Wheeler played his junior basketball with the Noarlunga Tigers in southern Adelaide, began his NBL career as a lanky 19 year old with the Adelaide 36ers in 1991 as backup to the team's Boomers centre Mark Bradtke. He made his NBL debut for Adelaide, playing 7:46 and scoring 1 point in a 93–90 loss to the Perth Wildcats at the Perth Entertainment Centre on 29 June 1991. His first season saw the 36ers reach the Semi-Finals where they were defeated by Perth Wildcats who would go on to win their first NBL title that season. 1991 was also the 36ers final season at the 3,000 seat Apollo Stadium before moving into the 8,000 seat Clipsal Powerhouse in 1992. Wheeler became the first choice centre for the 36ers in 1993 when Bradtke moved to the Melbourne Tigers.