Team USA Wheelchair Basketball Squad Begins Quest for Paralympics ‘Three-Peat’

It was both a reunion and friendly welcome to new faces as the recently named U.S. Men’s Wheelchair Basketball National Team gathered at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for their first training camp, April 18-20.

With a blend of age, experience, skill and levels of disability, their end goal is one and the same: bring home a third consecutive team gold medal from the Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

Six of the 12-member squad are returning players from the victorious Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 team, in addition to two of the alternates.

“The core group of us from Tokyo is here, but there are some young guys now too, so there is a more of a learning curve,” says Jake Williams, a member of the Paralympics Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 gold medal winning squads.

Veteran leadership starts with Steve Serio, 36, the face of USA Wheelchair Basketball, who will compete at his fifth and final Paralympics; in addition to Trevon Jenifer, 35, and Nate Hinze, 35, both of whom will be making their fourth Paralympics appearances.

“We’ve been together for three, four Paralympics so we’ll know what to expect, what the competition will be like, what the (Paralympics) Village will be like,” says Hinze. “We’ll also have five newbies, so they’ll be fun to watch.”

“The veteran guys are all pretty close, so that’s definitely part of the reason that coming back for another cycle was appealing,” Williams said. “I trust these guys implicitly on and off the court.”

Former assistant coach Robb Taylor assumes the head coaching responsibilities from the legendary Ron Lykins, who guided the U.S. men’s and women’s teams to a combined four Paralympic gold medals.

Opposing defenses who double team Serio – who can light up a court like the aurora borealis does the northern sky – will then create space for Williams, who provides Team USA with a formidable 1-2 scoring threat.

The 32-year-old Wisconsin native tallied 13 points, second to Serio’s 28, in Team USA’s come from behind, 64-60 gold medal victory over Japan in Tokyo. In Rio 2016, Williams – the youngest player to suit up for that team – banked 20 points, leading the U.S. to a 68-52 gold medal clincher over Spain.

“Tokyo was more like a justification coming off Rio,” Williams said, “I think in Rio we had the best wheelchair basketball team ever assembled and all the stats back it up.”

Can Williams spark Team USA to the trifecta of Paralympic tournament triumphs?

He says shining brightly in the city of lights will be a tougher task than at any tournament previous. The men’s field has been reduced from 12 to 8 nations, and as a result, the talent level and overall quality of play should be elevated.

“Obviously, the world has gotten better and I think a lot of it was us being over in Europe – I was there for seven years, and Brian (Bell), Matt (Scott), and Steve (Serio) were also sprinkled on different teams,” Williams says. “I firmly believe that we helped the rest of the world get better.”

Williams was struck by a car while riding his bike at the age of 16, severing his spinal cord. He began his wheelchair basketball career just four months later and has been a force donning the red, white and blue since 2015.

If the U.S. is to make it three in a row, they’ll also need strong performances from Jenifer and Brian Bell, both of whom bring athleticism, hustle and staunch defense to the mix.

“They’re probably the best defenders in the world,” says Williams.

Experience and depth will also be bolstered by Paul Schulte – one of the most decorated athletes to ever play the sport. Schulte, 44, a two-time Paralympics medalist and Hall of Famer, having contributed to USA Wheelchair Basketball’s bronze medals at the Paralympic Games London 2012 and Sydney 2000, rejoins the fold. He has proudly represented the U.S. dating to 1997, while on the U23 World Championship roster.

In wheelchair basketball, threre is also the matter of classification, like other Paralympic sports. Williams is classified as a 2.5-point player, while his other teammates are classified at 3.5 to 4.5. The higher the classification, the greater the player’s functional ability. Teams are allowed a maximum total of 14 classification points on the court at any given time.

Williams’ play is even more impressive considering his lower functional ability, compensating with determination, smarts and quick reflexes on the court.

“You better guard him because he can definitely put the ball in the hole,” Heinz says, about his fellow Wisconsin teammate. “It’s his composure too – he doesn’t get rattled. He’s definitely a sharp shooter along with Steve that we’re lucky to have on our team.”

The Paralympic basketball tournament opens on August 29 at Bercy Arena, along the banks of the Seine River. Interestingly, the U.S. Wheelchair team will be battling for gold on the same hardwood and under the same roof as their ballyhooed, able-bodied countrymen LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant do, just over two weeks prior.

Team USA will arrive not only as back-to-back Paralympic gold medalists, but also the reigning world champions and victors at the last five Parapan American Games, most recently chalking up another title in Santiago, Chile, in November 2023.

Suffice to say, the talented U.S. tournament favorites will be eyed closely by all, just like the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. What will be their plan to paint another masterpiece in Paris?

“I think the team that grows the most and is the most adaptable comes out on top,” Williams says. “The rest of the world is very good – going down to eight teams, every game is going to be a battle. All eight teams can justifiably win a gold medal.”

“For us, it’s just focusing more on what we can do and can control to get better and not necessarily focusing on what other teams are doing,” Hinze says. “Wearing the USA jersey is always an honor for sure.”