Connor Wheeler

Connor Wheeler is in his first season as an assistant coach with the University of Iowa men’s basketball program. 

Wheeler has eight years of coaching experience at Drake (2024-25), Southeast Missouri State (2022-24), Southern Illinois (2019-22), Southern Miss (2018-19) and Missouri (2016-18).

Wheeler joins the Hawkeyes from Drake, where he served as an assistant during the 2024-25 season. He helped the Bulldogs enjoy unprecedented success as the team racked up a school-record 31 victories and won both the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles. 

Drake advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after upsetting sixth-seeded Missouri, 67-57, in the Round of 64. 

Wheeler assisted in Drake’s complete roster rebuild, as the Bulldogs brought in a combined 10 transfers and first-year players.  One of the signees – Bennett Stirtz – was named the MVC Larry Bird Player and Newcomer of the Year, while being a finalist for the Riley Wallace Award and Lou Henson Awards.

Prior to making the move to Des Moines, Wheeler spent two seasons as an assistant at Southeast Missouri State, where he helped guide the program to its first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth.  It was the first NCAA appearance in more than 20 years.

Wheeler ventured to SEMO after a three-year stint at Southern Illinois.  He joined the staff as the director of player development before moving into the role of director of basketball operations. During the 2018-19 season, Wheeler was video coordinator at Southern Miss and he also coordinated video as a graduate assistant at Missouri from 2016-18.

As a player, Wheeler was a member of the Final Four team in 2011-12 at Illinois Wesleyan, he was an all-conference and all-region selection at John A. Logan College, he won a Division II National Championship in 2014 at Central Missouri, and he finished his career at Division I Southern Illinois Edwardsville in 2015-16.

The Carbondale, Illinois, native earned his associate’s degree from John A. Logan College in 2015, his bachelor’s degree from SIU Edwardsville in human and family development in 2016 and his master’s in educational, school and counseling psychology with an emphasis on positive coaching in 2018.

He is married to his wife, Sammie.

Career
2016-18	Graduate Assistant/Video Coordinator, Missouri
2018-19	Video Coordinator, Southern Illinois
2019-20	Director, Player Development, Southern Miss
2020-22	Director, Basketball Operations, Southern Illinois
2022-24	Assistant Coach, Southeast Missouri State
2024-25	Assistant Coach, Drake
2025-pres.	Assistant Coach, University of Iowa