Basketball has no age limit, and Jeff Ebner of Sinking Spring embodies that at 67.
Ebner helped the USA Global Masters Team win the FIMBA World Championships in the men’s 65 division in August.
FIMBA is the International Maxibasketball Federation, a competitive category for players who retired from regular basketball and who wish to continue playing at high performance competitions. For men, play starts at age 35.
Ebner has been playing in FIMBA since right before his 60th birthday when his friend and current teammate, Warren Gooding, brought him to a practice one day.
Gooding plays for the Lancaster Warriors, who compete in tournaments across the country.
It took only one practice for Ebner to become part of the team.
His first tournament was in Buffalo, New York.
Lancaster won that event and Ebner since has traveled to places such as Louisville, Kentucky; St. George, Utah; Coral Springs and Clearwater, Fla.; Indiana and Alabama..
“It’s cool, it really is,” Ebner said about traveling. “If you get lucky and don’t have any travel issues, it all goes well.”
Ebner said he enjoys seeing guys in his age bracket at different tournaments and building a relationship with them.
This year, Ebner was asked to go to Argentina for the FIMBA World Championships. The U.S. team consisted of nine men from Florida, Texas, Montana, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Arizona.
The team met in Miami before flying to Buenos Aires. The players then drove four hours to Mar Del Plata, where the tournament was held.
The event consisted of 2,400 athletes ranging in age from 45-80 years old in several divisions.
In its first game, the U.S. defeated Argentina 101-36.
The key to such a dominant victory? A fullcourt press for the entire game.
Ebner said that his team was in better shape than its opposition, which helped create a lot of turnovers to get out in transition. The Americans continued to run their defense the same way throughout the tournament.
“After the game, they (Argentina players) came up and hugged and kissed me,” Ebner said. “I thought to myself, ‘Man, we just beat you 101-36 and we’re getting hugs and kisses.’ You’d never see that in the U.S. That’s the camaraderie that there is. Every game is like that.”
The teams also exchanged gifts after the game.
In between game days, the U.S. team had the same routine, but Ebner said he enjoyed being surrounded by people who share the enthusiasm for the game just like he does.
“It’s just a lot of fun camaraderie getting to go out to dinner afterward,” he said, “just being around people who love the game.”
Ebner also spoke about how great the fans and atmosphere were. He compared it to how the Olympic crowds are truly invested in the game.
On the floor, Ebner guarded the team’s best scorer and knew his role to a T.
In three games before the playoffs began, the U.S. outscored its opponents 264-103.
In the playoffs, the Americans beat Chile 101-36 in the quarterfinals before defeating Serbia 88-61 in the semifinals.
The U.S. defeated Brazil 68-60 in the title game, never trailing in a competitive battle.
“It almost brought tears to my eyes, you know, because it’s something I never experienced,” Ebner said. “It was really, really awesome. What a great feeling to be able to do that and accomplish that.”
Even after winning the championship, Ebner said he has no end in sight for his basketball playing career.
“Probably until my legs give out,” Ebner said on how long he’ll continue to play. “They go up to 80-plus. Hoping to stay active. I’m at the gym every day, running and lifting. I’m retired, so I try to stay in shape that way.”
Ebner also is a volunteer assistant basketball coach for the ninth-grade boys team at Wilson High School.
“That keeps me active and keeps me among the younger guys and keeps me going,” he said.
Next on the schedule for Ebner and his team is the Tampa Bay Masters Tournament in Clearwater in late February.
After that, the team may opt to play in one or two Pan-American championships in Mexico or in a tournament in Lithuania.
Ebner is grateful that he has the opportunity to keep doing what he loves and will continue for as long as he can.
“I am especially grateful to my wife, Vicki, who continues to work full time while I travel to play the sport I love,” he said.
Source: Berkshire mont
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