COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO – The Junior Division Executive Committee of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) has announced the February Rankings for Varsity and Prep; third rankings of the season! 

These most recent rankings for the Junior Division have helped set the stage/invitations for the national tournaments.  The excitement is rising in the Prep Division where the Kansas City Kings continue their impressive season atop the rankings and the Roger C. Pease Rolling Tigers used an important win against the powerful Charlotte Rollin’ Hornets to grab the number two spot.  BlazeSport’s Jr. Hawks welcomed back teammates and used the refresh to push into the fourth spot just ahead of WASA Jr. Bucks and Oklahoma City’s strong squads.  Finally, the Courage Kenny Rolling Rowdies put their stamp on the division power structure with wins to move into the top 10 and now sit at seven while we await final seeding for Nationals. 

Not to be outdone, the Varsity division saw games across all division with impacts on rankings and preparation for the season finale in Wichita.  The BlazeSports Jr Hawks Varsity Red team remains as the top seed as they continue to improve and hold off all challengers.  Charlotte Rollin' Hornets and Cincinnati Dragons have met multiple times this year and are vying for the second seed in Wichita.  Charlotte came out on top in the most recent tournament championship to give them the edge over Cincinnati for the moment, but both teams will need to be on their game if they want to take the next meeting.  In a similar battle, the Kansas City Kings hold the edge over the Courage Kenny Rolling Timberwolves by the margin of a 3-1 series season edge; while Lakeshore has proven that they can play with and even take down the top teams on any given day. 

While many teams were jockeying for position, the New York Rolling Fury were making a bold move up the board to become the 12th ranked team in the country. The Fury tested themselves against some of the best in the Midwest and Northern Conferences at the Big Cheese Tournament where they finished second thanks to a one-point win by the LWSRA Hawks.  Meanwhile, February games saw many teams in the middle of the rankings trade wins and create new rivalries that leave the slimmest of margins between teams from 15 to 25. 

The working group that helps develop the rankings for the Junior Division weighed all the head-to-head results, considered every aspect of how the season evolved and concluded that the depth of the division in 2021-22 will mean the deepest National Tournament in NWBA history.  While final seeding will await results of the next two weekends, powerhouses like the Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks, Nebraska Red Dawgs, Houston Hustle, and ParaSport Spokane will headline an Invitational Tournament draw that includes strength from top to bottom and no one will be surprised if any of the teams from 17-32 end up as tournament champions in Wichita. 

The top 16 ranked teams for Varsity earned an invite to play in the Toyota NWBA Varsity Wheelchair Basketball National Championships. Teams ranked 17th or greater received an invite to participate in the Toyota NWBA Varsity Invitational Wheelchair Basketball Tournament. The top 16 ranked teams from Prep are initially offered an invitation to participate in the Toyota NWBA Prep Wheelchair Basketball National Championships. If a team did not accept their bid for postseason play, invitations were sent to the next team, in order of ranking, until both tournaments were filled.

Varsity 

1. BlazeSports Jr. Hawks Red
2. Charlotte Rollin' Hornets
3. Cincinnati Dragons
4. Kansas City Kings
5. Minnesota Rolling Timberwolves
6. Lakeshore Lakers
7. RHI Racers
8. Grizzles
9. Bennett Blazers
10. BORP Jr. Road Warriors
11. LWSRA Hawks
12. New York Rolling Fury
13. ATX (Austin)
14. DASA Rolling Rams
15. Synergy Jr Bulls
16. Rancho Halos
17. Dallas Jr. Mavericks Blue
18. Nebraska Red Dawgs
19. Houston Hustle
20. ParaSport Spokane
21. Chicago Skyhawks
22. Fairfax Falcons
23. Turnstone Flyers
24. RMF Trojans
25. Brooks Bullsharks
26. Portland Jr. Wheel Blazers
27. Mississippi Wheelcats
28. Utah Rush
29. Mary Free Bed
30. Motor City Wheelz
31. Wichita Wildfire
32. Mad CIty Badgers
33. Dallas Jr. Mavericks White
34. Katie's Komets
35. STRAP STARS
36. Bridge II Sports Pride

Prep

1. Kansas City Kings
2. Charlotte Rollin' Hornets Prep-Purple
3. Roger C. Peace Rollin' Tigers
4. BlazeSports Jr Hawks
5. WASA Jr. Bucks
6. OKC Wheels
7. Courage Kenny Rolling Rowdies
8. Nebraska Red Dawgs
9. Cincinnati Dragons
10. RHI Jr. Racers
11. Bennett Blazers
12. Fairfax Falcons
13. NY Rolling Fury
14. Lakeshore Sharks
15. LWSRA
16. Dallas Jr. Wheelchair Mavericks
17. ParaSport Spokane