GREENFIELD — This past spring, Madison Wise wasn’t sure what the future was going to bring.
Preparing to finish up her fourth year at Iowa State with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and business management, the Greenfield native honestly thought the final chapter of her basketball career ended after the Cyclones lost in overtime during the second round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in March.
If so, Wise was content with the overall finality.
As a student-athlete, she had garnered both academic and athletic recognition in the Big 12 Conference since 2017-18 while also posting her second double-double of the 2020-21 season during Iowa State’s NCAA Tournament opening-round win over Michigan State.
She was ready to walk away. At least, that’s how the 2017 Indiana All-Star out of Greenfield-Central High School felt initially.
“I don’t think it really hit me because during season at Iowa State I wasn’t even thinking about it at all. I was just focused in on season, but then after we lost in the NCAA Tournament, I was like, ‘Holy cow, that could have been it.’ I was like, ‘Do I want that to be it?’ I didn’t want to look back and think I could have played another year,” Wise said.
“I have my whole life to work, why not take another year? Really enjoy having a fifth-year of basketball.”
The question was where? Followed by, how?
Set on earning a master’s degree in organizational leadership, Iowa State unfortunately didn’t offer the program Wise needed to continue her educational pursuits despite having one more year of eligibility.
Then, her former AAU basketball teammates with Indy Magic reached out and presented her with an option.
“Originally, I didn’t really think I was going to play again,” Wise said. “I was pretty set on being done, and then I was talking with some of my old AAU teammates, who played at IUPUI, and they told me, ‘You could get your master’s here. You could play at home and see your family whenever you want.’ And, I thought, that doesn’t sound like too bad of a deal.”
In April, the announcement was officially made, and Wise seized her opportunity by becoming a graduate transfer, which gave her a chance to not only return home but enjoy one more season.
It was a win-win for both Wise and IUPUI women’s basketball for 2021-22.
“Maddie playing in an elite conference like the Big 12 for four years and playing in the NCAA Tournament twice brings a lot of valuable experience and a winning mentality to our program,” IUPUI women’s basketball coach Austin Parkinson remarked in a press release. “She is very versatile offensively with her ability to score the ball in a number of different ways and is one of the best I’ve seen at running the floor in transition. I know Jags fans are thrilled to see her back home in Indianapolis.”
Statistically, Wise, 23, offers the Jaguars veteran consistency, averaging 6.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting 31.4 percent from 3-point range the past four years.
In 2017-18, Wise was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week three times and posted a season-best 13 points during Iowa State’s first-round victory over Michigan State in the 2021 NCAA tournament.
Her numbers were impressive when considering the obstacles she faced over the past four years, which included the COVID-19 pandemic and more than three months lost in 2019-20 due to a compromised vestibular system that affected her balance and spatial orientation.
Prior to her injury setback, Wise played in 31 games as a freshman, starting 28 and averaged 8.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
As a sophomore, she posted 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists before her production slipped in 2019-20 due to lost time at 2.7 points and 2.9 rebounds.
This past season, she contributed 4.4 points and 4.5 rebounds in 28 games and shot a career-best 43.6 percent from the field, but she didn’t rediscover her rhythm until near the conclusion of the year.
Now, she is eager to build off that momentum with familiarity on her side.
“I had a great four years there. It was a lot of fun and I met a lot of great people. I had a great experience there and I was very thankful for the four years there,” Wise said.
“It’s definitely special playing in the NCAA Tournament. I always said when I was little that I always wanted to play in March. That’s where you want to be. You grow up watching that and it’s just so neat, so yeah, that was definitely something super special getting to play in the tournament. That’s our end goal this year as well.”
If the Jaguars do achieve the feat, Wise will do so with friends.
Lawrence North graduate Destiny Perkins, a redshirt senior at IUPUI, and Zionsville’s Rachel McLimore, another redshirt senior, both played with Wise in the AAU circuit in the past. Both transfer previously to IUPUI with Perkins coming from Akron and McLimore from DePaul.
IUPUI senior Macee Williams, who earned Horizon Player of the Year honors for a third straight year in 2021, was an Indiana All-Star with Wise in 2017.
“One of best friends is actually also a coach (Holly Hoopingarner) at IUPUI, so really it just worked out,” Wise said. “I didn’t know that before I committed, so that was kind of a bonus.”
A major selling point, however, was being close to home, again with her parents in the Greenfield area and a short driving distance away from Fort Wayne where her siblings Darren and Kristen and their families reside.
“I spent four years where you just can’t go home on the weekends. You can’t hang out with my family, so it’s been a lot of fun. Way different. I do obviously miss some things like my friends and my teammates at Iowa State, but it’s been a lot of fun being back here,” Wise said. “I really like my new teammates and all the people on the coaching staff.”
With the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year and the tragic passing of her nephew, Levi, on March 12, family and life’s perspectives have taken priority for Wise.
Levi, the son of Wise’s sister, Kristen Ginder, and her husband, Layton, was born on Jan. 28 and passed away on March 12. Wise spent time with her family for the services days before rejoining her Iowa State teammates prior to the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s nice to be able to drive to Fort Wayne and see my siblings, my nephews and my in-laws, so it’s been good,” Wise said. “We play in Fort Wayne and that’s where my sister, my brother-in-law, my nephew, brother and my sister-in-law and my other nephew all live, so that will be really cool because they literally live 15 minutes away, so I’m excited for that.”
As for her career after one last season at IUPUI, Wise isn’t looking that far ahead just yet. Her course load this summer and the past eight weeks of conditioning is keeping her busy enough.
“I double majored at Iowa State, and I always thought I was busy because I was always taking a lot of classes and credits, so I thought I could take 12 credits in a masters program, no problem. I didn’t realize how much more work is involved in a masters program, but it’s been great. I’ve enjoyed it so far,” Wise said.
“You just never know what the future holds. You never know what tomorrow holds. You never know what’s going to happen. You just have to take it day by day, being thankful for even being able to workout and hang out and getting to do what we love. It’s been crazy with everything that’s been going on, so I’m very thankful.”
