FRESNO, Calif. – A growing spotlight found the Central Valley’s adaptive sports community this weekend as the Valley Children’s Adaptive Sports Program hosted the second West Coast Conference Championship wheelchair basketball tournament.
Twelve teams from across the West Coast converged on the student recreation center at Fresno State, including Valley Children’s own Fresno Wheelers, who joined the National Wheelchair Basketball Association just two years ago.
“These players blow my mind. They blow my mind at how well they communicate with each other, how well they listen to each other and their willingness to learn,” said Ryan Davis, head coach of the Wheelers. “It’s absolutely amazing.”
Squads traveled from as far as Utah, Washington and Arizona, filling the gym with fast‑paced play and a sense of growth for adaptive sports in Central California.
“I really wanted to host this tournament here because the Central Valley is not very well known nationally, especially for things like adaptive sports,” said Dr. Jill Friebele, director of the Valley Children’s Adaptive Sports Program and a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at Valley Children’s. “By having this tournament here, it attracts teams from all over the West Coast to recognize that the Central Valley has adaptive sports here, and we’re a force to be reckoned with in the entire nation.”
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The Wheelers finished sixth overall, with point guard Roberto Sandoval earning recognition as one of the tournament’s MVPs.
“What stood out most was how hard our team competed every minute on the court and how much improvement they’ve shown since last season,” Davis said. “It was a great weekend full of effort, growth and a lot to be proud of. This group keeps getting better and better.”
Organizers were also grateful for Fresno State’s partnership that allowed for the use of the student recreation center for the tournament.
“To be able to host a tournament of this size, you need to have a larger complex to do that. And we’re very grateful to Fresno State for allowing us to do that here,” Dr. Friebele said.
As the tournament continues to grow, Dr. Friebele hopes to grow the program at Valley Children’s by eventually adding a junior prep team that can feed into the varsity Wheelers team.
Members of the Wheelers compete in events free of charge, and equipment is also provided. The program operates entirely on donations and volunteers, including those who worked the tournament this weekend.
To learn more about the adaptive sports program at Valley Children’s, click here.
