The University of Arizona honored the Wildcats national champion men's wheelchair basketball team Saturday during a ceremony and reception at the Student Recreation Center. 

U of A President Suresh Garimella was joined by Desireé Reed-Francois, vice president and director of athletics, and Amanda Kraus, vice president for student affairs, at a celebration held for the team, each praising the players for the commitment and dedication they showed in winning the National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball championship March 29 in Illinois. It was the team's third consecutive finals appearance and first win.

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Garimella told the team he had become a fan of theirs in his first week in Tucson when he saw the players scrimmage as part of the festivities at the annual Red and Blue Game at McKale Memorial Center.

"What you did on the court that day was very special," Garimella said. "I'm so proud that we have a 50-year tradition of adaptive athletics here."

Noting that the U of A has had 51 athletes who have gone on to the Paralympics, Garimella added, "We will do all we can to keep that up."

Following his remarks, the team presented Garimella with a ceremonial autographed basketball.

Team captain Ben Thornton, a graduate student in engineering management, and head coach Mike Beardsley recognized the support systems that put them in position to succeed.

"I want to thank your parents and you guys for trusting a 29-year-old coach with zero experience, but we did it, and you guys believed in me, and that buy in is what got us here," Beardsley said to his players and their parents. He gave special thanks to U of A administrators and adaptive athletics director Peter Hughes in particular. "You really allow me to run my program. You don't interfere. And when I need something, if you can't get it, you try. And I really appreciate you for that."

"To the University of Arizona (and) the Tucson community, to be able to give back to a university that has given me so much as a student-athlete, really means the world," Thornton said. "And that's really what this national championship really stands for to me, is the opportunity to give back. Thank you so much again for believing in me as a captain of this team, as a leader."

Reed-Francois and Kraus echoed Garimella's praise of the team and the U of A's adaptive athletics tradition.

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"You filled us with pride, but you also have given us so much hope. You define resilience," said Reed-Francois. "At our core, sport is so beautiful. So, on a personal level, thank you for that incredible reminder."

Kraus also announced a major change for the program coming at the start of the new fiscal year.

The university, she said, has "always put disability on the forefront, held it on par with other important aspects of our diverse community. And today, as we're celebrating all of that, I'm happy to share with you all that we are moving Adaptive Athletics to Campus Recreation," Kraus said. "This is part of our university's commitment to club sports, to competitive sport, but it also sends that message to our nondisabled friends to say that this isn't a special program that's tucked off to the side. This is offered at Campus Recreation, where, honestly, it truly belongs."

That organizational change this summer will start what will become a significant year for Arizona Adaptive Athletics that will culminate next spring when the U of A hosts the 2026 National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball men's and women's tournaments at McKale Memorial Center, scheduled March 30 through April 4.

Beyond giving the men's basketball team an opportunity to defend its national title, the 2026 national tournament will provide the U of A with an opportunity to showcase both its longtime commitment to serve students with disabilities of any kind and the whole Adaptive Athletics program, which has grown to become the largest program of its kind in the U.S., and one of the most successful.

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It's a legacy Hughes hopes will shine as hundreds of student-athletes, coaches and staff, and their fans and families travel to Tucson.

"We want to pack McKale next spring. We want to set an attendance record for the finals," Hughes said. "We've always felt the support of the campus and Tucson communities, and we know they'll show up to cheer the Wildcats."

Even more honors remain in store for the team. The Tucson City Council will pass a proclamation on May 6 recognizing the team's accomplishments, and this fall the team members will reunite one more time to receive their national championship rings during halftime of the Arizona-Oklahoma State football game.