The “combine”, now in its third year, was put together by the National Wheelchair Basketball Associations Division 1, as an opportunity for any wheelchair basketball player with some experience, to showcase their skills and abilities, and possibly improve their draft status in the coming season’s draft. It gives players and coaches the opportunity to be exposed to the Division 1 game and learn what it takes to play at this level. This event is an optional opportunity to gain exposure for prospective D1 players. Coaches/representatives from D1 teams will be in attendance. Participants might include players from Collegiate Division, Division 1 and Division 2 teams. They will be put through a full day of testing, drills, scrimmages, interviews and evaluations of their talents.

The secondary goal of the combine, is to help further the sport of wheelchair basketball by developing local players and coaches, and improve the competitiveness of the game.

The Eastern Wheelchair Basketball Conference - established in 1953 and which presently consists of five teams in the New York metropolitan area (two Division 3 teams, and three Division 2 teams) is the oldest conference in existence in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA). The NWBA is comprised of 181 wheelchair basketball teams, with twenty-two conferences. Founded in 1948 it today consists of men’s, women’s, intercollegiate and youth teams throughout the United States and Canada.

For players interested in participating at the combine, contact Dug Jones at dug.jones@sfcc.edu. Players are responsible for their own transportation to and from the combine and for their own hotel costs. To access all of this information, follow the link to the Division 1 website: www.d1bb.com. For specific information about the site, including hotels and airports, contact EWBC Conference Commissioner Mike Zangari at mzang59@aol.com, or call 516-759-0796.

The public is encouraged to attend this exciting opportunity, and witness some of the best players in wheelchair basketball. Admission is free.



Division 1 (D1) completes 13th season!

The 2007 NWBT marked the completion of the 13th season of Division 1’s existence. At points in that 13 year span, twelve different teams have competed with five different national champions being crowned.

D1 moves into a 14th season with the goal of adding new teams and players. To this end, a player combine will be held on June 9th, 2007 at Nassau Community College, Long Island, New York and the D1 player draft will be held in early July.

The Division 1 game is played using NBA rules and has a goal of creating competitive opportunities at the highest level.

Teams and/or players interested in D1 should contact Mel Juette at juette.melvin@mail.da.state.wi.us



Dallas Teams Sweep Titles at NWBT
Mavericks take home both Division I and Division II championships

LEXINGTON, Kent.--The Dallas Mavericks have swept the Division I and Division II national championships at the 2007 National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament. The Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks defeated Team British Columbia, 91-88, in overtime, to win their third consecutive title and the Dallas ABC Mavericks downed the Arkansas Rollin' Razorbacks, 66-62, to take home the Division II crown.

British Columbia looked like a team on a mission to start the Division I title game. They paired a balanced offensive game with excellent defense to take a 36-27 lead into half time. B.C. held Dallas to 33% shooting and allowed Mavs standout Paul Schulte only one point in the half. Coming out of the break, B.C. superstar Patrick Anderson took control and seemingly put his team on the road to victory. Anderson scored 24 of his game-high 37 points in the third quarter and helped B.C. to a commanding 66-52 lead heading into the final frame. It seemed as though Dallas would be faced with more of the same in the fourth as Anderson opened the period with another of his four 3-point field goals. But, just 37 seconds into the fourth Anderson was whistled for his sixth foul on a questionable call that could have easily gone against Dallas' Willie Hernandez. Anderson took to the bench with 11:23 left in the game and his team leading 69-52.

"That's not the way we drew it up," said Anderson. "When I picked up my fifth, my coach trusted me to be able to stay in the game and not foul out. On the other hand, Willie trusted that he would be able to draw the contact and get the foul called on me and that's how it worked out."

Dallas immediately put on the press to try to rattle B.C. who was now without its best ball handler. B.C. struggled a bit with the pressure, but managed to continue to get the ball down the floor and score some points. On the other end, Dallas was doing a phenomenal job of rebounding the ball, but the big men were having a hard time finishing on the put-backs. While Dallas has closed the gap, B.C. still held on to a solid 11 point lead with 5:30 to go. As the quarter wound down, the Mavericks successfully continued to extend and pressure B.C. on defense and on the offensive end, Jeff Glasbrenner and Raul Ortega stepped up to carry the inside-outside attack. Ortega hit back-to-back jumpers to get Dallas within one, 81-80, and just 32 seconds remaining. B.C.'s Richard Peter countered with a transition lay-up for a three point B.C. lead and only 21 seconds left. On the next possession, Dallas' Jason Van Beek picked up the hoop and the harm and knocked down the free throw to tie the score at 83 and send the game into overtime.

"When Anderson fouled out of the game we all looked up at the clock and went, 'Wow,' there's a lot of time left," said Schulte. "We knew we had to go out there and chip away and we couldn't try to hit a home run right out of the gate. We were never discourage and knew we just needed to stay patient."

The teams traded baskets for most of the overtime period and with 1:33 to go, B.C's Ross MacDonald hit a long jumper to tie the game and he was fouled on the shot. MacDonald proceeded to miss the free throw, leaving the score knotted at 88. Glasbrenner was then fouled with 20 seconds left in overtime and he hit one of his two free throws to give Dallas the slim 89-88 advantage. B.C. got the ball back for a final shot and though they were able to attempt four shots from in the lane, none would fall and Dallas would win its third consecutive title, 89-88. Glasbrenner led the Mavericks with 25 points, closely followed by Schulte who added 19 points and 13 assists.

"I give kudos to our guys for hanging in there, but Dallas did what they had to do to take it home," added Anderson.

Turning to the Division II title game, the ABC Mavericks looked to dump the ball inside to Bobby Nickleberry from the start, but Arkansas' defense keyed on the big man and the Razorbacks quickly went to a double-team strategy. Arkansas executed this well, forcing Dallas to turn elsewhere for offensive production and they got it from TK Dannelly. Dannelley put up 14 points in the first half and an additional 11 points from Nickleberry helped Dallas out to an eight point lead with five minutes to go in the first. But, Arkansas had its own answer on offense. The Razorbacks shot 59% from the floor in the first half, led by Jared Johnson's 14 points, which helped keep Arkansas in the hunt. The first half ended with Dallas holding on to a 31-28 lead.

"They were doubling Nickleberry on the inside and they were so focused on [Steve] Welch handling the ball, I was able to open up the floor on the opposite side and hit the shots I needed to hit," said Dannelley.

Dallas made a nice defensive adjustment on Johnson in the second half and continued to get great contributions from Dannelley, who led the Mavericks with 20 points, as well as Paul Lanciault, who put up a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. But, the Razorbacks would not back down. With less than one minute to go, Johnson hit a big 3-pointer to get Arkansas within six, the start of a 7-0 Razorbacks run that left Dallas up by only two points, 64-62. Arkansas was forced to foul to stop the clock and with 10 seconds remaining, Welch went to the line for an important one-and-one. He hit both shots to push the lead to four and on Arkansas' next inbounds pass, Dannelley stole the ball to seal the victory.

"You hate to end up in a close game with Arkansas because they shoot the ball so well and they're so poised," said Welch, who was one rebound shy of a triple-double, dropping in 15 points, pulling down 9 boards and handing out 16 assists. "Usually about 95% of our offense comes from me or Nickleberry and today Dannelley and Lanciault stepped up and to do that in a championship game is awesome."

Posted by: Lakeshore on Saturday, March 31, 2007



Match-Ups Set for NWBT Championship Games
Team British Columbia and Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks to play for Division I title and Arkansas Rollin' Razorbacks and Dallas ABC Mavericks to play for Division II title.

LEXINGTON, Kent.--The 2007 National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament began on Friday and following a full day of semifinal games, Team British Columbia and the Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks will play for the Division I national championship and the Dallas ABC Mavericks and the Arkansas Rollin' Razorbacks will play for the Division II national championship. The Division I semifinals saw British Columbia cruise past the Milwaukee Wheelchair Bucks, 84-55, while Dallas defeated the Denver Rolling Nuggets, 92-74. In Division II action, the ABC Mavericks squeaked past the Charlottesville Cardinals, 69-67, in overtime while the Arkansas easily handled the Golden State Road Warriors, 82-65.

The match-up between Charlottesville and Dallas started off the Division II action and ended up being the most exciting semifinal of the day. With just 29 seconds remaining in the game, Dallas' Steve Welch put down a reverse lay-up to tie the score at 61. The Cardinals' big men weren't able to put the ball down on the other end, despite some great rebounding and numerous chances to score the game-winner. The Mavs regained possession with just 4.5 seconds on the clock and proceeded to call a timeout. On the ensuing inbounds play, Charlottesville's Joey Leavitt fouled Welch, putting Welch on the line for two shots with only 2.8 seconds left. But, Welch couldn't put the free throws down in the clutch situation and the game headed to overtime. In the extra session, Charlottesville went cold on the offensive end and Dallas was able to work the ball inside for some easy baskets. With :14 to go, Welch had the opportunity to redeem himself, hitting two big free throws and sealing the win for the Mavs, 69-67. Putting in a double-double performance for Dallas was Bobby Nickleberry with 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Arthur Tracy and Tom Vandever each put up a double-double for the Cardinals. Tracy finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Vandever added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

"Our defense was very poor for most of that game and Charlottesville took advantage of that," said Welch, who led Dallas with 23 points and 15 assists. "In the last minute and half we started to foul and put them on the line. Even though they were making a few of their shots, that strategy really helped us change the momentum of the game, which made us less exposed on defense and opened up our transition game on offense. I had never counted us out of that game, but we definitely stole a win today."

Arkansas and Golden State took to the court next at Memorial Coliseum with each team fighting for the chance to face Dallas in the championship game. Both teams came out playing high-energy, up-tempo basketball and both were playing a balanced inside-outside game. Golden State's Trooper Johnson hit three 3-point field goals early to give the Road Warriors a six point edge shortly into the first. But, Arkansas' Steve Tew put up 16 points of his own in the half and behind 77% shooting from the floor, the Razorbacks took a 41-37 lead into half time. While Arkansas was not able to keep up that torrid shooting pace into the second, they stayed consistent and never let the Warriors contend for the win. Tew led the Razorbacks with 22 points in the 82-65 victory and Johnson led Golden State with 20 points.

"All season we've worked to have good team chemistry and today we had that," said Arkansas' Jared Johnson. "Our star, Steve Tew, came to play today. He set the tone for us early and helped lift the confidence of the rest of the team. We were rotating the ball so well on offense it made us hard to defend because everybody on the floor was a shooting threat."

Milwaukee faced a big task in taking on Team British Columbia in the first Division I semifinal, as B.C. is loaded with talent from the Canadian National Team that won the gold medal at last summer's Wheelchair Basketball World Championships. B.C.'s Patrick Anderson set the tone for his team from the beginning, going on a personal 7-0 run to start the game. Not much would change as the game continued, with Anderson dominating on the offensive side of the ball, scoring 33 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and dishing out 12 assists. Anderson's hot hand combined with Milwaukee's 32% field goal percentage never gave the Bucks the chance to get into the game and British Columbia sailed on to the 84-55 win. Also coming up big for B.C. was Richard Peter with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Dave Durepos led Milwaukee with 22 points.

"This was a good win for us today, a little scrappy, but we got the result we wanted," said British Columbia head coach Peter Taylor. "Hopefully, we can get the same result tomorrow."

The Denver Rolling Nuggets faced a tall order of their own in having to play the 2-time defending national champion Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks in the other Division I semifinal. Strong shooting, solid defense, and excellent rebounding kept Denver in the game early, only trailing the Mavs by one at the end of the first quarter. But, Denver was not able to keep the pace from that point forward. Dallas' big men, led by Jeff Glasbrenner with 25 points and 19 rebounds, consistently broke down the Denver defense to get inside and the Mavs outside shooting wasn't lacking either. Paul Schulte dropped in 18 points and handed out 13 dimes while Raul Ortega poured in 21 points for Dallas, as well. This offensive show helped Dallas claim the 92-74 win and put the Mavericks back in the title game with a chance to win their third straight.

"We did what we needed to do today and had a strong day on offense," said Schutle. "Denver is a real physical team and we did a good job of playing through that. B.C. is incredibly talented and winning another title tomorrow won't be easy."

Both national championship games will be played on Saturday, March 31, at the University of Kentucky's Memorial Coliseum. Dallas and Arkansas will play for the Division II championship at 12:00 PM and British Columbia and Dallas will play for the Division I title at 2:30 PM. Both games are free and open to the public.

Posted by: Lakeshore on Friday, March 30, 2007



59th National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament Kicks-Off on Friday
Nation's best teams set to square off for Division I and Division II national titles

LEXINGTON, Kent.--Historic Memorial Coliseum, located on the campus of the University of Kentucky, is playing host to this weekend's 59th National wheelchair Basketball Tournament (NWBT) where two national championships are up for grabs. Four teams each from the National Wheelchair Basketball Association's (NWBA) Division I and Division II will contend for the 2007 title from their respective division.

The Denver Rolling Nuggets, Milwaukee Wheelchair Bucks and Team British Columbia each look to wrest the Division I title away from the 2-time defending national champion Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks. There is no opportunity for a repeat tile in Division II as last year's winners, the Alberta Northern Lights, have not returned to the 2007 NWBT. The Charlottesville Cardinals (Charlottesville, Virginia), Dallas (ABC) Mavericks, Golden State Road Warriors and Arkansas Rollin' Razorbacks will battle it out to earn this year's crown.

"We feel very confident coming into this weekend," said Dallas' Paul Schulte. "We've continued to improve and play better as the season's gone on. Now, patience and ball movement are going to be two keys to our success, as well as making shots that we want to make and not letting the other team's defense dictate what we do."

Play opens at 11:00 AM EST on Friday, March 30, with Dallas taking on Charlottesville in the first Division II semifinal and at 1:00 PM Golden State and Arkansas take to the court for the second Division II semifinal. Division I competition begins at 3:00 PM with Milwaukee facing off against British Columbia in one semifinal and at 5:00 PM Dallas defends its title against Denver in the second Division I semifinal.

On Saturday, March 31, the Division II national championship game will be played at 12:00 PM and the Division I title game will be play at 2:30 PM. All games are free and open to the public.

"We are very excited to be hosting the NWBT for the second year in a row," said Tournament Director Julie Duncan. "Kentucky is basketball country and this is the third big tournament that's been held in Lexington this month, following the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament and the Sweet 16 high school boys basketball tournament. We're thrilled to have everybody here and wish all the teams good luck this weekend."

Posted by: Lakeshore on Thursday, March 29, 2007