Candyce Wheeler (formerly Candyce Bingham), a WNBA draft pick and former University of Louisville standout who helped lead the Cardinals to the NCAA Tournament finals in 2009, was hired as an assistant coach of the Bellarmine University women’s basketball team before the 2016-17 season.
In 2018-19, Bellarmine advanced to the GLVC Tournament finals, notably defeating No. 15 Lewis 78-77 in the semifinals. The Knights earned a berth in the tournament after a late-season surge in which they won five of six games during a stretch just prior to the postseason.
Despite a slew of injuries and an underclassmen-heavy rotation, Wheeler helped lead Bellarmine to a 16-12 overall record and 11-7 GLVC mark in 2017-18, including an 84-70 victory over No. 6 Drury that marked the Panthers' lone league loss. The Knights earned their customary bid to the GLVC Tournament, and senior guard Raven Merriweather was named a first-team All-GLVC selection.
In 2016-17, Wheeler helped guide Bellarmine to a berth in the NCAA Tournament. At 22-8, the Knights completed their first back-to-back 20-win season in a dozen years. The Knights tied for second in the GLVC East and earned a first-round bye in the GLVC Tournament. Bellarmine was nationally ranked for the vast majority of the season.
Wheeler previously was an assistant coach at Western Kentucky University (2013-14) on a Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship team and was a graduate assistant at Louisville under Jeff Walz in the 2012-13 season when the Cardinals advanced to the finals of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history.
After head coaching one year at Fern Creek High School in Louisville, Wheeler returned to U of L in 2012-13 and helped lead the Cardinals to the Final Four and a 29-9 record that included one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, an 82-81 victory over Brittney Griner-led and defending national champion Baylor. At Western Kentucky, Wheeler in 2013-14 helped guide the Hilltoppers to a Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. In 2015-16, Wheeler was an assistant coach at her high school alma mater and helped lead DuPont Manual in Louisville to a 7th Region championship and an appearance in the state tournament.
As a senior at Louisville in the 2008-09 season, Wheeler earned first-team All-BIG EAST accolades after averaging 12.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Starting every game, she helped guide the Cardinals to a 34-5 record that included victories over No. 1 seeds Maryland and Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament en route to a first-ever title game appearance against Connecticut. Wheeler recorded a double-double against the Huskies, scoring a team-high 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. She was named to the Raleigh Regional All-Tournament team.
As a junior, Wheeler earned second-team All-BIG EAST honors after averaging 13.8 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 51.2 percent from the floor. She was named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament team and ripped down 20 rebounds in a Sweet 16 game against North Carolina.
Wheeler, who played her first two collegiate seasons at Xavier, was a high school star locally. She played four years at DuPont Manual High School in Louisville and finished her career with 1,350 points, 402 rebounds, 200 assists and 91 blocked shots. As a senior, Wheeler averaged 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3 blocks while earning All-State, All-Region and All-District recognition. She was a WBCA All-American nominee and competed in the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star game.
Wheeler, who earned a psychology degree from U of L, was selected in the third round of the 2009 WNBA draft by the San Antonio Silver Stars. She played professionally overseas in Luxembourg, Germany and Puerto Rico.
