67th Annual NWBA National Championships Return to Louisville April 16-19
2015 event largest in NWBA tournament history
Louisville, Ky. – April 9, 2015 – The action returns to the Kentucky Expo Center on April 16-19 for the 67th Annual National Wheelchair Basketball Association National Championships. This year’s tournament will feature more than 1,000 athletes, 90 teams and more than 200 coaches, making it the largest national championship the NWBA has produced.
“The NWBA, its board of directors and members are thrilled to return to Louisville for our 2015 National Championships,” said NWBA Executive Director Randy Schubert. “We are proud of our strong partnership with the Commonwealth of Kentucky and Louisville Metro in producing a world-class sporting event where thousands of people come together to celebrate and enjoy great competition. This event provides players a platform to showcase their skills and athleticism, which fulfills the NWBA mission of transforming lives through the power of sport.”
The NWBA’s four-day National Championships is the world’s largest wheelchair sporting event; this year’s event will be the largest wheelchair basketball tournament in history. The NWBA’s National Championships was recognized in 2014 as the SportsTravel Award for Best Amateur Single-Sport Event for its achievement of excellence in organization and management.
The tournament will include the first annual Veterans Clinic and Competition presented by PNC Bank. The clinic will feature 40 military athletes from across the U.S. who will participate in instructional clinics and exclusive veteran playoff games. Other highlights of the tournament include: KentuckyOne Health VIP Game, ABC Medical All-Star Game, Per4Max Shootout and demonstration, Paralympic Junior Clinic presented by Invacare Top End, NWBA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, and a Junior and Prep banquet that will recognize youth for athletic and scholastic excellence.
The tournament includes the Championship Division, Division III, Junior Prep Division and Junior 10’ Division (NIT and Varsity) and Veteran’s Division. The Championship Division and Division III consist of adults, including co-ed teams. The Junior 10’ Division (NIT and Varsity) features high school and middle school athletes, and Junior Prep Division features middle school and grade school athletes. The Veteran’s Division consists of active or retired military personnel.
A celebrity wheelchair basketball game will be held on April 16, at 10:30 a.m. It will feature Paralympic athletes and currently includes the following local VIPs and celebrities:
- Roger Burkman, Spalding University Athletics Director
- Kendrick Haskins, WAVE-3 Sports Anchor
- Chip Heuser, Heuser Health / elite pole vaulter
- Will Heuser, Heuser Health / TV personality, Big Brother 14
- Tom Lane, WDRB Sports Anchor
- Jeff Ramsey, Lite 106.9
- Eddie Ray, New Country Q103.1
- Kent Spencer, WHAS-11 Sports Anchor
- Kent Taylor, WAVE-3 Sports Anchor
- Kristin Walls, WHAS-11 Meteorologist
Tickets are $5 per day, or $15 for the entire tournament and can be purchased at the door.
Local sponsors of the event include Frazier Rehab Institute, KentuckyOne Health, Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau, Louisville Sport Commission and Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation.