In the win against New York on Saturday night, Fever guard Erica Wheeler reached a career milestone with the franchise. Wheeler scored her 1,000th point as a member of the Fever on a pair of free throws late in the first quarter. Wheeler is the 12th player in franchise history to reach the 1,000-point mark.

“It’s amazing,” said Wheeler. “To be undrafted, last year the milestone I reached [1,000 career points] and then this year to get another milestone, it’s amazing. It just shows that I work hard, that nothing is given. I earn everything. It’s just amazing to be in Indiana to do it.”

Wheeler was not drafted after playing four collegiate seasons at the University of Rutgers. She signed with the Atlanta Dream but was waived and later picked up by the New York Liberty for the reminder of the 2015 season. She signed with the Fever in 2016 and has been a key starter since her arrival in Indiana.

“No days off for me,” said Wheeler. “I am working every day, collecting the paycheck every day. Every time I walk into this gym, I am signing my contract. Every day I walk into this gym I sign a contract because I know this opportunity wasn’t given to me, I had to work for it. I am not going to stop.”

Wheeler is off to a blistering start to the 2019 season. Entering her fifth campaign in the WNBA and fourth as a member of the Fever, Wheeler is averaging 17.3 points per game and making 64.7 percent of her field goal attempts. The guard is also averaging 6.7 assists through Indiana’s first three games.

“It’s crazy. I give her hell and she takes it,” said Fever head coach Pokey Chatman. “She takes a beating from me but you would never know it. That’s all her. Whether she is scoring the basketball, whether she had nine assists in the last game and 26 points (on 5/28 against Connecticut). I see her mind expanding. She understands who needs the ball and where, almost to the point where she’s passing up some shots early. I am like look, the game has changed, we need you to put that in the basket. So, I am happy for her.”

If she continues to play at her current pace, reaching 2,000 points as a member of the Fever could happen sooner rather than later for the fifth-year pro. It will be fun to watch how Wheeler’s growth on the court and as an emotional leader for the team will aid Indiana in 2019 and beyond.