Ross McConnell, the oldest member of the Scotland wheelchair basketball squad at 47, never thought he would make it to the Commonwealth Games. Hailing from South Shields, he is now in Glasgow representing Scotland, with his North East Warriors clubmates cheering him on.
A dream realised
McConnell, who resides in South Shields, said: "I'm absolutely honoured and delighted to be here representing Scotland." He added, "I never thought I'd be here – I thought I'd missed the boat by about 20 years."
Scotland currently sit 4th on the medal table, and the men's wheelchair basketball team advanced to the semi-finals after beating Wales 21-10 on Monday.
Support from home
Becky Ramsden, head coach of the North East Warriors wheelchair basketball club, is in Glasgow supporting McConnell. She said: "I'm so unbelievably proud of Ross. He has become a dear friend and adopted family member. He has the best sense of humour, but on court he is so competitive."
Ramsden added: "Ross is also one of the coaches at North East Warriors, and his experience is invaluable to the team. It's always a pleasure to have him share his knowledge of the game and inspire others to work hard."
Fellow players also shared their pride. Player Mick said: "Really proud of Ross. He's a top teammate, always keeps everyone laughing, and it's brilliant to see him representing Scotland." Charlotte called it an "amazing achievement" and said McConnell is "a true inspiration, always giving advice on how to improve." Michael said he was "absolutely buzzing" and called him "an awesome player and an inspiration to us all." Dan joked: "Never have I seen a man with so little hair achieve so much."
Road ahead
The Scottish team will play in the semi-final on Wednesday, July 29 at 12:30pm, with the final later that day. With England's men's 3x3 wheelchair basketball team also advancing, a cross-border final is possible.
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