FLUSHING, N.Y. – Over the weekend, the CUNY Wheelchair Basketball team, in conjunction with the New York Knick-affiliate New York Rolling Knicks, hosted a youth clinic at Fitzgerald Gymnasium on the campus on Queens College.
 
The clinic was led by CUNY Wheelchair Basketball Head Coach and Advisor for Inclusive and Adaptive Sports Ryan Martin, who was joined by Paralympic Medal winners Steve Serio and Patrick Anderson, a Hunter College graduate.
 
“We are excited to collaborate with other entities within New York City to create a unique opportunity for our youth with disabilities,” said Martin. “We want them to understand CUNY is committed to a concept of Universal design that looks to provide them all the spoils of a higher education experience with adaptive sports.”

The clinic was held for over 20 kids with disabilities, where the children got the opportunity to hone their skills with some of the nation’s top National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) players. At the conclusion of the event, the kids enjoyed a pair of exhibition games between the two-time NWBA champion Rolling Knicks and MedStar NRH Punishers out of Washington, D.C. Ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in the nation, respectively, the two teams will be competing in the upcoming NWBA Division I National Championship tournament.

“I applaud Steve and Pat for being involved,” Martin said. “There are no two bigger stars in the wheelchair basketball community. Both of them see the value of this program for the next generation and understand how this program at CUNY can allow our next generation of youth with disabilities in the city access to a higher quality of life.”

The event comes on the heels of the CUNY Wheelchair Basketball team competing in an exhibition game during halftime of the CUNYAC Men’s Basketball Championship Game at York College Gymnasium. 

The clinic was yet another effort to promote the initiative of continuing wheelchair basketball and other adaptive sports on CUNY campuses. The goal of CUNY’s Inclusive and Adaptive Sports platform is to engage student-athletes with disabilities in four sports – basketball, track and field, swimming and tennis – as a collegiate model for its University’s campuses to adopt.

Last May, the CUNY Athletic Conference announced the formation of a varsity wheelchair basketball team – the first-ever of its kind on the Eastern Seaboard. The program is slated to begin regular season play in the Fall of 2020.