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Americas Cup Roster Selected for 2022 Toyota Team USA Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team

By NWBA, 06/11/22, 7:30PM CDT

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Roster Includes Three Paralympic Gold Medalist

COLORADO SRINGS, CO – The National Wheelchair Basketball Association and U.S. Men's Head Coach, Robb Taylor, have announced the final roster for the 2022 Toyota Team USA Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team for the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Americas Cup. This selection was made at the conclusion of the 2022 Toyota Team USA Men’s Selection Camp hosted June 9-11 at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. 

Robb Taylor, U.S. Men’s National Team Head Coach, shares his thoughts at the conclusion of selection camp, “I am pleased with the effort put forth by all athletes during this selection camp, their effort made the final decision on selection a difficult one for me and my staff.”

This final roster will attend the 2022 IWBF America's Cup in Sao Paulo, Brazil on July 9-19, 2022. The 2022 America's Cup, hosted by IWBF Americas, will serve as the qualifier for the 2022 IWBF World Championships taking place November 16-27, 2022, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. For the men's division of 2022 America's Cup there will be eight teams competing for one of the four team spots available for the IWBF World Championships.

Coach Taylor shares his thoughts on the U.S. Men’s National Team roster for the 2022 Americas Cup, “I am excited to be taking this group of 12 athletes to Brazil that will work to accomplish our initial team goal of qualifying for Worlds.”

The roster includes three athletes from the gold medal winning U.S. Men’s team from the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics this past summer. Joining these Paralympians are a few athletes with past U.S. Senior and Under 23 National Teams experience. The young roster includes a few athletes that have been named to their first U.S. roster.

Brian Bell (Birmingham, AL) brings the most U.S. experience to the roster and is coming off defending a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Bell first won gold with the U.S. Men’s team at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Bell looks to have the opportunity for another podium finish at the IWBF World Championships having been a member of the silver medal winning U.S. Men’s team at this event in 2014 and 2018. Bell is also a gold medalist from the 2015 and 2019 Parapan American Games.

Both Jorge Sanchez (Oakland, CA) and John Boie (Milton, WI) return to the roster after making their Paralympic debuts in a successful 2020 campaign, winning a gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics. Boie and Sanchez also earned a silver medal at 2018 IWBF World Championships. Lastly, as teammates Boie and Sanchez’s trophy cases include gold medals from the 2017 IWBF America’s Cup and 2019 Parapan American Games.

Jorge Salazar (Delano, CA) returns to the roster to defend his gold medal from the 2017 IWBF America’s Cup in Cali, Columbia. Salazar was named as an alternate for the U.S. Men’s teams in 2019 and 2020. Currently Salazar is playing professionally in Spain on Gran Canaria. Salazar is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Corporal that has been awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient.

Fabian Romo (Chicago, IL) has been selected to his first final roster for the U.S. Men's Senior National Team. Romo was recently was named an alternate for the U.S. Men’s roster in 2020. Romo earned his first Team USA experience at the IWBF U23 America’s Zonal Qualifier and IWBF U23 World Championships in 2017.

Chayse Wolf (Clover, SC) and Jeromie Meyer (Woodbine, IA) will be making their second U.S. roster after being teammates of Romo’s on the U.S. U23 Men’s teams in 2017. Wolf was a graduate and member of the wheelchair basketball team at Edinboro University. Meyer has played in the Intercollegiate Division for both University of Nebraska – Omaha and University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.

Dylan Fischbach (Vermillion, SD) has been selected to his first final roster for the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team. Fischbach has made previous initial selections for the U.S. Men’s, most recently in 2018. Fischbach has playing experience playing with the Milwaukee Wheelchair Bucks and currently is playing professionally for the Thuringia Bulls in Germany.

Peter Berry (Houston, TX) and Talen Jourdan (Deerfield, WI) join the final roster after recently capturing their first podium finish on Team USA as the U.S. U23 Men’s team captured gold at the IWBF U23 American's Zonal Qualifier in March 2022. Berry was first listed on a roster as an alternate for U23 U.S Men’s team for the 2017 IWBF U23 World Championships. Jourdan just finished the 2021-22 NWBA season playing at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Making their first roster for a U.S. team are Spencer Heslop (Clearfield, UT) and Correy Rossi (Canton, MI). Both Heslop and Rossi played within the NWBA Intercollegiate Division as they obtained their bachelor’s degrees from the University of Illinois-Champaign. Heslop just finished the 2021-22 NWBA season playing for the University of Michigan in Adult Division III. Rossi has been playing professionally in German with the Doneck Dolphins since 2017. 

Also joining Head Coach Robb Taylor on the sidelines will be:

- Assistant Coach Christian Burkett of Seattle, Washington

- Assistant Coach Scott Meyer of Columbia, Missouri

- Assistant Coach Michael Paye of Warren, Michigan

- Team Leader Tony Frescas of Omaha, Nebraska

- Athletic Trainer Jeremy Johnson of Dothan, Alabama

Assisting in preparations as part of the extended staff are:

- Strength and Conditioning Coach Katie McClosky of Houston, Texas

- Sports Dietitian Marta Scechura of Chicago, Iillinois

The U.S. Men's first game at the Americas Cup is 8:15 a.m. (Mountain Time) on Wednesday, July 13, versus Puerto Rico. This will be the first of three pool play games prior to cross over games start. For more information and completed event schedule for the Americas Cup visit our recent announcement HERE.


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