| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 27, 1985 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
Medals | |
Matt Scott (born March 27, 1985) is an American wheelchair basketball player.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 27, 1985 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
Medals | |
Matt Scott (born March 27, 1985) is an American wheelchair basketball player.
Matt Scott was born in Detroit, Michigan, where he began playing wheelchair basketball with the Sterling Heights Challengers in the NWBA Junior Division. [1] As a high schooler, he was on the gold medal-winning US team at the 2007 Parapan American Games in Brazil, where he was coached by Tracy Chynoweth, head coach of University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's college wheelchair basketball team. Scott played five years for the UW-Whitewater Warhawks in the NWBA College Division, winning championships three out of five years in 2004, 2005, and 2007. During his time at Whitewater, he competed in the 2004 Summer Paralympics and 2008 Summer Paralympics. He also won a silver medal at IWBF World Championship in 2006 in Amsterdam. [2] He was nominated for the Best Male Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award in 2008. [3] [4] After college, Scott played professionally for Galatasaray S.K. in Istanbul, Turkey for six seasons from 2008 to 2014. [5] In 2012, Matt Scott helped Team USA to a bronze medal in their 61–46 victory over Great Britain. [6]
Scott continued his professional career with Comune Di Porto Torres in Italy for two seasons from 2014 to 2016, during which time Scott's game film of him making multiple three-point shots in front of a crowded arena went viral, prompting the sports blog The Undefeated to publish a write-up titled "Meet the Steph Curry of Wheelchair Basketball." [7] Whistle Sports also shared the game film, which has garnered over 2.5M views on Facebook. [1] Scott left Italy to play three seasons with the RSB Thuringia Bulls in Exleben, Germany. He competed in the 2016 Summer Paralympics, where Team USA defeated Spain 68–52 to win Team USA's first gold medal since 1988. Scott then returned to RSB Thuringia where he and Team USA teammate Jake Williams helped the Bulls win the IWBF Champions Cup in 2018 and 2019. [8] In November 2018, Scott fell ill and contracted sepsis, leading to months-long hospitalization during which time he went into a coma for two weeks. He later recovered and returned to playing, but credits the episode for putting his life and basketball career in perspective. [9]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was uncertain whether the German RBBL would execute a season, Scott signed with CP Mideba in Badajoz, Spain. In 2021, he competed in the Tokyo Paralympic Games and helped secure a repeat gold medal for the United States in a 64–60 victory over Japan. Matt now resides in the Bay Area.
Scott is one of the most sought-after wheelchair basketball players by well-known brands. He was the first US Paralympian to star in a Nike, Inc. advertisement, "No Excuses", where the viewer is made unaware of his disability until the camera zooms out to show his basketball wheelchair at the end. [10] Scott has also been a spokesperson for Travel Wisconsin, participated in a digital marketing campaign for the Apple Watch, and has been an athlete ambassador for Ralph Lauren.
Steven Serio is a wheelchair basketball player. As a co-captain of the USA Men's National Wheelchair Basketball Team, he led the American men to their first Paralympic gold medal since 1988 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games and defended the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He currently plays for the New York Rolling Knicks in the NWBA Championship Division.
Mackenzie Soldan is an American wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis player. She represented the United States at the 2011 Parapan American Games where she won two gold medals, 2012 London Paralympics in wheelchair tennis and 2016 Rio Paralympics in wheelchair basketball. She has played for the U.S. women's wheelchair basketball team since 2013.
Sarah Castle is an American Paralympic wheelchair basketball player and swimmer.
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Jeremy "Opie" Lade is an American Paralympic wheelchair basketball player and head coach from Oconto, Wisconsin. He was injured in a car accident at age 8, and attended his first wheelchair sports camp at the age of 13 at UW-Whitewater. He is a two-time Parapan American Games gold medalist in both 2007 and 2011. In 2002, he won a gold medal at IWBF World Championship and in 2006 won a silver one from the same place. Six years later, he was awarded a bronze medal for his participation at the 2012 Summer Paralympics and is currently employed as a head coach at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. From 2005 to 2008 he coached Milwaukee Wizards and led them to a Junior National Championship. In his spare time he likes to watch Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Milwaukee Brewers with Michael Jordan being his favorite athlete.
Nate Hinze is an American Paralympic wheelchair basketball player from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He is a three-time Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Champion and is 2010 IWBF World Championship bronze medalist. A year later, he was awarded a gold medal at the 2011 Parapan American Games and on 2012 Summer Paralympics he was awarded with another bronze medal. Besides playing sports he also likes to watch them with his favorite teams being the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers and Wisconsin Badgers. He also likes to play videogames and jet ski. Currently he lives in Cedar Grove, Wisconsin and is a fan of Green Bay Packers and Michael Jordan.
Jason Nelms is an American Paralympic wheelchair basketball player from Huntsville, Alabama. He is a 2002 gold medalist at the IWBF World Championship and got a bronze medal in 2010 at the same place. A year later, he was awarded a gold medal at the 2011 Parapan American Games and on 2012 Summer Paralympics he was awarded with another bronze one. He was also a four-time NWBA Champion from 2008 to 2012. He has been the head coach of the University of Texas at Arlington Lady Movin' Mavs women's wheelchair basketball team since its establishment in 2013.
Paul Schulte is an American Paralympic wheelchair basketball player.
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Wheelchair basketball in the United States is governed by the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA). The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF), and the US Olympic Committee recognize the NWBA as the official national organization. Internationally, both the men's and women's national teams participate in Paralympic and World Championships as well as regional tournaments.
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Abigail Dunkin is an American 3.5 point wheelchair basketball player who won gold at the 2015 Parapan American Games in Toronto, Canada, the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the 2019 Women's U25 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Suphanburi, Thailand.
Rose Hollermann is an American 3.5 point wheelchair basketball player who won gold at the 2011 Women's U25 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in St. Catharines, Canada, the 2011 Parapan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, the 2015 Parapan American Games in Toronto, Canada, the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the 2019 Women's U25 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Suphanburi, Thailand.
Desiree Miller is a paralympic athlete from United States of America competing mainly in wheelchair basketball. Miller is the oldest of four children from Eugene and Denise Miller, and has a rare form of spina bifida. Miller believed her disability would bar her from sports activities until she discovered wheelchair basketball.
The United States women's national wheelchair basketball team began in the mid-1960s. The first women's team to compete alongside men in the Paralympic Games was in the inaugural 1968 tournament. A few years later in 1977, a women's wheelchair basketball division was created in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA).
Megan Blunk is an American wheelchair basketball player for the United States women's national wheelchair basketball team. She won a gold medal for Team USA during the 2016 Summer Paralympics.
The UT Arlington Mavericks men's wheelchair basketball team, commonly known as the Movin' Mavs and previously known as the UTA Freewheelers, is the men's college wheelchair basketball team representing the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). Established in 1976 as the UTA Freewheelers, the team played at the club level against other colleges and universities in Texas during the 1970s and 1980s. It has played under the auspices of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) since 1988, when the team was renamed the Movin' Mavs. Its inaugural coach, from 1976 until 2008, was Jim Hayes. Since 2008, the team has been coached by Doug Garner.
Darlene Hunter is an American wheelchair basketball player. She is a member of the United States women's national wheelchair basketball team.
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Matthew Lesperance is an American wheelchair basketball player and a member of the United States men's national wheelchair basketball team. Lesperance has represented the United States at the Paralympic Games twice, finishing in fourth place in 2008, and winning a gold medal in 2020.