Unfinished business: Austin Wiley back to power Hapoel Jerusalem - interview

With a stellar, star-studded squad, plenty of experts are picking Hapoel to capture the title for the second time in their history. But of course, the games are played on the court and not on paper.

One of the most important players will no doubt be Austin Wiley, who will be a crucial force in the paint for Yonatan Alon’s squad. The big man is back after a season that saw him out of action for a number of months due to an injury. However, the 26-year-old returned to the floor as the season neared its end and helped the Reds face Maccabi Tel Aviv in the league finals after disposing of Hapoel Tel Aviv in the semifinals.

The championship series didn’t come to an end as the Iran war broke out just after Game 2, which saw Hapoel even up the best-of-three series at 1-1.

“I’m super excited. We got some new guys, some people coming back, so we’re going to ride the momentum of last year. I’m just excited.”

With the outbreak of the war, no one knew what the plan was going to be for the Israel basketball season. Would it continue on? Would the final game be called off? With so much confusion in the air, eventually, the import players left Israel via Jordan and flew back to their homes, including Wiley, who was happy to see familiar faces when he arrived in the United States.

“It was kind of confusing, the unknown. We were up and we were excited that we had won the second game and were looking forward to the third one, but we didn’t know what was going on and we tried to stay ready. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to play. There was a lot going on at the time and a lot to think about, but I was excited to see my people and be back home because I wasn’t home for 10 months.”

As for winning the title, the Birmingham, Alabama, native was certain that his team was going to walk away with the crown.

“For sure. I think we had the momentum and we were super confident. Even though they are a very good team, I think we would have won.”

With plenty of uncertainty in the air, Wiley was still committed to Hapoel Jerusalem and had little doubt that once things settled down, he would be back in red – even though it was very possible that another team might want to snatch him up.

“I was pretty sure that I was going to come back. Stuff like that made it a little interesting, but I decided to come back. I let my agents handle it and nobody came looking for me specifically.”

One of the most frustrating parts of Wiley’s season was tearing his wrist tendon, which put him on the shelf for a number of months and kept him out of action for quite some time.

“It’s always tough and injuries are never fun. It’s always a game within a game, trying to get better, back and healthy, but also trying to find your groove with the guys. It worked, as we had a good run at the end. As for my season, it was kind of underwhelming even with all the factors involved. I set high expectations for myself and some might say otherwise, but for me personally it was kind of underwhelming.”

When Wiley signed with Hapoel Jerusalem during the summer of 2024, it was thought that he would be a game-changer and one of the top centers in the league. During the time he played, there was no question that Wiley showed he is one of the best in the business, but there are also a pair of other big men in Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Johnathan Motley and Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Roman Sorkin who are right up there. However, Wiley believes he is number one.

“I’m always super confident in myself, so I am always going to put myself as the best. I can always get better, but I always look at myself as the best.”

“I don’t see why not. I got to represent the USA with the U17 and U19 teams and I looked at that as a great honor, so you never know.”

Wiley had a tough time on the free-throw line, but is always working on improving.

“Always working on that as you never want to have on a scouting report that you can’t do something well. Obviously, I am always working on it to improve and have way better numbers.”

The big man has not rolled out a long-range game and is not one who shoots the three-pointer, but should he be asked to work on that aspect of the game, he would be welcome to it.

“I have thought about it, but it depends on what the team needs, and if coach came to me over the summer and said we want to do this and that, I would put emphasis on that. I want to try and be the best version for the team to be successful.”

There have been a number of Auburn players who have graced the courts in the Holy Land over the past few seasons, with the college’s now-former head coach Bruce Pearl being one of the country’s biggest supporters. While Pearl has influenced other players from Auburn to come and play in Israel, Wiley explained that Pearl didn’t have that much of a role in convincing him to play in the capital city.

“I talked to him, but he didn’t have the biggest influence for me to come to Israel. It was mainly my agent. But I did talk to him that summer and he was like, Israel is a beautiful place and he knows some of the guys from the club and said they were good people, but he didn’t push me to come here. He came to see me and Jared last season.”

In 2019, Wiley and Auburn made it all the way to the NCAA Final Four.

“It was amazing, but the crazy part about it is that you really don’t notice how special it is when you are in it. It’s only afterwards. We were going game by game, like we have to win as we are better than them, but after we said, wow we made it that far, and it was super special.”

One of Wiley’s teammates at Auburn was Jared Harper, who became the league’s superstar and reigning MVP. Did this surprise the big man?

“Am I surprised? No. I know him and I know how hard he works. I know how he trains and did so a little bit this summer with him, but he is a hard worker. I am never surprised and he is super smart. He has all the tools to be the perfect point guard.”

Cassius Winston joined Hapoel Jerusalem this summer and also played with Wiley in the past at Tofas in Turkey.

“He is similar to Jared. Those are the two point guards where I have been most comfortable, especially in my pro career. They are easy to play with and don’t force anything. It’s like I am in heaven as I have the two guys that I was successful with. They know how to find me on the court and make the right plays.”

The Reds head coach, Alon, is known as a players’ coach, and that has been the case with Wiley as well.

“I think we have a great relationship. We have a lot of dialogue and we can talk about anything basketball-wise, and he always makes sure I’m good family-wise and off the court too. That’s the best relationship one can have.”

Wiley’s mother, Vickie Orr, was a former All-American basketball player and part of the 1992 United States women’s team that captured a bronze medal. Having a mom that was a star in her own right was something Wiley is very proud of.

“It’s weird because growing up I looked at her as my mom. I knew it, but I didn’t realize the magnitude of it until I was older. It’s pretty cool and not a lot of people can say it. Now she is in grandma mode. She talks about the 1992 Olympics, especially about the documentary they made years ago. She was telling stories and that was cool. I saw a lot of pictures and she has scrapbooks. They had interaction with the men’s team as well. She has lots of stories from Barcelona and USA Basketball. That’s why when I got to represent them when I was younger, it was always important.”

Heading into the new season, Hapoel Jerusalem is a EuroCup favorite. Should the Reds win the title, they would earn a spot in the following year’s Euroleague. Wiley wasn’t going to shy away from those expectations.

“I didn’t even know the media had us as favorites. I just would assume because we have a good team. At the end of the day, those are just predictions and we have to execute on that stuff. We know what we have to do and everybody’s got to stay healthy, and we have to continue to execute and get better every day. We will have a great chance of winning.”

As for goals and dreams, Wiley is looking to win it all and be the best he can be in order to help Hapoel Jerusalem reach the top of the mountain.

“As a team we want to win championships, especially with the roster that we have and the players with the ability that we have. Winning the championship is always the goal. Me personally, help the team as much as possible and be as dominant as possible. Impact every game positively and keep getting better as the year progresses. As for dreams, in the short term it’s to win the championship – both the EuroCup and Israeli league. Long term, just for my kids to be successful.”