Rich McVicker, coach of the UWE Pirates wheelchair basketball team, believes the sport is open to everyone, with confidence and a willingness to give it a go the only things standing in the way.
“Regardless of your abilities, most people are capable of playing wheelchair basketball, and it really does boil down to just having that little bit of confidence and just giving it a go,” he said.
“It’s such a good sport and I just fell in love straight away.”
The Pirates train twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, as they prepare to move from local league competition last season to a more national level this year.
McVicker wants to help players develop their abilities while recognising that, as they improve, their ambitions can change.
“To start off, we welcome anybody to help them develop and progress,” he explained. “The better people get at a sport they want to compete, they want to win games.”
However, coaching a team with players of different abilities can present challenges, particularly when organising training sessions that meet everyone’s needs.
“We have a great group of guys and we help them along. It can be difficult to organise training sessions for everyone’s ability,” McVicker said.
A key part of wheelchair basketball is ensuring that competition remains fair through a classification system. Players are assigned points according to their functional ability, with a team restricted to a set number of points on court at any one time.
“On court you are only allowed a certain number of points,” McVicker said. “Able-bodied players are classified as five points and then the more severe your disability, the lower you score.”
The system allows players with different levels of ability to compete together, meaning coaches must find the right balance when selecting their line-up.
“I find it easy to come to that balance, but sometimes it takes a one-to-one session rather than a group, but it works,” he added.
While wheelchair basketball shares many similarities with the running game, there are important differences in how it is played.
“Most of the rules are the same,” McVicker explained. “When you get the ball from the baseline you have eight seconds to get over the half and from the baseline to taking a shot you have 24 seconds.”
Travelling remains an offence, and although the game is supposed to be non-contact, physical battles are still part of the action.
“Just like the running game, there’s quite a bit of contact in wheelchair basketball,” he said.
Players can carry the ball while moving in their wheelchair, but must dribble or pass within five seconds. They can also touch their wheels twice while the ball is on their knee before a third touch results in a foul.
For McVicker, however, the most important thing is making sure nobody feels excluded from the sport.
“It’s a game that everyone can get involved in, no matter what you think you can do,” he said.
As the Pirates look ahead to a more competitive season, his message remains focused on the opportunities the sport can offer.
“Working towards what you want to do and the sky’s the limit.”
