Wheelchair hoops team comes together

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This article was published 20/06/2012 (4839 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Bill Johnson took over as the head coach of the national women’s wheelchair basketball team in 2009, he had a big idea. It was an idea he felt so strongly about that, as he puts it now, he staked his career on it.

Johnson, a Winnipegger who calls Wolseley home, decided he wanted to bring the team together — to practise, play and live as a unit — long before the 2012 London Paralympics.

He ran the idea past Wheelchair Basketball Canada and the Own the Podium program and got the green light. The team members arrived in Winnipeg on June 1, and will be centralized — with the exception of one week off — at the University of Manitoba until the Paralympics begin on Aug. 29.

“As far as I know we’re the only Paralympic team that’s fully centralized,” said Johnson, who managed the men’s team at the 2004 Paralympics and was an assistant coach with the women in 2008. “I’m hoping — I’ve staked my career on it, actually — that it’s a big advantage for us.”

Johnson believes the biggest benefit to his team will be the familiarity that the players develop with one another both on and off the court.

Kendra Ohama, a veteran shooting guard from Calgary who’s competed in five previous Games, said it’s exciting to be part of something that’s on the cutting edge of Paralympic sport.

“When you spend that much time with the girls you build a strong rapport with each other,” she said. “You get to know the smallest little things, and tendencies of everyone’s game. Chemistry is so important whenever you’re playing a team sport.”

Between the unprecedented preparation and the Canadian women’s past success, Johnson is clear in his belief that anything less than a gold medal in London would be a disappointment.

Canada’s women’s team won gold at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Games and bronze in 2004 before losing two matches by a combined seven points and finishing fifth in Beijing in 2008.

The Canadians won bronze at the most recent world championships in 2010 and are ranked third heading to England. They’ll face the top two teams, the U.S. and Germany, in a tournament in Alabama this week.

“When you look at the results over the years, we’re one of the most successful teams in Canadian sports history,” Johnson said. “It’s a well-established program, we have talented athletes coming out… we should be expected to win.”

The final roster, which was announced last week, features six former Paralympians and six rookies. Johnson thinks it’s the perfect mix of experience and youth.

“We’re just young enough that we’ve got some hunger,” he said. “It means a lot more to try to win your first (gold medal) than when you’ve been there and done that.”

Ohama was a 27-year-old rookie on the 1992 team, and now finds herself as a 47-year-old who’s seen just about everything in her career.

“It’s definitely different,” she said. “The key is just to be supportive of each other.”

avi.saper@canstarnews.com