Randy Wiel
Wiel in 2011 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 April 1951 |
| Died | 14 October 2025 (aged 74) Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Listed height | 195 cm (6 ft 5 in) |
| Career information | |
| College | North Carolina (1975–1979) |
| NBA draft | 1979: undrafted |
| Playing career | 1979–1985 |
| Position | Guard |
| Coaching career | 1988–2013 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1979–1982 | BV Amstelveen |
| 1982–1985 | Elmex Leiden |
Coaching | |
| 1988–1993 | North Carolina (assistant) |
| 1991–1993 | Netherlands |
| 1993–1996 | UNC Asheville |
| 1996–2002 | Middle Tennessee |
| 2002–2004 | Los Angeles Lakers (scout) |
| 2004–2005 | EiffelTowers Nijmegen |
| 2005–2009 | EiffelTowers Den Bosch |
| 2011–2013 | Rotterdam Basketbal College |
| Career highlights | |
As player:
As coach:
| |
Randy Wiel (21 April 1951 – 14 October 2025) was a Dutch basketball player and coach. Standing at 1.95 metres (6 ft 5 in), he played as guard.[1]
Biography
Born and raised on Curaçao, he was a talented athlete in his youth, participating as a swimmer during the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg (Canada) for Curaçao.[2] He worked as a police officer before moving to the United States to play college basketball with North Carolina.[3] After four years, he started his professional career with BV Amstelveen in the Dutch Eredivisie.[4] On 19 December 1979, Wiel scored a career-high 39 points against BV Groningen.[1] From 1982 to 1985, Wiel played for Elmex Leiden.
He started his coaching career in 1988 as an assistant to coach Dean Smith for North Carolina.[2] He secured his first head coach position at North Carolina-Asheville Bulldogs in 1993. From 2002 to 2004, Wiel was a scout for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[5]
From 2004 to 2013 he coached in the Eredivisie. He led EiffelTowers Den Bosch to two national championships, in 2006 and 2007.
Personal life
Wiel's son, Zander Wiel, is a professional baseball player who represented the Netherlands national baseball team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.[6][7]
Randy Wiel died from pancreatic cancer at his home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on 14 October 2025, at the age of 74.[8][9]
Honours
Player
- NCAA Division I: runner-up 1977[10]
Netherlands
- EuroBasket: fourth place 1983[11]
(assistent) Coach
North Carolina Tar Heels
- Dutch Basketball League: 2006, 2007[13]
- Dutch National Basketball Cup: 2008, 2009[14]
Individual
- Best basketball player on Aruba: 1974[15]
- Sports figure of the year: runner-up 1974[16]
- Top scorer Dutch Basketball League[17]
References
- ^ a b "Randy Wiel Basketbal statistieken Spelers Dossier - NBB Database, basketball statistieken". db.basketball.nl. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Nederlands basketbalicoon Wiel (74) overleden, oud-coach van jonge Jordan" [Dutch basketball icon Wiel (74 years old) dies, former coach of junior Jordan]. nos.nl (in Dutch). 15 October 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
- ^ "Introductie Randy Wiel Rotterdam Basketbal College". Retrieved 5 February 2023 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ Randy Wiel coach van Rotterdam
- ^ Troost, Fred (17 December 2004). "'Coachen is een nomadisch bestaan'". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ Organ, Mike (22 March 2014). "Vanderbilt baseball player's dad takes timeout for games". The Tennessean. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ^ "Grote namen in voorselectie Koninkrijksteam voor World Baseball Classic – HonkbalSoftbal.nl". HonkbalSoftbal.nl (in Dutch). 10 January 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ^ Joyce, Cecil. "Former MTSU men's basketball coach Randy Wiel dies at 74". The Daily News Journal. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
- ^ "Obituary: Randy Wiel". Woodfin Chapel. Archived from the original on 16 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ^ "Roster Basketball 1976". tarheeltimes.com. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ "List of participating players". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Mart Smeets (2001). "Randy Wiel". Kriebels (in Dutch). p. 46. ISBN 90-204-0368-0.
- ^ "Voormalig coach EiffelTowers Randy Wiel (74) overleden". dtvnieuws.nl (in Dutch). 15 October 2025. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ "Randy Wiel (74) overleden". bd.nl (in Dutch). 15 October 2025. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ^ Amigoe di Curacao : weekblad voor de Curacaosche eilanden, 18 december 1974
- ^ Amigoe di Curacao : weekblad voor de Curacaosche eilanden, 24 juni 1974
- ^ Mart Smeets (15 October 2025). "Randy Wiel (1951-2025) was altijd iets te laat; een tamelijk goede basketbalcoach en een flirt-machine zonder weerga". noordhollandsdagblad.nl. Retrieved 22 February 2026.