He was a 6'1" (185 cm) 185 lb (84 kg) point guard and played collegiately at Division III's William Paterson University.

[2] 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.

NBA players and NJ residents like Kelly Tripucka, Roy Hinson, and Mike O'Koren also played.

Wheeler was selected by the Kansas City Kings in the 7th round (12th pick) of the 1981 NBA draft.

[5] 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.