Eller Duo Plays Key Role in Wildcats’ First Wheelchair Basketball Championship
U of A President Suresh Garimella (center) accepts a ceremonial basketball autographed by the players, coaches and staff of the national champion men's wheelchair basketball team. Left to right, front row: Elliot Murphy, Brandon Louie, team captain Ben Thornton, Garimella, Dylan Zander, Nick Deyo. Middle row: Amanda Kraus, Peter Hughes, Kerwin Haake, Garnett Silver Hall, assistant coach Jose Maravilla. Back row: Head coach Mike Beardsley, Carlos Reynoso, Carter Jones, Elias Brown, Justyn Newman, team manager Riley Langner, Blaise Mutware.
Sydney Blevins/University Communications
Eller College students Blaise Mutware ’24 BSBA, ’25 MSM, and Benjamin Thornton ’24 BSBA, were recently recognized for playing a pivotal role in the University of Arizona’s national championship win in men’s wheelchair basketball.
Thornton, now a graduate student in engineering management, served as team captain and spoke at the event, which also featured remarks from University President Suresh Garimella, Athletics Director Desireé Reed-Francois, and Student Affairs VP Amanda Kraus.
Wildcats men's wheelchair basketball team captain Ben Thorton socializes with team manager Riley Langner and teammates Brandon Louie, Garnett Silver Hall and Kerwin Haake during the April 12 reception for the team at the U of A Rec Center.
Sydney Blevins/University Communications
"To the University of Arizona (and) the Tucson community, to be able to give back to a university that has given me so much as a student-athlete, really means the world,” Thornton said. "And that's really what this national championship really stands for to me, is the opportunity to give back. Thank you so much again for believing in me as a captain of this team, as a leader."
Mutware also played key role throughout the season, helping the team secure its first-ever national title on March 29 in Illinois after two previous trips to the finals.
President Garimella praised the team’s perseverance and determination, saying he became a fan early on after seeing them play during his first week in Tucson when he saw the players scrimmage as part of the festivities at the annual Red and Blue Game at McKale Memorial Center. "What you did on the court that day was very special," he said. "I'm so proud that we have a 50-year tradition of adaptive athletics here."
“You’ve given us pride, and you’ve given us hope,” Reed-Francois added. “You define what resilience looks like.”
During the celebration, Kraus announced a major change for the program starting this summer. Arizona’s Adaptive Athletics program will officially become part of Campus Recreation. Kraus said the move helps reinforce that adaptive sports belong at the center of campus life, not off to the side.
Looking ahead, the program is set to host the 2026 National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball tournaments at McKale Memorial Center. It’s a chance for the Wildcats to defend their title and for Arizona to show off the strength of its adaptive athletics program, which is one of the largest and most successful in the country.
The City of Tucson will recognize the team’s achievement with a proclamation on May 6, and the players will reunite this fall to receive their national championship rings during halftime of the Arizona-Oklahoma State football game.
Coach Mike Beardsley credited the players for believing in him and each other. “I want to thank your parents and you guys for trusting a 29-year-old coach with zero experience, but we did it, and you guys believed in me, and that buy in is what got us here,” he said. “You really allow me to run my program. You don't interfere. And when I need something, if you can't get it, you try. And I really appreciate you for that."
A version of this article originally appeared in UA News and was written by Jason Ground, University Communications.