US wheelchair basketball team blows out France, advances to semis

PARIS — Success has followed Steve Serio throughout his U.S. Paralympic career. He’s earned two gold medals and a bronze over his four Paralympic Games playing for the wheelchair basketball team. 

Serio plans to wrap up his Paralympic career in Paris. He had no shame in sharing that news, either. He’s helped lead the Americans to a semifinal berth — one win away from the gold-medal game. But it won’t be the medals or the wins that Serio remembers, it will be the little things. 

Spending time with teammates in the cafeteria, enjoying the Paralympic village, having fun on team bus rides and building relationships with his teammates. Those are the things he will miss when his Paralympic career is over. 

“I've actually taken the time to appreciate living in the moment a little bit more than I have in the past,” Serio said. 

Serio’s final Paralympic Games are off to a great start. The Americans solidified themselves as the top team in Group B after going undefeated. It continued with a quarterfinal win on Wednesday.

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Serio dropped 13 points on 43% shooting from the field as the U.S. defeated France 82-47, on Tuesday night. It was Serio’s younger counterparts who have stolen the show in the Paris Games. 

Jake Williams led the way on Tuesday with 23 points followed by Brian Bell’s 20 points. Both are two-time Paralympians, flanked by rookies like Jorge Salazar who scored 13. The future is bright for the U.S. wheelchair basketball program, and it is exciting for Serio. 

“I'm very jealous that those athletes get a chance to compete in L.A.,” Serio said. “I would love to compete on my home soil, but it's an honor to share the court with them and to watch them grow over the course of these Paralympics.”

Enjoying a host-country crowd 

Trevon Jenifer, a four-time Paralympian for the U.S., got visible goosebumps just talking about the French crowd on Tuesday. Despite a dominating, blowout victory for the Americans, the crowd remaining loud and lively over the entire 40 minutes. 

“It gets you rocking and rolling,” Jenifer said. “In my four quads that I've been in, I've had the opportunity to play each country in their home and it is the best, best feeling ever.”

It was an environment that rivaled the best that Jenifer and Serio played in. 

“When you're in an environment like that, you have to feed off of it,” Serio said. “That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I want to thank the people of Paris for coming out and supporting the Paralympic athletes. That arena was one of the most fun arenas I've ever played in.”

The U.S. jumped out to an early 6-0 lead to open the game, allowing for some room for error. The French responded with a 7-0 run to open the second quarter, igniting an already raucous crowd and forcing a U.S. timeout at the 6:55 mark. From there, it was all America the rest of the way. 

Serio called Tuesday the world’s coming out party, noting the strangeness of the Tokyo Games without the crowd. The coming-out party doubles as his last Games, one that features his loved ones in the stands. 

“Every [Paralympic] Games has their own personality,” Serio said. “... This is the chance for friends and family to be in the stands and share this moment with us, and we're not taking it for granted. It's been a real honor to play in front of them.”