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Bench strength has been key to British wheelchair basketball players ending 28 years of injury at the Paralympics. Six times in a row Terry Bywater and company fell in the final four at the Games, a miserable run until Sydney 2000.
“Everything hurts,” Bywater said. “Quarters and semi-finals are the worst games you can play. It’s heartbreaking.”
Holding a slim four-point advantage at the halfway stage of the semi-final against Germany at Paris 2024, the nerves are creeping in and perhaps deja vu.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t think about (the semi-final) and it was in the back of my mind,” said Pratt, who is one of more than 1,000 elite athletes in the World funded by the UK National Lottery. The Class Program, allows them to train full-time, have access to the best coaches in the world and benefit from pioneering medical support – which is very important on the road to the Paris 2024 Games.
“The first time in Rio in 2016, we lost against Spain in the semi-final and we had to win that game. I was like, man, I don’t want that to happen again.
Canada GB coaches Billy and Joey Johnson brought Peter Cusack, a debutant without the burden of history, into the game two minutes into the third quarter.
The 25-year-old brought a new level of physicality and intensity to the contest, particularly at the back of the defence, and his introduction essentially undermined Germany’s challenge.
GB went on an 18-3 run to take total control and they easily crossed the line 71-43 to make it the first gold medal game since Atlanta 1996.
“Pete came to the game at a crucial moment, when we couldn’t move,” said captain Phil Pratt, “I don’t know what will happen in a month. The culture of this team has changed a lot.
“The faith we have in the young guys, the bench, the depth, we have Terry Bywater who is one of the best goalscorers to play off the bench.
“Servant Jama, if we need them to come in, they will do their duty.”
Bywater, finally tasting a semi-final victory at the seventh attempt, needed just four and a half minutes as the game was sewn up.
“We are hard as nails and never give up, we show that in half-time when it could easily have gone the other way,” said Bywater. “We stay together and with the bench we have, the players can get points quickly.
“The squad is like that and it doesn’t show in the minutes played. If the coach needs me for 20 minutes, I’m ready.
Despite being perennial bridesmaids at the Paralympics, the team has won a medal at every European Championship since 2002. GB has moved up the gear since losing to the United States in the 2022 World Championship final by one point.
The strength in depth has helped England shake off the semi-final hoodoo but is built around three pillars of production.
Pratt is one of the best playmakers in the game and dictates from the point, while 6ft4in Lee Manning is among the biggest players in the world and has a massive reach, enabling him to block a high volume of shots and dominate the defensive board.
Chicago Bulls famously built a legend on the principle of ‘give the ball to Michael (Jordan) and get out of the way’ and the same can be said for ParalympicsGB and Gregg Warburton, who scored 35 points and took half of all. shoot your team.
They may not be able to rely on Warburton to score in the final – likely against the United States – but the Mancunian is one of the hottest hands at the tournament.
“First of all, I’m brave and I want the ball any time,” Warburton said. “It’s tough when you miss two or three in a row and the bench is yelling, the crowd goes wild. It’s tough, especially when you know you can make it and you’ve been working hard.
“But the lads were behind me, screaming, ‘keep taking them’ and it just scares you. That’s the way we want to keep playing.
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