Wheelchair basketball prodigy Jack Long is setting his sights on a Paralympic debut at LA 2028 after enjoying a stellar year.
Jack, 20, has really come into his own over the last12 months, representing GB’s U23 squad in their undefeated success at the European Championships 2024, where he played a major role on and off the court.
He has also thrived at club level, winning back-to-back BUCS titles with the University of Worcester, captaining the teamtothe 2024 title in Loughborough.
Jack’s remarkable achievements have ledtohim being shortlisted in thetop10 forSportsAid’s prestigiousOne-to-WatchAward.
The annual Award, launched in 2006, recognises Britain’s brightest young sporting prospects and has previously been won by Olympic championsTom Daley and Alex Yee and Paralympic gold medallist Hollie Arnold.
Thetop10 athletes have been selected from around1,000 rising stars, supported bySportsAid, across more than 60 different sports in 2024.
Jack now feels readytomake the step uptoseniors and will looktomake his mark at major competitions in the lead uptothe next Paralympic Games - the pinnacle of wheelchair basketball.
“I was getting invitedtoa couple of senior camps justtohelp the seniors train, so my main ambition istostart being invited just as someone who's readytocompete,” he said.
— SportsAid (@TeamSportsAid) November 25, 2024SportsAid is delighted to reveal the top 10 athletes on the shortlist for this year’s One-to-Watch Award!
The annual award, supported by Aldi, the charity’s Official Supermarket Partner, was launched in 2006 and shines a spotlight on the stories behind Britain’s brightest young… pic.twitter.com/Y8ME3qx9Rn
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“Getting invitedtosenior camps more regularly would definitely be at thetop of my list of things that should happen, but I'm hoping that happens more in the short-term.
“I'd say long-term, there's a European Championships next year for seniors, so competing for a spot in them, even if I don't make it, would just be great seeing how far I've come in the past year.
“And then my final long-term goal would havetojust be goingtoLA, the 2028 Paralympics. GoingtoLA would be great because all that I've worked for is that.”
Jack’s rapid rise has not gone unnoticed. However, his journeytothis point has not gone without adversity, with Jack havingtodemonstrate mental resilience on countless occasionstobounce back from hard times.
Oneof his more recent setbacks came in the form of an untimely relegation with his National League team, forcing Jacktobe starved oftop-flight action and the attention that comes with it.
The top division team went ontofold as a result of the downturn in results, leaving Jack in a precarious position at a pivotal time in his early career.
“My team obviously dropped downtoDivisionOnelast season, which Itook really hard because I felt like I was finally going places in my career,” he added.
“I was primed for that seasontobe my big breakout year and I wantedtotry do some new stuff and be more of a main player in the team, so when we got dropped down and the whole team folded, it was quite hard for me.
— Worcester Wolves (@UW_Wolves) November 25, 2024Congratulations to @worcester_uni and Wolves WBPL training partner Jack Long who has been nominated for @TeamSportsAid ‘One-to-Watch’ award!
Congratulations Jack!!!! pic.twitter.com/IfjJZGTJok
“I'm glad I stayed with it and used ittodevelop other stuff for myself and just kept pushing forward, knowing that after this season, I could move back uptothe Prem and join a different team and have new challenges ahead of me.
“I think having the GB U22 camps and all the coaches there believe in me, even when I was playing at a lower level, that definitely helped push me through.
“They didn’t think that now he's playing at a lower level, that was worse for the team. They still believed in me and supported me in the ways that I was just as valuable as a member of the team.”
Jack is also open about his struggles with autism, something which he has refusedtolet hamper him in his pursuit of sporting success.
In fact, the Bristol native says wheelchair basketball has allowed himtolearn a lot about himself and his condition.
“I grew up with autism and it usedtoaffect me quite a lot in parts of my life,” Jack said. “I usedtonot understand why I would do stuff and how I'd handle stuff.
“I think through sport and through just growing up, I've managedtounderstand it a lot more and be abletodeal with it a lot more.
“I understand it's never goingtogo and that's just it. But understanding that has helped me persist further in just day-to-day life, like I don't get as worked up over stuff.
“I can carry on playing basketball and not gettoo stressed about it. That's something I'm quite passionate about. I want all people who have ittounderstand themselves.
“It's hard growing up when you're young because you don't really understand what's going on, but eventually as I've grown up, I've managedtounderstand it so I'd say I'm quite passionate about that.”
Jack has been provided with crucial financial support bySportsAidover three years – with the charity also offering personal development opportunities through workshops and visits.
The typical value of aSportsAidaward is £1,000 with money generated through a combination of commercial partnerships, trust and charitable funds, and fundraising activities.
In his effortstobalance his sporting pursuits with university, Jack has hailed the impact ofSportsAid, easing the ever-prevalent financial burden that comes with being an elite athlete.
“They offer a lot of stuff and the money is great because this sport isn't well funded and this is how life is,” he said. “All the support that we get is great.
“Just being abletoafford petrol sometimes, because obviously being a uni student isn't cheap, or pay for hotels for camp, it's genuinely helped out loads.”
SportsAid’s annualOne-to-WatchAward is being supported by Aldi – the charity’s Official Supermarket Partner. The winner of this year’s Award will be revealed in December with each of thetop10 receiving cash boosts and special in-person visits at their training environmentstocelebrate their achievements.
