	Week Beginning 28/04/2008

ESIS student, Stephen Ross, hoping to help Phoenix to top division

Lothian Phoenix's hopes of being promoted to the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association's Division 1 (North) hinge on the final two matches of the season, against teams from Liverpool and Chester.

With the team enjoying its best year since it formed in 2006, and with the season nearing crunch time, a young player has emerged as leading goal scorer.

Edinburgh 17 year old, Stephen Ross, who took up the sport less than two years ago, scored 17 points to help Phoenix beat Manchester Mavericks 51-28 on Sunday.

He was the team's top scorer and helped save the day for the team which had been missing its top scorer.

"Our coach said we all needed to score four more points than normal and we would win the game," said Stephen, whose average game score this season has been six. "I was mentally prepared because I knew we were missing our best player so I stepped up."

Stephen has made dramatic improvements in the game he started just 18 months ago, following an operation for a tumour on his spine which left him paralysed below his waist.

In his previous sporting life he had been a keen football player, as a goalie. His has been able to channel well developed hand eye coordination into basketball although his transfer into the sport was anything but smooth.

"The first time he came to training, the guys made him feel so welcome and I thought he had the potential to be one of the most talented players I had ever seen, but he didn't come back because he felt he was out of his depth," said Stevie Duff, Phoenix's coach and assistant coach to the GB junior team.

Stephen remembers thinking the team "were amazing but I felt rubbish, like I was slowing them down." But after working with an Active Schools Co-ordinator and Stevie Duff's assistant to help him master his wheelchair skills, he was persuaded to return. Second time around he loves the game and has "never looked back."

"Fortunately for us the Active Schools Co-ordinator for Edinburgh, Dave Rhoney, has a remit for children with disabilities and he worked with Stephen on a one to one basis to make him more confident in his wheelchair," said coach, Stevie.

"He showed him how to push it quickly and efficiently, which went a long way to improving his confidence in the chair. We got my assistant coach, Gary Smith, working with him on a one to one basis to master some of the fundamental skills of the game. His second time back he has just blossomed."

Since returning Stephen's improvement has been remarkable, and matched by the progress of Phoenix. Last season, during one of the team's play off's for Divsion 2, the GB junior coach spotted Stephen and after the game invited him to his squad training.

This year everything has progressed to the next level and Stephen is Scotland's hottest young prospects. "I was playing for my team and it was going well then suddenly it all happened," said Stephen.

He has just been selected for the GB junior team. Last week, the British team's coach, the hard talking Australian, Murray Treseder, came to Scotland to give Stephen one to one coaching

"Everyone was really nervous because he's the head man and we were expecting him to go mental, but he's a nice guy," said Steven. "He and Stevie were working together and planning stuff I can do in the long term."

Further support resulted in his recent fast tracking by Scottish Disability Sport into the East of Scotland Institute of Sport (ESIS) as the Area Institute network's first wheelchair basketballer. The support package gives Steven one to one coaching with Stevie Duff and basketballscotland's 2012 Coordinator, Trudie Hopgood.

The ESIS team is, amongst other things, working with Stephen to develop his Strength & Conditioning programme.

"He has a great support package and compared to his peers in the GB junior squad, the input he is getting from ESIS is far superior," said Stevie Dunn. "The Strength & Conditioning training will be very significant for him and the basketball-specific input will help greatly."

Steven will help Phoenix challenge Liverpool Vikings at home this weekend, then Celtic Warriors a week later for that all import place in the top division. Success would be a considerable landmark for the team. For Steven it's an important step on the way to his ultimate ambition.

"My main goal is to make the Paralympics and get the gold medal," he said. "I feel I'm really privileged that everyone is working for me to make it there and I want to give it my all."