Daughter of Former URI Great Tyson Wheeler Killed in Accident
Saturday, September 02, 2023
Tyson Wheeler, one of the University of Rhode Island's greatest basketball players, has suffered a tremendous family loss.
His 24-year-old daughter Tiara Wheeler was killed in a dirt bike accident this week in Connecticut.
According to CT Insider, "The crash happened shortly before 9:30 p.m. Monday as a group of off-road dirt bikes and ATVs, some without their lights on, went through a red light at a Groton intersection, police said."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"Wheeler was a passenger on one of the dirt bikes, which were headed north on Long Hill Road toward the intersection with Meridian Street Extension, police said. As it went through the red light, the dirt bike struck the rear passenger side of an Audi that was turning left into The Groton Shopping Center on Long Hill Road, police said. The Audi had a green arrow and the dirt bike had a red light, police said," according to the report.
Wheeler was thrown from the back of the dirt bike into the Audi and died at the scene, police said. The other rider also hit the car and was taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, police said.
In a statement, Groton Police Chief Louis J. Fusaro harshly criticized the group of riders for leaving the victims for dead, stealing evidence and for riding recklessly on town streets.
Official obituary -- FUNERAL IS TUESDAY, SEPT 5
Wheeler's Career
Wheeler is in his second season with the men's basketball coaching staff at Brown University as an assistant coach in 2023-24.
Wheeler previously spent the last three seasons at UMass where he helped the Minutemen win an Atlantic 10 Championship game in each of the seasons the tournament was played. During the 2020-21 season, Wheeler and UMass secured the No. 5 seed in the conference championship, the program's highest seed since 2008. That season, they advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2016.
Read a GoLocal Interview with Wheeler in 2012
Before UMass, Wheeler was an assistant coach at Fairfield for eight seasons where he helped guide the Stags to five winning seasons and three postseason berths.
As a player, Wheeler was a four-year member of the men's basketball team at URI from 1994-98. He was a four-time all-conference honoree, earning All-Rookie honors as a freshman and was selected to the A10 First Team as a junior and senior. In 1998, Wheeler was selected in the NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors.
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