Aaron Wheeler Discusses Time With Purdue Basketball
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Former Purdue forward Aaron Wheeler joined the Purdue Basketball Podcast to discuss his time with the Boilermakers and his life growing up in Stamford, Connecticut.
The undergraduate commencement ceremony for Purdue graduates is scheduled for Saturday, May 15 at Ross-Ade Stadium. The Boilermakers' basketball program has no outgoing seniors on the roster, so Purdue director of basketball operations Elliot Bloom and on-air talent Rob Blackman invited Wheeler to join the show.
Wheeler, who will play at St. John's next season, spent four seasons with the team — including one redshirt year — and will officially graduate from Purdue after majoring in organizational leadership with a minor in communications.
While growing up with his brother, Wheeler competed in basketball and baseball. The two boys often gravitated to a nearby park to play when they were kids.
Wheeler said there was a moment when he was probably better at baseball than he was basketball because he didn't join an AAU team until the eighth grade. Before then, he participated in travel baseball as a pitcher.
"It came to a point after my freshman year, I just had to kind of choose one," Wheeler said. "I wasn't really getting recruited because I wasn't playing summer basketball."
After two years at Trinity Catholic High School in Stamford, Wheeler repeated his sophomore year at played two years at St. Andrews School in Rhode Island. He then played at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, for his senior season.
In Rhode Island, Wheeler was two hours away from his family. It was close enough for his parents to come to games, but far enough that he couldn't come home every weekend.
He took on more personal responsibilities by planning his meals, doing his laundry and getting around without a car.
"I remember taking the city bus by myself," Wheeler said. "It was definitely a great experience and it helped me grow up and become a lot more independent."
Wheeler committed to Purdue in 2016, allowing himself not to be bogged down by the stress of other college offers as a senior. After moving on to Brewster, Wheeler helped the basketball team earn a perfect 33-0 record en route to winning a National Prep Championship.
He joined Purdue as a three-star recruit for the 2017-18 season and redshirted, leaving him with four years of eligibility. Over the next three seasons with the Boilermakers, Wheeler played in 95 games but only made 14 starts. He averaged 16.4 minutes, 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Wheeler announced on April 1 that he was transferring to St. John's, but he said he believes the decision can help both himself and the Purdue basketball program.
"I just think it was kind of the best decision on both ends," Wheeler said. "I think I could go somewhere else and try to reestablish myself, but I didn't want to just stick around and hold guys back."
Wheeler said when he talked to Purdue coach Matt Painter, both parties were understanding and there's no bad blood after his departure.
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