If there was ever one mantra at the University of Alabama, it would read as follows: A Tradition of Winning. This philosophy takes many forms; for Nick Saban, it’s the Process. For many students, it’s late nights and early mornings at Gorgas Library. For the University of Alabama Men and Women’s Wheelchair basketball team, it’s waking up around 6 a.m. every weekday morning to practice their craft. Quite often, this dedication and hard work is translated to wins on the hardwood.
A few weeks ago, I casually attempted to go watch the team practice around 6:30 a.m. When I took the court to watch the team, head men’s coach Miles Thompson immediately put me to work shagging rebounds. Not even I, the casual observer could escape the magnetic pull of these young men and women.
After brief introductions, Coach Thompson broke down the basics of wheelchair basketball. In traditional ambulatory basketball, positions are regularly assigned by height. In wheelchair basketball, it’s assigned by disability. Each player has a specific court value according to their level of disability from 1-4, and each team can have a maximum of 14 “points” on the court at all times. A 1, for example, has little to no function of their abdominal muscles, while a 4 might be an amputee.
What was amazing to me was how excellent these athletes are at their craft. During halftime of the LSU basketball game, I failed to make a 3 point basket within 30 seconds during the Full Moon Challenge. These young men and women can sink seemingly effortless shots behind the arc, some without abdominal muscles. It’s truly a magnificent experience to watch these players in action.
Alabama wheelchair basketball teams have had great success here at the Capstone, with the women’s team notably winning back-to-back-to-back championships. The men are faring just as well this season, led by players such as Jared Arambula, Ryan Hynes, and Bo Hedges.
If interested in attending a game, the men and women will be participating in the Medical Direct Club Classic this weekend, starting at 6:30 p.m. tonight at Foster Auditorium. Of course, University of Alabama students get in free.
Matt Moore, along with Maggie O’Keeffe, covers Wheelchair Basketball for WVUA 90.7. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact at memoore3@crimson.ua.edu
Freshman at The University of Alabama. I'm a sports journalism major from Denver, CO. Aside from writing about Alabama baseball, I also write for the Arizona Diamondbacks for venomstrikes.com on the Fansided network. If you like sports, then we can be friends. Follow me on Twitter @realcmoff18
