Josh Wheeler flashes a smile as he races across the basketball court. Arms pumping furiously, hands pushing against the wheels of his new wheelchair, his eyes track a red-and-white striped ball as it sails through the air over his left shoulder.

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The ball comes up short, landing just inches behind Wheeler's chair as he nears the end of the court. Eyes trained on his target, he comes to a quick stop, turns, reaches out and grasps the ball with one hand as his chair tips on to one wheel.

Quite the precarious position.

At first glance it may seem like a near-accident, but the maneuver only causes Wheeler to laugh as he warms up for practice at the University of Arizona Campus Recreation's SouthREC facility. Wheeler can be found in the gym three days a week, running drills with his teammates. After passing exercises and wind sprints, Wheeler ends the training session tired and sweating – though his smile remains.

Belying his upbeat demeanor, Wheeler takes his training seriously. In just over a week, he and the other members of Team USA's wheelchair rugby squad will face off against the Canadian national team in the preliminary rounds of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

In addition to wearing the stars and stripes for Team USA, Wheeler was a longtime member of the U of A's wheelchair rugby team and is a recent graduate of the Eller College of Management. He moved from Oregon to Tucson, his wife's hometown, in 2015 and enrolled at the university in 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Wheeler earned a bachelor's degree in business administration before completing his online master's degree in accounting in May. 

Taking on Canada in the Champ-de-Mars Arena won't be Wheeler's first time playing on the world stage. A longtime member of Team USA's wheelchair rugby squad, he was a member of the silver-medalist teams at both the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2020 games in Tokyo. 

This year, Wheeler's mind is set on winning gold in front of his family.

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"I want to be able to play at the top of my game – as close to perfect as possible – and dial in some of the stuff that I have worked on a lot over the years," he said. "Tokyo was very quiet, and to be able to have my family in Paris is something I'm really excited for. To know they are there supporting me is going to be really cool."

Wheeler will travel to Paris alongside some of the sport's preeminent athletes. The USA national wheelchair rugby team is the world's most decorated Paralympic wheelchair program, and the only wheelchair rugby program to win a medal at every Paralympic Games since the sport was added in 2000. Team USA will compete against Canada in the first round of preliminary games before taking on Japan and Germany. The results of those three matches will determine the team's standing moving forward in the contest, and whether Team USA will have a chance to go for its first gold in the sport since 2008.

"Team USA has a balanced lineup and a lot of players that are really good," Wheeler said. "If we play our game, it will be hard for anybody in the world to beat us."

Hoops and dreams

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While Wheeler and his teammates compete for gold in wheelchair rugby, other former and current Wildcats will compete in a variety of sports at this year's Paralympic Games. Among them is Blaise Mutware, a graduate student studying marketing who represents Canada in men's wheelchair basketball.

"Canada has a strong legacy in the sport," he said. "We've won three gold medals, and a silver as well. I just want to make the country proud."

Mutware made his national team debut at the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru, where Canada won silver and qualified for the 2020 Paralympic Games. The Canadian team ended in eighth place in Tokyo, improved to sixth at the 2023 International Wheelchair Basketball Federation World Championships and won bronze at the 2023 Parapan American Games. 

When he's not representing Canada on the basketball court, Mutware is a member of the U of A men's wheelchair basketball team. He joined the Wildcats in 2021 and said his time in Tucson is directly responsible for his development as an athlete.

"I have been able to take a larger role since the last Paralympics, and be more aggressive," Mutware said. "I have always had my defense down pat, but I was able to work on my offense and read the court – and going to the University of Arizona allowed me to step into a leadership role. I was pretty new in Tokyo, but I am older now, more mature."

Mutware and the rest of the Canadian national team earned their tickets to Paris in April after defeating Italy at the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation Repechage Tournament in Antibes, France. Canada's first match of the Paralympics is against France, which Mutware said will allow his team to work through first game jitters in front of an exciting crowd.

"We are a strong defensive team," he said. "We have been together for a while now, so there is a lot of cohesion and a lot of chemistry – and we need to bring that to Paris. We have one of the best players in the world with Pat Anderson, and a lot of great shooters on our team. What we lack in good height, we make up for in aggressiveness and speed."

Following their match against France, Mutware and his teammates will play Great Britain and Germany. The results of the preliminary round will determine the rest of the matches.

Wildcats in Paris

Wheelchair and other adaptive sports at the U of A are supported by the university's Adaptive Athletics Program, housed in the Disability Resource Center. In its 50-year history, Adaptive Athletics has sent 51 athletes to the Paralympics, won national championships and earned recognition as a leader in the adaptive and wheelchair sports community. 

In addition to Wheeler and Mutware, the following current and former Wildcat student-athletes and coaches will compete in wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, sitting volleyball, wheelchair tennis and track and field. They will represent three different countries – the United States, Australia and Canada.

Women's Wheelchair Basketball

Josie Aslakson (Team USA) is a U of A alumna and the head coach of the women's wheelchair basketball team. She previously won bronze at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. 

Melanie Hawtin (Canada) was a community member of the U of A women's wheelchair basketball team and will compete in her third Paralympic Games.

Courtney Ryan (Team USA) is a U of A alumna and the assistant coach of the women's wheelchair basketball team. She also won bronze at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.

Natalie Schneider (Team USA) was a community member of the U of A women's wheelchair basketball team and is the Team USA captain. Paris is Schneider's fifth Paralympic appearance. She won gold in 2008 and 2016, bronze in 2020 and finished in fourth place in 2012.

Men's Wheelchair Basketball

Phil Evans (Australia) is a U of A alumnus competing in his first Paralympics.

Wheelchair Rugby

Chuck Aoki (Team USA) previously attended the U of A and is Team USA's co-captain. Paris will be his fourth Paralympics after he won silver in 2016 and 2020 and bronze in 2012. He also holds gold, silver and two bronze from the World Wheelchair Rugby Championships.

Lee Fredette (Team USA) is a two-time silver medalist and was a community member of the U of A wheelchair rugby team. He previously represented Team USA in the 2016 and 2020 Paralympic Games.

Rio Kanda Kovac (Canada) is an undergraduate student pursuing an interdisciplinary studies degree and is competing in their first Paralympic Games. Most recently they secured a sixth-place finish at the 2024 Canada Cup and was a silver medalist at the 2024 Paralympic Qualification Tournament.

Chuck Melton (Team USA) was a community member of the men's wheelchair rugby team and will represent the United States in his third Paralympics. He won silver in 2016 and 2020, as well as silver and two bronze from the World Wheelchair Rugby Championships.

Josh O'Neill (Team USA) was a community member of the U of A wheelchair rugby team and is competing in his first Paralympic Games. He joined the Team USA training roster in 2022 and won a silver medal at the 2022 Wheelchair Rugby World Championships.

Sitting Volleyball

Whitney Dosty (Team USA) won gold at the 2020 Paralympics. She previously played standing volleyball for the U of A and transitioned to sitting volleyball after an ankle injury ended her career. She was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team in 2006.

Wheelchair Tennis

Dana Mathewson (Team USA) is a two-time Paralympian who previously placed fifth in singles and ninth in doubles in 2020, and ninth in singles and fifth in doubles in 2016. She previously attended the U of A on an athletic scholarship.

Track and Field

Chelsea Stein (Team USA) is an undergraduate student and member of the U of A wheelchair racing team competing in her first Paralympic Games. She made her international debut at the 2023 Parapan American Games in the 100-meter T53 category, where she earned a silver medal.

The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympics in Paris will take place Aug. 28 at 11 a.m. (MST) on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo.