Photo by: NBAE/Getty Images
The Path Less Traveled To WNBA Milestones
Aug 09 | Women's Basketball
The Rutgers women's basketball team has a proud legacy of sending its student-athletes to the next level in the WNBA. Altogether, 20 Scarlet Knights have heard their named called on draft day making their hoop dreams come true.
For six of the seven current former Rutgers standouts featured on WNBA rosters, the path to the pros has been similar. On a night in April following the end of their collegiate eligibility, the likes of Cappie Pondexter, Essence Carson, Epiphany Prince, Kia Vaughn, Betnijah Laney and Kahleah Copper heard their names spoken out loud with tv cameras showing the pomp and circumstance at the podium at the draft.
For Erica Wheeler, her path to the WNBA came a different way, which makes her recent accomplishments even more remarkable.
Wheeler's final year "On The Banks" came to a close in 2013 on what she considered a less than stellar season. The Miami, Florida native powered through the passing of her mother to lead RU with 10.5 points per game, but injuries plagued the Scarlet Knights, keeping them out of the watchful eyes of any postseason tournaments.
From there, Wheeler's path to the WNBA was that of a journeywoman, taking her skills to Turkey, Puerto Rico and Brazil, sometimes playing for as little as $200 a month, always with a mission to prove herself and show people what she was capable of doing in a game she loved.
After averaging 16.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists for Recife in Brazil prior to the 2015 season, the WNBA came calling. The Dream's Michael Cooper dropped Wheeler a line about a tryout.
"Coop called me and was like, 'I will give you a try out. I know that you will come pretty late to training camp'," remembered Wheeler. "I had a tryout, I made the team, even (Dream star) Angel McCoughtry went to Coop and was like, 'we need her'. Then I ended up playing with them for a couple of months."
Although Atlanta had cut the 5-7 guard before the All-Star break, another league team was in the picture. An unfortunate injury to the Liberty's Brittany Boyd saw New York come calling for Wheeler's services right before its 2015 playoff run.
Wheeler ended the Liberty's regular season and playoff berth taking to the court against Indiana, where Fever personnel saw the potential of this one-time Scarlet Knight.
"I was playing in Brazil again (in the offseason) when my agent got a call with, 'Look we want her in training camp'," said Wheeler. "I had a championship game, and right after the championship game, I had to take a flight. I did not really get a chance to celebrate because I had one day to get to Indiana's training camp or they were going to pick someone else up because it was getting too close to the preseason games and I missed half of training camp. So after my championship, I literally had five hours with my team and I took a flight the next day from Brazil to Indiana with (former Fever head coach) Steph White. From there I took off, I made the team and I started after the fifth game."
After taking a chance on Wheeler at training camp, she has emerged to become one of the most visible and valuable members of the Indiana ball club.
On Aug. 4, Wheeler became the seventh WNBA Scarlet Knight to eclipse the 1,000th career point mark, but what is perhaps more notable is that she is only the 19th undrafted free agent in WNBA history to score 1,000 career points. In fact, only Wheeler and UNC's Tierra Ruffin-Pratt are the only players to do so since 2007.
It was a milestone, the Fever star knew she was nearing but didn't realize just how close she was to making it happen.
"I was so focused on the game and trying to win the game, so I did not even know until after the game, when Victoria (Vivians) was like 'E, congrats'," recalled Wheeler. "I was like 'What are you saying congrats for? Yeah, I know we won.'."
It was then that the Fever's 2018 first round draft pick and two-time NCAA finalist clued Wheeler into what she had done.
"(The team) gave me so much love," said Wheeler. "They were happy for me, they praised me so it was a good feeling, but it did not hit me until the next morning on the plane when I shed a couple of tears next to a complete stranger. I was just like, 'Wow I really have a thousand points'. So hearing that I was close to it, but to really get it and living that moment, it is a different feeling."
Wheeler has other notables to her name. She along with (San Antonio Spurs assistant coach) Becky Hammon are the only undrafted free agents in league history to score at least 33 points in a single game. With a 10-assist game at Atlanta on June 14 of this year, Wheeler became one of just seven undrafted free agents ever to amass at least 10 assists in a single game.
Wheeler has also been putting her name in the Fever record books. Since replacing an injured Briann January in the starting lineup last year, she has been even more the consummate teammate, recording 138 assists, the second most ever by a Fever player. She currently ranks fifth among Indiana's all-time assist-makers. Her 33-point output against New York on Aug. 8, 2017 tied the second-highest scoring total in franchise history, while also tying a single-game franchise record with seven made 3-pointers.
>> Watch Erica Wheeler Drop In A Career-High 33 Points Against The New York Liberty
In fact, Wheeler finished the 2017 season as one of just six WNBA stars to average over 11 points and four assists per game.
And Wheeler isn't done. Entering this weekend, she needs20 assists to become just the sixth undrafted free agent in WNBA history to reach 1,000 career points and 400 career assists.
What Wheeler has accomplished off the court is just as admirable and significant. Her love of basketball is equally matched in her passion for serving the community.
The non-profit "The Wheeler Kids Foundation" started in an effort to provide opportunities for children in her hometown Miami area that are not fortunate enough to be involved in extracurricular activities of their choice and give children hope that there are people that care about their dreams and willing to help them be successful.
A quick glance at the foundation's social media pages shows Wheeler in a constant state of giving back whether it's being involved with back to school backpack giveaways, supporting food banks or hosting clinics.
"It is more of a target towards the youth, for opportunities to get to do what you love," explained Wheeler. "Recently I did something with single parent homes helping them to pay the bills and two kids I sponsor for basketball, I bought them two pairs of shoes just to play basketball. It's about being able to give opportunity in every angle I can, just being available."
Wheeler's mantra of hard work and reaching goals also applies to foundation.
"I definitely have a bucket list," she noted. "I definitely want to do basketball camp in Miami, but the timing has to be right. We go overseas right away after the WNBA season, but I definitely want to have a free basketball clinic for girls and boys just to give back to my community. Eventually, I want to have a celebrity basketball game just to give the community of Florida between WNBA players, NBA players and football players."
As her career continues, there are still lessons she draws upon from her days playing under hall of fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer.
"Rule number one - It is a sisterhood," Wheeler stated emphatically. "No matter what we went through, no matter how hard it got, we were always stay together. Of course we had a couple of arguments, but (Coach Stringer) always told us to stay together. It is a sisterhood and it definitely expands to the professional level as well because you know we have a bunch of players in the league and we all treat each other like sisters, whether we are on the same team or not the same team.
"Then just discipline, just being able to do your job and know that nobody is not going to give you anything and don't expect anybody to give you anything. You just have to work for everything that you get, earn it, do not let anybody give you anything. That was the main thing she told me, and I still remember that I don't want to look for handouts. I work for everything I have."
While Wheeler's unconventional journey to a WNBA standout has been memorable, she realizes it can happen for others too.
"Just never give up, and stop looking at how other people's success comes along," Wheeler said. "It is amazing to get drafted, it is amazing to be in the limelight, it is amazing to do a bunch of stories with ESPN and being on television, but sometimes that may not be the route.
"For me, I appreciate my route more because it was not easy. I know what it is like to not have anything, so get where I am at now, I appreciate it more. I do not take it for granted.
"Sometimes you walk right through the front door, they take you for granted. Never give up and keep working and no matter what. Just because you do not see results, you do not see things that you want right away, it does not mean that it does not happen later on. One thing that does not go unnoticed is when you put in hard work, whether it is in the night time, in the daytime, in front of people, it never goes unnoticed. It is just all about getting in the right situation and staying in it."
Looking ahead to her first game after reaching the 1,000-point milestone where she would be honored, Wheeler is still amazed and humbled by her accomplishment.
"I probably will cry when they mention it again," she laughed. "I am a water bag, so my teammates will probably pick on me before the game, so I know it's coming."
Follow Erica Wheeler on twitter at @EWeezy_For3eezy and read more about The Wheeler Kids Foundation at http://www.thewheelerkidfoundation.com/.
For six of the seven current former Rutgers standouts featured on WNBA rosters, the path to the pros has been similar. On a night in April following the end of their collegiate eligibility, the likes of Cappie Pondexter, Essence Carson, Epiphany Prince, Kia Vaughn, Betnijah Laney and Kahleah Copper heard their names spoken out loud with tv cameras showing the pomp and circumstance at the podium at the draft.
For Erica Wheeler, her path to the WNBA came a different way, which makes her recent accomplishments even more remarkable.
Wheeler's final year "On The Banks" came to a close in 2013 on what she considered a less than stellar season. The Miami, Florida native powered through the passing of her mother to lead RU with 10.5 points per game, but injuries plagued the Scarlet Knights, keeping them out of the watchful eyes of any postseason tournaments.
From there, Wheeler's path to the WNBA was that of a journeywoman, taking her skills to Turkey, Puerto Rico and Brazil, sometimes playing for as little as $200 a month, always with a mission to prove herself and show people what she was capable of doing in a game she loved.
After averaging 16.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists for Recife in Brazil prior to the 2015 season, the WNBA came calling. The Dream's Michael Cooper dropped Wheeler a line about a tryout.
"Coop called me and was like, 'I will give you a try out. I know that you will come pretty late to training camp'," remembered Wheeler. "I had a tryout, I made the team, even (Dream star) Angel McCoughtry went to Coop and was like, 'we need her'. Then I ended up playing with them for a couple of months."
Although Atlanta had cut the 5-7 guard before the All-Star break, another league team was in the picture. An unfortunate injury to the Liberty's Brittany Boyd saw New York come calling for Wheeler's services right before its 2015 playoff run.
Wheeler ended the Liberty's regular season and playoff berth taking to the court against Indiana, where Fever personnel saw the potential of this one-time Scarlet Knight.
"I was playing in Brazil again (in the offseason) when my agent got a call with, 'Look we want her in training camp'," said Wheeler. "I had a championship game, and right after the championship game, I had to take a flight. I did not really get a chance to celebrate because I had one day to get to Indiana's training camp or they were going to pick someone else up because it was getting too close to the preseason games and I missed half of training camp. So after my championship, I literally had five hours with my team and I took a flight the next day from Brazil to Indiana with (former Fever head coach) Steph White. From there I took off, I made the team and I started after the fifth game."
After taking a chance on Wheeler at training camp, she has emerged to become one of the most visible and valuable members of the Indiana ball club.
On Aug. 4, Wheeler became the seventh WNBA Scarlet Knight to eclipse the 1,000th career point mark, but what is perhaps more notable is that she is only the 19th undrafted free agent in WNBA history to score 1,000 career points. In fact, only Wheeler and UNC's Tierra Ruffin-Pratt are the only players to do so since 2007.
Congratulations, @EWeezy_For3eezy. 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/XjEmRTuTNT
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 4, 2018
It was a milestone, the Fever star knew she was nearing but didn't realize just how close she was to making it happen.
"I was so focused on the game and trying to win the game, so I did not even know until after the game, when Victoria (Vivians) was like 'E, congrats'," recalled Wheeler. "I was like 'What are you saying congrats for? Yeah, I know we won.'."
It was then that the Fever's 2018 first round draft pick and two-time NCAA finalist clued Wheeler into what she had done.
"(The team) gave me so much love," said Wheeler. "They were happy for me, they praised me so it was a good feeling, but it did not hit me until the next morning on the plane when I shed a couple of tears next to a complete stranger. I was just like, 'Wow I really have a thousand points'. So hearing that I was close to it, but to really get it and living that moment, it is a different feeling."
Wheeler has other notables to her name. She along with (San Antonio Spurs assistant coach) Becky Hammon are the only undrafted free agents in league history to score at least 33 points in a single game. With a 10-assist game at Atlanta on June 14 of this year, Wheeler became one of just seven undrafted free agents ever to amass at least 10 assists in a single game.
Wheeler has also been putting her name in the Fever record books. Since replacing an injured Briann January in the starting lineup last year, she has been even more the consummate teammate, recording 138 assists, the second most ever by a Fever player. She currently ranks fifth among Indiana's all-time assist-makers. Her 33-point output against New York on Aug. 8, 2017 tied the second-highest scoring total in franchise history, while also tying a single-game franchise record with seven made 3-pointers.
>> Watch Erica Wheeler Drop In A Career-High 33 Points Against The New York Liberty
In fact, Wheeler finished the 2017 season as one of just six WNBA stars to average over 11 points and four assists per game.
And Wheeler isn't done. Entering this weekend, she needs20 assists to become just the sixth undrafted free agent in WNBA history to reach 1,000 career points and 400 career assists.
What Wheeler has accomplished off the court is just as admirable and significant. Her love of basketball is equally matched in her passion for serving the community.
The non-profit "The Wheeler Kids Foundation" started in an effort to provide opportunities for children in her hometown Miami area that are not fortunate enough to be involved in extracurricular activities of their choice and give children hope that there are people that care about their dreams and willing to help them be successful.
A quick glance at the foundation's social media pages shows Wheeler in a constant state of giving back whether it's being involved with back to school backpack giveaways, supporting food banks or hosting clinics.
"It is more of a target towards the youth, for opportunities to get to do what you love," explained Wheeler. "Recently I did something with single parent homes helping them to pay the bills and two kids I sponsor for basketball, I bought them two pairs of shoes just to play basketball. It's about being able to give opportunity in every angle I can, just being available."
After the game, @EWeezy_For3eezy signed her shoes a young fan. #ThisIsWhyWePlay #WatchUsWork pic.twitter.com/ksHq9KJNof
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 8, 2018
Wheeler's mantra of hard work and reaching goals also applies to foundation.
"I definitely have a bucket list," she noted. "I definitely want to do basketball camp in Miami, but the timing has to be right. We go overseas right away after the WNBA season, but I definitely want to have a free basketball clinic for girls and boys just to give back to my community. Eventually, I want to have a celebrity basketball game just to give the community of Florida between WNBA players, NBA players and football players."
As her career continues, there are still lessons she draws upon from her days playing under hall of fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer.
"Rule number one - It is a sisterhood," Wheeler stated emphatically. "No matter what we went through, no matter how hard it got, we were always stay together. Of course we had a couple of arguments, but (Coach Stringer) always told us to stay together. It is a sisterhood and it definitely expands to the professional level as well because you know we have a bunch of players in the league and we all treat each other like sisters, whether we are on the same team or not the same team.
"Then just discipline, just being able to do your job and know that nobody is not going to give you anything and don't expect anybody to give you anything. You just have to work for everything that you get, earn it, do not let anybody give you anything. That was the main thing she told me, and I still remember that I don't want to look for handouts. I work for everything I have."
While Wheeler's unconventional journey to a WNBA standout has been memorable, she realizes it can happen for others too.
"Just never give up, and stop looking at how other people's success comes along," Wheeler said. "It is amazing to get drafted, it is amazing to be in the limelight, it is amazing to do a bunch of stories with ESPN and being on television, but sometimes that may not be the route.
"For me, I appreciate my route more because it was not easy. I know what it is like to not have anything, so get where I am at now, I appreciate it more. I do not take it for granted.
"Sometimes you walk right through the front door, they take you for granted. Never give up and keep working and no matter what. Just because you do not see results, you do not see things that you want right away, it does not mean that it does not happen later on. One thing that does not go unnoticed is when you put in hard work, whether it is in the night time, in the daytime, in front of people, it never goes unnoticed. It is just all about getting in the right situation and staying in it."
After reaching the 1,000 point milestone, @EWeezy_For3eezy explains how much it means to her. 👏 #WatchUsWork #WNBA pic.twitter.com/vRGI5nDEpS
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 6, 2018
Looking ahead to her first game after reaching the 1,000-point milestone where she would be honored, Wheeler is still amazed and humbled by her accomplishment.
"I probably will cry when they mention it again," she laughed. "I am a water bag, so my teammates will probably pick on me before the game, so I know it's coming."
Follow Erica Wheeler on twitter at @EWeezy_For3eezy and read more about The Wheeler Kids Foundation at http://www.thewheelerkidfoundation.com/.
Women’s Basketball Head Coach Gary Redus II Introductory Press Conference
Tuesday, March 17
Coach Redus Press Conference
Tuesday, March 17
Women’s Basketball Post Game Press Conference - Penn State
Sunday, February 22
Women’s Basketball Post Game Press Conference - Minnesota
Sunday, February 08
