Bill Latham selected for Australian U/23s
Friday, 8th May, 2009
Story from Basketball Australia adapted by Noel Rowsell
Wenty Leagues WheelKing Bill Latham has been named in the Australian Under 23 Wheelchair Basketball team, which will compete in July at the 2009 International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Under-23 World Championship in Paris, France.
The tournament will be contested by twelve national teams, which will comprise both men and women, and Australia has been drawn in Group B alongside Spain, Brazil, South Africa, Malaysia and the USA. Canada, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, Turkey and host nation France make up Group A.
Head coach Mark Walker, who coached the Rollers to a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games, said "We've got a well balanced team - we're excited about the challenges ahead and we're aiming for Gold".
The young Aussie team will undergo a final training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) from June 5-8, before departing from Sydney to London on June 28, where it will play practice matches against Great Britain from July 1-4 before arriving in France on July 5.
Latham, who hails from Lower Bucca (Coffs Harbour), plays locally for the Wenty Leagues Wheelkings in the Australian National Wheelchair Basketball League (NWBL) competition. The WheelKings are based at theAuburn Basketball Centre.
AUSTRALIAN UNDER-23 MIXED WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL TEAM (NSW MEMBERS)
Bill Latham (Wenty Leagues WheelKings); John McPhail (West Sydney Razorbacks); Shawn Russell (Wollongong Roller Hawks); Colin Smith (West Sydney Razorbacks); assistant coach Ben Osborne; manager Linda Ross
Full team details at http://www.basketball.net.au/index.php?id=302&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=523&tx_ttnews[backPid]=615&cHash=9e07c0c153
Comments
Comment Guidelines: The SportsTG Network is made up of players, families and passionate sports followers like you who have a strong opinion about sport. That's great - we want you to have your say and share your thoughts with the world. However, we have a few rules that you must follow to keep it fun for all. Please don't be rude, abusive, swear or vilify others. Apart from some pretty serious sport sanctions, we also can ban you and report you if things get out of hand. So play fair and have fun, and thanks for your contribution.