UA Hosts Wheelchair Basketball Tournament

wbasket1_72TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama Disabilities Sports (UADS) Program will host the first Alabama Invitational Wheelchair Basketball Tournament from 8 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 4-noon on Sunday, Dec. 5, at the UA Student Recreation Center.

Ten of the top wheelchair basketball teams from across the Southeast will come to the UA campus for the round robin tournament in which each team will play four games.

The UA Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team is the host team for the tournament. This is the second season for the Crimson Tide team, which is one of only three women’s college teams in the country. In their second season the team has added players and is off to an encouraging start with 5 wins and 6 losses this season — all against men’s teams.

Although the UA team competes in the women’s division of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA), the Tide will continue to play against men’s teams in games and tournaments across the Southeast in order to qualify for the Women’s National Wheelchair tournament at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Penn., Feb. 23-27, 2005.

wbasket2_72Margaret Stran, UA Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team head coach, says the decision to play against men’s teams to get ready for the National Women’s tournament was made because there are only 12 teams in the women’s division and many are a long distance away. “We made the decision to play the men’s teams because we can get more games and because we feel that the higher level of competition will make us a better team for the Women’s National Tournament,” she explained.

Brent Hardin, UADS director, has seen progress in the second-year UA team. “We have added some fast and talented players this season, including graduate student and Paralympic Gold Medal winner Stephanie Wheeler and freshman Mary Allison Milford. The combination of these good, new players plus a more challenging schedule is really making the difference for this team,” Hardin notes.

Admission to the tournament at UA is free to the public. Sponsors include the Lakeshore Foundation, Golden Rule Barbecue and Schlotzsky’s Deli.

For more information about UADS or the UA Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team, contact Hardin at 205/348-5109 or Stran at 205/348-7991, and visit the UADS Web site at www.bama.ua.edu/~uads.

Contact

Linda Hill, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325, lhill@ur.ua.edu

Source

Brent Hardin, 205/348-5109 Margaret Stran, 205/348-7991