WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL WORLD

Feature National Wheelchair Basketball Tournaments - Article: Men's, Women's & Intercollegiate WHEELCHAIR Early Summer Issue BASKETBALL June/July 1992 WORLD Vol. 1 No. 2

WAW MEW aillitti • Feature Article: Pages 7, 11, 13 -.4- ,- V1 Fa •I' -- ° National Wheelchair Basketball Tournaments PUBLISHER Joseph R Kennedy Front Cover Photo: Men's Championship Final Casa Colina Condors vs. Ottawa Royals SENIOR EDITOR Stan Labanowich, Ph. D. Back Cover Photos: Women's Winners University of Illinois Fighting Illini & CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Armand "Tip" Thiboutot, Ph. D. Intercollegiate Tournament Southern Illinois Kathleen A. Curtis, Ph. D., PT. Rolling Salukis vs. Wright State Raiders Marvin J. Lapicola Photos by Curt Beamer, PVA & Ken Storey Morris Gardner Frank T. Burns Ralph W. Smith Page Lew Shaver Robert J. Szyman • Letter from the Editor 4 Timothy Nugent, Ph. D. Julie Barrnett-Duncan • Letters to the Editor 21 ADVISORY BOARD Frank T. Burns Departments Karen Casper-Robeson David Dougherty • Commissioner's Corner 4 Dale Eazell • Sports Medicine 15 David Efferson Scott Factor • Coach's Corner 16 Brad Hedrick David Kiley • International Corner 19 Stanley Kosloski • Top 25 NWBA Teams 17 Reg McClellan Clifford McKinnon • "You Make the Call" 18 Patricia Ninke Armand Thiboutot, Ph.D. • NWBA Historical Notes 19 Joseph Thieringer • Founding Sponsors 22 Albert Youakim

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Next Issue Robert F. Gaynor ART & PRODUCTION • A Coach's Tribute to a Rising Star by Jim Hayes Robert F. Gaynor • Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball - OFFICE MANAGER A Reminiscence by Lew Shaver Cindy Morrison Subscription prices U.S. $15.00 annually Foreign $25.00 annually Wheelchair Basketball World (WBW) is the official publication of the Editorial Office National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) covering solely wheelchair 23 Farm Drive basketball news & events worldwide. Articles on equipment, personalities, and East Hartford, CT 06108 related basketball topics are welcome. (203) 296-0857 WBW is published bimonthly by the Connecticut Spokebenders Wheelchair Basketball Association, Inc. No reproduction in whole or in part is allowed Advertising Office without written permission from the publisher. The opinions and ideas express- 20 Orchard Hill Drive ed in this magazine are not necessarily representative of the publisher or the Wethersfield, CT 06109 NWBA. Appearance of an advertisement does not imply endorsement or (203) 721-0335 arante advertiser's claims 15th National Interco!! egiate Wheelch air Basketball To urnament by Jeff rey Shuck, Joanne Shuck & Nor ma Wilke

half rally. The tenacious team defense and balanced offense displayed by the II- lini allowed them to slowly but steadily pull away from SIU in the second half. Earl Jordan's spirited ball handling, passing and shooting (22 points) were not enough to hold the Illini. SIU lost 76-40. Illinois had four players in dou- ble digits. Curtis Lease had 31 points, Josh Fabian had 16, James Briggs had 12 and Tony Iniguez had 11. Hatfield said one major thing that Illinois did was to shut down David Niemann inside. Niemann, who averages 13 points and 12 rebounds a game, was held to six points and six rebounds. "If we were going to beat them, we needed a balance attack," Hatfield The University of Texas-Arlington Hayes said. "UTA and Illinois are both said. "I felt like we played well. They Movin' Mays arrived in Carbondale, well developed programs while SIU had beaten us by much more before. III., fired up and ready to defend their and Wright State are still developing. We were up for the game, but they intercollegiate title. The conversation I'm looking forward to when all the shot well in the second half. Right now around the Southern Illinois Univer- teams will be equal. their players are much more athletic, sity Student Recreation Center in- "I'd like to commend Todd Hatfield but I think we're only a player or two cluded questions like: "Is it too early (SIU coach) on the excellent job he away from competing with UTA and to cal UTA a dynasty?" "Are the Illini did on running the tournament. SIU Illinois." the team to dethrone the Mavs?" had excellent facilities and also "Will the Illini look past SIU and be people." The consolation game between the upset?" The answers to these ques- Raiders and the Salukis was next on The second game pitted the No. 2 the agenda. The Dawgs scored first tions would prove to be "Yes", "Not seed University of Illinois against the this year.", and "No." when Jordan fed Niemann No. 3 seed Southern Illinois Rolling underneath for the layup. At the other The tournament opened with the Salukis. Illinois had been the peren- end, Wright State's Todd Cox missed top-seeded Mays facing the fourth- nial power at the intercollegiate level, a 3-pointer. Teammate Matt Reis got seeded Raiders of Wright State. The winning six titles, including five of the the rebound but failed to connect. course of this game was evident from last seven. SIU had not won since After Jordan hit freshman Chris the tip. Within the first minute, the 1977 at the first intercollegiate tourna- Millette for a layup, Raider coach Mays' Stephen Welch had a steal and ment. Now, after a stretch without a Andy Krieger called a timeout. The 6 points while the Raiders had not yet team, the Salukis were back in the cold-shooting Raiders still couldn't gotten into their front court. Central Intercollegiate Conference hit. They were down 10-0 with 9:15 Throughout the game, the quickness rebuilding their program. With the gone on the clock before Cox hit a and height of the Mays were more mid-season addition of freshman Earl shot from the baseline on an in- than Wright State could handle. The Jordan, SIU had hopes of upsetting bounds pass. Their frustration was Mays destroyed the Raiders 91-19. the favored Illini. beginning to show in their defensive Welch scored 25 points for the Mays, At first, the Illini rattled the Salukis play as Steve Paxton fouled Jordan and Jason VanBeek added 30. Todd with its usual, hard full-court press. on a wide-open 12 foot set shot. Earl Cox led the Raiders with 13. SIU were behind 9-2 before Hatfield converted the foul shot to put SIU up UTA coach Jim Hayes said the called a time out to settle his players. 13-2. team went into the tournament expec- For the remainder of the half, the two The Saluki defense was causing ting to beat Wright State. teams were an even match. problems for the Raiders, who "Given the status of the teams, the The Illini led 34-23 at halftime, giv- couldn't get any inside shots. games went as well as they could," ing the Salukis hope for a second (continued on next page)

13 15th National Intercollegiate when the Illini captain lniguez pick- point attempts from Lease and Fabian Wheelchair Basketball ed up his third foul with 11:03 left in down the stretch would not connect Tournament the first half. Illini coach Brad Hedrick for the Illini, and they bowed to the substituted Chris Billings. The Mays defending champions 56-43. (continued from page 12) saw their opportunity and took it. A Fabian led the Illini with 24 points, quick layup from Welch was followed Rich Swanson had the range and shooting 60 percent from the floor and by an Illini time out. Hedrick put In- hitting six of seven from the line. sank shots from 16 and 18 feet. iguez back in the game after only 30 Niemann made two charity tosses Welch led the Mays with 24 points, seconds on the bench, but facing foul shooting 55 percent from the floor. with 11 seconds left in the first half, trouble, his defensive play slackened. and Cox brought the ball across half Alamillo had 20 points for UTA. court to sink a 3-pointer making the When Jesus Alamillo lobbed a Hayes said Illinois' approach was score 26-11 at the half. pass to Jason VanBeek underneath to slow the Mays down. with seven minutes on the clock, the Both teams came on strong at the "We're a fast pace team, but this Mays took a 16-15 lead. Alamillo then beginning of the second half. After game came down to a real muscle drained a 16-footer of his own to in- making three or four shots in the first match," Hayes said. "My team works crease the lead. Briggs retaliated, but five minutes, Cox went to the very hard for what they get. They don't UTA ran off five unanswered hoops as perimeter but could not connect. Jor- back off, and they keep coming at their press took its toll on the Illini. The dan used his quickness to beat the you. Presistence and work ethnic is Mays led 28-17 at halftime. Wright State defense repetitively. A what I like about the team." quick pass to SIU senior Dan Larner The brutally tough defense underneath produced a heart- displayed by both teams in the first Tournament Awards stopping rimmer that just wouldn't go half continued in the second. Illinois faced and 11-point deficit which they Tournament MVP: down. Cox tried to lift his teammates, Stephen Welch, UTA but SIU's defense and offense kept could not overcome. A possible break Sportsmanship Award: them safely out front winning the for the Illini came when Willie Her- nandez picked up his fourth foul. Jason Lawrence, SIUC game 49-27. Cox had 20 for Wright All-Tournament Team: State. Niemann had 18 points and 11 Hayes substituted Greg Speed, and the Mays lost little, if any ground. Stephen Welch, UTA rebounds for SIU. Jordan added 17 Jesus Alamillo, UTA points and eight assists, and Swan- "Our strength is that we go eight Curtis Lease, Illinois son had 12 points and 11 rebounds. deep," Hayes said. "Illinois came in Earl Jordan, SIUC The stage was set for the cham- with only six players. We can sub in Rich Swanson, SIUC pionship game. The sidelines were any of our three guys off the bench full of excited fans cheering both and not lose anything. The team has squads. It would be a showdown bet- also played together for two years ween two talented and well-coached now, and they know when a player is Support teams. UTA coach Hayes said he ex- down on the team." pected it to be a real war against Il- UTA's lead hovered between 11 and the linois, and he was right. 15 until Fabian hit two foul shots and Illinois controlled the tip, and from a set shot from the line to pull Illinois Advertisers the outset it was clear that UTA was within 7 points, 40-33, with 13:30 re- going to play aggressive, pressing maining. At the 11:30 mark, lniguez in defense. Briggs scored first for the II- picked up his fourth foul going for a lini on a put-back from the baseline. steal. WHEELCHAIR After a miss from Welch, Briggs dish- With VanBeek and Brad Michael ed to Lease for a short shot in the controlling the boards for UTA, Illinois BASKETBALL lane. Not to be denied, Welch pulled was getting only one shot a trip. Fa- up at the line and banked one in. Back bian hit a 12-footer to bring the Illini WORLD at the other end Fabian broke free to back within 7, 46-39, but time as well drive the lane for a layup. as the foul situation was on the Mays' A subscription to When Fabian hit Briggs driving the side. UTA ran time off the clock with Wheelchair Basketball World lane, the Illini were up 8-2 with 2:30 each possession. Welch circled off the clock. Illinois was holding up around half court using the shot clock is a great gift of appreciation well against the swarming, pressing time before initiating each play. for your team sponsors, man-to-man defense of the Mays. The death knell came for Illinois at friends, prospective Trading fouls and baskets over the 2:01 when lniguez fouled out trying members, or other interested next six minutes, the Illini continued to force a steal from Welch. Welch parties. to lead. connected on both ends of one-and- A turning point for the Mays came one to put UTA ahead by 10. Three- Use the convenient order forms in this issue.

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