Blaise Mutware

Started: He took up wheelchair basketball in 2015 at Variety Village Rebels in Toronto, ON, Canada, six months after his accident. (wheelchairbasketball.ca, 01 Sep 2019, 28 Sep 2020) Reason: "My [recreational] therapist was able to contact one of the local wheelchair basketball coaches and said, 'There's a potential athlete who's interested in playing'. I checked it out, pretty much learned the sport first-hand and had a lot of fun doing so even though I didn't know much about it. Even though my first day was not really successful, I really enjoyed the pace of the game. I love how intense and aggressive the game is." (wheelchairbasketball.ca, 01 Sep 2019; csiontario.ca, 06 Apr 2021; toronto.com, 07 Jun 2019) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (thestar.com, 12 Aug 2023; paralympic.ca, 24 Oct 2023, 10 Apr 2024) Awards: He received All-American First Team honours for the 2023/24 season by the National Wheelchair Basketball Association [NWBA] Intercollegiate Division. He also received Academic All-American honours for the same season. (nwba.org, 18 Mar 2024) Additional Info: OCCUPATION He has worked as a chef. "When you work at a restaurant, it's very team-like. Communication is key because you want to make sure that the team is on the same page." (wheelchairbasketball.ca, 01 Sep 2019; csiontario.ca, 06 Apr 2021) HERATIGE Born in Hindiro, Rwanda, he spent time living in South Africa and Zimbabwe before moving to Toronto, ON, Canada, at age 13. (wheelchairbasketball.ca, 01 Sep 2019) FURTHER STUDIES In 2020 he began studying for a bachelor's degree in business at the University of Arizona in the United States of America as part of a basketball scholarship. "Arizona saw me play a little bit and I guess they saw potential in me. I thought it was a great opportunity to experience something different. I feel like I'm still at that young age where I can take risks and I felt like going to school would be a risk. I was never really good at school, but I wanted to give this opportunity a chance and see how I can grow both in basketball and in life." (wheelchairbasketball.ca, 01 Sep 2019, 28 Sep 2020) NEW LIFE THROUGH SPORT He says wheelchair basketball helped him deal with his impairment after doctors told him he would not be able to walk again. "At the time [of the accident], I felt I had a lot going for myself. I felt my life was headed in the right direction. At the time, it just put everything into a halt and I really did not know what to do. Basketball really helped me get out of this slump, because I did get into a little bit of depression stuff and basketball really helped me forget everything outside the sport and made me live in the moment. I really enjoy wheelchair basketball so much that I kind of looked at my accident as almost a blessing in disguise." (toronto.com, 07 Jun 2019)