The Sunshine Coast will play host to a number of the Australian Rollers as they prepare for the 2016 Rio Paralympics in a three day wheelchair Basketball tournament held at the Caloundra Indoor Stadium by local wheelchair Basketball club "The Suncoast Spinners". January's event will see a number of the Rollers compete, including Adam Deans (WA) Tige Simmons (QLD), Tom O'Neill-Thorne (NT) and Tim Markcrow (NSW) and many more.
2016 will be the 9th annual wheelchair Basketball tournament for Suncoast Spinners. The event draws in over 150 athletes from across Australia and overseas. 2016 will see the Australian Gliders and the New Zealand National team making the trip to the Sunshine Coast.
Suncoast Spinners are hoping 2016 will be year they will take out the gold coming second in the 2015 tournament. Spinners will have an added advantage with the talents of Adam Deans (2014 Australian World Championship winning team member) flying in from Perth to join Spinners local members Ben Smith (NWBL), Jake Fulwood (NWBL), James Hill, Natalie Palmer and club president Jeremy Synot take on the challenge. Adam has been returning to the Sunshine Coast for the past three years to play along side local athletes giving valuable experience and talent to the side.
The January 2016 Tournament is gearing up to be the best yet with Australia's best lending their collective experience from the 2010 & 2014 world cup gold medalists teams and the 2008 Paralympic gold medalist team. Names such as Shaun Norris, Jannik Blair, Adam Deans, Bridie Kean, Tom O'Neill-Thorne & Tige Simmons have all been regular supporters of the Sunshine Coast Tournament giving valuable mentoring and support to our local club and junior wheelchair basketball members.
The three day event consists of three grades, B grade for beginners and social players. A grade for Club based competitive & State level players. Premier Grade consists of teams with National level players and higher.
