Brayden Foxley-Conolly selected in U23 Australian wheelchair basketball squad

A teen basketball player struck with meningococcal disease at 22 months old is one step closer to his dream of representing Australia as a Paralympian in Paris in 2024 and Brisbane in 2032. Read his inspiring story.

After eight years of hard labour, Brayden Foxley-Conolly has been selected to represent Australia in Thailand in Under-23 wheelchair basketball.

The West Mackay 18-year-old, who was struck with meningococcal disease when he was 22 months old, is one step closer to a larger dream to represent Australia as a Paralympian in Paris in 2024 and Brisbane in 2032.

Brayden, who lists American superstar LeBron James as his hero, will spend 18 days in Thailand, as part of a 12-person squad Basketball Australia has organised.

He also looks to other Paralympians such as Tom O’Neill-Thorne and Matt McShane for inspiration.

“They inspire me to keep going,” he said.

“I learn from them.”

The pride mum Amanda Foxley-Conolly feels for her son Brayden is quickly apparent, his selection in the team the fruition of eight years of diligent labour.

“I have seen him work for the past eight years to get where he is today, so he deserves it,” she said.

Ms Foxley-Conolly said she had been with him on this journey, every step along the way.

“Me going down to every training session watching, every competition he went away to I watched,” she said.

“We have stuck together, because it was just me and him.”

Brayden lost his right hand, left thumb, one or two joints from each left finger, his left leg at the knee and three toes from the right foot.

Brayden has been selected to travel to Thailand with the Australian U23 squad. Picture: Contributed

Alongside the challenges of growing up with a disability, Brayden has suffered from bullying, something that caused Amanda a lot of grief.

“I think I struggled with him coming home with the bullying,” she said.

“As a mother, I could not doing anything about it.

“Your mum is supposed to protect your children.

“And in certain cases with Brayden growing up, I couldn’t and that was very frustrating.”

Brayden Foxley-Conolly played wheelchair basketball for Mackay in the regional competition. Picture: Contributed

Ms Foxley-Conolly said at times it felt as though it was “me and him against the world” and the ultra-close relationship between the two had developed a deep and unbreakable connection.

“For me, because we have gone through everything together, everything is very extreme emotionally,” she said.

“It really affects me as well and when he is with his sport, it affects me as well because we have gone through it all together.”

Every time Brayden scores a shot, Ms Foxley-Conolly said a little blast of happiness went through her, a testament to the deep bond between the two.

Ms Foxley-Conolly said schools had an important role to play in reducing the isolation confronting some disabled youngsters.

“That is where it starts, with kids in the lower grades,” she said.

“If they (able-bodied students) were doing disabled sports, that would teach them what it is like, to trust people with disabilities.”

For Brayden, basketball opened up a new life for him.

“I did not really have many friends, before basketball,” he said.

“So it is really great to get out there.

“I have a lot of friends through basketball, so it is good to socialise with them on and off the court.”

Mackay basketballer Brayden Foxley-Conolly hopes to become a Paralympian and represent Australia in either Paris or Brisbane. Picture: Contributed

Brayden’s fellow wheelchair basketballers come from all over Australia and they keep in touch via WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams.

As well as listing American superstar LeBron James as his hero, he also looks to other Paralympians such as Tom O’Neill-Thorne and Matt McShane for inspiration.

“They inspire me to keep going,” he said.

“I learn from them.”