The London, Ont. native is set to represent Team Ontario at the upcoming Junior East Championship
Broden Nagle was shopping for shoes that would fit his Ankle Foot Orthoses (A.F.O.) when he first met wheelchair basketball coach Paul Bowes. Bowes recognized Nagle’s disability and introduced the family to the opportunities in parasport.
“We didn’t even know what parasport was,” Nagle recalled. “That was my first time hearing about it. Paul asked me if I wanted to come out to a London practice. Bowesy just saw me with my bright AFOs, walking around in shorts, and approached us. It was incredibly random.
“Ever since meeting Paul, I’ve stuck with wheelchair basketball.”
Nagle grew up playing soccer, but the London, Ont. native was born with bilateral club feet, and as his condition progressed, running became difficult.
“I was able to run with my AFOs, then I’d have surgery, and I would barely be able to walk. Then I’d have another surgery, and my feet would be fine,” Nagle explained. “At one point, my knees and hips started to deteriorate because of the way that I would walk.
“Then I started to swim and play water polo for a little bit.”
Nagle attended his first wheelchair basketball practice in London in December 2019.
Last year, Nagle had the opportunity to represent Team Ontario at the 2023 Canada Winter Games in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Nagle and Team Ontario finished eighth in the six-day tournament.
“I loved the opportunity to be there, and I was thankful for the opportunity,” said Nagle. “I thought it was cool to see how good the competition was and see how good I could possibly be.
“I learned more about myself than I learned about the sport. I learned that I don’t like being on the bench, so that drove me to train because I never want to experience that again – train as hard as I can and train until I’m a better player.”
The 18-year-old is working on his game while training with Tyler Miller and the Twin City Spinners.
Nagle credits Miller for helping push the limits in his game.
“Tyler has been the biggest influence of mine,” he said. “He’s really struck a spot in me that’s wanting me to be better. He’s pushed me to my limits sometimes. Obviously, I’m grateful for that because without that, you can’t get better. I think he’s probably my biggest influence, to be honest.
“Sometimes I get lazy—I feel like I’m like not playing in the right gear. Tyler always wants me to play at maximum efficiency, maximum energy, and just play as hard as I can.”
In March, Nagle will represent Team Ontario at the Junior East Championship in Montreal (March 8-10). With turnover from Canada Games, Nagle will likely shoulder a larger role on his provincial team.
“We had quite a turnaround in the last year,” he said. “There’s a lot of a lot of new players and I’m excited to see how we perform together.”
Off the court, Nagle is in the process of applying for business school with the hopes of working in investment banking upon graduation.
“I like to read business books, and it’s always interested me,” said Nagle. “I invest my own money already—that’s how I got into it. I think it would be pretty interesting.”