Tyson Wheeler mastered remaining calm and cool in pressure-packed situations during his playing days.

The crafty point guard usually found his way out of a jam.

He's taking a similar approach during this uncertain time in his college basketball coaching career. He isn't panicking about being in limbo after spending eight years as an assistant under Fairfield coach Sydney Johnson who was fired earlier this month.

A former New London High School and Rhode Island star, Wheeler is keeping busy serving as the program's interim head coach and reaching out to his college basketball friends and contacts about possible job openings.

"There might be some opportunities for me," Wheeler said on Tuesday. "I have people that are going to be getting head coaching jobs that have said they'd love to have me. It's a business where a lot of people get worried. I'll start to get worried when September comes around and I don't have a job.

"Right now, there's a lot of movement in the college world. I should be able to find something."

Fairfield is where Wheeler's college basketball coaching career began after his professional playing career ended. He started out as the director of basketball operations before becoming an assistant.

Wheeler, 43, already survived one coaching change there, joining Johnson's staff after Ed Cooley took the Providence College job.

It was a rough season for the Stags, who finished 9-22 overall. They went 116-147 in Johnson's eight years at the helm. 

When reached by phone on Tuesday afternoon, Wheeler was on the Fairfield campus. He continues to work with the players and keep them on track academically. He filled the same interim head coach role when Cooley left.

"I'm just happy that they kept me," Wheeler said. "That has to mean something."

With no clear timetable for when Fairfield plans to fill the opening, Wheeler is already searching for a new job. He hasn't ruled out staying at Fairfield as an assistant, but that will be up to the next head coach.

Over the years, Wheeler has passed up other coaching opportunities to remain at Fairfield.

"I had an opportunity to go to Northeastern with my former assistant at Rhode Island, Bill Coen, and decided to stay here," Wheeler said. "I tried to get to Rhode Island a few times when they had coaching changes, but it didn't work out. But I've been fortunate to be able to stay near my home."

Wheeler's home is in Norwich where he lives with his wife, Farrah, 20-year-old daughter Tiara and two sons — Tyson, 14, and Tevin, nine. Tiara is a sophomore at Fairfield.

Ideally, his next job would allow him to live in the New England/New York region.

"But I've still got to explore my options," Wheeler said. "I need to have a backup plan. ... I've got some other Division I opportunities that are not close to home. That might be possible. I've got to pay the bills, you know what I mean?"

Wheeler has furthered his college basketball coaching education while at Fairfield. He appreciates the opportunity that Johnson gave him.

He believes he has a lot to offer to a program on any level. He's also open to pursuing a head coaching job, but is not in the running for the Fairfield opening.

"I feel like I've done a really good job here," Wheeler said. "We have five winning seasons out of eight. We did a really good job but we had some guys transfer and that happens, and it has happened to a lot of schools.

"I think I can recruit the whole country and overseas, so I don't limit myself to just New England, which I think is big. My name helps that. Any time I call somebody in California or Texas or Nebraska, they know who I am from my playing time and it just gets me in the door and gets the conversation going about Fairfield or whatever school I'm at. I think that's huge in the recruiting process."

Wheeler hopes his job situation is resolved in a relatively timely manner. He's enjoying spending time with his family. He recently traveled to Massachusetts to watch Tyson play in an AAU tournament.

He'll continue to remain calm in the face of uncertainty.

"I've got to be optimistic and hopefully something will come about," Wheeler said.

g.keefe@theday.com