2021 Hall of Fame Inductee – Offical
Matthew Wells is one of the most respected officials in wheelchair basketball across the world.
He became involved with basketball through his work as a school teacher in the 1980s, coaching his school team in the Metropolitan Catholic Schools competition, and thanks to an invitation from BNSW Hall of Famer Lauretta Claus, would go on to become an excellent referee at state level, representing NSW at a number of National Championships and later incorporating scorebench, working there for many seasons in the NBL and at events such as the 1994 FIBA Women’s World Championships in Sydney, 1998 Wheelchair World Championships and the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics.
Becoming qualified as an International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) international referee in 2001, Matt has been involved in several Paralympic Games since his first selection at the 2004 Athens Paralympics. He officiated men’s medal games at each of his appearances as a referee in 2008 (Beijing), 2012 (London) and finally 2016 (Rio de Janeiro) and was an Instructor/Supervisor at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
He’s also been a part of several Mens’ and Women’s World Championships both as a referee and instructor. In 2014 he was named as Secretary of the IWBF Technical Commission, a position he still holds. In 2015 he was elected to the board of IWBF Asia Oceania as the Technical Officer, and in 2018 he was elected as Member at Large to the IWBF Executive Council.
In October 2017, Matt received the prestigious IWBF Award of Merit, an award presented to individuals who have performed exceptional service on behalf of IWBF at an international level for a period of at least eight years.
2022 Basketball NSW Hall of Fame
Date: 26th November 2022
Time: Pre-drinks at 6 pm, with formalities commencing at 6:30 pm
Venue: Novotel, Sydney Olympic Park
Tickets: Purchase your ticket HERE