Former Turnstone Athlete Earns Spot on Final 12 Team for U.S. Under 23 Men's Wheelchair Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (January 13, 2022) – The National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) High-Performance Committee and team staff have selected the 12 athletes to represent the U.S. Men's Under 23 team at the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) U23 American's Zonal Qualifier. Former Turnstone athlete, AJ Hummer, was among the final 12 athletes chosen to be a part of this team.
AJ Hummer, a Waterloo native and DeKalb High School graduate, started his basketball career at Turnstone when he was 8 years old. He continued his career at the University of Texas-Arlington (UTA) and helped the school win the 2020 National Wheelchair Basketball Association title.
In the past, Turnstone had six representatives on the U.S. under 23 team that won the 2007 World Title. Bob Burnsworth, a former assistant coach, Doug Arambula a former team manager, and former Flyers Jared Arambula, Dan Henson, Josh Swoverland, and Kyle Killworth were among the 12 players on the roster.
The IWBF U23 American's Qualifier is being held from January 10-15 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. At this event, the U.S. Men’s U23 team must secure one of two sports available for the Americas Zone for the 2022 U23 International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) World Championships. The 12 athletes were selected from the pool of 20 athletes that remain active with the U.S. Men's U23 team and are eligible for future selection to this team.
If a spot is secured at the IWBF U23 America's Zonal Qualifier, Team USA will plan to compete at the 2022 U23 IWBF Men’s World Championships that take place from May 27– June 4, 2022, at the Chiba Port Arena in Chiba, Japan.
The U.S. U23 Men’s wheelchair basketball program is an international development team that serves as an NWBA pipeline to the U.S. Men’s National Team. This program provides elite youth athletes the opportunity to compete at the international level. Team USA has medaled in four of the six U23 World Championships, having won gold in 2005 and 2009. The United States did not participate in 2013 and placed eighth in 2017.