The CUNY Men’s Wheelchair Basketball program continues to hit new milestones in its second year. Most recently, they celebrated a win on the hallowed hardwood floors of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus—historically significant as the university is arguably the cradle of adaptive sports and collegiate wheelchair basketball in the United States.
On February 10, Team CUNY took the court opposing the Mizzou Tigers of the University of Missouri. An accomplished and competitive program with over two decades of experience, Mizzou beat CUNY in their last matchup.
The game started out with each team trying to exploit vulnerabilities. The Tigers had a speed edge while the New Yorkers had size. Missouri attempted fast breaks while CUNY set the pace to get the ball in the paint. After exchanging baskets and leads, the first half concluded with CUNY ahead by 24-23.
Fouls would factor in. Ten minutes into the second half, the top scorer for The Tigers picked up his fourth foul. Team CUNY capitalized on this as Malkeet Singh-Gill finished his layups. Rodger Shelton distributed the rock and Abdoul Aziz Sow played big on the boards all game. Chris Saint-Remy had some success posting up and with four minutes left, CUNY had built a ten-point lead.
But the Tigers refused to be tamed and roared back, 45-43. With a minute on the clock, Isaiah “Instant Message” Moore buried a 3-point bomb, giving CUNY the lead, 48-43. Mizzou scored again, but CUNY was able to hold on and secure a 48-45 victory. Saint-Remy led the team in scoring with 16 points.
Coach Ryan Martin was proud of the way his squad played. “I loved our team defense and the way we were able to push through some tough moments,” he said. “There was no caving in. These guys continued to fight and work…everyone stuck to their role and stayed focused.”
Collegiate adaptive sports programs are scarce, with only 11 in the country, so having one here in New York opens up a pathway not just to the basket, but to a better life. CUNY provides the opportunity for Individuals with disabilities to experience and achieve alongside their peers as student athletes. If this program had been in place when I became paralyzed at 26 years old, I would have said, “where do I sign up?”’
Team CUNY will be at Southwest Minnesota State University on March 13th to compete in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Intercollegiate Men’s Wheelchair Basketball National Championships.