Grand Rapids Wheelchair Basketball Team to Host NWBA Midwest Conference

The 2009 National Wheelchair Basketball Association's (NWBA) Junior Division Midwest Conference Championships will be hosted by the Grand Rapids Wheelchair Sports Association's (GRWSA) Grand Rapids Pacers wheelchair basketball team at Jenison High School (2140 Bauer Rd, Jenison, MI 49428) on February 21-22, 2009. The wheelchair basketball tournament will feature a total of 18 teams from across the Midwest including teams from Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota. The Midwest Conference Championships lead to the Junior Division National Championships being held in Denver, CO March 19-21, 2009.

The Grand Rapids Junior Pacers will have 5 seniors playing in the upcoming Conference Championships including, Charles McDonald, who is currently being recruited by several colleges with potential for a basketball scholarship. McDonald, an amputee, had his lower leg bitten off by a neighbor's dog when he was quite young and has been playing with the Pacers for the past 9 years. The Grand Rapids Junior Pacers wheelchair basketball team is open to any physically disabled youngster from kindergarten to a high school senior.

The Midwest Conference Championships are sponsored by the Grand Rapids Wheelchair Sports Association and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. Play is scheduled to take place on Saturday February 21 from 9:00AM to 5:00PM and on Sunday February 22 from 9:00AM to 2:00PM.