Montana WheelerNEW: According to his Instagram, Montana Wheeler announces his commitment to K-StateBradley transfer freshman guard averaged 8.5 pts in 34 games off the bench, set the program record with 7 3PTs in one game #KStateMBB📸 Courtesy: montanawheeler_ pic.twitter.com/6NPoFXpdnB
Transfer Portal Rankings: 3* (90.8) – National Ranking: 233 – Point Guard Ranking: 44
I’m going to contradict some of the above information and won’t bore you with the explanation, but Wheeler was actually ranked and considered a 4* prospect, the 39th-best point guard in his class. I use the Rivals Industry ranking, and he didn’t have enough evaluations to be ranked in that metric. The point being, Wheeler didn’t appear out of the blue; he was a known quantity heading into Bradley.
Wheeler played the first three years of high school basketball for Houston Christian High School, where he was named to the All-Greater Houston Area Team as a first-team selection after averaging 22 points, 8 assists, and 2 steals per game as a junior. He moved to Xavier Academy for his senior season after his father took the head coaching job at the school. Wheeler averaged 21 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals a game for Xavier as a senior, helping lead the team to an 18-3 record overall and a Southwest Athletic Interscholastic Conference Championship.
Most Assists in a Game: 6 vs Princeton and UMass Lowell
Wheeler is a potential starter but could also play a key bench role similar to the one he played at Bradley last season. He’s the only “pure” point guard with experience on the roster, but Brandon Rechsteiner does have experience as the starting point guard at both Virginia Tech and Colorado State.
Coach Alexander is going to spread the floor with shooters and will use that space to create driving and passing lanes for players like Montana Wheeler. If you’re looking for a comparison from his Belmont day, Wheeler could be similar to Ja’Kobi Gillespie as a small guard in a system that tends to favor bigger combo guards and wings. I’m not sure he’ll put up the 17-4-4 line Gillespie put up as a sophomore for Coach Alexander, but I’m more interested in the assist category than the scoring. I think you’ll see Wheeler setting the table off the drive and kick, while doing most of his scoring from behind the arc and in the mid-range. He does have an array of floaters and wrong-footed shots that help him finish around the rim despite his lack of size, but I wouldn’t consider that a strength of his game.
He should also help on defense, where he’s exceptionally quick and should be able to match up well against smaller guards. That’s an important piece for the defense, and one I didn’t see on the roster before the addition of Wheeler.
It’s hard not to see his upside as similar to his brother Sahvir, who was second team All-SEC as a freshman and sophomore at Georgia before becoming a point guard for hire in the portal, first at Kentucky and then Washington. He averaged 14 and 6 for the Huskies in 2023’- ‘24, and Montana might be the better shooter between the two (with Sahvir being the better passer). Either way, Montana has been around high-level hoops his entire life and won’t be intimidated by the Big 12.
I see this as a solid pickup for the 2026 season with significant upside moving forward. Wheeler does well in space, and this offense creates space. Again, the skill set matches the system. That’s what to expect from a Casey Alexander signing.