West Lothian wheelchair basketball coach wins prestigious national award

A West Lothian wheelchair basketball coach has been recognised for his contribution to the sport by winning a prestigious national award.

Mark Stevenson was named Performance Pathway Coach of the Year at the 2023 sportscotland Coaching, Officiating and Volunteering Awards.

The awards celebrate all those who break down barriers, inspire and enhance the lives of others through sport, and recognise the commitment of those who apply their own time and effort to make sport accessible to all.

Mark is the head coach at Lothian Phoenix, West Lothian Wolves and at the Scotland National Academy and has a wealth of coaching knowledge and experience of both running and wheelchair basketball

Several of his Academy athletes have been invited to attend GB senior development squad training and under-23 squad training in preparations for international events in the coming year.

He is also head coach of the Scotland under-18 National Academy and took them to British Wheelchair Basketball’s National Junior Championships in August last year.

Following this, the young squad went on to compete in British Wheelchair Basketball’s Junior League becoming the first Scottish team to win the league.

Mark said: “My favourite thing about coaching is just seeing players get better. We sometimes put too much emphasis on outcomes, on winning and losing and I just like to see a player take on what we’ve done and go somewhere with it.

“We have to adapt a lot in a wheelchair basketball setting. You have a lot of different things to think about.

“You have ability, you have their disability and how that affects them, but we are determined that everyone who wants to play, gets to play.”

Mel Young, Chair of sportscotland, said: “Every year the Coaching,