He’s born to lead
for those ‘other’ Sixers

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

It takes experience, knowledge, passion and commitment to become an excellent coach.
Eric Kreeb has been refining those qualities since he was a child.
The Somerton resident is head coach of the Magee 76ers, a Division II Mid-Atlantic Conference wheelchair basketball team that is a part of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association.
Although this is Kreeb’s first year as head coach, he has been involved with the squad for more than a decade. The 26-year-old started mentoring the Magee 76ers at age 13, as assistant coach.
But even as a teenager, his experience with wheelchair basketball already was 11 years in the making.
"I’ve been around the sport since I was two," Kreeb said. "That’s around the time my dad lost his leg and started playing. He always took me to games when I was younger, and I loved it. It was something I could do to be closer to him."
His father, Gary, lost a leg to bone cancer in 1982. Soon after, he joined the Magee 76ers athletes and played for the team until retiring in the late ’90s. His extended time with the 76ers gave Gary Kreeb an opportunity to spend a lot of time with his son.
And it gave Eric an opportunity to coach his old man.
"It was very interesting," said Eric. "We immediately made an agreement that on the court, I’m the coach and he’s the player. Off the court, we were back to being father and son.
"I had to treat him like every other player on the team," Eric continued. "We both understood it wasn’t personal, and it worked great."
It certainly did. In 1998, during the time Eric was coaching his father, the Magee 76ers finished with a 24-8 record and won the Mid-Atlantic Conference.
But the rewards spanned far beyond the basketball court.
"We’ve always been close," said Eric. "And this was one more thing that we could do together. The experience definitely brought us even closer."
Since then, Eric, the players and the game itself have come a long way.
"A lot has changed over the years," he said. "When I first started, the equipment was very basic. Now we use built-to-design sport chairs."
The chairs used in wheelchair basketball are slightly different from the ones used in everyday life. Sport chairs have special wheels, which are set on an angle to increase speed. They are also much lighter in weight, allowing the athletes to move rapidly across the court.
The chairs have an extra wheel, located in the back, so players can lean backward (to shoot or grab rebounds) without tipping over.
Although the chairs may have differences, the rules and regulations in wheelchair basketball are quite similar to college basketball. The game times, shot clocks, height of the basket and the distance to the foul line and three-point line are all the same.
Penalties, such as fouls and traveling, are regulated the same as well. In college ball, if a player takes three steps without dribbling, that is considered traveling. In wheelchair ball the penalty is called if a player makes three wheel pushes without dribbling.
"The sport itself has developed amazingly," said Eric. "Everything is getting bigger and better. We’re getting more funding every year, which allows us to participate in a lot more tournaments."
This year, the 76ers have competed in nine tournaments throughout the nation, including New York, San Antonio, Virginia Beach, Las Vegas, Alabama, Kentucky and many others. There are more than 150 teams within the NWBA, creating plenty of opportunity for competition.
"We usually finish in the top four or five in most tournaments," said Eric. "Almost every team around hosts a tournament, so we travel a lot. But this team has gotten really good at the traveling part because they have so much experience with it."
The 12 members of the Magee 76ers range from 25 to 65 years of age. Many of them have years of experience with the sport. Others have decades.
Take assistant coach Ali Sabree, for example. The Northeast Philly resident has been excelling at wheelchair basketball for 25 years.
"I’ve been doing this for a long time," said Sabree. "I remember when Eric was a little boy and we would push him up and down the court in his dad’s chair. A lot has changed since then, though. He’s grown up and has become very knowledgeable about the game."
The coaching pair have been alongside one another for more than a decade now. And during that time, they have become wiser, stronger and much more thirsty for a championship victory.
"We’re all ready for a win, and this is our time," said Sabree. "This is one of the strongest teams we’ve ever had. We’ve improved in every area from the first day of practice until now. This is maybe the third team in twenty-five years that has what it takes to compete in the national championship."
The Magee 76ers joined 23 other teams last weekend in a playoff tournament. The top teams from throughout the nation came together at the Riverwinds Community Center in Thorofare, N.J., to battle for that championship crown.
On March 17, the Magee 76ers started the weekend with a 52-47 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Their season ended the following game though, after a 49-40 loss to the Charlottesville Cardinals.
Despite that defeat, the squad was named in the top eight of the tournament and finished its season with a 24-15 overall record.
It was a very successful year for the 76ers. And many of their accomplishments can be attributed to the dedication of the players and the knowledge of their coach.
"Eric’s been around the sport since he was a kid," said guard John DeAngelo, who has known Kreeb for more than 20 years. "One of the toughest things as a coach is gaining the players’ respect, and Eric’s knowledge of the game does that. I think he’s an excellent coach."
Kreeb has a nice touch with that coach/player relationship. He can joke with the teammates and discipline them if the need arises. He wants team practices to be fun, but he also wants them to be informative and competitive.
"I’ve coached some of these guys for a very long time," said Eric. "Some of them have known me since I was two years old. And when you know someone for that long, it’s very easy to work together."
There are a lot of heartbreaking stories behind the members of the 76ers. Point guard Valdez Bradley was shot three times in the back and once in the arm in 1996. Guard Binh Scott was injured in the Vietnam War. But those stories, while tragic, have helped bring this team together.
And when you watch the 76ers, the teamwork that flows through this group is obvious.
"Everyone gets along very well," said Eric. "There’s a really good team atmosphere. Everyone on the team has the same goal — we want to win a championship. So we’re all on the same side. We’re all on the same mission."
Some of the Magee 76ers travel far and wide to play together — some as far as Baltimore, Md., and Long Beach Island, N.J.
However, team captain Valdez Bradley is one of the more local fellows. The Roxborough resident recently returned to Philadelphia after graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington, where he won a national championship in 2002. The point guard has been selected to take part in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association all-star game for the past three years and currently is the highest scorer on the Magee 76ers.
"I really enjoy this sports because it allows me to stay competitive in a sport I like," said Bradley. "I’ve seen a lot of growth since I first got here. The team has gotten a lot better."
It has been an adventurous season for the 76ers. But through the wins and the losses, the excitement and the heartbreak, what it all comes down to is how much these athletes enjoy playing the sport.
"I love playing this game," said forward Chris Kile, who has been playing for seven years. "I’ll play until I can’t play anymore, and then I’ll coach or something. I love being able to get out there and compete."
The league has gotten very competitive, but the 76ers have enjoyed every game. And through it all, they have accomplished success in more ways than a scoreboard could ever show.
"I’ve been around these guys for so long. I don’t consider them handicapped because they can all do so much," said Eric. "We have a really talented team that I’m proud to be a part of." ••
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com