FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Fairfield University men's basketball coach Ed Cooley announced Tyson Wheeler will join his staff as the Director of Basketball Operations. Wheeler reacquaints himself with Coach Cooley after the two were together as student-athlete and assistant coach at the University of Rhode Island.

 "I am very happy to have Tyson join our staff at Fairfield," Cooley said. "His experience at the college and pro levels will add insight to our program and be beneficial to our student-athletes."

Wheeler graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a bachelor of arts degree in sociology. On the basketball court, Wheeler earned Atlantic-10 All-Rookie honors in 1995, and followed with  All-Atlantic-10 second team accolades as a sophomore. He collected All-Atlantic-10 first team honors as a junior and as a senior. He led the Rams to the Elite 8 during the 1998 NCAA Tournament.

            He won the New England Coaches Association Bob Cousy Award, and was a candidate for the John Wooden Award. He was a finalist for the USA Men's 22 & Under team in 1997. In 2005, Wheeler was named to the University of Rhode Island All-Century Team.

            He continued his basketball career upon his graduation after being drafted by the Toronto Raptors in the 1998 NBA Draft. His career path took him to the Denver Nuggets for the 1998-99 campaign. His pro career also included stops in the CBA and the ABA. Wheeler played overseas in the Turkish Basketball League (199-2000), Israel Premier League (2002-03), the Italian League A (2003-05), France LNB ProA (2006-07), and Cyprus A1 (2008).

            As Director of Basketball Operations, Wheeler will set travel itineraries as well as handle the day-to-day operations of the Fairfield University basketball program.