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UT Arlington players, coach lead Army to wheelchair basketball goldMay 24, 2011 (Fort Worth Star-Telegram - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- For the Army, winning the gold medal in wheelchair basketball this weekend at the Warrior Games fulfilled a yearlong objective. Since finishing second to the Marines in last year's inaugural games, the Army had set its sights on assembling a talented team and getting it trained for this year's competition. Saturday night in Colorado Springs, Colo., the University of Texas at Arlington's Movin' Mavs played a big role in helping the Army emerge victorious. Three members of the Movin' Mavs helped carry the Army past the Marines 44-19 in a rematch of the 2010 championship game. Movin' Mavs coach Doug Garner served as Army coach. "The Warrior Games is an incredible event for our injured service veterans," he said. "The games give them the opportunity to use sport as a medium to transition back to daily living by providing motivation to get up and out of the house, healthy and positive exercise opportunities, and fun." On the recommendation of the U.S. Olympic Committee, the Army picked Garner to lead its squad. In December, he held a training camp at UT Arlington for wounded Army soldiers from bases around the world who hoped to make the team. Another training session was in April. The UT Arlington students drew national media attention during the games. Freshman Blake McMinn, who as an Army specialist lost his lower right leg to a roadside bomb in Kirkuk, Iraq, in 2007, was featured in a New York Times article. He and teammates Anthony Pone and Juan Soto, the Army team captain, had interviews scheduled with ESPN and the American Forces Network. In the near future, Time Warner Cable plans a 30-minute special about the Movin' Mavs/Army partnership, Garner said. Patrick M. Walker, 817-390-7423 To see more of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dfw.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |