NWBA Adult Tournament Kicks Off
Instead of preparing for the start of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) Adult Division Championships after arriving in Richmond, Va.,, Ability360 Phoenix Suns player Justin Walker spent hours trying to get his team’s wheelchairs in order and champion for more humane service from a major airline.
He and the Suns weren’t alone either, as the Adult Division I Golden State Road Warriors and Adult Division III Providence Saints teams also experienced the same aggravating situation Wednesday evening deplaning the same Southwest Airlines flight from Denver and dealing with wheelchair issues at Richmond International Airport. Some players were lucky to just play in their games, which kicked off Friday at the Henrico Sports & Events Center in Glen Allen, Va.
Two of those three teams won their opening-round games.
The No. 4 seed Road Warriors defeated the No. 13 seed Houston Rolling Rockets, 51-40, in their first-round morning Adult Division 1 game, then took care of the No. 5 seed Mary Free Bed Pacers, 69-62, in the quarterfinals.
They still have a chance to defend their division title, as they’ll take on the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in one of Saturday’s semifinals, while the No. 2 seed MedStar NRH Punishers and No. 3 seed WASA Marquette Eagles meet in the other one.
“The main thing is, like, we came to do a job, and our job is not done until this tournament is over. So, right now, the task at hand is to continue doing our job to the best of our ability,” says Road Warriors player Marcus Oden, a 39-year-old double amputee and Sacramento, Calif., resident who was injured in 1996 when he was pushed off a train.
Meanwhile, in Adult Division II, No. 8 seed Ability360 won its first-round game, defeating the No. 9 seed Memphis Rollin’ Grizzlies, 52-45, in the morning.
Ability360, which led by seven at halftime and 12 late in the third quarter, was up 38-27 heading into the fourth period. But Memphis rallied back, slicing the deficit to 46-45 on a Jakob Wiig free throw with 1 minute and 3 seconds remaining.
But thanks to some clutch free-throw shooting by Ability360’s Robert Reed and some tougher outside defense, the Suns held on. Ability360 forced Memphis into three straight missed shots and a turnover, and Reed hit 6-of-8 free throw attempts inside the final 50 seconds to preserve the win.
Ability360 wasn’t as lucky in the quarterfinals, as the Adult Division II No. 1 seed Los Angeles Clippers Chairmen rolled to a 60-40 win, sending the Suns to the consolation bracket. Los Angeles will take on the No. 4 seed LWSRA Hawks in one Saturday semifinal, while the No. 2 seed San Antonio ParaSport Spurs and No. 3 seed Chicago Hornets will meet in the other.
Walker, a 35-year-old Phoenix resident, was thankful to be able to play. He sustained a C7 incomplete spinal-cord injury March 19, 2008, during a baseball game while playing for West Valley Community College in Saratoga, Calif. He slid into home plate and the catcher’s knee collided with his neck.
“ …Thank you to this facility … They’re the reason why I was able to kind of just forget how, like, how they treated us for the last 24 hours. We get to come in here and play, you know?” Walker says about the Henrico Sports & Events Center. “Yeah, there are some things that we had a minor tweak to our chairs to make sure that they work. But, you know, it was as long as we have an opportunity.”
And in Adult Division III, the No. 13 seed Providence Saints split their opening two games, too — though in the opposite fashion.
The No. 4 seed LWSRA Hawks knocked off Providence, 61-40, in the first round. But the Saints rebounded in the consolation round, upsetting the No. 5 seed Coastal Chairmen, 55-50, in a late-evening game.
The two semifinal matchups will feature the No. 1 seed Arkansas Rollin’ Razorbacks against the No. 4 seed LWSRA Hawks and the No. 3 seed Tucson Lobos against the No. 15 seed Austin Rec’ers. Austin upset the No. 2 seed Cleveland Wheelchair Cavaliers, 60-57, in the first round and No. 7 seed Shepherd Stealers, 46-35, in the quarterfinals.
For a follow-up on the airline problems the teams faced, visit sportsnspokes.com next week.
National Wheelchair Basketball Association
National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament Championships At Henrico Sports & Events Center in Glen Allen, Va.
Adults Division 1 April 12
First Round
No. 1 Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks 78, No. 16 New York Rollin’ Knicks 28
No. 8 Utah Wheelin’ Jazz 60, No. 9 NMCSD WolfPack 43
No. 4 Golden State Road Warriors 51, No. 13 Houston Rolling Rockets 40
No. 5 Mary Free Bed Pacers 59, No. 12 Los Angeles Hotwheels 40
No. 6 Charlotte Rollin’ Hornets 60, No. 11 TIRR Memorial Rehabilitation Sharks 46
No. 3 WASA Marquette Eagles 81, No. 14 WWAR Generals 47
No. 10 Seattle Sonics 42, No. 7 Rancho Halos 40
No. 2 MedStar NRH Punishers 60, No. 15 Minnesota Courage Kenny Rolling Timberwolves 40
Quarterfinals
No. 1 Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks 78, No. 8 Utah Jazz 53
No. 4 Golden State Road Warriors 69, No. 5 Mary Free Bed Pacers 62
No. 3 WASA Marquette Eagles 69, No. 6 Charlotte Rollin’ Hornets 48
No. 2 MedStar NRH Punishers 57, No. 10 Seattle Sonics 40
Consolation
No. 16 New York Rollin’ Knicks, No. 9 NMCSD WolfPack
No. 12 Los Angeles Hotwheels 63, No. 13 Houston Rolling Rockets 51
Division 2
First Round
No. 1 Los Angeles Clippers Chairmen 54, No. 16 Orlando Magic Wheels 25
No. 8 Ability360 Phoenix Suns 52, No. 9 Memphis Rollin’ Grizzlies 45
No. 4 LWSRA Hawks 57, No. 13 Magee Spokesmen 48
No. 5 TIRR Memorial Rehabilitation Sharks 56, No. 12 Shepherd Stealers 39
No. 6 Denver Rolling Nuggets, No. 11 Charlotte Rollin’ Hornets
No. 3 Chicago Hornets 62, No. 14 Sportable Rimriders 28
No. 10 Kansas City Kings 66, No. 7 Lakeshore Storm 35
No. 2 San Antonio ParaSport Spurs, 79 No. 15 ParaSport Spokane 50
Quarterfinals
No. 1 Los Angeles Clippers Chairmen 60, No. 8 Ability360 Suns 40
No. 4 LWSRA Hawks 62, No. 5 TIRR Memorial Rehabilitation Sharks 51
No. 3 Chicago Hornets 72, No. 6 Denver Rolling Nuggets 63
No. 2 San Antonio ParaSport Spurs 76, No. 10 Kansas City Kings 58
Consolation
No. 16 Orlando Magic Wheels 54, No. 9 Memphis Rollin’ Grizzlies 31
No. 12 Shepherd Stealers 44, No. 13 Magee Spokesmen 35
Division III
First Round
No. 1 Arkansas Rollin’ Razorbacks 78, No. 16 VAIL Harrisonburg Cardinals 32
No. 9 Brooks Ballers 64, No. 8 Charlotte Rollin’ Hornets 53
No. 4 LWSRA Hawks 61, No. 13 Providence Saints 40
No. 12 Virginia Sun Wheelers 45, No. 5 Coastal Chairmen 35
No. 6 Charlottesville Cardinals 44, No. 11 Tampa Bay Strong Dogs 41
No. 3 Tucson Lobos 63, No. 14 Tacoma Titans 45
No. 7 Shepherd Stealers 56, No. 10 Columbia Heat 47
No. 15 Austin Rec’ers 60, No. 2 Cleveland Wheelchair Cavaliers 57
Quarterfinals
No. 1 Arkansas Rollin’ Razorbacks 77, No. 9 Brooks Ballers 31
No. 4 LWSRA Hawks, No. 12 Virginia Sun Wheelers 54
No. 3 Tucson Lobos 62, No. 6 Charlottesville Cardinals 52
No. 15 Austin Rec’ers 46, No. 7 Shepherd Stealers 35
Consolation
No. 8 Charlotte Rollin’ Hornets 64, No. 16 VAIL Harrisonburg Cardinals 43
No. 13 Providence Saints 55, No. 5 Coastal Chairmen 50