In November, Movin’ Mavs junior Ke’Sean Paire was selected to try out for the USA Men’s Under 23 Wheelchair Basketball Team. Two months later, Paire was selected for the 12-man roster after the U23 Selection Camp hosted in Colorado.
The team will travel to Bogotá, Colombia, to compete in the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation World Championship Zonal Qualifier from April 2 through 6. Team USA will look to secure a spot for the IWBF Men’s U23 World Championship in São Paulo, Brazil, in June.
Paire said that although the announcement relieved the pressure, he remained humble and mindful of those who didn’t make the final cut.
“I just feel so much pressure released,” Paire said. “But I had to maintain the humbleness.”
He set his goals to improve physically, emotionally and mentally. Being on a strict diet, sleeping earlier and meditating were part of that sacrifice.
“I came in on Sunday evenings from church, coming straight to the gym just to shoot,” Paire said. “Just making the extra time of what I usually do and just putting it more into my training.”
During their lunches and dinners, Paire said it was a memorable experience to be able to learn and hear stories from his teammates who all come from different universities and states.
Movin’ Mavs senior Carrington Marendes has been teammates with Paire since high school and said he sees Paire as his little brother.
“We were able to work out on basketball a lot and to grow the love for the game consistently,” Marendes said. “So, I feel like our friendship definitely played a part in him getting to this point. But most of it is just him, though. All of his hard work has paid off.”
He believes Paire can bring the knowledge of having national experience under his belt back to the UTA Movin’ Mavs team.
“He’s always a person that’s trying to help people,” Marendes said. “I feel like that’s his greatest trait.”
Aaron Gouge, Movin’ Mavs head coach, said Paire has valuable traits for Team USA.
“Ke’Sean’s tall, athletic, he’s a good leader on the court, very local,” Gouge said. “Those are the things that make him valuable for us, and those are the things that are going to make him valuable for Team USA.”
Playing in different systems and with different players will help Paire become a better player all around, he said.
“I told him to make sure he went out and got to his strengths and did the things on the court that he wants to do,” Gouge said. “I was confident he would be successful.”
Paire’s selection to Team USA helps motivate the Movin’ Mavs to accomplish more in the future, he said. The bar is set and will help others work toward that.
Paire said all of the sacrifices he had to make were worth it in the end, encouraging others in similar situations to not be afraid of faliure.
“I struggled a lot, but I feel like, in the adaptive world community, it’s so much encouragement, so many people that will help you get to where you are,” he said.
@stephanie_q03
