A chill goes through the February air as coach Kristin Wellman and her team of athletes step off the bus, and head towards the final four tournament.
Wellman has brought her wheelchair basketball team a long way, giving them a record of 11 and 6. Little did she know, her coaching efforts would be awarded as she was also named Coach of the Year award.
Wellman didn’t start out the year as a coach at all.
It all started in November when a staff email was sent out calling for an assistant coach for wheelchair basketball. Wellman decided to give it a try. However, soon after the head coach quit, leaving Wellman with all the responsibilities of running a team.
“I didn’t know what I was doing. I’ve never coached,” Wellman said. “Now, I was an athletic trainer for the first 18 years here at GlenOak. I played basketball in high school, but it was all just athletic training.”
Brandon Hizer, a returning wheelchair basketball player, stepped up as Wellman’s assistant coach, helping her put the team together, and adjust to the world of wheelchair basketball.
As Wellman explains it there are specific rules for wheelchair basketball. There are class ones, who are children with disabilities who play on the team. Then, there are AB’s; children without disabilities who choose to play on the team, in a wheelchair, with all the same rules applying. Only five AB’s are allowed on the roster, three per game, and two can be in the game at a time.
“We went from not having a team, to having seven people after the first night,” Wellman said. “Four class ones showed up, and three AB’s showed up, but one stoped coming. We really went from potentially not having any players to going to the final four.”
Throughout the games, Wellman tried to use every player to their full potential, making sure everyone had an equal chance to play. This principle led to Wellman’s success as a coach, and eventually, her award.
“They’re giving me credit, it’s really not me. It’s the athletes,” Wellman said. “They played well as a team; they were friends; they helped each other. It really was a great experience.”
Although she started out unexpectedly, her hard work paid off and the team benefitted in the end. The team placed 3rd overall for the season.
