Dozens of the nation’s top collegiate adaptive athletes will travel to McKale Center at ALKEME Arena April 1-4 to compete in the 2026 National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, hosted by University of Arizona Adaptive Athletics.
The tournament will feature two divisions, with 12 men’s teams and four women’s teams competing. The U of A earned the opportunity to host when the Wildcats men’s team won the Wheelchair Basketball National Championship last year in Illinois. It was the team’s third consecutive finals appearance and first win. The tournament is free to attend for U of A students and employees.
Lo Que Pasa spoke with Adaptive Athletics Director Peter Hughes for a preview of the event.
University of Arizona Adaptive Athletics
What does hosting the National Wheelchair Basketball Association’s Men’s and Women’s Intercollegiate Division National Championships mean for the university and the adaptive athletics program?
I think it elevates our whole presence on campus. We’ve been around for 51 years, but we’re still something of a secret. When I took over eight years ago, we decided we would play only with students and compete in the NWBA’s collegiate division. So, we stood in line and waited for our opportunity to host nationals, and when it was our turn, we were ready. And of course, Arizona Athletics came through and agreed to lend us the use of McKale Center at ALKEME Arena. Having our student-athletes show what they can do in such a legendary location is a special occasion for us.
Preview the competition for us. Who are the favorites in the field?
In the men’s division, anybody could possibly win the whole thing. Over on the women’s side, there’s definitely an odds-on favorite. Alabama has been winning for many years now. But they did lose two games this season, for the first time in years. Other programs have improved and the competition has become much tighter and more exciting. I’m thrilled about that because, for both players and fans, you don’t want to see any real stinker games, right?
Talk about the level of play. Many of the athletes coming are world-class competitors, yes?
For sure. About 20% of the players competing here will be in Los Angeles for the 2028 Paralympics. Collegiate wheelchair basketball is the top level in the U.S. Colleges are where the best coaches and the best players are, with the best organization. They have professional ball over in Europe and in other places, but over here the collegiate division is by far the strongest and best coached.
The 2025 University of Arizona Men’s Wheelchair Basketball team celebrates after winning the National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament title. By winning the championship, the U of A earned the opportunity to host the 2026 NIWB tournament in McKale Center at ALKEME Arena.
University of Arizona Adaptive Athletics
Wheelchair basketball uses a classification system designed to ensure fair competition by grouping players according to their functional ability rather than their medical diagnosis. Can you explain more?
You have to do a bit of math. Each player is assigned a point value based on the type of disability. Lower numbers indicate a higher degree of physical impairment. So if you’re a below-knee amputee, your torso is fully-functional and you can swivel and use your core muscles to lean in your chair and maneuver it better than somebody paralyzed from the chest down who only uses their arms. In that example, the player with a below-knee amputee would be worth 4.5 points while the other player is worth one point. Together the five can’t exceed 14 points.
Does that affect game strategy?
It does. A player’s classification often dictates their role on the court. If you’re in a high classification, you’re mostly going to be doing the scoring, while players in lower classifications do things like blocking out and rebounding. It’s almost like the old NBA where the play often flowed through centers like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Bill Russell and their teammates facilitated their play.
Tell us about some of the activities surrounding the tournament.
Inside McKale, concessions will be open and we’ll have halftime entertainment during some games. Outside the arena, we’ve planned a wheelchair experience for students in the Tucson Unified School District. Field trips will come over to the South Rec, where students can play a little wheelchair basketball and meet adaptive athletes who play sports other than basketball before heading over to McKale to watch some of the games. We also organized a disability expo Friday from noon to 4 p.m. outside the Hall of Champions.
The National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball championship trophy. The 2025 championship marked the team’s third consecutive finals appearance and first win.
Arlene Islas/University Communications
After that we have “Pizza with Paralympians” featuring a panel discussion led by U of A Vice President for Student Affairs Amanda Kraus that includes wheelchair basketball legend Matt Scott, longtime coach Mike Frogley, current U.S. Women’s coach Jeremy Lade, and Alana Nichols, the first woman to win a gold medal in the Winter and Summer Paralympics.
This is a big production. Do you need volunteers? How can someone help if they’re interested?
We have plenty of shifts open for anyone who wants to participate. We particularly need help with ticketing and merchandise sales. Shifts run three hours, after which people are invited to stay and take in some games.
