What is wheelchair basketball?
Wheelchair basketball uses many of the same rules as abled-bodied basketball, but special rules accommodate dribbling from a wheelchair.
Who is a wheelchair basketball athlete?
Wheelchair basketball is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, brain injury, stroke, and other orthopedic and locomotor disabilities. Athletes in this sport are grouped by age.
Turnstone’s wheelchair basketball program
Turnstone wheelchair basketball has two competitive teams:
• Varsity Division (Turnstone Flyers): male and female athletes ages 13 through high school
• Adult Division (Turnstone Bandits): male and female athletes ages 18 and older. The Turnstone Bandits are an NCAA Division III team.
In addition, Turnstone has one recreational team:
• Prep Division (Turnstone Flyers): male and female athletes ages 8 to 12 years old
Wheelchair basketball teams practice one to two times per week at Turnstone during the season, which runs from September through April. Teams compete on weekends at tournaments hosted at Turnstone or throughout the Midwest. The season culminates in a national tournament.
Our athletes engage in many skills throughout the program including:
• Players become knowledgeable in the basic rules of the game.
• Players develop fundamental wheelchair basketball skills.
• Players learn offensive and defensive strategies for wheelchair basketball.
• Players learn the values of teamwork, leadership skills, gain confidence, and improve their self esteem.
• Players network with other team members,
• Players have opportunities to attend wheelchair basketball training camps.
• Players have access to athlete education and advocacy resources. Paralympic athlete training guidelines are available for those who excel at an elite level and are identified as a potential emerging athlete.
2018-2019 Schedule & Results:
November 3rd & 4th - Turnstone Flyers (Prep & Varsity) at Turnstone's Fright in the Fort Tournament
Click here to view results
November 3rd & 4th - Turnstone Bandits at Columbus, OH
Results:
Bandits 36 vs. Columbus 38 L
Bandits 43 vs. Cleveland 37 W
Bandits 41 vs. Music City 43 L
Bandits 50 vs. Columbus 42 W
Championship Game Bandits 49 vs. Music City 48
Bandits won the tournament.
November 17th & 18th - Prep Division (Turnstone Flyers) at Cincinnati
Results:
Turnstone 33 vs. Louisville 23
Turnstone 34 vs. RHI 16
Turnstone 35 vs. Dragons 14- Turnstone received 1st Place in the Prep Division at the tournament.
December 1st & 2nd - Turnstone Bandits at Mary Free Bed in Grand Rapids, MI
Results:
Won: 52-47 vs Wheelhawks (Kansas City, MO)
Loss: 46-58 vs RIM Diehards (Detroit, MI) *Divison II team
Won: 50-43 vs LWSRA Hawks (New Lenox, IL)
Loss: XX LWSRA Hawks (New Lenox, IL) ** Divison II team (waiting for exact score)
December 15th & 16th - Turnstone Bandits @ Cleveland, Ohio
Results:
February 2nd & 3rd - Turnstone Summit City Shootout
Results:
Want to learn more?
For more information about this program contact Molly Cinker, Competitive Sports Coordinator, at molly@turnstone.org or (260) 969-7642.
For more information on wheelchair basketball, go to www.nwba.org.
