“Being there was such a blessing and it really opened my eyes to so much", stated Wheeler. It might be a fair statement to say that Carlos might have lost his mind.   He spent his entire summer dedicating himself to the game physically and mentally. 

You could often see Carlos pushing a Chevy Suburban up and down the block, on purpose! “I had to get back to my Track roots and began doing short sprints, long sprints and concentrated on my footwork, my lateral movement can be so much better,” Wheeler said.

Watching Carlos play this season, it’s obvious that he also spent time working on his ball handling techniques as well.  He’s averaging 14.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.3 apg and scored a season-high 24 points in the win against the Idaho Stampede.

The training, weight lifting and change of diet are all paying off for Carlos.

“I can still hear Chris Paul coaching me the same time as we were playing together.   He would encourage me to take my time and be explosive when I go to the rack and stress the importance of letting the game come to me,” added Wheeler.

Carlos patterns his game after Boston’s Kevin Garnett. “I love his energy, the way he crashes the boards and the intensity that he brings every night.  I look forward to playing against him some day,” stated Carlos.

The Utah Flash are currently 7-5 and it’s the collective attitude of the team to complete the task that they left unfinished last season.   “We didn’t handle our business last year during the NBA D-League Championship series against the Colorado 14ers and it got away from us,” stated Carlos.  

“It really left a bad taste in my mouth all summer long which is why I’ve taken such drastic measures and stay focused because that’s what it’s going to take to be successful,” Carlos continued.

You might not see Carlos Wheeler coming and he may be nothing more than a little blip on your radar screen but when he arrives you’ve got a problem on your hands.