By Hayley Wildes
The Berwick Saints Wheelies are a newly founded wheelchair basketball team, but they are already chalking up the wins.
Recently, the open-age Berwick team – a club within the Casey Basketball association – won the Bendigo Classic Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in resounding fashion.
After making it through four group games with three wins, Berwick took on the Bendigo Braves in the final and claimed the trophy.
The Saints saved their best performance for the grand final and came to play from the opening tip – simply overpowering their Braves’ opponents to claim an emphatic 50-18 win.
Playing coach Ben Hodgens, who has played at the highest level throughout his career, talked about the tournament and how it brings the wheelchair basketball community together.
“It was really good,” Hodgens said.
“Tournaments are really, really good because you get a lot of people there that you don’t see on a regular basis.”
Before joining Berwick, the team was without an association and since making the switch, has been reaping the rewards.
“They were just a group of guys practicing on a Tuesday night and then they asked me to come down to provide some structure with my experience and it’s been really fantastic,” Hodgens said.
“Towards the end of last year, the Saints came on board to support us as a team in their association, which was fantastic. They jumped at the chance and it just opens up so many doors for us.”
Hodgens, who was born with limb deficiencies, had to have his right foot amputated at a young age.
“I loved basketball when I was younger, but I’m an amputee, so I couldn’t keep up with all the other kids, so I got involved with wheelchair basketball when I was in high school,” he said.
The team trains on a Tuesday night at Endeavour Hills Leisure Centre and new players are always welcome to join, with no experience necessary.
Asked if he sees the sport helping both the mental and physical state of participants, Hodgens highlighted the immense positives.
“Definitely, it helps both [mentally and physically]. Especially, those that have had injuries or have confidence issues, it’s really good for them. Everyone is supporting each other which is fantastic and helping each other get better,” he said.
“I’ve heard lots of stories about people who have had really serious injuries – whether they’re chair-bound or not – basketball gives them something and gets that drive back.”
The Berwick Saints Wheelies may be relatively young in existence, but they’re already creating an incredible environment for everyone involved.
