Dan Levine, the assistant coach of the United Spinal Junior Nets, was so nervous before the big game that he locked the rental van with the keys in the ignition and the motor running. During pre-game warm-ups, there was a sudden loud noise that many thought was a gunshot. Dylan Levine, Dan’s son, had gotten new tires on his basketball wheelchair, and one had just blown. While the local police solved the van problem, and a mechanic readied the chair, the Wheeling Wizards from Milwaukee could not cool off another hot engine-Dylan’s torrid outside shooting. His 24 points led his team, the Junior Nets, to a 38-23 win, capturing not only the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) prep junior championship, but capping off an improbable and unexpected undefeated season for the previously unheralded team from New Jersey.
The United Spinal Junior Nets wheelchair basketball team and their coaches and family members celebrated a dream season that saw them finish first in the nation.
This was the first year of United Spinal Association’s sponsorship. Previously known as the Jaguars, the team had to learn the hard way that basketball is the consummate team game. They bottomed out in Baltimore in December 2003, where their only success was managing to show up, despite an early blizzard that brought a foot of snow to the East coast. “It wasn’t just that the team lost by large margins,” said Rachelle Grossman, the leader of the Parents’ Association, “it was the way the kids were bickering on the court.”
Practices began to stress fundamentals and the need for teamwork. A second practice was added, and the team slowly improved. Re Marks, who had been involved with wheelchair basketball since the 1992-1993 season, was hesitant at first about continuing her involvement. Her daughter, Jillian, who had played on the Jaguars for many years, was off to college. Marks saw the potential and agreed to continue coaching, with help from the assistant coaches—three dedicated dads. I asked Marks when she thought the team started to come together, and she replied, “At last year’s nationals”—at Peoria, when the team finished a surprising fifth place. With only one player lost due to age limits, there was much optimism about the future.
It became apparent that the Junior Nets were the “real deal” when they captured a regional tournament in Minnesota this past November. None of the games were especially close. Then in December, they were the host team for a one-day invitational. On their home court they beat Katie’s Komets twice and the Air Capital once. People in the wheelchair sports community began to take notice.
Then there was the “star” issue. Dylan Levine, a superb athlete who also excels in tennis and sled hockey, does it all on the court. With a quickness that is surprising in light of his size, he has a spin move that often eludes defenders and gives him uncontested lay-ups. But he also has a deadly eye and hand from the three-point range. This year, Emily Seelenfreund (my daughter) and Westley Cuevas became reliable shooters, and the Nets now had a triple threat to score.
The players went to Alabama fairly confident about their chances of winning the tournament. Getting the number one seed was a tribute to their record, and earned them a bye into the second round against a team from Grand Rapids, Michigan. They won that game in a romp, 38-10.
The early rounds had reduced the field to four teams for the semi-finals. The Junior Nets were matched up against a good team from Sterling Heights, Michigan, called the Challengers. The Challengers relied on DJ Murray, who was tall and strong. New Jersey came out roaring and quickly built an 8-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Nets strategy was to sandwich DJ between defensive stalwarts, Emily and Joseph Bruno.
In the second quarter, the Challengers came roaring back and scored 10 unanswered points. The Challengers neutralized the Nets’ sandwich strategy by putting players against Emily and Joseph. This allowed DJ to get inside more, where his size and strength made him almost impossible to stop. The Nets tried to counter with their sixth man, Ray Martin, one of the tiniest players in the tournament. Quick, dogged, and all heart, Ray tried to steal the ball by coming from behind, but to no avail. Nothing could stop the Challengers, and at the half they led 10-8.
The second half started with a Nets basket, and then they briefly regained the lead. Despite the score shift, a change in momentum seemed to point things in the Challengers’ direction. Well into the third quarter, the Michigan team had a six-point lead. It was do or die time for the Nets.
In this most tense of all games, the Nets came roaring back by using a fast break. Dylan, who did not have his usual good shooting touch, got a bunch of rebounds and went as fast as he could up court. Three times in a row, he drew traffic and made precise passes to Emily, who shot three baskets in a row. The Nets surged ahead for good and won 27-21.
Wes Cuevas, a clutch player throughout the tournament, always seemed to get a basket when the team was desperate for one. He rebounds well, contributes solid defense, and always plays with intensity. In the championship game, he was the second leading scorer with 8 points. The last starter on the championship team was Chelsea Crytzer, who is good at setting screens and shows continual improvement as a defensive player and scorer.
According to the Challengers’ Coach, Diane Winterstein, their game with New Jersey “was the best game of the tournament.” Although they put themselves in a hole by missing their first 10 shots, she thought her team fought hard and “gave the Nets a run for the money.”
Dylan, deservedly, won the MVP.
And the fairy tale season was over.
Bob Seelenfreund is an attorney who does criminal appellate work and is a freelance writer.
