Wheelchair basketball coach is rolling through life

Jeremy Lade, more commonly known as “Opie” due to his uncanny childhood resemblance to the “Andy Griffith Show” character, doesn’t let many things stop him.

Hailing from just north of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Opie serves as Head Coach of the men’s wheelchair basketball team at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

“My wife and I currently live in Milton, Wisc.” says Opie, “Every weekday my alarm goes off at 5 a.m. I like to be the first one in before practice starts at 6:30.”

The amount of work that comes after such early mornings certainly makes them necessary.

Outside of coaching wheelchair basketball, Opie has a number of other responsibilities on campus, which he always makes sure to balance out.

“I’m kind of the athletic director for adaptive sports, I take care of travel plans for the team, and I’m, always trying to help my guys with taking care of schoolwork, and all of their other day-to-day things, just to keep an eye on them.”

Outside the team, Opie and his athletes spend a lot of time teaching the campus and the community about the sport of wheelchair basketball. Members of the squad are always leading hands-on demonstrations of the game.

“We do a lot of disability awareness presentations, either on campus or off. We talk to kids and students about the disabilities that we have, and how to overcome those disabilities in order to be successful.”

Many disabled people take to adapted sports as a way of showing people that they too can compete. Opie began playing wheelchair basketball in 1993, at the University’s first ever wheelchair basketball instructional camp. Since then, he has not missed a single camp.

When reviewing Opie’s life, he has gone to these camps as a camper, a volunteer, and is now the director of the camp, which is held on campus every summer.

“I came to school here (UWW) for five years, and I am just starting my ninth year running the men’s wheelchair basketball program.”

The option of being in competitive sports never seemed like an option for Opie, following a car accident which severed his spine, confining him to a wheelchair at the young age of eight. Now, Opie has the sport of wheelchair basketball to thank for his accomplishments.

“it opened a lot of doors for me, I’ve traveled all over the world playing wheelchair basketball. It also really helped me stay focused in getting my degree in physical education. It really gave me the confidence I need to be successful not only on the court but in life.”

While Opie has gained a lot from being a wheelchair basketball coach, one of his top priorities is passing on the lessons he has learned to his athletes.

“I like to be able to teach our athletes that come through here that the discipline that it takes to be successful in wheelchair basketball is the same discipline it takes to be successful in life. So when that translates, I really enjoy seeing our guys figure things out on the court and in life.”