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World Championship Roster Selected for 2022 Toyota Team USA Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team

By NWBA, 08/13/22, 7:50PM CDT

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Roster Includes Five Paralympic Gold Medalists

COLORADO SRINGS, CO – The National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) High Performance Committee is excited to announce the final roster for the 2022 Toyota Team USA Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team for the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) World Championships. This selection was made at the conclusion of the 2022 Toyota Team USA Men’s Selection Camp hosted August 11-13 at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. 

“This camp was an unprecedented experience for our athletes and staff as we completed our second selection camp announcing a final roster in one year. From athletes new to the pool to those having just returned with a gold medal from the Americas Cup, it was great to see the devotion and energy put forth by all the athletes in attendance at camp”, U.S. Men’s National Team Head Coach, Robb Taylor, shares at the conclusion of selection camp.

This final roster will attend the 2022 IWBF World Championships which will be held from November 16-27, 2022, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. There will be 16 men's and 12 women's teams competing in this event. The U.S. Men's National Team recently qualified in July for the World Championships with their gold-medal performance at the Americas Cup in Brazil.

Coach Taylor discusses the Toyota U.S.A Men’s National Team roster for World Championships, “My staff and I are eager to continue to work with these 12 athletes over the next three months to prepare for Worlds. We know there is great potential for this team and are going to put in the work to achieve our goal of a podium finish at Worlds.”

The roster includes 11 athletes from the gold medal winning U.S. Men’s team from the 2022 Americas Cup that was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on July 9-19, 2022. The roster includes five athletes from the gold medal winning U.S. Men’s team from the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics this past summer. The roster includes a strong nucleolus of athletes with playing experience at major international event and a few that are continuing to earn their "Stars and Stripes" playing for Team USA. 

Brian Bell (Birmingham, AL) continues his 2022 campaign as member of the U.S. Men's squad coming off capturing a gold at the Americas Cup. Bell brings a robust playing career for Team UAA which includes 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.

Trevon Jenifer (Huntington, MD) rejoins U.S. Men's National Team after defending his gold at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics last year. Jenifer has a trophy case that also includes two additional Paralympic medals (2012 bronze, 2016 gold). Jenifer looks to return to the podium at Worlds as he helped secure a silver medal at both the 2014 and 2018 events. Jenifer also was a member of the 2015 and 2019 gold medal Parapan American Games teams. 

Both Jorge Sanchez (Oakland, CA) and John Boie (Milton, WI) return to the roster after qualifying for Worlds with a gold medal at the Americas Cup this past July. Sanchez and Boie made 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 captured gold medals at the 2017 IWBF Americas Cup and 2019 Parapan American Games.

The final roster includes another gold medalist from the Tokyo Paralympics in Ryan Neiswender (Lebanon, PA). Neiswender was also member of Team USA for 2019 Parapan American Games. Neiswender has previously helped the U.S. Men qualify for Worlds, at the zonal qualifier event (Americas Cup), with gold medals at both the 2013 and 2017 Americas Cup. 

Jorge Salazar (Delano, CA) returns to the roster after helping earn a ticket to Worlds with a gold medal at 2022 Americas Cup. Salazar was first named to Team USA when he was a member of the U.S. Men's Senior National Team that won a gold medal at the 2017 IWBF Americas 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 second final roster for the U.S. Men's Senior National Team after representing the U.S. at the Americas Cup in July. Romo 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.

Jeromie Meyer (Woodbine, IA) will be making his third U.S. roster after being a teammate of Romo’s on the U.S. U23 Men’s teams in 2017. Meyer was a member of the U.S. Men's team that recently won gold at the Americas Cup. Meyer has played in the Intercollegiate Division for both University of Nebraska – Omaha and University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.

Peter Berry (Houston, TX) and Talen Jourdan (Deerfield, WI) join the final roster after two gold medal finishes for Team USA so far in 2022. Berry and Jourdan were both part of the U.S. Men's Senior National Team for the Americas Cup and the U.S. U23 Men’s team 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 recently finished the 2021-22 NWBA season playing at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Making their second roster for a U.S. team are Spencer Heslop (Clearfield, UT) and Correy Rossi (Canton, MI) as they contributed to the gold-medal finish for Team USA in Brazil at the Americas Cup this summer. 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. 

Luke Robinson (Everett, WA), Dylan Fischbach (Vermillion, SD) and Chayse Wolf (Clover, SC) have been named as alternates.

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, Illinois

For more information on the IWBF World Championships visit HERE.

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