UT Arlington Mavericks men's wheelchair basketball

The UT Arlington Movin' Mavs men's wheelchair basketball team, previously known as the UTA Freewheelers, is the men's college wheelchair basketball team representing the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA).

Established in 1976 as the UTA Freewheelers, the team played at the club level against other colleges and universities in Texas during the 1970s and 1980s.

It has played under the auspices of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) since 1988, when the team was renamed the Movin' Mavs.

[1][2] That year, Hayes also founded and began serving as the inaugural director of UTA's Office for Students with Disabilities.

[3] While the Freewheelers did not have enough players to achieve intercollegiate status, they played as a club team against other colleges and universities in Texas during the 1970s and 1980s.

[2] In 1988, the UTA Freewheelers joined the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) and changed their name to the Movin' Mavs.

[4][5] The name "Movin' Mavs" was suggested by former UTA men's basketball coach Snake LeGrand.

Led by All-Americans Steve Welch, Jesus Alamillio, Willie Hernandez, Jason Van Beek, and Javier Gonzalez, the Movin' Mavs repeated as champions in 1992, 1993, and 1994, defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini in each of those three years.

[6] Following the 1993 championship, the Movin' Mavs became the first collegiate wheelchair basketball team to be official guests at the White House when President Bill Clinton invited them.

[7] The United States Congress also passed a resolution congratulating the team on winning their third straight national championship.

The team fell to Illinois again in the 1998 championship, and then missed the title game for the first time since 1990 during the 1999 tournament.

[5] Seven UTA players were named most valuable player (MVP) of the NWBA's intercollegiate division: Steve Welch (1991, 1992), Rusty Belknap (1994, 1995), Jason Van Beek (1994), Donnie Keller (1996), Paul Schulte (1999, 2002), Mikey Paye (2006), and Aaron Gouge (2007).

A total of 25 Movin' Mavs were named National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament (NIWBT) first-team All-Americans.

[15] In October 2011, during the Jim Hayes Memorial Tournament, the Movin' Mavs played their last game at Texas Hall.

[16] In the 2011–12 season, the Movin' Mavs clinched the number one seed for the NIWBT tournament during the regular season,[17] but were defeated by fourth-seeded Illinois the semifinals of the tournament in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, ultimately besting Alabama once again in the third-place game.

[20] In January 2013, the Movin' Mavs made their debut at College Park Center,[21] splitting two games of a doubleheader, losing to Alabama 64–56 and then defeating Illinois 59–54.

[24] The 2013–14 team hosted the national tournament at College Park Center but lost to Wisconsin–Whitewater in the championship game, 55–54.

[25] In April 2014, the team played an exhibition game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington as part of the 2014 NCAA Men's Final Four.

[28] The 2015–16 Movin' Mavs finished in third place in the NIWBT tournament after defeating Illinois 63–59 in the consolation game.

[29] A total of ten UTA student-athletes and alumni competed in the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, including three Movin' Mavs alumni: Aaron Gouge and Michael Paye, both representing the United States, and David Eng, representing Canada.

[30] The 2016–17 team won UTA's first national championship in 11 years, defeating defending champion Wisconsin–Whitewater 76–52 in the title game.

[31] The 2017–18 team finished third place in the NIWBT tournament in Marshall, Minnesota, defeating Missouri 49–35 in the third-place game.

Jim Hayes, originally from Fort Worth, Texas, graduated from UTA in 1974 and spent his entire professional career at the university.

[38] In 1988, he led the team as they joined the NWBA's Intercollegiate Division and changed their name to the Movin' Mavs.

[39] Doug Garner, originally from Camden, Arkansas, joined the Movin' Mavs as an assistant coach for Jim Hayes in 2007.

Conference tournament champion Jim Hayes -, Won Two Bronze Medals in the 100m and 200m at the 1984 Stoke Mandeville International Games.

1984(Los Angeles), 1984 (Stoke Mandeville), 1988(Seoul), 1992(Barcelona), 1996(Atlanta), and 2002 (Salt Lake City).

Won Silver Medal Wheelchair 1500 meters 1984(Los Angeles) and 1984(Stoke Mandeville).

Gabe Diaz DeLeon: Five-time Paralympian; 1988(Seoul), 1992(Barcelona), 1996(Atlanta), 2000(Sydney), 2004(Athens).