'It gave me the opportunity to live out dreams I thought I had lost,' says Illinois wheelchair basketball player ahead of tournament

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) — The 47th Annual National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament is taking place from March 26th through the 29th at the State Farm Center.

There will be 11 men's teams and 6 women's teams competing in 21 games.

Both Illinois men's and women's team will be playing.

Players and coaches alike say that they have been looking forward to this tournament all season long, and this is the time for them to really show off their skills.

"Our team has been working towards this. This is the accumulation of all of our hard work of the season. It all leads up to this weekend, this series of games, so we're all really excited to get after it," said senior women's player Morgan McCammon.

McCammon said that she is especially excited to participate in this event, because it gives her access to a sport she thought she lost.

"I went through a series of injuries due to a genetic disorder that ended my stand up career. And that was pretty heartbreaking to me because I am such a lover of basketball. I love the game of basketball, so losing that was really tough."

But when she discovered wheelchair basketball, everything clicked.

"It gave me the opportunity to live out dreams that I thought I had lost, like being a collegiate athlete, playing a sport at a high level, being competitive, being able to channel my competitiveness into a team that has common goals, and play at a high elite standard," said McCammon.

As for the men's wheelchair team, their head coach Jacob Tyree said that the team this year is very young, but he has been working hard to instill new values and strategies. He believes that these new lessons can really help bring his team to the top of the finals.

"The big thing is accountability and being able to hold each other accountable and what that looks like. And making sure that we are all on the same page," said Tyree.

All of the matches are free to attend, and parking is free. Concessions will be offered. This is a cashless event, so bring another form of payment if you plan on purchasing anything.

If you would like to watch the livestream of the games, click here.

To learn more about which teams are playing, click here.