Tulsa Jammers Playing A Much More Physical Game Of Basketball

Preparing for any season is a grind, but for these wheelchair basketball players it's especially tough.

"This is our life," said Karina Keck, who's in her 10th season. "Like, people who are disabled can't do anything that able bodied people can."

Players like Karina Keck, who moved to the U.S. from Lithuania at age seven, found that the Tulsa Jammers wheelchair team was perfect for her. Keck suffers from spina bifida. Her spinal cord isn't fully formed, but it hasn't stopped her from becoming one of the best players on the team.

"Once I found out other kids had spina bifida like my teammate, you know we both helped each other out and building my confidence," Keck said.

These wheelchair players say the biggest difference between their sport and the able bodied basketball is the fact that their wheelchairs clash into each other all the time and makes it very physical. To really master the sport takes a lot of practice.

"I always tell them to practice like you know nothing and play like you know everything," coach Bradley Forbes said.

The Jammers need every effort. Already undermanned, they play a game that has its bumps, its strategy and its share of movement.

"It's harder but it's also easier," said Jacob Shaw, a player for four years. "It's constantly running into people and you're always hitting someone and most times you don't flip but when you do, it's not fun."

But through the bumps and pains, it's just another practice to endure after they've endured so much.

"It's a great feeling for me to watch them grow and blossom into great athletes," Forbes said.