The Arizona Wheelchair Men’s Basketball team defeated UT Arlington 75-65 in late March to claim the program’s first national title. For a program that’s been around for 50 years, it was about time to bring a championship home.
Senior Justyn Newman was named MVP after a 26-point performance in the championship game. He also had 30 points in the semifinal game.
To get to the championship, the Wildcats had to beat Edinboro as well as Southwest Minnesota State.
It was the third straight year that Arizona had been to the national championship, and it’s safe to say that third time’s a charm.
Team captain and graduate student Ben Thornton knew how challenging it was to come back this year after back to back championship losses. However, it was well worth the wait for him.
“When that final buzzer went off, it was just kind of a sigh of relief,” Thornton said. “Just thinking back to everything that we’ve been through as a team. New players and old players that have come back and helped us mold this championship team.”
Thornton reflected on what it took to finally bring the championship trophy home, and said that he could not have done it without his support system.
“Being an athlete on this team has been a super, incredible opportunity, but I don’t want to take much credit of it at all,” he said. “It’s all my friends, my family, my leaders. Everyone who has shaped me to be who I am today, they get the credit for this.”
One of those key people in Thornton’s development is head coach Mike Beardsley.
During their championship celebration ceremony, Beardsley could not stop praising his team for their hard work.
“I’m so proud of you guys, so proud of you guys,” Beardsley said. “The culture we’ve built, you guys were so coachable this year.”
Most athletic teams usually don’t take the time after games to go and thank the referees, event staff, or even clean up after themselves. That is not the case with this team.
“You guys are the nicest team, the most thoughtful team,” Beardsley said. “You guys always clean up, always thank the refs, always thank the table. As a coach, that’s the most you can ask for.”
During the ceremony, it was announced that the NWBA championship will be hosted by Arizona, and the championship game will be played in McKale Center.
This only gave Thornton extra motivation to come back and defend the team’s championship title.
“That’s a huge opportunity for our program to show Tucson what we’re all about,” he said. “Not only just our team here at U of A but wheelchair basketball in general, the sport of wheelchair basketball, to show our community here that we know how to play.”
Next season becomes an opportunity for the team to show that they’re more than just “basketball players in wheelchairs.”
“Not only are we fighting for a national championship, but we’re also fighting for credibility amongst our community,” he said. “We’re not just a bunch of guys that are, you know, disabled and want to be waited on.”
This type of mindset is the standard that Beardsley and Thornton set for the rest of the team. Sophomore Carter Jones had taken this mindset to heart.
“He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met,” Jones said of Thornton. “He’s always in the gym, first one in the gym, last one in the gym. He’s the standard for me.”
While it may not be officially a part of the Arizona athletics department, the Arizona Men’s Wheelchair Basketball team is still a part of the Wildcats community.
The Wildcats community will get to see the team be presented their championship rings at halftime during the Oklahoma State home football game in October.
It’s a long road ahead to prove that its national title was not a fluke or a one time thing.
The team will also be proving to the community what wheelchair basketball is all about, and how the program is more established than most people think it is.