Wheelchair Basketball Team Provides Purpose for Disabled Veterans

Army veteran Matthew Spang has loved playing basketball from as far back as he can remember. As an athletic child, Sprang played the sport often and considered basketball a passion. 

“I grew up playing basketball… sports are a big passion with my family and friends and kind of my life in general,” Spang told KOAA News in Southern Colorado. 

But that all changed during a deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. 

“My truck hit two IEDs… it crushed my legs, my feet and ankles and broke my legs,” Spang said. 

It was a huge blow for the combat engineer who, in an instant, became a disabled veteran. Both of his legs were gone, and the devastating injuries changed the way Spang looked at life. How would he move on? What could he do? His body, once active, strong and virile, was now confined to a wheelchair. 

Eventually, he found his way back to basketball. As a key member of the Colorado Silverbacks, a new club in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, Spang has re-ignited his love for the game and has discovered a sense of purpose he hasn’t felt since he left the Army.

With the Silverbacks, comprised of disabled veterans, Spang also found a veteran community that comprehends some of the pain, anguish and depression he’s experienced. 

“It definitely gave me a new purpose. I got to meet other veterans and we traveled around the country,” he said.

Finding Purpose Through Hoops 

Dan Hendrix can certainly relate to Spang. 

Hendrix serves as a player/coach for the Silverbacks. Hendrix, an Army veteran, suffered a severe injury during a parachute jump in the military. 

“I was doing a practice jump. It was my 812th jump… I got complacent, made a mistake, and it turned out to be a pretty big mistake,” he said.

Similar to Spang, Hendrix also had to adjust to new surroundings, saying farewell to some of the activities he once enjoyed. But when he was desperate, searching for direction, basketball came calling. 

“I found my purpose again when I found basketball; it gives me that feeling of having my guys back and having a sense of purpose again,” said Hendrix.

While wheelchair basketball fuels their competitive fire, both veterans said playing for the Silverbacks goes beyond winning and losing. The sport and the team provide mentorship, mental and physical health benefits, camaraderie and the drive to keep going, no matter what happens.  

“There’s something out there for everybody, you just gotta find it… something that will get you off the couch and give you a new purpose in life,” said Spang.

After practicing for weeks against each other, the Silverbacks will finally get to see how they stack up in a real game. The veterans will compete in their first contest at the Military and Women’s Wheelchair Basketball National Championships, April 10-12, in Colorado Springs. 

For Hendrix and his teammates, the tournament will pose a small challenge compared to what they’ve had to endure.  

“We have a saying in the military, adapt and overcome, and that’s kind of what being in this situation is, you know, you don’t know what the situation is going to be, but you have to adapt, and you have to overcome,” said Hendrix.