Jake Williams

Started: He took up wheelchair basketball at age 16 in 2008 in Milwaukee, WI, United States of America. (Athlete, 02 May 2016) Reason: He was encouraged to give the sport a try after a friend visited him in hospital and gave him contact information for a local coach who helped him start playing four months after his accident. "I was really good at it from the beginning. I always wanted to play sports as I was very active as a child. After the accident it took me 18 months to come to terms with what happened, and wheelchair basketball helped me a lot." (National Wheelchair Basketball Association YouTube channel, 19 Aug 2016; teamusa.org, 26 Aug 2018) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Facebook profile, 25 Nov 2023) Additional Info: COACHING In 2022 he became men's wheelchair basketball head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the United States of America. "Whitewater has a terrific history and it's a great programme. A lot of Paralympians have come through here and have had a lot of success in the past, so being the one trusted with keeping that tradition going, is amazing. When opportunities like this come up, you can't really pass it up." (kcrg.com, 01 Mar 2023; royalpurplenews.com, 25 Sep 2022; Instagram profile, 15 Sep 2022) PLAYING IN EUROPE He has played for club teams in Europe, including RSB Thuringia Bulls, FCK Rolling Devils, BG Baskets Hamburg, and CD Ilunion. "Having a [wheelchair] basketball career in Europe for six years was an opportunity of a lifetime. I had the chance to live in some of the best cities in the world and achieved success at the highest level." (Instagram profile, 18 Jan 2022; cdilunion.com, 02 May 2021; rollt-magazin.de, 09 Jul 2020; thbulls.com, 22 Feb 2020; bgbasketshamburg.de, 10 Jan 2020)