Evans selected to compete with Team USA in Japan this fall
by Beth Kraft
Mondovi’s Collin Evans has become a top player on the national wheelchair basketball circuit over the past few years.
His team, the Junior Rolling Timberwolves, claimed the Junior National Championship in 2014. The team then returned to the national championship game this past season where the T’Wolves finished as the runner-up and Evans was named the Junior League MVP.
Recently Evans was asked to take his game to the international level by joining Team USA’s Developmental Team of emerging wheelchair basketball athletes.
Evans, who will be a senior at Mondovi High School this fall, will travel to Japan this November to compete in the 2015 Kitakyushu Champions Cup. He is one of just 12 athletes invited to join Team USA’s U30 team, which will take on teams from Great Britain, Korea and host Japan.
Head coach Matt Buchi called to ask if he would be interested in playing with the team, Evans said. The answer was a no-brainer.
“It’s a huge honor to represent the United States,” commented Evans, noting he is looking forward to playing against teams from around the world and visiting Japan.
The goal of the upcoming tournament is to provide exposure to wheelchair basketball athletes who are interested in trying out to represent their respective countries in the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
Yet Evans is hoping to don a Team USA jersey a little sooner than that. He plans to seek a spot on Team USA for the 2016 Paralympic Games, slated to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when tryouts take place in January 2016.
“Being a part of a USA team would mean the world to me,” wrote Evans on his NWBA fundraising webpage. “It is my ultimate and life-long dream to represent the United States.”
In the meantime, Evans is focused on training for the upcoming Kitakyushu Cup by utilizing available gym time in Mondovi and at the Courage Center in Golden Valley, Minn., where his Junior Rolling Timberwolves squad practices.
He notes he recently underwent some minor surgery, but planned to be back in his ball chair early this month.
“Most of my training will be on my own,” said Evans. “I will also be attending a development camp in Alabama in September.”
Evans is also in the process of considering his options for colleges with wheelchair basketball programs. Though he hasn’t yet made a commitment, Evans shared that he has been contacted by Illinois, Mizzou, Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU), the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) and UW-Whitewater so far.
Fundraising to cover the $3,000 cost of his upcoming trip to Japan with Team USA is also on Evans’ to-do list.
“We are trying to raise a total of $48,000 for the team,” Evans explained. “This will cover airfare, lodging, uniforms and training camp.”
To help Collin Evans and his Team USA wheelchair basketball squad reach their goal, please visit https://nwba.rallyme.com/rallies/1921/usa-to-japan/roster/846/collin-evans to make a tax-deductible donation. He can also be reached via email at evans3collin@gmail.com.
