Chico State Athletics

Brennan Wheeler was fast asleep in the backseat of his car when the park ranger shine his light through the window up. "You guys aren't allowed to sleep here. It's against park regulations," he said. "I'm not going to kick you out of here, but the next guy probably will."
 
Wheeler (now a member of the Chico State men's basketball team) and two friends had won the permit lottery to climb Half Dome in Yosemite National Park during what amounted to a senior trip. They wanted to get an early start on the challenge ahead, so they parked at the trailhead and planned to sleep there until sunrise.
 
That was no longer a great option. What was, however, came as a bit of a surprise:
 
"What you should do is just start your hike," the ranger said.
 
"It was a race to get up there in time, but we got to the top just as the sun came over Clouds Rest. It was amazing," Wheeler said. "There weren't many people up there and there was a lot of space, so we just hung out there for a bit and took it all in. It's something I think about all the time. It was such an adventure. It's definitely something I look back on fondly."
 
That was not the last time Wheeler would turn a dark situation into a ray of sunshine.
 
After redshirting during his first season at Chico State—almost all freshmen in the men's basketball program do—Wheeler injured his knee during the first week of June. He would not be cleared to play until September of 2019, and did not feel fully back from an athleticism standpoint until last summer.
 
Things were dark at times.
 
"It humbled me a lot," Wheeler said. But he found ways to work through it.
 
"I had to let go of a lot of control I thought I had. I just had to do what I could on a daily basis. It pounded patience into me. I'm kind of an impatient person but I didn't really have a choice. I had to learn it," Wheeler said. "I learned how to listen to my body instead of just having the tough guy, "I'm fine," attitude. I got really invested in learning the ins and outs of rehab and have been able to help other people through similar processes."
 
Wheeler was cleared to practice on Sept. 30, 2019.  A little more than five weeks later, after two full seasons of waiting, Wheeler made his Chico State debut, subbing in with 1:32 remaining in a big victory at Seattle Pacific. He went on to appear in 18 games for the Wildcats.
 
But it would still be a while before he felt like he was 100%.
 
"It took me some time. We felt it was necessary for me to wear an ACL brace. It protected me but it held me back somewhat because it was heavy and cumbersome. But I relinquished control and trusted," he said. "There were a couple times in practice when I felt good, but it wasn't until I was playing this last summer that I starting really feeling like myself again."
 
While he was making his way back from injury, Wheeler was excelling in the classroom (earning 2019–20 CCAA All-Academic honors) and growing as a leader. He joined the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and moved into a role as one of the group's social media managers this year.
 
"I've always seen myself as a leader, but I don't like to be unprepared. I felt like this was a position I was prepared for, but that there would also be a lot to learn, so it was a nice balance," Wheeler said. "I've had a great time learning how to clearly communicate with my team, learning how (SAAC) interacts and communicates, and how we get stuff done. I've really enjoyed working with all of the other student-athletes and staff and I feel like I've learned a lot."
 
During this period of time marked by inactivity, SAAC has worked on a number of initiatives that have helped raise money (the Walk to End Alzheimer's and Pack the Pantry Week, to name two) and awareness (Scratch the Stigma, 'Cats Your Vote, and Wildcat Family Values, for instance).
 
"I'm really proud to be a part of this group that is making stuff happen," Wheeler said. "We're giving student-athletes a voice and way to express themselves."
 
Set to graduate in exactly four years this May with his bachelor of science in exercise physiology and minor in sport performance, Wheeler plans to remain at Chico State for at least two more years. He's currently applying to the graduate program in kinesiology.
 
He technically has three years of eligibility remaining, but doesn't want to get too far ahead of himself.
 
"I'm just going to enjoy these two years and work my butt off and see what we can accomplish," said Wheeler. "I don't want to think too hard about what's down the line after that."
 
He knows from experience that it's best to leave open the possibility of a wonderful surprise.