Fighting Scots Wheelchair Basketball Takes on Michigan
PennWest Edinboro’s wheelchair basketball team is set to tip off in Michigan this weekend.
For its first tournament of the 2025-26 season, the team heads north to St. Clair County Community College for the 5th Wolverine Invitational, which brings together some of the top Division I and intercollegiate programs from across the United States and Canada.
For the Fighting Scots, it’s a chance to test our skills against early competition and measure the progress we’ve made in the offseason.
Although it is just the preseason, Coach William Speed has high expectations for his players, not only for this upcoming weekend but for the season as a whole.
“As we come into our first full year together, I am hoping this tournament continues to build the culture we are building here at Edinboro and as our season continues, allowing our three headed monster to emerge,” said Speed.
The three headed monster are offense, defense, and transition.
“For that to happen, as a team, we have to do three things,” said Speed. “The first thing is being able to protect the ball by making the right passes at the right times and winning the turnover battle.”
He added: “Our number one focus leading up to this point has been defense. The key to our success starts on that end of the floor, so our transition game and offense can flow naturally.”
Another key point for the Scots going into the season is team chemistry. “We need to come out of this tournament as one whole unit. A team that builds each other up with every possession,” he said.
The team remains largely unchanged, with all players returning and the addition of true freshman Noah Gorecki.
However, leadership is beginning to shift as the organization prepares for the future, with last year’s co-captains Jeremy Evans, Isaiah Johnson, and Elijah Yoder entering their last year of eligibility.
Junior Julivon Buckley, and seniors Dakarai Moore and I have been chosen to lead the 2025-2026 team.
As the team prepares to enter its new era, the team captains are making it a point to maintain the culture that our predecessors worked hard to build - one of brotherhood, accountability, hard work and discipline.
The culture that has been instilled in the program by Jeremy, Isaiah, and Elijah was one of the many reasons why I decided to continue my playing career at Edinboro. It’s sad to see them go, but we will do everything we can to make sure that the standards they set for us stay in place, while at the same time, adding our own touch.
The team has been hard at work in practices and the weight in preparation for this weekend. We are set to open our season against the LWSRA Hawks at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. Many believe that the Fighting Scots should be a top five team this year, so hopes and expectations are high in the locker room.
All games will be streamed on the Edinboro Wheelchair Basketball YouTube channel. Make sure you support our Edinboro Fighting Scots!
Game Schedule
Friday, October 3rd
Game 1: 9:30 a.m vs. LWSRA
Game 2: 5:00 p.m vs. Brampton
Saturday, October 4th
Game 3: 9:30 a.m. vs. Eastern Washington University
Game 4: 4:00 p.m vs. Mary Free Bed
Game 5: 5:30 p.m. or 7:00 p.m vs. TBD
Sunday, October 5th
Game 6: 8 a.m vs, TBD
Game 7: 10 a.m. or 12 p.m vs. TBD
Jordan Mccown is co-Captain of PennWest Edinboro's Wheelchair Basketball team.