NWBA, Denver Team Up To Host Largest Wheelchair Bball Tournament

DENVER: The National Wheelchair Basketball Association’s (NWBA) 63rd annual National Championship Tournament will roll into Denver April 7-10, 2011 in what will be one of the largest athletic events of the year in Colorado and the largest wheelchair basketball tournament in the world. More than 900 of the best male and female athletes with physical disabilities from all over North America will travel to Colorado to compete in the six 2011 NWBA Division Championships.

Teams in the six divisions will have qualified for the National Championships via NWBA-sanctioned regional tournaments – the teams traveling to Colorado to play in this tournament will be the best of the best. The six divisions that feature elite adult players all the way down to the ages 8-12 are: Championship, Division III, Women’s, Varsity, Junior Invitational and Prep.

This will be the third consecutive year that Denver has hosted the NWBA Championships. Hosting the 2010 NWBA Championships and this mega-gathering of elite athletes in a single site is made possible because of the support ABC Home Medical, Best Buy and the Daniels Fund have provided.

“To host this event in Denver and have a tournament of this scope is a great way for us to celebrate teams reaching the pinnacle in our sport,” said NWBA Executive Director Todd Hatfield. “For younger players to see the best players in the senior divisions play is a great way for us to grow our sport. For the senior divisions, competing for a championship in a major market is a great way to wrap up the season.”

Former NBA great Bill Hanzlik, who spent 17 years playing and coaching in the NBA and is currently the full-time CEO of the Gold Crown Foundation, has been the horsepower behind hosting this event for Colorado. Hanzlik worked tirelessly with NWBA Executive Director Todd Hatfield to bring together logistics, facilities and financial support. A majority of the games will take place at Hanzlik’s Gold Crown Field House in Lakewood, 10 minutes west of downtown Denver. The Gold Crown Field House boasts Colorado’s largest hardwood floor (more than 42,000 square feet) and will host five NWBA basketball games simultaneously all under one roof.

“The first time I watched one of these tournament games a few years ago, the athletes are so good, and the strategy is so similar to what I’m used to, it didn’t take long for me to forget the athletes are in wheelchairs,” Hanzlik said. “I have seen a lot of sports and this is one of the most inspiring events I have been a part of and thankfully, ABC Medical, Best Buy and the Daniels Fund stepped up to help us keep it here in Denver.”

Over the course of the four days, teams in the six divisions will combine to play more than 140 games. Besides the Gold Crown Field House, the Denver Nuggets Practice Facility at the Pepsi Center, Metro State College of Denver, Lakewood High School and Alameda High School will also host a series of games. The tournament tips off on Wednesday, April 6, with a pep rally/assembly at Lakewood High School.