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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The University of Alabama Men’s and Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Teams kick off the second half of their season Friday, Jan. 11 at the Pioneer Classic Wheelchair Basketball Invitational at the Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham.

The Alabama Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team is off to their best start in team history with 14 wins and no losses. The UA Women are currently ranked No. 2 in the country and will square off against defending national champion and No. 1-ranked University of Illinois on Friday at 7 p.m.

The Alabama men tip off at 11 a.m. on Friday against Chicago. The men’s team is starting a young squad of all freshmen and sophomores and has completed a tough first half of the season with six wins and 10 losses.

The University of Alabama is one of only two universities in the country that has both men’s and women’s collegiate wheelchair basketball programs and is the only university in the Southeast to field wheelchair athletic teams.

For more information about UA Wheelchair Athletics, contact UAWA director Brent Hardin at 205/246-3372, UA Men’s Wheelchair Basketball coach Miles Thompson at 205/253-6325, or visit the UADS Web site at www.uads.ua.edu

For other game times, score updates and directions to the tournament visit the Lakeshore Foundation Web site at www.lakeshore.org

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of a planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.