Brian Carlwell

High school career

Carlwell attended Proviso East High School in his hometown of Maywood, Illinois. As a junior playing for the Proviso East Pirates basketball team in 2004–05, Carlwell was an all-state choice after averaging 15 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks per game.

As a senior at Proviso East in 2005–06, Carlwell was a first-team all-state pick by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Associated Press, Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. He averaged 18.8 points, 12.4 rebounds and 5.4 blocks as a senior en route to earning West Suburban Gold Conference MVP honors.

Illinois (2006–2008)

As a freshman at Illinois in 2006–07, Carlwell played in 26 games before missing the final eight contests due to injury. He averaged 1.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.0 minutes, as Illinois finished 23–12 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. On February 12, 2007, Carlwell suffered a severe concussion when the car he was travelling in, driven by inebriated teammate Jamar Smith, slammed into a tree on an icy road in Champaign, Illinois. Having been knocked unconscious, Smith thought Carlwell was dead and drove him back to his apartment in a panic. Upon arriving back at the apartment complex, residents called 911; Carlwell was taken to Carle Foundation Hospital in nearby Urbana where he was initially listed in critical condition. Carlwell's concussion was severe enough that he spent several days in intensive care. Smith was subsequently charged with a DUI and leaving the scene of an accident.

Carlwell returned to the Fighting Illini for his sophomore season in 2007–08, but he managed just three games before suffering a knee injury during a practise session on November 30 that sidelined him for the rest of the season. On February 21, 2008, Carlwell announced his decision to transfer from Illinois following the spring semester.

Looking for a fresh start following the conclusion of the 2007–08 season, Carlwell heard from Quinton Watkins, briefly a teammate for Carlwell's at Illinois who never played for the Illini because of academic reasons. Watkins enrolled at San Diego State, where he also later left, but not before telling Carlwell how badly the Aztecs needed a big man.

San Diego State (2008–2011)

In June 2008, Carlwell transferred to San Diego State University and subsequently sat out the 2008–09 season due to NCAA transfer regulations.

As a junior at San Diego State in 2009–10, Carlwell was one of four Aztecs to play in all 34 games, as he averaged 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game. On December 31, 2009, he had a season-best game with 13 points and 6 rebounds against Pomona-Pitzer.

As a senior in 2010–11, Carlwell played in all 37 games for the Aztecs and averaged 3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds, while shooting 51.4 percent from the field. On March 1, 2011, he scored a career-high 15 points against Wyoming.

On August 18, 2011, Carlwell was denied a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, effectively ending his college career. In his two-year career at San Diego State, he played in all 71 games, starting four times, and averaged 4.2 points, on 56.5 percent shooting, and 2.7 rebounds. He also played alongside future NBA All-Star Kawhi Leonard, as he too had a two-year college career with San Diego State between 2009 and 2011.

Cockburn Cougars (2012)

In February 2012, Carlwell signed with the Cockburn Cougars for the 2012 State Basketball League season. He made his debut for the Cougars in the team's season opener on March 17, recording 27 points, 16 rebounds and 4 blocks in a 91–88 loss to the Perth Redbacks. On June 8, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 149–84 win over the Rockingham Flames.

Carlwell and fellow import Jeremiah Wilson helped lead the Cougars to a third-pace finish with a 17–9 win/loss record. In the quarter-finals, they faced the sixth-seeded Perth Redbacks, where in Game 1 of the best-of-three series, Carlwell recorded 18 points and a season-high 25 rebounds to lead the Cougars to a 106–74 win. The Cougars swept the series 2–0 and moved on to the semi-finals where they faced the Lakeside Lightning. In a tough three-game series, the Cougars bested the Lightning with a 2–1 triumph, moving them onto the Grand Final for the first time since 2003. Facing off against grand final first-timers, the East Perth Eagles, Carlwell and Wilson led the way for the Cougars as they controlled the game from start to finish. Carlwell scored 21 points to help Cockburn claim the largest winning margin in an SBL grand final, finishing at 105–72. The Cougars subsequently broke a 20-year championship drought. Carlwell appeared in all 32 games for the Cougars in 2012, averaging 20.8 points, 13.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.2 blocks per game.

Argentino de Junín (2012–2013)

On August 22, 2012, Carlwell signed with Argentine club Argentino de Junín for the 2012–13 LNB season. He joined the club on September 8, a week after winning the SBL championship with Cockburn. On September 16, he made his debut for the club, recording 17 points and 8 rebounds in an 81–67 win over Gimnasia Indalo. On March 3, 2013, he scored a season-high 18 points in another win over Gimnasia Indalo. In the first round of the playoffs, Carlwell helped Argentino de Junín defeat Bahía Basket 3–2 in the best-of-five series. They went on to lose 3–0 to Boca Juniors in the second round. Carlwell appeared in 49 games (41 regular season, 8 playoff) for the club in 2012–13, averaging 8.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

Second stint with Cockburn (2013)

In April 2013, Carlwell re-joined the Cockburn Cougars for the rest of the 2013 SBL season. He made his season debut for the Cougars on April 20, recording 21 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks in a 110–101 loss to the Willetton Tigers. On May 4, he scored a career-high 38 points in a 113–103 win over the Stirling Senators. A week later, he had 31 points and 22 rebounds against the Lakeside Lightning, recording consecutive 30+ point games for the first time in his college/professional career. On July 6, he recorded 18 points and a career-high 28 rebounds in a 103–86 loss to the Rockingham Flames. Despite Carlwell's great individual season, the Cougars were unable to defend their title in 2013 as they finished outside the top eight in 10th spot with a 10–16 win/loss record. He appeared in 18 games for the Cougars in 2013, averaging 22.1 points, 15.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.4 blocks per game.

Iwate Big Bulls (2013)

On September 19, 2013, Carlwell signed with the Iwate Big Bulls of the Japanese bj league. He made his debut for the Bulls in the team's season opener on October 5, scoring 11 points in a 68–53 loss to Aomori Wat's. In the team's fourth game of the season on October 13, he recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in a 75–61 win over Niigata Albirex BB. He appeared in Iwate's first eight games to begin the season before being released by the club on November 5. He helped the team go 4–4 and averaged 5.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Perry Lakes Hawks (2016–present)

On January 29, 2016, after being out of the game for over two years, Carlwell signed with the Perry Lakes Hawks for the 2016 State Basketball League season. He made his debut for the Hawks in the team's second game of the season on March 24, coming off the bench to score six points in eight minutes to help the Hawks improve to 2–0 with a 107–88 home win over the Mandurah Magic. In the team's next game on April 1, Carlwell recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in just under 23 minutes off the bench in a 98–91 loss to the Lakeside Lightning. In his third game as a Hawk on April 8, he recorded 23 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks in 25 minutes as a starter in an 87–74 win over the East Perth Eagles. He backed that performance up a day later with 20 points, 21 rebounds and 4 blocks in a 100–94 overtime loss to the Stirling Senators. On April 22, he recorded a season-high 27 points and 15 rebounds in an 85–77 loss to the Mandurah Magic. On May 13, he tied his season high of 27 points in a 104–95 win over the Lakeside Lightning. He subsequently earned SBL Team of the Week honors for Round 9 after also recording 23 points and 20 rebounds against Kalumunda on May 15. On May 28, he recorded 26 points and a season-high 23 rebounds in a 101–81 loss to the Rockingham Flames. He subsequently earned Team of the Week honors for Round 11. On June 4, he set a new season high with 30 points in a 114–88 win over the Willetton Tigers. In the Hawks' regular season finale on July 29, Carlwell recorded 26 points, 20 rebounds and a season-high five blocks in a 102–96 win over the Kalamunda Eastern Suns. The win booked the Hawks a place in the playoffs, as they finished eighth on the ladder with an 11–15 record. They faced the first-seeded Cockburn Cougars in the quarter-finals, where they were defeated 2–1. In 28 games for the Hawks, Carlwell averaged 18.3 points, 12.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 blocks per game.

Carlwell re-joined the Hawks for the 2017 season, coming into the new year better prepared and in much better shape.

Personal

Carwell's brother, Ronnie, played four years of college basketball for Illinois State. Despite the tragic events of February 12, 2007, Carlwell and Jamar Smith remain close friends, and in 2010, Carlwell was named the godfather of Smith's son.