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| STRAIGHT SHOOTER: Former billiards champion C.J. Wiley runs the tables at Carson’s Live. photography by Dan Sellers |
Standing on Pepsi crates as a 7-year-old, C.J. Wiley found his knack for racking balls in an old poolroom in small-town Green City, Mo. By the time he was a senior in high school, Wiley had aspirations of professional play. He was even kicked off his school basketball team for missing a game to meet his hero, legendary pool player Steve Mizerak. “You know, I’m never going to be an NBA basketball player, but I may someday be a professional POOL player,” he told his coach. True enough, 12 years later, Wiley became the 1996 ESPN billiards world champion. He’s since capitalized on his success, releasing several instructional videos on how to play like a pro. (The complete collection of C.J.’s Ultimate Pool Secrets will be released on DVD this month.) Wiley eventually traded the full-time professional circuit to open Carson’s Live, a nightlife venue he now runs in Dallas. “I wanted a big challenge, and I got it,” Wiley says of his entrepreneurship. But with several pool tables in house, he can still play as hard as he works.
