Team NI Commonwealth Games duo in elite wheelchair basketball head-to-head

Matt Rollston signed a contract with Italian club Porto Torres after the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year while James MacSorley has been plying his trade in Spain with Bidaideak Bilboa since 2019.

At 42 years old, Rollston is embracing every opportunity that comes his way and only oints difference denied Team NI a chance of a medal in Birmingham in 2022.

“We were in the top group and it was a three-way tie while the other group had two wins, one win and no wins, and because we had one bad game we missed out on points difference,” Rollston said.

“We were bitter at the fact we didn’t get a shot at the semi-final. I suppose we were happy that we beat Australia and they won the gold and the two other teams from our group were in the final.”

“[In] 3x3 basketball, 10 minutes is very short we’re certainly more a 5x5 mindset, 40-minute game; you can have a good quarter or a bad quarter – it can be up and down – where if you have a bad quarter in 3x3 that’s the whole game [thwarted].

“So will be working on the mindset going forward of how to be clinical in such a short space of time,” he added.

“It was hard to get over but looking back, what a summer for Northern Ireland Wheelchair Basketball – I hope it has inspired some young people coming through to the NI League.”

“It was a real career highlight and something that I am very glad I didn’t miss out on, and it is something that I can smile about when I’m in retirement over the next five or 10 years.”

Rollston says the chance to move to Sardinia and play in one of Europe’s top leagues was too good an opportunity to turn down.

“It is great to be on a schedule where I’m playing week in and week out in a really high competition,” he said.

“Every team you come up against has players from the USA, Canada, and it is probably 50/50 Italian and imported players. [At] Porto Torres we have a lady Canadian Paralympian player, two Israelis, an Iranian, me and four Italians.”

Rollston and his teammates travel to Spain this weekend to play in the final eight of the European Champions Cup.

He continued: “On the European stage the Italian clubs are ranked against the best in Spain, Germany and France – this weekend we are going to get a chance to run against them.

“There will be four teams at one tournament and four teams in another at a different location, and the top two will go into the final of the Champions Cup which is the best ranking team tournament in the world, never mind Europe.’

Rollston is looking forward to locking horns with MacSorley, who helped Great Britain win World Championship gold and Paralympic bronze medal.

“I hope he goes easy on me,” he joked.

“I know James has a solid game, he is a fast player, and his arms go on forever – it will be interesting to see. They have a very highly ranked Italian player as well.”