Wheelchair basketball game raises funds for a good cause

The referee tossed the ball, and the battle for possession started. Players zipped around the court at full speed, expertly passing the ball and looking for open spaces in the opposition defense to hoop the first basket for their team. \nThe game had all the excitement of any competitive basketball event with one difference -- the players were all in wheelchairs.\nThe Lafayette Spinners, in conjunction with the Disabled Student Association and Abilities Unlimited, held a wheelchair basketball match Sunday at the University Gymnasium. \nThe game was the second in a row after a gap of six years. The first event was held in 1994. The game was a fundraiser for camp scholarships for children with disabilities within the Monroe County area. \n"We are aiming to raise about $5,000 to send about 20 children to various camps," said Judith DeMilo, president of the Abilities Unlimited board. \nThe money comes from tickets, food and T-shirts sold at the event and from private and corporate donations. Many students brought food purchased with their extra meal points and donated it to be sold at the game, she said. \nFormer Hoosier and NCAA player Archie Dees and fellow NCAA ex-player Landon Turner, who lost his legs was in an accident, turned out and played with the Spinners. \n"The last time I played, a few years ago, I was totally outdone and out-maneuvered," he said, and quipped, "But these guys are nice, despite being from Lafayette."\nThe Spinners played among themselves and while in the second half, they played against women's basketball coach Kathi Bennett and women's basketball players. Matt Bollant and Trish Belthauser coached the team. \nA gasp went up from the audience when one of the players' wheelchairs tipped over and the player fell out. But the players continued on unphased, and Spinners' captain and coach Eric Muller came to the sidelines and informed the audience, "We usually have about one chair-tipping over every five minutes, and so far, we've just had one more than halfway through the first half. So this is a good game."\nSenior center Jelena Lazic said while some players were nervous, it was also exciting to be participating in the game. \n"It's just neat to be here, but we tried to practice and I was so scared that my chair would turn over because it kept tipping back," she said.\nAnother wheelchair tipped over as two players crashed into each other in an attempt to gain possession of the ball, causing Lazic to laugh nervously. Almost in reply to her, a player shouted from the court, "Don't worry, we will be nicer when we play with you."\nThe atmosphere remained competitive but friendly in the second half. When IU women, playing with some of the Spinners on their team, couldn't hold onto the ball, Lazic put the ball under her T-shirt and zipped across the court to try and score a basket. \nAnother time, another player seeing that the ball was going to pass her by if she stayed in the wheelchair, got up, grabbed the ball and quickly passed it to another player before getting back into her wheelchair, sending the audience laughing and the players shouting in friendly and good-humored protest.\nMuller said the Spinners were a community team with people from various regions and varying from 15 to 56 years old. \n"It's difficult to raise the money to maintain the team, but we want to keep it going because there are only three such teams in all of Indiana. Indianapolis had a team earlier, which was broken up, but now they are trying to rebuild it again," he said.