Wheelchair Basketball Preview

Wheelchair basketball is one of the original Paralympic sports, having been included at the Paralympic Games Rome 1960. Since then, both the U.S. men’s and women’s teams have frequently been top contenders, and this Paralympic year is no different. The U.S. men’s and women’s teams each qualified for Tokyo after earning medals at the 2019 Parapan American Games. The women earned silver while the men earned gold. Both teams are going into Tokyo as defending gold medalists from Rio 2016. 

Ron Lykins, the U.S. men’s national team coach, has described this year’s team as a well-rounded group that is strong defensively and versatile offensively. The men’s team will face tough competition from Spain, the 2016 Paralympic silver medalists, and Great Britain, the 2016 Paralympic bronze medalists. Key players in the quest for Paralympic gold in 2020 will be returning gold medalists Steve Serio, Matt Scott, Jake Williams and Josh Turek. Joining them in Tokyo will be Brian Bell, John Boie, Nate Hinze, Trevon Jenifer, Matt Lesperance, Ryan Neiswender, Michael Paye, Jorge Sanchez and Jake Williams. In total eight return from the 2016 Paralympic team and 11 from the 2019 Pan Am Games team.

Trooper Johnson, the U.S. women’s national team coach, believes this year’s team is one of the strongest squads they have had. The U.S. women will have strong competition from 2016 Paralympic silver medalists Germany as well as Canada, the 2019 Parapan American Games gold medalists. Three players will return from the team that won a gold medal in Rio in Rose Hollermann, Darlene Hunter and Natalie Schneider. Joining them in Tokyo will be Josie Aslakson, Abby Bauleke, Kaitlyn Eaton, Ixhelt Gonzalez, Ali Ibanez, Bailey Moody, Courtney Ryan, Zoe Voris and Lindsey Zurbrugg.

Wheelchair basketball rules are essentially the same as its able-bodied equivalent, played on the same size court with the same rules for scoring. Players dribble by bouncing the ball for every two pushes of their wheels. While men’s basketball has been on the program since 1960, women’s was added in 1968.

Updated on July 19, 2021. For more information, contact the sport press officer.

While the U.S. men will return most of the roster that won gold five years ago in Rio — eight players total — the U.S. women will return just three members of their gold-medal winning squad.

U.S. men’s coach Ron Lykins will be looking to make it two gold medals with each U.S. team. Lykins led the U.S. women to gold in 2004 and 2008, then did so with the men’s team in 2016. On the women’s side, Trooper Johnson will be leading his team as a head coach at the Games for the first time, but he was an assistant in Rio.
Darlene Hunter, 39, is a co-captain of the U.S. women’s team making her third Paralympic appearance. Hunter helped Team USA to a world championship in 2010, her first year on the national team. She’s gone on to win Parapan American Games gold medals in 2011 and 2019 in addition to her Paralympic hardware.

Trevon Jenifer, 32, was a standout wrestler in high school who intended to continue on with the sport in college. But then came an offer to play wheelchair basketball at Edinboro University and Jenifer changed course. He became a team captain, All-American, then made the Paralympic team in 2012. Jenifer will be heading to his third Paralympic Games.

Natalie Schneider, 37, is the other U.S. co-captain and the only member of the U.S. women’s team making her fourth Paralympic appearance. She made her debut on the 2008 team that won gold in Beijing and also has a gold medal from the 2010 world championships and 2011 Parapan American Games. Schneider was previously a sitting volleyball player before getting into basketball.

Matt Scott, 36, is one of two members of the U.S. men’s team who will be playing in his fifth Paralympic Games. Scott has won two Paralympic medals and also won four world championship medals and played on four Parapan American Games teams. Off the court, Scott is a mental health advocate and has written about his journey for TeamUSA.org.
August 25, 2021: Paralympic competition gets underway with preliminary round play, the U.S. women face the Netherlands 
August 26, 2021: U.S. men vs. Germany, U.S. women vs. Spain
August 27, 2021: U.S. men vs. Iran
August 28, 2021: U.S. women vs. China, U.S. men vs. Great Britain
August 29, 2021: U.S. men vs. Australia, U.S. women vs. Algeria
August 30, 2021: U.S. men vs. Algeria
August 31, 2021: Women’s classification playoff and quarterfinals
September 1, 2021: Men’s classification playoff and quarterfinals
September 4, 2021: Women’s bronze- and gold-medal matches
September 5, 2021: Men’s bronze- and gold-medal matches