Connor Wheeler

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

During his first season in Iowa City, Wheeler  helped guide the Hawkeyes to the program's first Elite Eight appearance in 39 years and its first Sweet 16 since 1999. As a No. 9 seed, Iowa downed three higher-seeded teams -- No. 8 Clemson, No. 1 Florida and No. 4 Nebraska.  The Hawkeyes led their South Region title game with seven minutes remaining with a Final Four spot on the line.

Iowa's 73-72 win over top-seeded Florida gave the Hawkeyes their second victory all-time against a defending national champion. Iowa became the ninth No. 9 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed and just the sixth No. 9 seed all-time to advance to the Elite Eight.

The Hawkeyes finished the 2025-26 season with a 24-13 overall record, with the 24 victories tying for the fifth-most in a single season in program history.  The team finished the season ranked 15th in the final Associated Press poll.

Iowa, which featured 12 transfers among its 14-player roster, won three NCAA Tournament games in 2026; by comparison, the program had combined for just four NCAA Tournament wins in the previous 24 seasons.

Senior guard Bennett Stirtz, who made the jump from Northwest Missouri State to Drake to Iowa City, was as good as advertised. Stirtz earned honorable mention All-America honors from The Associated Press and the USBWA, alongside first-team All-Big Ten honors from the media after averaging 19.8 points, 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds.  He played 40 or more minutes 17 times during the season and finished with a program record 1,396 minutes.

Stirtz elevated his game from a second-team All-MIAA selection at the Division II level to an All-American in the Big Ten.  He was the only player in the nation to record 730+ points, 160+ assists, 95+ rebounds, 90+ 3-pointers and 50+ steals, becoming one of just three Power Conference players all-time to post those single-season numbers.

Stirtz became the first Hawkeye with 700+ points, 100+ assists and 50+ steals in a season and just the third Hawkeye ever to score 700+ points.  His 734 total points were the fourth-most in a single season in Iowa history.

Stirtz was selected in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft with the 16th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.  He is the third point guard in Hawkeye history to be selected in the first round.

Wheeler arrived in Iowa City with 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).

During the 2024-25 season, Wheeler helped Drake enjoy unprecedented success as the team racked up a school-record 31 victories and claimed both the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles. The Bulldogs 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. Under his guidance, Stirtz was named the MVC Larry Bird Player and Newcomer of the Year, while being named a finalist for both the Riley Wallace and Lou Henson Awards .

Prior to making the move to Des Moines, Wheeler spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State (SEMO), 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 two-year stint at Southern Illinois, where he served as the director of basketball operations. Before his time in Carbondale, he worked as the director of player development at Southern Miss (2019–20) and spent the 2018-19 season as the video coordinator at Southern Illinois. He initially launched his career as a graduate assistant and video coordinator at Missouri from 2016-18.

As a player, Wheeler enjoyed a successful collegiate career across multiple levels. He began his journey at Illinois Wesleyan, where he was a member of the 2012 NCAA Division III Final Four team. He then earned all-conference and all-region honors at John A. Logan College, before transferring to Central Missouri, where he won an NCAA Division II National Championship in 2014. He finished his playing career at the Division I level with SIU Edwardsville during the 2015–16 season.

The Carbondale, Illinois, native earned his associate’s degree from John A. Logan College in 2013, his bachelor’s degree in human and family development from SIU Edwardsville in 2016 and his master’s degree 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