Rural Missouri - March 2022 - 26

Left: Colin Higgins, left, reaches for a loose ball against Zach Steger during a scrimmage on Brewer Court No. 10 at the Mizzou Recreation Center.
Right: Lee Melymick puts up a shot during a scrimmage as head coach Ron Lykins watches.
game, " says Ron, who took over as coach in 2009. " Injuries,
sickness or foul trouble, you name it and they just
had to go with it. "
The team and sport of wheelchair basketball has grown
since that fi rst season. " In those 17 years, the equipment
has gotten better, players have gotten stronger and it's
much more competitive, " Ron says. " Wheelchair basketball
is trending upward. Look at the coverage from the Paralympic
Games last summer. "
Ron actually didn't watch the games on TV however. He
was busy collecting a gold medal coaching the
U.S. Men's team, his fourth career gold medal
split evenly between the men's and women's
teams. But now, his focus is just on the Tigers.
They play and practice in the former Brewer
Fieldhouse - home to the men's basketball team
prior to 1972 - inside the Student Recreation
Center.
" We play on the same size courts as any other
college team, same ball and same basket height, "
Ron says. " The only difference is the dribbling and
our guys are sitting down. "
Wheelchair basketball has no double dribbling penalty.
Athletes are required to dribble the ball after every two
pushes of their chair or they incur a traveling violation.
26 RURAL MISSOURI | MARCH 2022
The chairs are purposefully constructed for the sport.
Made of aluminum, they come in at just 25 pounds. " They
can take getting hit by another chair, " Ron says. " The
wheels are cambered which gives it balance and stability
and lets you turn quicker. There's no push handles or
brakes; they're designed to be as light as possible. "
Each athlete is given a classifi cation number between 1
and 4.5 depending on their disability. " Class 1s might not
have as much control of their trunk and maybe can't reach
out as far, " Ron says. " Where a 4.5 might be someone
who's had a couple of severe knee injuries, but it doesn't
affect them when sitting down. "
Columbia
Any team that is on the court can't have a cumulative
classifi cation number over 14.
The Tigers have nine athletes on their roster,
with and without scholarships. With not many
collegiate options available, Ron recruits all
across the United States, Canada and Europe.
Senior Zach Steger has played basketball
nearly his entire life. The journalism major from
Richardson, Texas was born with spina bifi da -
a congenital defect in the spinal column - and used arm
crutches growing up. He played able-bodied sports as a kid
such as baseball, soccer and basketball.
" Once middle school able-bodied basketball started, I

Rural Missouri - March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - March 2022

Contents
Rural Missouri - March 2022 - Cover1
Rural Missouri - March 2022 - Cover2
Rural Missouri - March 2022 - Contents
Rural Missouri - March 2022 - 4
Rural Missouri - March 2022 - 5
Rural Missouri - March 2022 - 6
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Rural Missouri - March 2022 - Cover3
Rural Missouri - March 2022 - Cover4
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