Clinton Wheeler (October 27, 1959 – February 14, 2019) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He was a 6'1" (185 cm) 185 lb (84 kg)

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

and played collegiately at

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

William Paterson University William Paterson University, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 and was named after American ju ...

. In his brief NBA career from 1987 to 1989, he played for three teams.

Life

Wheeler played high school basketball at

Long Branch High School Long Branch High School is a comprehensive high school, comprehensive, four-year community state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school that serves students in ninth grade, ninth through twelfth grades in the city o ...

Long Branch, New Jersey Long Branch is a beachside City (New Jersey), city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 30,719,< ...

. A product of the William Paterson University program where he played four years, Wheeler scored 1,624 points for WP, which put him in third position on the school's all-time list, when he left college in 1981. In the 1979–80 season, he averaged 26.1 points a contest and 22.4 points a game in 1980–81. During the 1980s, Wheeler played frequently in the Jersey Shore Basketball League which was a Pro-Am league that played outdoors at the Headliner in Neptune, NJ. NBA players and NJ residents like

Kelly Tripucka Peter Kelly Tripucka (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 1991. He was a two-time NBA All Star and averaged over twenty points a game ...

, Roy Hinson, and Mike O'Koren also played. Wheeler's spectacular plays were memorialized by the PA announcer with "Wow Wheeler!" after an impressive basket. Wheeler was selected by the

Kansas City Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Pacific Division ( ...

in the 7th round (12th pick) of the

1981 NBA draft The 1981 NBA draft was the 35th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft, 23 NBA te ...

. He is ranked eighth on the Albany Patroons' all-time regular season scoring list. From 1989 to 1993, he played for

Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, t ...

in Germany's top flight

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season ...

, where he formed a successful duo with fellow American Kannard Johnson. Wheeler won four German national championship titles with Leverkusen. He died February 14, 2019, at age 59.

References

External links

NBA stats
@ basketballreference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, Clinton 1959 births 2019 deaths Albany Patroons players Albuquerque Silvers players American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American men's basketball players Bayer Giants Leverkusen players Charlotte Hornets expansion draft picks Indiana Pacers players Kansas City Kings draft picks Long Branch High School alumni Miami Heat players People from Neptune Township, New Jersey Philippine Basketball Association imports Point guards Portland Trail Blazers players Rapid City Thrillers players Rochester Renegade players Sportspeople from Long Branch, New Jersey Basketball players from Monmouth County, New Jersey Tampa Bay Thrillers players William Paterson Pioneers men's basketball players Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players