James Maxorley won the World Wheelchair Basketball Championship with the UK Under-23 and at the highest level and returned from the Paralympics last year with a bronze medal.
But with his wheelchair basketball debut at the Community Games this summer, the Belfast native has been given a rare opportunity to represent the Northern Ireland team on the international stage.
But first and foremost, qualifiers with Scotland and Wales next weekend in Glasgow must be negotiated at the cost of a long-awaited place in Birmingham.
“It would be huge to qualify,” Maxorley said.
“Playing wheelchair basketball in the UK was a real privilege, but playing for Northern Ireland would be on a different level.
Wheelchair basketball in a world event – which would have been impossible in the past – would be a great step in the history of wheelchair basketball here.
“Coming back from the Paralympics with a bronze was pretty historic and the chances of getting into something like that were the same.
“Coming from Belfast, you are playing in the UK or Ireland and this is a unique opportunity to play for the Nordic team. This fact has to be taken into account.”
Maxorley plays for Biddek Bilbao in the Spanish Pro League and hopes that the added image that the sport will gain from the community matches will help his development.
He said: “The sport is growing tremendously in the UK and especially in Northern Ireland where a lot of work has been done.
“Disability Sports Northern Ireland (DSNI) has excelled in developing the game, and the number of clubs, player clubs and individuals that have been established there is staggering.
“Hopefully if people see the sport in Birmingham, they will try to find their local club and take part in the sport. It will be a great legacy for this event.”
The rules for wheelchair basketball at this year’s Community Games differ from those applied at the Paralympics.
In Tokyo, there was a 5×5 all-in with two baskets, while in Birmingham there would be a 3×3 with one basket, but Maxwell thinks the basics won’t change.
(Photo: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
He said: “It’s really weird because every player in the house has been training in 3×3, but while I was in Spain I didn’t really get the chance to see what it was like.
“But in the end it’s the same sport with slightly different rules and I can’t wait to get involved and see how it goes.”
“It was a great experience and crazy to think about,” Maxorley said, after winning GB 68-58 to help Britain win the bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympics.
“It took a lot of sacrifice and hard work to bring back the bronze, and that’s something I don’t consider myself to be.
Each medal also received support from family members, coaches, support staff, friends, nutritionists, psychologists, and strength coaches.
“Coming home from the Paralympics is historic because there are a lot of people who can win a medal every four or five years.”
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Source: Belfastlive
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