Lincoln 7th grader confined to wheelchair joins basketball team and teaches us all a lesson

Just like any other Mickle Middle School boys basketball game you’ll find about a dozen sweaty boys, but among them you’ll see seventh grader Hunter Hurst.

Hurst is confined to a wheelchair, but that wasn’t going to stop him from playing the sport he loves.

Not even his parents worries were going to stop this determined 7th grader.

“They thought I was crazy because I wanted to play with other kids that weren’t like me,” Hurst said.

Despite his parents concerns the team readily welcomed its newest member.

They even adjusted their rules to accommodate wheelchair basketball.

With the season having just tipped off Molly Feeken, Mickle’s athletic director, says they’re still learning what works best for Hunter, but they’re excited for the opportunities this will provide other students in the future.

“This was a new thing for LPS and for Nebraska I think this was the first time we had seen a student being included in a game like this that is wheelchair bound. It makes me really happy that we can have him in our games and as part of our team,” Feeken said.

With just two games under his wheels so far, Hurst is already proving to be a secret weapon for the team.

Hurst is leaving those who underestimate him in the dust, “Other people thinking that you’re different and can’t do the same things, but you can do more things than them.”

And he’s teaching us all that being different is what makes us stronger.