On October 10-12, New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba and Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities Commissioner Matthew Sapolin will welcome the 2008 Mayor's Cup Wheelchair Basketball Tournament presented by Forest City Ratner to the Bronx's Manhattan College and Horace Mann High School. The tournament will feature 13 of the best men's and women's wheelchair basketball teams from around the world and is free to the public. Manhattan College's Draddy Gymnasium is located at West 244th St and Tibbett Ave in the Bronx and Horace Mann High School is located right down the street on Tibbett Avenue between West 246th St and College Road.

Commissioner Podziba will formally welcome all of the participating teams at a Mayor's Cup Welcome Dinner that will be held at 9:00pm on Friday, October 10 at the Draddy Gymnasium. At the dinner, Commissioner Podziba will also present Nets Radio Color Commentator Tim Capstraw with the Mayor's Cup Community Service Award. All media are invited to attend.

The tournament tips-off on Friday, October 10 with games at 5:30pm and 7:00pm at Manhattan College's Draddy Gymnasium and continues on Saturday, October 11 with games beginning at 9:00am and continuing through the day until 7:30pm. Games will also take place simultaneously at Horace Mann High School from 9:00am until 1:00pm. The event will conclude at Manhattan College on Sunday, October 12 with games at 9:00am, followed by the Division II championship game at 10:30am and the Division III championship at 12:00pm. The awards ceremony will follow the conclusion of the championship games.

"I have watched with great pride as the Mayor's Cup Wheelchair Basketball Tournament Presented by Forest City Ratner has grown into the largest event of its kind in the Northeast," said Commissioner Podziba. "This year, we will welcome a talented field as teams from the US and Canada will compete for the Mayor's Cup title. For the first time in the history of the tournament, we will welcome women's teams as the nationally-ranked Lady Liberty will join this diverse field. It is events like these that truly embody the sprit of competition and allow these athletes to showcase their amazing athletic abilities."

This year's impressive field will include a women's team--the Lady Liberty--for the first time since the tournament's inception in 2001. The New York Metropolitan Area will be represented by several local clubs including the division II Bulova Nets (Bronx), the division III Nets (NJ, Queens), the New York Rollin' Knicks (Manhattan, Brooklyn), the Nassau Kings (Long Island) and the Suffolk County Cobras (Long Island). The Rochester Wheels (NY), Twin City Spinners (Canada), LA Lakers (CA), Connecticut Spokebenders, Cleveland Cavaliers (OH), Bay State Clippers (MA) and NEVPA Celtics (MA) will fill out the bracket.

Wheelchair basketball is played on a regulation basketball court, but players may only push their wheelchair twice before dribbling or passing. The height of the basket is the standard 10 feet used in both college and professional basketball. Athletes opt for specially designed wheelchairs engineered for speed and maneuverability.

"The City of New York is committed to providing greater opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in competitive sports programs," said Commissioner Sapolin. "Building on the display of tough competition and sportsmanship illustrated at last year's Mayor's Cup, this year's tournament will undoubtedly provide even more fierce basketball as these teams battle each other for the prestigious Cup."

Tim Capstraw, the recipient of the Mayor's Cup Community Service Award, is about to begin his fifth season as the Nets radio color analyst. In addition to his work on Nets broadcasts, Capstraw serves as NBA TV's lead analyst for the Euroleague and several other international championships, and in 2006 worked on their coverage of the Las Vegas Summer League. Capstraw was the head coach at Wagner College for 10 seasons (1989-1999) following four seasons as an assistant coach at Siena College. He also served as Head Baseball Coach at Wagner from 1983-85. Tim was a television and radio analyst for the Northeast Conference for three years prior to joining the Nets radio team, and was a television analyst for the Atlantic 10 Conference during the 2001-02 season. Among Capstraw's honors, he was named 1993 Northeast Conference "Coach of the Year" and won the 2000 Metropolitan Basketball Writers "Good Guy Award".

"It's a true honor to be presented with the Mayor's Cup Community Service Award," Tim Capstraw said. "The 2008 Mayor's Cup Wheelchair Basketball Tournament is an inspirational event that brings together an incredible group of athletes who demonstrate the best that the human spirit can offer. Their character, leadership, and skill are to be admired by us all. I want to thank New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba, Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities Commissioner Matthew Sapolin, the Louise and Arde Bulova Fund and Forest City Ratner Companies for helping to provide this wonderful opportunity for people with disabilities."

The New York City Sports Commission created the Mayor's Cup Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in 2001 in an effort to provide greater opportunites for people with disabilities to participate in competitive sports programs. This NWBA-sanctioned tournament has been held annually ever since and has become the largest wheelchair basketball tournament in the Northeast. The New York City Sports Commission will award the Mayor's Cup Trophy to the Division II and III champions as well as participation medals to all the players competing in the tournament. The city also sponsors Mayor's Cup tournaments in a variety of other sports including: chess, cross country, field hockey, billiards, handball, kayaking, lacrosse, rugby, squash, table tennis and track & field and wrestling.

For a complete tournament schedule, please visit our Mayor's Cup Wheelchair Basketball page.

The Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities serves as a liaison between City government and disabled individuals and organizations representing or serving New Yorkers with disabilities. The Office works with City agencies to make sure that the particular needs of People with Disabilities are considered in the development of City policies, programs, and services.

The New York City Sports Commission is the mayoral agency charged with attracting, facilitating and promoting professional, amateur and scholastic sports events in New York City. In recent years, the Sports Commission has played a role in creating or developing many new sporting events, including the NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series™ Champions Week, the BMC Software NYC Cycling Championship, the AVP Brooklyn Open, the NAUTICA NYC Triathlon, the NYC Half-Marathon, the Union Square Street Sessions presented by Jeep®, the Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race, and the Men's Health Urbanathlon.