We are thrilled to celebrate the amazing achievement of Phil Evans (Class of 2007) who will be representing Australia in Wheelchair Basketball at the 2024 Paris Paralympics! Phil Evans was a gifted athlete during his high school years and is the son of Michael Evans, a former teacher at Sacred Heart for over 17 years.
In September 2013, Phil was driving home after a night celebrating a premiership football win with friends. His life would be forever altered when he had a car accident in Perth’s northern suburbs only minutes from home.
Phil fractured his spinal cord in C3/C4 and T11/T12, the latter of which was severe. Despite the quick thinking of neighbours who assisted him at the scene and the best efforts of medical staff who operated on Phil later that evening, his injuries resulted in a complete spinal cord injury.
Prior to his injury, he was a carefree young man, who had been working full time, playing many sports, coaching and enjoying a busy social life, before this moment irrevocably changed the direction of his life.
After a lengthy hospital stay, Phil spent four months as an inpatient at Shenton Park Rehabilitation Centre recovering and learning to use a wheelchair.
Upon returning home he found himself struggling to adjust to his new reality, in relying on friends and family to drive him around, the physical limitations of his injury and in accepting he would not walk again without a medical breakthrough in spinal cord treatment.
Seeking a new challenge, he tried wheelchair sports through events organised by Rebound WA. With the support of his friends and family he tried wheelchair basketball, joining and competing in the local league.
Phil went from strength to strength, and he was selected by the Perth Wheelcats in Australia’s National Basketball League Australian team, where he learnt more about the game and gained confidence in his abilities.
In 2018, Phil was selected for the Craig H Nielsen Scholarship, a coveted position at the University of Arizona. Phil joined the Arizona Wheelcats and competed in wheelchair basketball across the United States of America and was eventually appointed Captain of the team in his second year there, an honour for a person not from the US and a testament to his professionalism, leadership, and skill. During his time at the University of Arizona, he completed a Degree in Business majoring in Business Management, postgraduate certificate in Sports Management and a postgraduate certificate in Sports Nutrition. Player Profile Phil Evans (youtube.com)
Phil returned to Australia in April 2023, and in June was employed at The University of Western Australia as an Inclusion Coordinator and is currently the Student Sports Coordinator. Since returning to Australia, Phil has continued to compete with the Perth Wheelcats in the national competition and has been training with the Australian Team (the Rollers) and competing internationally. He credits Brad Ness, wheelchair basketballer Gold medallist (2008) and coach of the Australian Rollers since 2023, as an inspiration and huge supporter of his journey in competitive wheelchair basketball.
Phil was a member of the Rollers team at the 2024 International Wheelchair Basketball Federation Asia-Oceania Championships in Thailand, winning gold and qualifying Australia for the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
In July, Phil was officially announced as a member of the Australian Rollers 2024 Paralympics Team and will be heading to Paris to compete when the games kick off on 28 August. The team is hungry for success, with the Rollers' last winning Paralympics Gold medals in 2008 and 1996.
Over recent years Phil has spoken openly about his experiences, taking on some public speaking roles, work with various community groups and giving media interviews. He strongly promotes the message about never giving up on yourself and the importance of taking on new challenges. He also credits his friends, family, the wheelchair sports community and many others for their continued support and encouragement.
In an interview with The West Australian newspaper in September 2018, Phil said “Basketball has given me an opportunity to go back and do some study and hopefully get a career out of it in the future… and you never know where it could take me.”
We are so proud of Phil as a Sacred Heart College Alumni. He has made the best of his circumstances and is representing his country at the Paralympics. Phil, we are right behind you and the Rollers team!