On Saturday March 15, the University of Wisconsin Whitewater played host for the National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament (NIWBT) in a game for the ages in which they went up against last season's national champions, the University of Illinois. Leading up to this championship game, the Warhawks, sponsored by Top End, had defeated the Fighting Illini 3 out of the 4 previous meetings.

In an effort to intimidate, the U of I athletes head coach Jeremy Lade launched a challenge to the students of Whitewater to "Pack the Place Purple." Some 4,000 students, faculty and fans from all around packed the Williams Center for what would be a great day for the ‘Hawks. The first half of the game was nothing but what was to be expected; consistent play from both squads. Junior Warhawk, and Team USA post man Joe Chambers showed early on that there was no one in the gym that would be able to account for his heart as well as his humongous size. Chambers consistently broke down the floor to post up under the hoop while Paralympian Andre Bienek, and Sophomore Chris Okon lobbed pass after pass over the Illinois defenders. Despite Chambers dominance the Fighting Illini took a 4 point lead into halftime, it was cut from 7 after Andre Bienek hit a 35 foot three pointer as time expired.

After the 'Hawks got into a rhythm in the half, they surmounted the 11 point deficit they were facing and moved together to finish the final score 82-76. Joe Chambers led all scorers with 29 points and guard Chris Okon followed with 27 points and 10 assists. The relentless spirit of the Warhawks led them to re-capture the crown from Illinois and give them their 5th National Title in the last 7 seasons. Junior big man Joe Chambers was named the NIWBT "Player of the Year." Chambers becomes the 4th Warhawk to win this award since 2003 along with Jeremy Lade, Jake Counts and Jeremy Campbell, all of which are currently Top End users.