Merritt, Hollermann, Beijer lead youngsters at Paralympics – into bright future

REGENSBURG (David Hein’s Eye on the Future) – Chances are good that one of the brightest young starlets in the world of women’s wheelchair basketball will take gold at the 2012 Paralympics. But fans of the sport are catching a glimpse of the future of the game – even well beyond Rio 2016.

The women’s Semi-Finals will be played on Thursday with Australia taking on two-time reigning champions United States and the Netherlands facing 2008 silver medalists Germany.

Three of the four teams feature a youngster already showing they are already ready for the world stage.

The Dutch have one of the best players in the tournament – regardless of age – in 21-year-old Mariska Beijer, who is averaging 24.6 points, 12.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals. The 19-year-old Amber Merritt is a huge hope for Australia as she collects 15 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal per game. And Team USA has in its ranks the youngster player in the tournament in 16-year-old Rose Hollermann, who has averaged 5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 17 minutes a game.

The accomplishment by Hollermann, who turns 17 on Christmas Day (25 December), is all the more remarkable considering there are 24 women’s players 36 years or older in the tournament – at least 20 years older than the Minnesota native – and another four players who are 35.

Hollermann - who also competes in track and field, swimming, archery and table tennis and sled hockey in high school - is the youngest woman ever to be selected to a men’s or women’s USA wheelchair basketball team. And she already has plenty of hardware, winning gold at the 2010 U20 World Championship, 2011 U25 World Championship and 2011 Parapan American Games.

Having been in a wheelchair since a car crash when she was five which killed her two older brothers, Hollerman hopes to be on the wheelchair basketball scene for a long time as she plans on playing collegiately in the USA and then professionally in Europe.

There she will likely meet up with Beijer, who is currently playing with ProBuild Lions but looks set to accomplish huge things in the game. The center landed in a wheelchair through the amputation of her right foot and joined the senior Dutch team shortly after the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, missing the team because she was too young.

She has since helped Holland to silver medals at the 2009 and 2011 European Championship and a fifth-place finish at the 2010 World Championship.

Merritt was also at the 2010 World Championship as the youngest player for Australia, who finished fourth after losing to Germany in the Semi-Finals and Canada in the Bronze Medal Game. She also took fourth at the 2009 U23 World Championship and silver at the 2011 U25 World Championships – where she had 25 points and 11 rebounds in the Semi-Finals.

Born with Club foot in Portsmouth, England, Merritt moved with her family to Australia when she was 10 years old. She has developed greatly since taking up the sport upon her arrival in Australia. And Gliders coach John Triscari believes the player - whose boyfriend Shaun Norris plays for the Australian men’s wheelchair team - could be a future great.

“I see Amber being the best 4.5 (classification) in the world over the next couple of years. Come Rio, she is going to be really important for us,” said Triscari.

While Beijer, Merritt and Hollermann all have a chance for gold still, the best Amy Conroy can do is fifth place, which would still be a big achievement for the 19-year-old - and for Great Britain. Conroy is one of five British players 21 years or younger, including 17-year-old Maddie Thompson.

Conroy, who had her leg amputated after she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma cancer at 13, has averaged 9.6 points and 5.6 rebounds for Team GB. After taking up wheelchair basketball at 16, she helped Great Britain finish sixth at the 2010 World Championship in Birmingham and then was a big part in GB knocking off Germany to win the 2011 Paralympic World Cup gold medal.

Last summer, Conroy and GB won their third straight bronze medal at the European Championship.

Another young women’s player having a strong showing in London is 20-year-old Anaisa Perez Pachecho, who is averaging 4 ppg, 2.4 apg and 2 rpg for Mexico including 6 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds against France.

There are few younger players in the men’s game. One of the top youngsters is Thomas Böhme of Germany. The 21-year-old is averaging 6 points, 3 rebounds and 2.6 assists through five games.

Böhme helped Germany to silver at the 2011 European Championship and was a member of the most successful club in Europe, RSV Lahn-Dill, who won the German league, cup and Champions Cup treble last season.

One of the other young men’s players is Andrzej Macek, the 20-year-old Polish guard from Italian club Amicacci Gulianova. He is averaging 4.6 points and 1 rebound through five games in London and helped Poland finish sixth at the 2010 World Championship and fourth for a second time at the 2011 European Championship.

From observing the Paralympics in London, it’s clear that the future of wheelchair basketball definitely has stars on the horizon.

David Hein

FIBA

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