By ERIC VICCARO
sports@bowienewsonline.com

The Saint Jo Independent School District board on Wednesday officially hired Michael Wheeler as new head boys’ basketball coach.
“We are trying to build the best (Conference) 1A athletic department in the state of Texas,” said Saint Jo athletic director Derek Schlieve. “Coach Wheeler is the best basketball coach to help us take that next step.”
Wheeler replaces Brian Blank, who accepted a similar position at Louise near Victoria in southeast Texas.
Saint Jo is coming off a 9-15 season, finishing 3-9 in District 1A-21 – which put the Panthers in a tie for sixth place with nearby rival Prairie Valley.
Wheeler was a former high school point guard at Fort Worth Paschal and Trinity Valley, and he believes that’s the most important position on the floor.
“The point guard is an extension of the coach,” said Wheeler, who most recently served as head coach at Coram Deo Academy in Plano. “The point guard runs the team, and understands the game.”
Wheeler graduated from Texas Christian University with a degree in history, and he has a Master’s from American University in Washington, DC. Read more in the June 24 Bowie News.

Michael Wheeler has been a successful Amateur Athletic Union-level coach, and he hopes that leads to success in Saint Jo. (Courtesy photo)