Colorado Springs, Colorado – The U.S. Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team, that will be competing at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, will look to keep its perfect record intact during the only U.S. Men’s International Friendly at the Olympic Training Center, July 9-13. The United States will host Great Britain and Spain over the next five days. 

Last week, the U.S. Men’s Team went a perfect 5-0 in Great Britain to win the Challengers Cup, which included victories over 2014 World Champion Australia, and a defeat of host Great Britain on July 4. To win the Challengers Cup, USA edged out the Netherlands, 63-61.

This week, Team USA will open up Saturday’s competition at 4 p.m. MDST, against Great Britain, and then will face-off with Spain in the 6 p.m. game. The Colorado Springs event provides a strong field of international teams, and the event is open to the public free of charge. Fans are invited to attend the games, and must enter the Olympic Training Center through the Boulder Street entrance.

All three teams will have practices during the mornings, and then get ready for competition in the evenings, that will be played at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. MDST daily.

The U.S. Men will only have one game on Sunday, July 10 at 6 p.m., going against Great Britain to close out the second day of competition. On Monday, July 11, Team USA will see action against Spain at 4 p.m., and then will not have any games on July 12. USA will close out the competition on July 13 against Spain and Great Britain, at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.

Mike Paye of Macomb, Michigan, and Steve Serio of Westbury, New York, the two captains of the gold-medal winning 2015 Parapan Am Games Team, will lead the roster of 12 athletes during the week and will be making their third Paralympic Games in September. They played together on three consecutive World Championship teams (2006, 2010, 2014), and were together again at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics where the U.S. finished fourth. Paye was a member of the Athens 2004 Paralympic Team, and Serio helped lead the United States’ bronze-medal performance at the London 2012 Paralympics.

Also making a fourth consecutive Paralympic Games appearance will be Matt Scott of Southfield, Mich., who also was a member of the 2006, 2010 and 2014 U.S. World Championship teams.

Two-time U.S. Paralympian Josh Turek of Council Bluffs, Iowa, will make a third Games appearance in Rio. Turek, a member of the 2014 U.S. World Championship squad that won a silver medal, first played on the big stage in 2004 and again in 2012. Ian Lynch of Bellevue, Kentucky, Nate Hinze of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and Trevon Jenifer of Edinboro, Pennsylvania, will make their second U.S. Paralympic squad after winning bronze at the London 2012 Paralympics.

John Gilbert of Salisbury, Missouri, and Aaron Gouge of Grand Prairie, Texas, who played on both the 2014 World Championship and 2015 Parapan Am Games teams, will see action in their first Paralympic Games. Also making their first U.S. Paralympic Team are three standouts who helped the U.S. to the gold medal at the 2015 Parapan Am Games in Toronto: Jared Arambula of Valparaiso, Indiana; Brian Bell of Forest Park, Illinois; and Jake Williams of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The cumulative participation at major events of the 12 athletes proves to be rich with veteran talent and a welcomed addition of younger elite athletes. By the numbers, this group has participated in 12 Paralympic Games and 16 World Championships combined. The roster returns eight from the silver-medal 2014 World Championships and 11 from the 2015 Parapan Am Games.

The U.S. team will open the Rio 2016 Paralympics on Sept. 8, against host country Brazil in the Rio Olympic Arena. The U.S. men’s team qualified for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games by winning the 2015 Parapan Am Games in Toronto, Canada. The U.S. men outscored the competition by 36 points per game.

The U.S. men’s team finished with a bronze medal at the London 2012 Paralympics and look to improve in Rio de Janeiro. The men’s team finished seventh in 2004 and fourth in 2008, following bronze-medal performances in 2000 and 1996.

U.S. Head Coach Ron Lykins of Columbia, Missouri, will be joined on the sidelines will be assistant coaches Robb Taylor of Auburn, Alabama, and John Sikora of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Scott Meyer of Columbia, Missouri, will serve as the Team Leader, with Mary Vacala of Savannah, Georgia, filling the athletic trainer position. Also assisting in preparations are strength coach Michael Cohen of Savannah, Georgia, and team psychologist Dr. Roberta Kraus of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The officials for the competition will be Beth Uhlrich of Denver, Colorado, Buddy Barnes of Decatur, Alabama, and Joe Sloan of Columbia, Missouri.