OTTAWA, ONT. (July 23, 2025) – Wheelchair Basketball Canada has announced the 28 athletes who will participate in the upcoming NextGen Camp, taking place from July 23-27, 2025, at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre in Scarborough, Ont.
Led by Men’s Under-23 head coach Darrell Nordell, the camp is designed to introduce athletes to Wheelchair Basketball Canada’s High Performance Program. Participants will receive instruction on both technical and tactical aspects of the game, while also competing against some of the top junior-aged wheelchair basketball talent from across the country.
The five-day camp roster includes nine athletes from Canada’s squad at the IWBF Men’s Under-23 World Championship this past June and seven who competed at the IWBF Women’s Under-25 World Championship in September 2023.
Paralympians Kady Dandeneau, Tyler Miller, Tamara Steeves and Arinn Young will serve as athlete reps during the camp.
Members of the media are invited to attend the camp for interview, photos and b-roll opportunities with the NextGen athletes. Media are asked to RSVP to Dhiren Mahiban at dmahiban@wheelchairbasketball.ca.
2025 NextGen Camp Athletes:
Katie Bajema—Sturgeon County, Alta.
Lily Brook—Salmon Arm, B.C.
Josh Brown—East St. Paul, Man.
Charlotte Chan—Richmond, B.C.
Nasif Chowdhury—Toronto, Ont.
Ellen Doria—Fredericton, N.B.
Lucas Floer—Saskatoon, Sask.
Elise Froese—Victoria, B.C.
Cameron Gelowitz—Kamloops, B.C.
Ben Hagkull—Chilliwack, B.C.
Jesse Heubner—Kitchener, Ont.
Bethany Johnson—Winnipeg, Man.
Rosie Long—Oakville, Ont.
Kayla MacKinnon—Dartmouth, N.S.
Simon Mazi-Keep—Niagara Falls, Ont.
Charlotte McElroy—Hamilton, Ont.
Thai Milton—Toronto, Ont.
Broden Nagle—London, Ont.
Mercy Nyakundi—Hamilton, Ont.
Ibrahim Odza—Toronto, Ont.
Bernard Rosello—Winnipeg, Man.
Kyrell Sopotyk—Aberdeen, Sask.
Ryan Straschnitzki—Airdrie, Alta.
Lionel Tamoki—Montreal, Que.
Branden Troutman—Lloydminister, Sask.
Jeffer Ward—Vancouver, B.C.
Alex Wells—Torbay, Nfld.
Matthew Wilton—Winnipeg, Man.
Coaches
Darrell Nordell (Edmonton, Alta.)—Men’s U23 Head Coach
Patrick Anderson (Fergus, Ont.)—Guest Skills Coach
Tara Llanes (North Vancouver, B.C.) —Guest Coach
Jordan Medeiros (London, Ont.)—Guest Coach
Senior National Team Athlete Reps:
Kady Dandeneau—Pender Island, B.C.
Tyler Miller—Kitchener, Ont.
Tamara Steeves—Mississauga, Ont.
Arinn Young—Legal, Alta.
Additional Support Staff
Lindsay Berard (Winnipeg, Man.)—Mental Health Lead
Jeff Dunbrack (Halifax, N.S.)—High Performance Director
Adam Lancia (Halifax, N.S.)—Guest Speaker
Mike MacDonald (St. Catharines, Ont.)—Guest Strength and Conditioning Coach
Jesse McNalley (Toronto, Ont.)—NextGen Player Development and Recruitment Coordinator
Hailey Roll (Mississauga, Ont.)—High Performance Coordinator
Emma Shimizu (Ottawa, Ont.)—High Performance Coordinator
Amy Stefaniuk (Mississauga, Ont.)—Guest Athletic Therapist
About Wheelchair Basketball Canada
Wheelchair Basketball Canada (WBC) is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of the sport in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization committed to excellence in developing, supporting, and promoting wheelchair basketball programs and services from grassroots to high performance for all Canadians. Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport in which Canada is held in high esteem worldwide for winning six gold, one silver, and one bronze medal over the last nine Paralympic Games. WBC will host the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships from September 9-19, 2026.
For more information on WBC, please visit Wheelchairbasketball.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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Media Contact:
Dhiren Mahiban
Communications & Digital Media Manager
Wheelchair Basketball Canada
C: 416-574-6682
dmahiban@wheelchairbasketball.ca