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Wheeler Provides Endless Energy Off the Bench
By Eric Eames
Go ahead call Carlos Wheeler an “old timer” or a “graybeard.” The snide remarks become his motivation. Then watch as he catapults off the bench, pushing the pace and crashing the boards. One moment he grabs a defensive rebound, the next moment he dashes past 20-year-olds, knifing through small cavities and making a lay up.
“When Carlos comes off the bench he changes the whole complexity of the game,” Flash shooting guard Andre Ingram said. “He runs the floor and gets the hustle plays. He is all about energy.”
Wheeler, 30, relishes the fact that he can out run and out jump those that tease him. By the time he heads back to the bench people have forgotten that he has the oldest wheels on the floor. Averaging nearly 10 points a game to go along with 5.7 rebounds, Wheeler’s efforts off the bench have provided a much needed spark as the Flash (12-9) look to move up in the standings. He recently scored a season-high 15 points on Jan. 17 followed by a 14-point performance Jan. 20 in back to back wins for the Flash.
“He maybe the oldest guy on the floor, but he brings the most energy,” Flash coach Brad Jones said. “He plays like he is 18 years old.”
Not picking up a basketball till high school, Wheeler’s career has taken him from domestic to international soil and back again. The 6-foot 8-inch forward has played for some obscure teams like Maccabi Petah Tikva in Israel and most recently with the Hebraica Macabi in Uruguay, where he averaged nearly 16 points and seven rebounds. He has also played for the Rome Gladiators in the WBA. During his travels he has picked up on nearly every style of play along with some Spanish and Hebrew.
Wheeler’s first playing opportunity after college took him to Egypt, where he helped the Al Zamaleks win a championship. Despite news reports about the unsteady tensions in the middle-east country, Wheeler loved playing in Egypt, learning about the Muslim religion and visiting the ancient pyramids.
“Egypt was very interesting,” Wheeler said. “I didn’t know anything about the place. I didn’t even know they had basketball. But the people loved me, and the Muslim people treated me really well.”
Season after season, Wheeler followed the best opportunity and offer he could find. He has never played with a team longer than one year, and stayed overseas for the opportunity to earn more money. Wheeler, though, realized that playing in the D-League would provide him with the best opportunity to play in front of NBA scouts and pursue his dream of playing in the NBA. After a sound performance in the 2008 D-League camp in Atlanta, and an even better open tryout in New Orleans, the Flash picked up Wheeler in the fourth round of the draft.
“We were lucky enough to get him,” Jones said. “I am sure there are plenty of times when things weren’t working out overseas that he could of just gave up, but he has fought through a lot of things. He is a good player that has bounced around and landed in our laps and now he is trying to make the most of it.”
Wheeler’s love for the game and perseverance were tested through tragedy more than three years ago. While playing summer ball for the Panteras del Distrito Nacional in the Dominican Republican, Hurricane Katrina destroyed his neighborhood in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. Wheeler’s family headed to Texas for refuge before the storm hit, but when they returned to “The Big Easy” everything they owned wasn’t worth saving.
“We basically started from scratch,” Wheeler said. “It was tough. It was to the point where I thought about finding something else to stay close to home and help my parents and nieces.”
Wheeler entertained job offers to teach classes and coach basketball at local high schools. But Wheeler said they turned the anguish into action. With his family settled in a different part of New Orleans, thing are better than ever, and Wheeler can now give full concentration to his basketball career.
“The way I look at is no matter how much we get knocked down, God gives us the strength to rebuild and keep pushing forward,” Wheeler said. “Katrina is in the past now and we are looking forward to the future.”
Wheeler’s willingness to quickly forget the past meshes with his style of play. He is not one to linger from one possession to the next. With Wheeler, it is always full tilt ahead.
Go ahead call Carlos Wheeler an “old timer” or a “graybeard.” The snide remarks become his motivation. Then watch as he catapults off the bench, pushing the pace and crashing the boards. One moment he grabs a defensive rebound, the next moment he dashes past 20-year-olds, knifing through small cavities and making a lay up.
“When Carlos comes off the bench he changes the whole complexity of the game,” Flash shooting guard Andre Ingram said. “He runs the floor and gets the hustle plays. He is all about energy.”
Wheeler, 30, relishes the fact that he can out run and out jump those that tease him. By the time he heads back to the bench people have forgotten that he has the oldest wheels on the floor. Averaging nearly 10 points a game to go along with 5.7 rebounds, Wheeler’s efforts off the bench have provided a much needed spark as the Flash (12-9) look to move up in the standings. He recently scored a season-high 15 points on Jan. 17 followed by a 14-point performance Jan. 20 in back to back wins for the Flash.
“He maybe the oldest guy on the floor, but he brings the most energy,” Flash coach Brad Jones said. “He plays like he is 18 years old.”
Not picking up a basketball till high school, Wheeler’s career has taken him from domestic to international soil and back again. The 6-foot 8-inch forward has played for some obscure teams like Maccabi Petah Tikva in Israel and most recently with the Hebraica Macabi in Uruguay, where he averaged nearly 16 points and seven rebounds. He has also played for the Rome Gladiators in the WBA. During his travels he has picked up on nearly every style of play along with some Spanish and Hebrew.
Wheeler’s first playing opportunity after college took him to Egypt, where he helped the Al Zamaleks win a championship. Despite news reports about the unsteady tensions in the middle-east country, Wheeler loved playing in Egypt, learning about the Muslim religion and visiting the ancient pyramids.
“Egypt was very interesting,” Wheeler said. “I didn’t know anything about the place. I didn’t even know they had basketball. But the people loved me, and the Muslim people treated me really well.”
Season after season, Wheeler followed the best opportunity and offer he could find. He has never played with a team longer than one year, and stayed overseas for the opportunity to earn more money. Wheeler, though, realized that playing in the D-League would provide him with the best opportunity to play in front of NBA scouts and pursue his dream of playing in the NBA. After a sound performance in the 2008 D-League camp in Atlanta, and an even better open tryout in New Orleans, the Flash picked up Wheeler in the fourth round of the draft.
“We were lucky enough to get him,” Jones said. “I am sure there are plenty of times when things weren’t working out overseas that he could of just gave up, but he has fought through a lot of things. He is a good player that has bounced around and landed in our laps and now he is trying to make the most of it.”
Wheeler’s love for the game and perseverance were tested through tragedy more than three years ago. While playing summer ball for the Panteras del Distrito Nacional in the Dominican Republican, Hurricane Katrina destroyed his neighborhood in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. Wheeler’s family headed to Texas for refuge before the storm hit, but when they returned to “The Big Easy” everything they owned wasn’t worth saving.
“We basically started from scratch,” Wheeler said. “It was tough. It was to the point where I thought about finding something else to stay close to home and help my parents and nieces.”
Wheeler entertained job offers to teach classes and coach basketball at local high schools. But Wheeler said they turned the anguish into action. With his family settled in a different part of New Orleans, thing are better than ever, and Wheeler can now give full concentration to his basketball career.
“The way I look at is no matter how much we get knocked down, God gives us the strength to rebuild and keep pushing forward,” Wheeler said. “Katrina is in the past now and we are looking forward to the future.”
Wheeler’s willingness to quickly forget the past meshes with his style of play. He is not one to linger from one possession to the next. With Wheeler, it is always full tilt ahead.
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