Atlanta Wolfpack Wins AAASP Wheelchair Basketball Title

Photos courtesy of Photographic Arts

ATLANTA, MARCH 13, 2008 – In a come-from-behind victory, the Atlanta Wolfpack won the AAASP Wheelchair Basketball Championship on March 7, the second time in three years the team has captured the state title.

The championship came after the Wolfpack defeated the DeKalb Silver Streaks 35 to 24. The game capped a week of championships that also saw the Henry County Hurricanes defeat the YMCA Mustangs from Fulton County on March 1 to take the junior varsity state championship.

The wheelchair basketball games are the 12th consecutive year of the state championships sanctioned by the American Association of adaptedSPORTSTM Programs (AAASP). The varsity championship game coincided with the Georgia High School Association’s State Basketball Championship at Gwinnett Arena for the fifth consecutive year. The games highlight the partnership between AAASP and GHSA as well as the state’s distinction as the first to provide interscholastic adapted athletics through a dual-governing partnership between the two organizations struck in 2001.

“We applaud the Wolfpack – and all of the wheelchair basketball teams – for their perseverance throughout the season and the hard work that culminated in the two state championships,” says Bev Vaughn, executive director of AAASP. “The varsity title game at the Gwinnett Arena highlighted their accomplishments and put an exclamation point on an outstanding season.”

When the Henry County Hurricanes won their title on March 1, it capped a quick rise for the program. The Henry County school system took advantage of AAASP’s inception grants to help with startup costs and training to launch its adapted sports program last year. The program highlights the partnership between AAASP and the Georgia Department of Education to provide equitable access to interscholastic athletics for students with physical or visual impairments. AAASP, working alongside the state DOE, provides school districts across the state with the ability to implement from one to six sports.

The state DOE is encouraging school systems to ensure that interested eligible students are fully engaged in interscholastic adapted athletics and that the system complies with federal mandates relating to this educational initiative. While other states have found themselves facing legal action where student athletes with disabilities have sought and found little or no access, Georgia, with guidance from AAASP, has both avoided these difficulties and been praised for their proactive efforts and leadership in this area.

“Athletics are a great tool for keeping our students motivated to learn, engaged in the school community and stressing the importance of collaboration and teamwork,” says state Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox. “Our partnership with AAASP is part of an ongoing effort to make sure that all students have access to the power of athletic competition.”

Wheelchair basketball is one of six sports offered by AAASP. Others include wheelchair handball (formerly indoor wheelchair soccer), power soccer, wheelchair football, track and field and beep baseball. Teams are structured to accommodate several physical disability groups, allowing for a maximum number of participants, and each sport is an adaptation of existing adult sports governed by national organizations. Wheelchair football opens its season this week, with games beginning on March 22. The season ends April 26 with the state championship game.

Wolfpack Wins Varsity Title
In the varsity title game on March 7, Rafael Rodriguez led the comeback for the Wolfpack, scoring 22 of the team’s 34 points. The Silver Streaks led 8-2 after two periods, though the Wolfpack tightened the game to 12-10 by half-time. Rodriguez gave the Wolfpack their first lead of the game at the 2:45 mark of the fourth period, scoring a short-range field goal and bringing the score to 15-14.

The lead changed twice more, with the Wolfpack closing the fifth period with a five-point lead, 24-19. By the end of the sixth and final period, the Wolfpack enjoyed a nine-point lead. Kenneth Andrin scored 10 points to lead the Silver Streaks.

“We played a tough team,” says Wolfpack coach Onie Lawson. “Our hats go off to the DeKalb Silver Streaks. We had to fight hard to win this one.”

The Wolfpack consists of students from several Atlanta Public Schools, including Douglass, Southside and North Atlanta high schools and Price Middle School. The Silver Streaks include students from several DeKalb County schools, including Towers, Druid Hills and Lakeside high schools and Chamblee and Shamrock middle schools.

Founded in 1996, the award-winning AAASP is a national organization based in Atlanta addressing the need for standardized interscholastic adapted sports. AAASP is the nation’s first interscholastic athletic association to operate exclusively for students with physical or visual impairments who attend grades one through 12.