Paralyzed brothers help lead wheelchair basketball team to a perfect season and national championship
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houston's very own junior wheelchair basketball team is showing everyone that there's no limitations in life after winning a national championship!
The TIRR Memorial Hermann Junior Hotwheels Basketball Team defeated the Blazesports Jr. Hawks 62-56 in April in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association's National Championship Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky.
The team entered the competition as the number one seed in their division.
It took a lot of work to repeat their national title success. They defeated three teams from across the nation to reach the championship.
"It makes all of us feel accomplished. We can do anything we put our minds to," said Aaron Berry.
National champions and a perfect season of 31-0 is a world away from where Berry's story began.
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Aaron and his brother, Peter Berry, lost almost everything in a head on collision in 2011. Both of their parents and their ability to walk was snatched away in an instant.
Despite the tragedy, their spirits remained remarkably unbroken.
"I got in a chair when I was still in rehab, you know, in the early days and I loved it. I fell in love with the sport right away," said Peter.
Today, it shows.
Peter is a two-time All-American. His brother Aaron is the enforcer -- the more contact, the better.
All the members on this All-Star team are area middle school and high school students with physical disabilities and incredible stories of determination. Still, it's the bond of these brothers that stands out.
"They're great young men who have been through a lot in their lives," said their coach Trice Ham. "That brings a lot of perspective and they're very joyful in their lives."
The Hotwheels team last won a National Championship Title in 2015. The Berry boys say they've found a home in the team and relationships that will last a lifetime.
"I really look at them as more than teammates," said Peter. "They're basically brothers to me. I mean we're together in the gym every night, we get each other," he said.
Both of the Berry's are so good, they hope to play Division 1 wheelchair basketball when they get to college.
