Wheaton College Athletics

Senior Jake Carwell is a co-captain for Wheaton's nationally ranked men's basketball team. He is in his third season at Wheaton after transferring from Benedictine University.

Q: What is your major?
A: Communications and English Lit

Q: What plans do you have after graduation?
A: I would like to play overseas for a few years, God has given me a passion for the game and I have seen Him open many doors through basketball, I look forward to seeing what opportunities he opens for me in the future.

I also plan to further my education in grad school and get a Master’s in education most likely, so I can be certified to teach. I might pursue opportunities in the business world but my passion is working with kids. Coaching and teaching, either one or both at the college level is an ultimate goal of mine.

Q: Why did you choose to transfer to Wheaton and play basketball?

A: I did not want to go to Wheaton College out of high school, I would not have appreciated it if I had. I still joke with our assistant coach Owen Handy about when I told him in high school “I’m just not feeling it” after I had decided to go somewhere else. Going to a different college before Wheaton put things in perspective.

I liked my situation at my other school but it was not a good fit spiritually. I struggled to grow in my faith and slowly Christ began to fall lower and lower on my priority list. I needed a change, and wanted to find a Christian community I could connect in. I knew God had given me these gifts and abilities for a reason and I wanted to get the most of them and use them in a way to glorify Him.

Wheaton College was a place that was active in ministry and their athletic programs are all known for playing hard, and doing things the right way. One thing I really appreciated, that I did not expect I would, was playing for a Christian coach and Christian program. I have enjoyed the success we experienced on the floor. What I have loved most is the way our program has handled it and has maintained a focus on Christ not just through our successes but through our failures as well.

Q: What have you enjoyed most about playing for coach Schauer this year?
A: Coach Schauer has been great, he stepped into a winning program and had some big shoes to fill from Coach Harris who experienced an enormous amount of success and was well-respected by his players, the college and the community.

I feel that Coach Schauer couldn’t have handled things better; he was realistic with the change and never tried to be anyone else but who he is. It had to be tough to be confident in your own coaching style when your predecessor and previous coach had so much success his way. We as a team never saw a hesitation and with his confidence we were able to buy into his methods. Coach Schauer and I are pretty similar and like-minded in several ways, which has made the transition for me even easier. I love what he has brought to the program. We as a squad are much more focused and confident from top to bottom than past teams I’ve played on. I also enjoy how he puts everything out on the table. I can identify with that and know the team likes it when we know where he stands. He is tough and demands your best, he has challenged me on and off the court more this year than any other coach has in my career. He has a great ability to get the most out of his teams and I think he will be very successful.
Q: What do you enjoy most about being a student and playing basketball at Wheaton?
A: Its not so much the education as it is meeting and establishing relationships with other people I would not normally meet. Basketball takes a lot of time, and Wheaton is pretty close knit, classes offer a rare opportunity to meet new people. Basketball is a great outlet for those relationships to develop outside of the classroom by coming to games. The classroom also allows me to work with people who have similar interests in my major while the basketball team is made up of many different interests and majors.

I also really enjoy the support from the faculty. They are often at our games and very understanding of any conflicts that might arise. Many athletic programs, including the school I came from, do not enjoy that kind of support from its educators.

Q: What is you favorite basketball memory so far in your time at Wheaton?
A: Praying with a team after a loss, our team stayed focused on what was important and showed class. That small act opened the door for relationships to be built and after the game led to opportunities to share Christ.

My favorite basketball memory on the floor was the dunk against North Central on Senior Night last year, or Elmhurst in the conference tourney championship; I had never heard a gym that loud for that long, it was a great moment.