For Reed De’Aeth, his Wheelchair Basketball career is coming full circle.
De’Aeth first met coach Darrell Nordell at a para-athlete search in Calgary six years ago. It was an opportunity for potential athletes to test their physical attributes and see how their abilities measure up.
The two are now set to represent Canada at the IWBF America’s Men’s Under-23 Americas Championship in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.
“He told me that my results came back and that I’d be a good fit for Wheelchair Basketball. So he invited me out to try it, and I’ve stuck with it ever since,” De’Aeth said of his first interactions with Nordell.
De’Aeth, born without a fibula and had his left foot amputated when he was four, also tried sledge hockey and para nordic skiing before sticking with basketball.
The Sherwood Park, Alta. native’s last competitive tournament was in 2019 – a gold medal win with Team Alberta at the Canada Games in Red Deer. With his first competition in three years now just days away, De’Aeth is admittedly ecstatic.
“I am absolutely pumped. Being able to put on the Canada jersey and go represent and give Canada a shot to play in Worlds, I can’t even describe it, really,” he said.
The 19-year-old is one of 11 members of Team Canada’s U23 team headed to Mexico with the hopes of landing a spot in September’s U23 World Championships.
“I feel like we’re getting very well prepared,” De’Aeth said of the pre-tournament camp in Edmonton. “The staff with Wheelchair Basketball Canada has been awesome setting us up. We’ve got a great facility; we’ve got the hotel, transportation, and I think it’s going to help prepare us well for qualifiers.”
For De’Aeth, his key to success on the court is not overthinking the game in preparation.
“The biggest part for me, I think, is just staying calm,” he said. “Not getting overwhelmed or stressed about it. The more I think about it or, the more video I get, I’ll be anxious, and I won’t be able to focus on the game itself.”
Off the court, De’Aeth is thinking about life after basketball.
“I am waiting on acceptance to the University of Texas at Arlington to go play some college ball down there,” said De’Aeth.
The plan?
“I’m thinking maybe kinesiology under a Bachelor of Arts, kind of a leadership course. I’m hoping to use that towards coaching after my basketball career. I know I won’t be able to play forever, unfortunately, so I want to be able to give back to the sport. Help the upcoming athletes,” De’Aeth explained.