News Story

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t-paced, hard-fought basketball tournament is expected this weekend at PSU, but none of the competitors will set foot on the court. Instead, some of the top wheelchair basketball teams in the U.S. will put on what past observers say is a competition that is as exciting as any traditional basketball game.

The 3rd annual Via Christi Home Medical Gorilla Invitational Wheelchair Basketball Tournament will be held December 18-19 at the Student Recreation Center and Kansas National Guard Armory at Pittsburg State University.

The tournament will include five teams that are ranked among the top in the nation. The National Wheelchair Basketball Association has recognized two of the intercollegiate players participating in the tournament as All Americans

“At past events people have been surprised when they see the caliber of play in these games,” said Dan Ferguson, professor in the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation. “The games are as fast-paced and exciting as traditional basketball.”

The tournament, sponsored by Via Christi Home Medical; Southeast Kansas Independent Living (SKIL); the PSU Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation; and the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau, is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18, with the championship game scheduled for 2:45 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 19.

Competing teams include the Kansas Wheelhawks from Topeka; the St. Louis Rolling Rams from St. Louis, Mo.; the Arkansas Rollin Razorbacks from Little Rock, Ark.; the University of Missouri from Columbia, Mo.; the Oklahoma State University Spokes from Stillwater, Okla.; the MAPVA Chargers from Oklahoma City, Okla.; the Madonna Magic from Lincoln, Neb.; and the UTA Movin’ Mavs from Arlington, Texas

For more information, contact Ferguson at 620-235-4911 or ferguson@pittstate.edu.