Clinton Wheeler
Clinton Wheeler was an American professional basketball player. He was a point guard and played collegiately at Division III's William Paterson University. 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 in Long Branch, New Jersey.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, 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 in the 7th round of the 1981 NBA draft. Wheeler played in the Continental Basketball Association for the Albany Patroons and the Tampa Bay / Rapid City Thrillers from 1984 to 1989. He won a CBA championship with the Thrillers in 1987. He was selected as the CBA Playoff/Finals Most Valuable Player in 1987, and named to the All-CBA First Team in 1986 and 1989 and All-Defensive First Team in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1989. He is ranked eighth on the Albany Patroons' all-time regular season scoring list. From 1989 to 1993, he played for Bayer Leverkusen in Germany's top flight Basketball Bundesliga, 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.