Jake Williams Drops 22, Steve Serio Notches Triple-Double as Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Beats Spain, 66-56

PARIS – The U.S. men’s wheelchair basketball team’s quest for an unprecedented three-peat started off with a bang.

Fending off a Spanish team that boasts a threatening offense, the U.S. capitalized on a two-minute Spain scoring drought late in the fourth quarter to pull away for the win. With 3:28 to play, Steve Serio found a wide-open John Boie for a layup, pushing the U.S. lead to double digits (62-51). A smile burst on to Serio’s face, almost as if he knew the bucket sealed the deal.

“JB is a great player for us,” Serio said. “He’s been a constant for us over the last couple of years. We have the utmost confidence in him not only as a role player but as a scorer as well. When I dumped that ball down to him, I had no doubt that the ball was going to drop.

“That’s why I was smiling, because we’re 12-deep. We’re 12 (players) strong, and we’re going to be a tough team to beat moving forward.”

Serio, the team’s captain, fought off his first-half shooting struggles to end the night with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. Eight of his 12 assists came in the first half, as he found a multitude of ways to dish the ball inside to Trevon Jenifer (14 points), and out to the perimeter to sharpshooter Jake Williams, who finished with a game-high 22 points.

“It’s definitely frustrating when your shot’s not dropping,” Serio began. “The good thing about it is that I found another way to be productive. The best thing about this team is that it’s never one guy, never one player. It’s going to come down to the 12 of us, and we know we got each other’s backs.”

Backing Serio’s claim, Jenifer finished a perfect 7-for-7 from the field, and kept his head on a swivel for Serio’s passes.

“We’re not a one-trick pony,” Jenifer said. “Steve is an awesome shooter, but he’s also an awesome distributor and a defensive player. Maybe it’s not his shot that day, but he brings other things to the game.”

Although the squads were in a tight battle over the first three quarters, Spain never held a lead of more than one point in the game. Additionally, the U.S. outscored Spain in every quarter of the game. Midway through the second, the U.S. quickly erased a slim 23-22 Spanish advantage with back-to-back buckets from Serio and Brian Bell. Bell was the fourth and final U.S. player to finish in double figures with 10.

The squad was one of the first U.S. teams to arrive into Paris, hoping some extra practice would help them with their quest to become the first wheelchair basketball program in Paralympic history to win three straight gold medals. However, even Jenifer admitted that getting to play a team other than themselves was a relief.

“It’s different,” Jenifer said with a laugh. “You do a lot of scrimmaging against each other, and we beat up each other quite a bit. So, it’s kind of nice to be able to play somebody different.”

“It was awesome to knock off the rust and get back out there on the court.”

Another relief came in the form of the crowd. Although the frenzied crowd of 12,682 fans appeared to favor Spain slightly, Jenifer noted that it was simply nice to hear some noise again after playing in an empty arena during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

“That’s something that you miss,” Jenifer admitted. “I remember being in Tokyo at the free-throw and hearing crickets. Now it’s the complete opposite. You’re getting booed, you’re getting cheered. But, I think that’s something that fuels your adrenaline and play.

“I think that it’s awesome to have fans back in the stands. I’m excited.”

Despite the win, Serio pointed out that the team can always find something to correct going into their next game on Aug. 31 against the Netherlands. Most notably, Spain’s potent offense sped out after the U.S.’s makes to beat the U.S. defenders to the paint on the other side of the court.

“They did an awesome job, even after we scored, at sending two or three guys to back-pick our guys, and how they moved in transition. Their height was really tall. We’re a faster team, but if they get in the paint and miss one or two shots, they get the ball right back and put it up and we can’t contest.

“Moving forward, we’re going to make that adjustment, watch some film and hopefully execute that during our game against the Dutch in two days.”

Brendan Rourke is a Digital Media Assistant for the USOPC. Previously, he spent three seasons writing for the NBA's Indiana Pacers.