University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Sahvir Wheeler
November 05, 2019 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Sahvir Wheeler was first exposed to basketball as a child in Harlem, N.Y., watching his dad play on legendary spots like Rucker Park. The 5-foot-10 Wheeler, who later moved to Houston, hopes to one day run an NBA franchise.
During a Quick Chat a few days before the Bulldogs' season opener Tuesday, Wheeler talked about Harlem, hoops, Houston and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: I know you were born in Harlem, how long were you there?
Wheeler: I was there for my first eight years of my life and then we moved down to Houston. I was there for a while and then my junior year Hurricane Harvey hit. I was previously committed to Texas A&M so we moved to College Station, right down the road from campus.
We were there and the coaching staff got fired, and Coach Amir (Abdur-Rahim, an assistant coach on Tom Crean's staff last season and now the head coach at Kennesaw State) was at Texas A&M, he recruited me to Texas A&M. He came here and recruited me to Georgia.
Frierson: What do you remember about those years in Harlem?
Wheeler: My dad was still playing at Rucker Park, going to Chelsea Piers, Pier 36, watching him play. I remember being on the playgrounds playing basketball; my dad worked on Wall Street and we moved from Harlem to Staten Island, so I would take the ferry at least twice a week to go see him, walking down Manhattan and in Times Square, the Empire State Building. I have a lot of vivid memories from there.
Frierson: Would you like to go back and live in New York one day, and experience the city as an adult?
Wheeler: I don't know. I've been back a lot to stay with my family, I have a lot of family there, but I don't know if its a place I want to live. There's a lot going on but I like the South, there's a lot of space and freedom to move around, to walk around and drive — can't drive in New York.
People are a lot nicer down here, the cost of living is cheaper — a gallon of juice (gas) in Texas is like $1.29 and in New York, it's $4.79, it's crazy.
Frierson: I've only been through Houston a couple of times but I know it's a great food city and a great multicultural city. When you think of Houston food what comes to mind?
Wheeler: You can find anything there, it's so diverse. It's whatever you want. If you want sushi, you have your Mexican food, Cuban, soul food, Jamaican food, American fast food — everything is there.
Frierson: Is there one place you have to visit every time you're back there?
Wheeler: I have yet to go to a place that has barbecue as good as you find in Houston. Their barbecue is top-notch, second to none.
Frierson: What other sports did you play growing up?
Wheeler: I played soccer when young, I think that's where I got my endurance from. I was always active, I played baseball and I was pretty good. Then it started overlapping with basketball season so I had to choose one. My dad played basketball, my uncle played Division I at the University of Buffalo, so I think basketball was just the way to go.
Frierson: Is there one play that stands out as the best play of your athletic career?
Wheeler: I don't know if there was one play. I just felt like at the end of games everyone seemed tired and I wasn't tired.
Frierson: What about the game when you scored 47 points and had 12 assists?
Wheeler: Actually, I didn't play in the fourth quarter of that one. I was going to play, the coach was going to let me try to score as much as I can, but that was like my second game back off a knee injury and I fell on my knee again, so he let me break the school record and then took me out. I wanted to keep going.
Frierson: I always ask basketball players in these things about their first dunk but I don't know if you've ever dunked a basketball — have you?
Wheeler: I have, but not in a game. In warmups, I've done it.
Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?
Wheeler: I'm going to say business. My dream after basketball is to become a general manager of an NBA team, so I just want to see what the top of the line, like the best general managers, the ones that make the most money and run the best teams, I want to see how they approach their everyday business.
Frierson: Do you study GMs now?
Wheeler: I'm starting to now that I'm in college and I know some people that have connections with them. I'm starting to ask questions. My dad used to run his own business, worked on Wall Street, so he's familiar with the business side of it. And my uncle, he's on Wall Street as well.
Frierson: The NBA is interesting right now because the off-the-court stuff, the deals with free agents and everything, has become just as popular and talked about as what's happening in the actual games. It's almost like there are two NBAs now — do you pay attention to all of that stuff?
Wheeler: As a fan of basketball I pay attention to it. It's always cool to get the latest on what's going on and how people are feeling about their current situations. As a basketball player, you watch the NBA to see what you're striving for and what you have to work on in order to get there, and for the fun of watching your favorite players.
We're witnessing greatest with LeBron, whether you hate him or love him he's still doing things that aren't going to come around very often. Watching James Harden, he's changing the way basketball's being played. And guys who are freaks like Giannis, that stuff's just amazing to watch.
Frierson: If you could travel anywhere in the world on somebody else's dime, where would you go?
Wheeler: Santorini, Greece or Bora Bora — exotic places. Santorini, my dad recently talked to me about it because that's his dream place, so if I could send my parents anywhere it would be there. I've seen some pictures, done some online Google image searching, and that seemed like a really nice place. Bora Bora has always been a place of mine that I've wanted to go and take a vacation, you and your girlfriend or wife, it's on my bucket list.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
