COLORADO SPRINGS, CO. – The National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) and the High Performance Committee are excited to announce the staff that will support the 2024 U.S.A Men’s Wheelchair Basketball team defend their gold medal performance at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.  

Robb Taylor will serve in the role of head coach for the 2024 U.S. Men’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team, a role he has served in since 2022. 

Joining Taylor on the sideline as assistant coaches are Michael Paye (Warren, Michigan) and Scott Meyer (Columbia, Missouri). The other two team staff members are Jeremy Johnson of Dothan, Alabama, as medical staff and Tony Frescas of Omaha, Nebraska, as team leader. 

Under the leadership of Coach Taylor, Team USA has claimed gold at the 2022 International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) World Championships and at the Paralympic-qualifying 2023 Santiago Parapan American Games. Prior to taking over the reins as head coach, Taylor had been an assistant coach with the U.S. Men’s Wheelchair Basketball National Team since 2013. During that time his teams have won six gold medals and two silver medals including a gold medal at the Summer Paralympic Games in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. 

Taylor’s international coaching tenure started in 2002 helping with the U.S. Women’s National Team and helping with the team through 2004. In 2005, Coach Taylor was officially named an assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team. Coach Taylor helped them win gold at the 2005 America’s Cup, silver at World Championships in 2006, and gold at the Parapan American Games in 2007. Taylor was part of the U.S. Women’s staff that won gold during the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. 

Coach Taylor has been coaching in wheelchair basketball for over 20 years and has coached many different levels within the NWBA. He is currently the head coach for the Auburn University wheelchair basketball team, the program’s first and only coach, within the NWBA’s Intercollegiate Division. 

Since becoming an assistant at the U.S. national team level, Paye has helped Team USA capture gold at the 2022 IWBF World Championships and the 2023 Santiago Parapan American Games. His success in coaching is a byproduct of his career as a U.S.A wheelchair basketball athlete. Paye served as a co-captain for the U.S. Men’s National Team from 2003-2010 and 2013-2021. Paye won a gold medal at both the 2016 Rio Paralympics and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He was also a member of U.S. Men’s National Team for the 2004 Athens Paralympics and 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Paye is a three-time silver medalist at the IWBF World Championships in 2006, 2014 and 2018; and bronze medalist at the 2010 IWBF World Championships. 

Meyer returns to the sideline as a U.S. assistant coach after helping Team USA earn gold at the 2022 IWBF World Championships and the 2023 Parapan American Games. He got his coaching start at the U.S. national team level in 2017, assisting the U.S. U23 Men’s team at the 2017 IWBF U23 Men’s World Championships. Meyer also was a six-year assistant coach for the University of Missouri wheelchair basketball team. He also served as the team leader of U.S. Men’s National Team staff from 2013-2019. He graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in health science and earned two master’s degrees in public health and education from the University of Missouri. 
 
Johnson returns to the coaching staff having supported the U.S. Men’s National Team earn gold at the 2022 IWBF World Championships and the 2023 Parapan American Games. Johnson got his start at the U.S. national team level in a volunteer role of athletic trainer from 2018 to 2021. Johnson has previously attended an international competition with the U.S. Men’s National Team in 2018 at the IWBF World Championships in Hamburg, Germany. Johnson is also a certified NWBA classifier. 
 
Frescas has served in the team leader role for the U.S. Men’s National Team for four international events, including the 2019 Parapan American Games, 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, 2022 IWBF World Championship and the 2023 Parapan American Games. Frescas is also a floor official within the NWBA domestic league, including officiating at several NWBA national tournaments. Frescas has also officiated the wheelchair basketball portion of Invictus Games; an international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick service men and women, both serving and veterans.

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 
- Sport Psychologist Adam O’Neil of Boulder, Colorado