Wheelchair basketball team heading to Virginia for national championship tournament

A local wheelchair basketball team is on their way to a national competition for the third time since the team was founded in 2020.  

The Tacoma Titans, a part of Rainier Adaptive Sports, will be in Richmond, Virginia, from April 11-13, to compete at the National Wheelchair Basketball  Association Wheelchair Basketball National Championships.

The team is ranked 12th in the nation in Division Three wheelchair basketball. It is a co-ed team, with individuals of a wide range of disabilities.

Charlie Katica, the executive director and a co-founder of Rainier Adaptive Sports, said the nonprofit organization is trying to provide opportunities for people with disabilities in Thurston County, but that some participants come from other nearby areas to participate.  

 The basketball season extends from roughly September to March, Katica said.

He’s been involved with wheelchair basketball for 15 years and was the head coach at the University of Alabama. He then got a job at Pacific Lutheran University and was working with sports teams under Metro Parks Tacoma.  

 The teams must play at least 10 games to qualify for nationals, which included a tournament in Spokane. The Titans also had a tournament in Portland and flew to Indiana to play against some high-ranking teams, where they beat the No. 2 team in the nation twice.

The Titans also hosted a home tournament in February, where they went undefeated. The team has won nine games and lost three so far this year. There are a total of 15 players on the team, but only 10 will go to Virginia for nationals in April.

Katica said disabilities on the team include players with spinal cord injuries, amputations, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, neuro-degenerative diagnosis and immune disorders. Things like doctor’s notes are required to be certified to play on the team and ensure that players do have a classified disability.  

 Some players have a lot of experience in basketball, whereas others have little. One team member played stand-up basketball for much of his life until a bike accident led to a spinal cord injury.

Others played tennis or did wrestling, and some have been playing wheelchair basketball since they were children, he said. Katica and the players are very excited to be heading to nationals for the second straight year.

 Brian Hackethal, who lives in Rainier, joined the team in the summer of 2024. Growing up, he never really played sports because of his father’s concern with his feet.  

 “I was a band geek/performing arts geek in school and college,” Hackethal said.

He was born with bilateral clubfeet, so his feet and ankles have worn out quicker than the rest of his body, he said.  

 His favorite part about being a member of the team is being surrounded by ultra-competitive, empathetic and hard-driving individuals.  

 “I enjoy having a physical activity I can do that doesn’t strip me of my spoons and being part of a group of individuals who push me to be better,” Hackethal said.  

 The team’s first game at the tournament will be against Detroit — the fifth ranked team in the nation.

How they do at that game determines when their next game will be. The organization pays tournament fees and hotel costs, but for the most part players cover their flight expenses.  

 “I am so excited to be part of such an amazing opportunity! I can’t wait to watch some Division 1 teams compete,” Hackethal said.

“It’ll be awesome to see future potential para-Olympians compete. I am also proud of the work my team has put in to be at the level it takes to make nationals.” 

Besides basketball, Rainier Adaptive Sports hosts track and field and goal ball — a game for people with visual impairments that involves a ball with bells inside and blindfolds so that everyone is on the same playing field vision-wise.

Similarly, the organization has beep-baseball, with soft-ball sized balls that make noise, so the visually impaired batter knows when to hit and bases that make noise as well.

When the batter hits the ball, they try to make it to the base before a player on the field gains control of the ball. If they make it to the base, they get a point. Katica said the sports the organization has are very impressive to watch.  

 Katica and Hackethal encourage anyone who would like to be involved, or join a sports team for people with disabilities, to reach out to Rainier Adaptive Sports.

If people would like to watch a broadcast of the Titans at nationals, they can do so here.