Arkansas State Mid-South names Sam Wiseman associate head coach, offensive coordinator

Arkansas State University Mid-South named Sam Wiseman associate head coach and offensive coordinator for its men’s basketball program on July 28, 2026, a move that elevated offense from an assistant role to a central part of the Greyhounds’ staff structure. The title matters because it gives Wiseman direct influence over game planning, player development and the way ASU Mid-South wants to score.

The school’s announcement and team social posts framed Wiseman as a Memphis native with “deep Mid-South basketball ties” and an offensive mindset. That local connection is more than a hometown detail in NJCAA basketball, where familiarity with regional talent pools can shape both recruiting and day-to-day roster construction. For a junior-college program, a coach who knows the Memphis-Arkansas corridor can shorten the learning curve with prospects and families while helping the staff evaluate who can adapt quickly to a new system.

The offensive coordinator tag also signals that ASU Mid-South wants more than another voice on the bench. In junior college basketball, rosters turn over fast, and coaches have to teach efficiently while building an identity around players who often arrive with different backgrounds and skill sets. Wiseman’s new job suggests the Greyhounds want a more deliberate structure around shot creation, pace and offensive organization, not just a routine staff addition.

Wiseman arrives with recent junior-college and college experience. HoopDirt noted that Jones College head coach Newton Mealer had added him as an assistant coach, and Jones College’s coaching page identified him in men’s basketball. A Rhodes College coaching listing also placed him on the Memphis college basketball scene before the ASU Mid-South move. That mix of stops gives the Greyhounds a coach who has worked inside the same regional recruiting lanes he will now help mine for Arkansas State Mid-South.

For a program trying to sharpen its competitiveness, the hire points to an identity built around structure and familiarity. Wiseman’s role as associate head coach and offensive coordinator gives him a hand in shaping the Greyhounds’ next offensive blueprint, and in NJCAA basketball that can affect everything from who gets recruited to how quickly a team can turn talent into points.