Wheelchair Basketball Canada – (March 2, 2017 – OTTAWA, ONT.) Wheelchair Basketball Canada is pleased to announce the list of the 18 athletes invited to attend the selection camp for the Canadian Men’s U23 National Wheelchair Basketball Team at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, in Scarborough, Ont., from March 20-24, 2017.

The athletes will compete for 12 roster spots on the Canadian junior men’s team, vying for the opportunity to represent Team Canada on home soil at the 2017 Men’s U23 World Wheelchair Basketball Championship from June 8-16, 2017 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, Ont.

The selection camp roster features five players who have previously represented the maple leaf on the international wheelchair basketball stage. This includes Rio 2016 Paralympians Liam Hickey (St. John’s, N.L.) and Ben Moronchuk (Edmonton, Alta.). Hickey, Vincent Dallaire (Quebec, Que.) and Jack Kosterman (Langley, B.C.) enter selection camp as three returning players from the Canadian team that competed at the last junior men’s world championship in 2013. Eric Voss (St. Marys, Ont.) won a gold medal with Team Canada at the Americas zone qualification tournament for the junior men’s world championship in 2013.

The athletes attending selection camp are: (athletes with Paralympic Games experience denoted with a *)

• Jon Bilan (Edmonton, Alta.)
• Adel Akhmed (Toronto, Ont.)
• Lee Melymick (Toronto, Ont.)
• Garrett Ostepchuck (Regina, Sask.)
• Vincent Dallaire (Quebec, Que.)
• Alex Hayward (Quispamsis, N.B.)
• Ben Hagkull (Chilliwack, B.C.)
• Eric Voss (St. Marys, Ont.)
• Michael Kilonzo (Mississauga, Ont.)
• Collin Lalonde (Montreal, Que.)
• Spencer Lambert (Winnipeg, Man.)
• Westley Johnson (Kinkora, P.E.I.)
• Liam Hickey (St. John’s, N.L.) *
• Ben Tumack (Edmonton, Alta.)
• Jack Kosterman (Langley, B.C.)
• Tanner Jung (Langley, B.C.)
• Reed De’Aeth (Sherwood Park, Alta.)
• Ben Moronchuck (Edmonton, Alta.) *

Darrell Nordell (Edmonton, Alta.) is the head coach of the Canadian Men’s U23 National Team. He will be joined on the bench by assistant coaches Steve Sampson (Hatchet Lake, N.S.) and five-time Paralympian Dave Durepos (Fredericton, N.B.).
 

About Wheelchair Basketball Canada

Wheelchair Basketball Canada is the national sport governing body responsible for the organization of the sport in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization that is committed to excellence in the development, support and promotion of wheelchair basketball programs and services for all Canadians from grassroots to high performance. Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport in which Canada is held in high esteem around the world for winning a combined six gold, one silver, and one bronze medal in the last seven Paralympic Games. For more information, please visit www.wheelchairbasketball.ca. 

Media contacts:
 
Courtney Pollock
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Wheelchair Basketball Canada
T: 613-260-1296 ext. 203
cpollock@wheelchairbasketball.ca

Lindsay Crone
Coordinator, Communications
Wheelchair Basketball Canada
T: 613-260-1296 ext. 205
lcrone@wheelchairbasketball.ca