USA reveal squad for Wheelchair Basketball Worlds
13.05.2014Find out which 12 players will be heading to Incheon, South Korea, in July.
At the last World Championships in 2010, the USA took bronze behind Australia and Canada.
The NWBA has announced the 12 athletes that will represent the USA at the 2014 IWBF Men’s Wheelchair Basketball World Championships from 5-14 July in Incheon, South Korea.
The American squad will be led by veteran stars Steve Serio, Paul Schulte and Matt Scott, who have all competed at multiple Paralympics.
Schulte competed at his first World Championships back in 1998 and has won a medal of every colour on the world stage, in addition to two bronze medals at the Paralympics.
Serio, entering his eighth year with USA’s national team, is one of the top scorers in the game, shooting at a high percentage from almost anywhere on the floor.
When scouting the USA, opposition teams will often base their defensive plans around Serio’s influence on offense and make sure he’s always shooting the ball with a hand in his face.
Scott, meanwhile, has been with the team since prior to the 2002 Paralympics and has previously been nominated for the Best Male Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award.
London 2012 Paralympians Nate Hinze, Trevon Jenifer, Ian Lynch and Josh Turek have been named to the team, too, and rounding out the squad will be John Gilbert, Ian Lynch, Aaron Gouge, Mike Paye, Brian Bell and Carter Arey.
There will be 16 teams competing at the World Championships divided into four groups for the preliminary round, with the top three finishers from each group advancing to the playoff rounds.
The USA will be in Group C, along with Algeria, Colombia and Turkey.
At the last World Championships in 2010, the USA took bronze behind Australia and Canada.