Mississippi Wheelcats headed to national tournament

JONES COUNTY, Miss. (WDAM) - The Mississippi Wheelcats are going to nationals in just a few weeks.

One teammate, Phillip Lindsey, is sharing his excitement for the upcoming game.

Lindsey is a 14-year-old paraplegic athlete who is chasing a dream, which started when he was just nine years old.

“The first goal was to make a basket, and then the second one was to make it to college, and then I guess, the big final goal is to make it to the Paralympics,” said Lindsey.

Lindsey said he doesn’t let his condition stop him. Instead, it gives him an opportunity to prove people wrong.

“When you’re really young or just starting to be able to go to school and stuff, you see all these other kids go to recreation basketball and baseball and football, and then you see that you can’t do the stuff that all your other friends are doing,” Lindsey said. “It gives you that drive to just go and do something.”

Later this month, Lindsey will travel to Kansas to compete for a national title, but he said it’s more than that.

“Tournaments are just one thing, and yeah, they’re fun, but getting to be with the teammates is just a whole another big thing, and then getting to compete with the people just like me is really fun,” Lindsey said.

As Lindsey and his teammates head to the tournament, he hopes that his story encourages other kids just like him.

”Don’t back down, just keep going,” Lindsey said.

The Wheelcats is the fourteenth seed at the tournament and will compete at the end of March for a national title.

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