CHENEY, Wash. – Eastern Washington University has made the decision to entirely cut its adaptive sports program, leading to the shutdown of the university’s men’s wheelchair basketball team.
The team, which debuted in 2019, has been left without a program. Both head coaches expressed their disappointment with the decision.
David Evjen, the head coach, shared his feelings about the cut.
“That’s pretty saddening. In a nutshell. But I am still thankful for the opportunity to be able to coach these, this group of athletes, and have this experience for the last six years,” he said.
Assistant Coach Yunus Butt also voiced concerns over the impact on the athletes.
“Our athletes, definitely feel betrayed. They feel unsupported and unwelcome at the university. Which is what is heartbreaking for us because of what we’ve built here,” said Butt.
The decision to eliminate the program had reportedly been under discussion by Eagle Athletics since August of last year. The coaches believe the university has not provided a clear breakdown of the budget or explained why their program was chosen for elimination.
The basketball team consisted of eight players, each of whom was selected to attend Eastern Washington University specifically to pursue basketball.
