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New
Wheelchair Basketball Head Coach Appointed
By Ann Stratton
When Steve Paxton
was 16 years old, a car accident left him disabled. However,
Paxton, a former high school athlete, didn’t
let being confined to a wheelchair prevent him from staying
active. As the newly appointed head coach of the University
of Missouri-Columbia’s
new Tiger Wheelchair Basketball Team, Paxton has big plans for
establishing a strong wheelchair basketball program at MU:
bringing home national championships while teaching his players
to overcome physical limitations.
The team concept evolved during Rep. Chuck
Graham’s tenure as chairman of the Missouri House of Representatives
appropriations committee. Graham, who also uses a wheelchair,
was responsible for obtaining $250,000 to start a disability sports
and recreation program. The MU Department of Recreation Services
and Facilities then started the Tiger Wheelchair Basketball Program.
“All Mizzou students should have the
opportunity to enjoy their leisure time and pursue recreational
activities,” said Diane Dahlmann, director of recreation
services and facilities. “Our new wheelchair basketball
program provides an outstanding opportunity for Mizzou and
the state of Missouri. It gives students with disabilities
another important option for involvement and a new outlet
for competition.”
Currently, Paxton is planning a budget
and recruiting for next fall. He said coaches at other universities
have shown tremendous enthusiasm and support.
“It’s late in the season to begin
a program, but coaches from other schools have been great to help
me identify what players are still out there,” Paxton said.
This summer, Paxton will help run wheelchair
basketball camps at the University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana
and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, two schools with
strong college wheelchair basketball teams. He will shape the
MU program by observing the facilities, budget strategies, weightlifting
programs, nutrition regimens and practice schedules at these
universities.
Paxton says it will take some time before
MU will be able to attract top recruits, but he believes programs
like this will help make the university more attractive to physically
disabled students.
“A student-athlete is a student-athlete,”
Paxton said. “Wheelchair basketball is remarkably similar
to the traditional game, it’s just a bit slower. We will
wear the same colors, we will represent the same school, and when
these kids graduate they will be able to say that they played
basketball for Mizzou.”
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Copyright © 2007 — Curators of the University of Missouri
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Published by the Mizzou Alumni Association
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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