Andrew Wheeler

Andrew Wheeler (born 18 January 1988) is a New Zealand basketball player for the Southland Sharks of the National Basketball League (NBL). Early life Wheeler was born in Invercargill and attended James Hargest College. He grew up as a basketball addict, but also played rugby and cricket. He studied at the University of Otago and trained with the Otago Nuggets' academy while based in Dunedin. NBL career Wheeler was a member of the inaugural Southland Sharks team in 2010, making his NBL debut in the Sharks' opening game before making two other appearances off the bench. Following an incident in Dunedin on 27 March 2010, he was suspended from playing or practising with the Sharks for the rest of the NBL season. In September 2010, Wheeler was sentenced in the Dunedin District Court to seven months' home detention after admitting a charge of reckless disregard for safety when he struck a man in the face with a beer bottle at a Dunedin flat-warming party in March. For 28 weeks, Wheeler was electronically monitored by an ankle bracelet and confined to his parents' house – only being able to leave for work and the odd recreational allowance. He was welcomed back into the Sharks squad in April 2011. He played sparingly for the Sharks in 2011, 2012 and 2013, but was a member of the championship-winning team in July 2013.