How guard Jamari Wheeler’s energy has become the heart and soul of Penn State men’s basketball
Jamari Wheeler swung his fist and screamed, igniting the crowd at the Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday.
Ten seconds earlier, he applied pressure not long after Indiana senior guard Devonte Green received the ball in the backcourt.
Green tried to move past half court, but was quickly stonewalled by Wheeler.
Three seconds.
He backed up in an attempt to find space and an open teammate, but Wheeler, locked in step, moved back with him.
Five seconds.
Green, panicking, fired a pass into Wheeler’s outstretched arms. Wheeler deflected it back into Green’s hands. The nearest official blew his whistle.
Ten seconds.
Yet another free possession for Penn State thanks to the junior guard.
Free possessions like the one in Penn State’s win over Indiana are the norm for the Nittany Lions with Wheeler on the court and have been for the last two-plus years he’s been on the team. The junior guard and the energy he brings on and off the court are the heart and soul of a Penn State team that has a chance to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 and the first time under head coach Pat Chambers.
Wheeler came to Penn State in 2017 as the highest-rated player in what was considered a poor class at the time. The group, which features another starter in junior center John Harrar and a bench player in redshirt sophomore forward Trent Buttrick, was ranked No. 13 out of the 14 Big Ten schools.
The junior guard wasn’t even a part of the class during the early signing period. He’d initially signed with Duquesne before receiving his release from the school in March 2017. Once he was out of his initial commitment, Wheeler received a host of new interest, including some from Penn State.
The Nittany Lions’ interest was apparent quickly, Wheeler said.
“After I got my release from Duquesne there was a bunch of schools hitting me up,” he said in his thick Floridian accent. “Penn State was one of the first ones. Then like two days later, Coach Chambers flew in and came and watched me practice. Then we just started building our relationship from there.”
Chambers and the Nittany Lions hit on a few key areas in Wheeler’s recruitment that helped land his commitment, namely the importance of relationships.
The head coach was able to pick up on the strength of Wheeler’s relationships right away.
“I noticed (the relationships) throughout his recruitment,” Chambers said. “It was about Jamari and his mom. You knew how important his mom is. (Once they trusted me) it was easier for me to be able to say I’m going to take care of your son.”
Those relationships continue to power the junior guard, who said he talks to his mom on FaceTime every day. Wheeler’s family and friends played a key role in his life growing up and helped him fall in love with basketball.
He recalled playing football in the churchyard every day with his friends, then moving to his backyard to play basketball in his hometown of Live Oak, Florida. The decision to gravitate to the hardwood over the gridiron was made easy thanks to his family history.
“My mom was actually a talented basketball player,” Wheeler said. “She had a bunch of offers in basketball. ... My mom was really good at basketball, but she couldn’t go because she was pregnant with my brother. Basketball just ran in the family.”
With how close Wheeler is to his family, it should be no surprise that he’s helped cultivate a second one at Penn State. He’s one of the team’s most important leaders and a guy teammates know they can rely on.
“The confidence my teammates give me, and the coaches give me, allow me to lead,” Wheeler said. “I’m me, wherever I go ... I just teach guys like Shep (Garner) and Tone (Carr) did for me my freshman year. Whenever I was lacking, they stepped in and helped me fill that spot. So I just do the same thing (for my teammates).”
His relentless energy and positive attitude off the court are a huge part of who Wheeler is. He’s had that type of energy for as long as he can remember.
He spun side to side in a desk chair at the BJC while contemplating where he gets that energy from.
“I love being around people and being outside,” Wheeler said with a smile. “I hate being inside. I’m not sure (where I got it from). I guess my daddy and mamma.”
The energy manifests itself on the court regardless of situation.
In games, Wheeler fires his team up with endless defensive pressure that can stifle even the most skilled opponents. Once he has you cornered, he clamps down and amps up the pressure to a remarkable level. It allows him to anchor the defense from the perimeter.
“I feel like (defending) is what I have to do to help my team win,” he said. “At the end of the day that’s my job. So I just do my job at (my) best ... I just do what it takes to win.”
Wheeler likes to keep the good times rolling at practice. He makes sure his teammates are engaged and keeps them fired up. He’s so important in those situations that Chambers pulls him aside when he notices his junior guard isn’t himself.
The Nittany Lions’ head coach conveys an important message in those moments: Only two people in the gym can’t have a bad day — Chambers and Wheeler.
“He’s running his team,” Chambers said. “He’s running the offenses, he’s running the defenses, and if he’s not loud and he’s not playing hard, that’s got a domino effect on the other 13-14 guys on the team.”
That’s how important Wheeler is to this group. It’s not just the team that needs his energy. It’s the leader of the program that needs it, too.
“On the court he’s a pit bull or a honey badger,” Chambers says with a smile. “He’s probably the toughest kid, he’s a welterweight but he’s going to wrestle with the heavyweights. I think that’s what makes him so special, his toughness, his heart, his determination.”
He doesn’t contribute like a star on offense. Wheeler is a capable standstill shooter and a capable lead guard, but isn’t known to put up points or dish out flashy assists. He’s not asked to do much on that end of the floor, and he’s okay with that.
It’s his energy that sets him apart from his peers, not his numbers.
The Nittany Lions will need him as they head down the home stretch. The team is at a critical juncture in the season where it’ll find out if it has what it takes to grind through the Big Ten. Energy and passion are a must in every game.
Thanks to Wheeler, that won’t be an issue.
“He’s got an amazing personality,” Chambers said. “He keeps everybody loose. He’s the funny guy on the team. He’s always joking around and I think you need that, especially with the climate of the Big Ten this year. I think he keeps guys at ease and comfortable.”
