By Delaney Osbourn
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. – On a regular Wednesday night in HPER Gym One, you would be able to hear cheering for made baskets and wheelchair tires screeching the hardwood. But, those sounds are sounds that Korab Vranovci loves to listen to. “I love basketball in general,” Vranovci said. “But wheelchair basketball just gives me a way to express myself to the fullest.” And for a PhD student at the University, Vranovci admitted he wouldn’t be himself with the sport.
Vranovci was diagnosed with the disease known as Polio. This disease destroys cells in the spinal cord and from there causes muscle wasting and paralysis. Vranovci has played wheelchair basketball since 2006, and he said it has helped him through many events in his life.
The unique part about this sport is that able-bodied people are invited to play as well. “We want to environment to feel inclusive for everyone,” Vranovci said. “We want everyone to want to come back each week.” Some students would agree that the environment does exactly that. “It’s just a fun way to have fun and come together with a new group of people doing something that is out of my norm,” junior Reilly Veirdt said.
The wheelchair basketball team will be playing their first game of the season on October 16 in the HPER from 5-7 PM. The event is free to the public, and anyone is invited to play.