A Passion For The Game Wheelchair Athletes ‘Just Can’t Use Our Legs’

Question: What’s the best basketball team in the Northwest you’ve never heard about?

Answer: The Spokane St. Luke’s Cyclones.

The Cyclones, a member of the 181-team National Wheelchair Basketball Association, have a 19-2 overall record and are ranked ninth in the nation.

Spokane leads the Northwest Conference with an 11-0 mark.

Its only losses occurred at a tournament in Las Vegas. The Cyclones dropped a 72-65 decision to the eighth-ranked Phoenix Suns and fell to the 10th-ranked Utah Jazz 51-38. But the Cylclones were playing without a healthy Lew Tomlinson, their second-leading scorer with a 20.2 average.

“We struggled with our shooting down in Vegas,” said Paul Hill, the team’s leading scorer at 24.4 points per game. “He injured his shoulder, and that affected our outside shooting. When he’s healthy, Lew is one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen in or out of a wheelchair.”

Tomlinson, who’s been out since mid-January, is eager to get back on the court.

“It’s been real frustrating for me,” said Tomlinson. “I’ve been playing for 23 years and I’ve been dinged up, but I’ve never been hurt. Until now. I’m hoping I’ll be back for our final two conference games (Feb. 7-8) in Portland.”

Until then, most of the scoring burden falls on the able shoulders of the 34-year-old Hill.

When Tomlinson’s playing, he’s Mr. Outside to Hill’s Mr. Inside.

Hill, who has a reach of 7 feet while sitting in the chair, says speed is also an advantage.

“Lew and I are really fast for big men,” he said. “As a team, that gives us a huge advantage over most other teams.”

The sport has come a long way.

“The biggest change is that the design of the chairs has really evolved,” said Tomlinson. “When I first started, the level of play was about the same as rec league. But every year the guys keep getting better and better and the speed level of the game has gone way up.”

It’s not uncommon to see 25-30 spills in a game.

“Oh, it’s a very physical game,” said a chuckling Hill. “Players are flying all over the place. We might be in wheelchairs, but this is still basketball.

“We’re simply athletes who enjoy playing the game. We just can’t use our legs anymore.”

The Cyclones got their first taste of success last season when they advanced to the final 16 in the national tournament.

“Our success last year let us know what was possible,” said Hill. “This season we added two solid players, Orin Pierce and Dave Mollers, and St. Luke’s and the Athletic Round Table bought us several new state-of-the-art wheelchairs.

“We expect to make it even further in the tournament this year. Orin gives us another scorer inside and Dave is an excellent point guard with a fine outside shot.”

There are two basic rule differences in the NWBA: Players are allowed 4 seconds in the key and in dribbling a player must put the ball on the floor once for every two times his hands touch the wheels.

Every National Basketball Association team sponsors a wheelchair team so, without an NBA sponsor, the Cyclones rely heavily on local support.

“St. Luke’s came to us a few years ago and said they’d like to sponsor us,” Hill said. “It’s really helped us move up the rankings. Our expenses this year will probably top $10,000. In the past, we spent around $2,000-$3,000.

“We got to fly to Las Vegas to gain some tournament experience,” said Hill. “That, plus trips to Portland, Eugene and Seattle for conference games, can get pretty expensive.

“The community’s starting to get behind us. The Paralyzed Veterans of America, U.S. West and Hoopfest all gave us money this year. Lewis and Clark High School lets us use its gym for our home games and the YWCA lets us practice. It’s just been great.”

There’s still time to get out and support the Cyclones in their quest for a national title. And if you haven’t seen wheelchair basketball, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

The Cyclones host the sectional tournament at Lewis and Clark on Feb. 21-22 with a berth in the Western regionals at San Jose, Calif., at stake.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: NWBA Top 10 1. Chicago Bulls 2. L.A. Stars 3. Charlotte Hornets 4. London Forest City Rollers 5. Lakeshore Pioneers 6. Virginia Beach Sunwheelers 7. Orlando Magic 8. Phoenix Suns 9. Spokane St. Luke’s Cyclones 10. Utah Jazz