Graduate student Kesean Paire passes the ball during a practice Oct. 21 at the Physical Education building. Paire is from Woodville, Texas.
The UTA men’s wheelchair basketball team enters the season with almost its entire team from last year returning, hoping to win its first national title since 2022.
The Movin’ Mavs were eliminated from the National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball tournament in the quarterfinals, falling 66-53 to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
“The biggest take from last year is just continuing to do the little things,” head coach Aaron Gouge said. “That’s where the game really got away from us in the quarters. We came in a little overconfident and just didn’t do all the little things that put us into that spot to begin with.”
Sophomore Mitchell Bond passes the ball during a practice Oct. 21 at the Physical Education Building. Bond is from Geelong, Australia.
Nine of last year’s 13 Movin’ Mavs return for the 2026-27 campaign. One of them, senior Dillon Mitchell, said the team’s continued chemistry should help them against teams with similar situations.
“We play the same teams all the time, and they get their returning players,” Mitchell said. “Knowing how good my teammates are, knowing their tendencies, their strengths, and then comparing that to other teams who we can match up against, who we necessarily have a tougher matchup against, but not losing anyone, you can’t beat that.”
The team has replaced its departures with two newcomers, freshmen Adan Persad and Talon Teague. The latter said joining such an experienced team has helped him improve his game.
Senior Dillon Mitchell pump fakes the defender during a practice Oct. 21 at the Physical Education Building. The Movin’ Mavs will play in the UTA Jim Hayes Fall Classic from Nov. 21 to 22 at College Park Center.
“It’s pretty obvious that I’m really close to the worst player on the team, but to be the best, you got to be the worst at some point,” Teague said. “I’m just using it as growing pains and just working it out.”
The Movin’ Mavs will begin their first full season in the Athletics department with a home tournament, the Jim Hayes Fall Classic from Nov. 21 to 22 at College Park Center.
They’ll then head to The University of Alabama for the UA Early College Classic from Dec. 4 to 5 at Stran-Hardin Arena in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Teams in the tournament include UTA, Alabama, Illinois and The University of Arizona.
Senior Dillon Mitchell looks at the defense during a practice Oct. 21 at the Physical Education Building. Mitchell is from Lancaster, Texas.
After the calendar turns over, the team goes to the other side of the country, playing in the Arizona College Tournament from Jan. 29 to 30 at the Student Recreation Center in Tucson, Arizona. Teams include UTA, Arizona, Alabama and the University of Michigan.
UTA will then play in the D-Town Invitational, organized by the Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks. The tournament will be played Feb. 5-7 at the Maverick Activities Center.
From Feb. 19 to 20, the Movin’ Mavs will return to Stran-Hardin Arena in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for the Jalapeños Bash. Teams at the tournament will include UTA, Alabama, Arizona and Auburn University.
Graduate student Javed Choudhari attempts a shot during a practice Oct. 21 at the Physical Education Building. Choudhari is from Lonar, India.
The team then finishes the regular season the following week at the same campus it began, staying home to host the UTA Tournament from Feb. 26 to 27. According to Cezar Olivas, UTA assistant director of adapted sports, games on the first day will be at College Park Center, but the second day’s matchups will be at the MAC.
The season will culminate in the National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball tournament, hosted by Newman University at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita, Kansas. In his four years so far leading the Movin’ Mavs, Gouge has three wins in the national tournament’s winner’s bracket, including a championship appearance in 2025.
“Our goal this year is to definitely be in the national championship game and win that game,” Gouge said. “Pure talent-wise, we’re one of the most talented teams in the country, and with the added experience that we have now on top of that, it puts us in a really good spot.”
@TyRoland06