, Wise was Slocomb’s defensive coordinator last year.  He has been an assistant coach for nine years at five different Wiregrass programs.

Though tabbed for the positions, Wise will not be officially hired in the roles until later in the summer. Already employed at the school as a history teacher, he does not require any hiring action by the Geneva County School Board.

The board, though, will have to approve his change of coaching supplement from assistant to head coach when it acts on all county coaching supplements in July or August.

Wise, according to Whittaker, has been given the green light by Slocomb administration, the superintendent and board members, and Red Tops players have been informed of the decision.

Wise takes over positions vacated by Jeff Mitchell last month.

“Slocomb reminds me of the school I was at in Elba,” Wise said. 

“They have good players, good community support, a good booster club. It is a community where they like their sports. There is not a lot to do in Slocomb, but when it comes to Friday night, everybody goes (to the game).”

Whittaker said the school interviewed 15 candidates, including those with ties to Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and Mississippi in addition to Alabama before deciding on Wise.

“I couldn’t find a reason not to hire him,” Whittaker said. “We had many, many quality candidates, but none stood out like him. Nobody outshined him.”

Wise played at Elba under Wood, a state hall of fame coach, from 1983-85, starring at linebacker on the Tigers’ state runner-up team in ‘85. He then walked-on at Alabama and later at Troy.

After jobs outside of academics and athletics, Wise began his coaching career as baseball and assistant football coach at Zion Chapel. He coached one year there before returning to his alma mater to take over as defensive coordinator.

He spent four years at Elba before joining the staff of Ronnie Cottrell at Carroll for two seasons and also holding the role of boys soccer coach.
Wise then coached one season at Dothan as defensive line coach and assistant baseball coach before moving to Slocomb last year.

In his five stops, Wise has coached a school in every Alabama High School Athletic Association classification but Class 4A.

His background caught the attention of Whittaker.

“He played at Alabama and played under Mack Wood,” Whittaker said. “His playing experience was impressive and he has been involved in a lot of class programs (as a coach).”

There were other traits that were important, too, said Whittaker.

“He is good fit for our program,” Whittaker said. “He is a class individual. He is a football guy. He has a lot of energy and he spends a lot of hours (with the game).”

Though he has been involved with several different coaching staffs, it was his playing days under Wood and an all-star cast that built most of his coaching foundation, said Wise.

“I had four of the best in Hank Kennedy, Rick Rainer, Bill Rayborn and coach Wood,” Wise said. “They were the cornerstone of my football philosophy.

“They stressed to do the little things and that if you did the little things then big things would take care of themselves.”

To that end, Wise said he plans to keep things simple in schemes and strategy.

“I want to keep it simple on both sides,” Wise said. “If the kids line up correctly that is half the battle.

“It was like coach Wood said, ‘I may run only eight plays, but I want to be able to run them in my sleep.’
“I want to do a few things really good rather than a lot of things average.”