Over this past off-season the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater announced Rob Welty as the next head coach of the women’s wheelchair basketball program. Welty is the fourth head coach in program history, taking over for former head coach Jake Shafer.
What makes this move unique is that Welty is an alum of UW-Whitewater. He competed for the men’s wheelchair basketball program from 2004-08. In three of Welty’s four seasons, the Warhawks won the National Wheelchair Basketball Association title.
This isn’t the first time that the university has hired an alum to lead their respective programs. A couple examples of this happening were with football head coach Jace Rindahl, a former linebacker for the Warhawks, and softball head coach Brenda Volk, a former softball athlete who has been inducted into the Warhawks Hall of Fame as a player.
Welty’s experiences during his playing days played a pivotal role in his decision to return to campus.
“It means everything to carry on the tradition and culture of the Warhawk program,” Welty said. “It’s great to come back in a different capacity and to give back.”
Before accepting the Warhawks’ head coaching job, Welty worked with the Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham, Alabama. The Lakeshore Foundation specializes in adaptive recreation and athletics. While he was there, Welty was the head coach for various wheelchair sports, as well as various levels of wheelchair basketball. Welty’s time in Alabama helped prepare him for the opportunity to be a head coach at his alma mater.
“There was a lot of growth, whether it was the different sports or experiences,” Welty said. “I think every experience helps create. Every experience helps shape you in how you’re going to be in the future and how you can better yourself.”
Another aspect that will impact how Welty leads this program is his experiences playing for Tracy Chynoweth, who led the Warhawks to five national championships in ten years. There are four key concepts that Welty will incorporate from Chynoweth: high standards, attention to detail, never quitting and having fun.
Ultimately though, Welty’s background as a former student-athlete will have the biggest impact on how he approaches the head coaching role and has given him a more complete perspective on what it takes to be successful.
“I’ve learned patience over the years, as well as the fact that fundamentals, intensity, camaraderie and togetherness are crucial,” Welty said. “It’s been great to have different roles, coaching and playing, to understand the whole perspective of everything.”
There is one small issue though. The women’s wheelchair basketball program has no athletes this fall, and just one athlete in the spring, due to graduations and transfers. Welty’s first year as head coach will be all about recruiting and trying to get the program back on its feet.
In terms of recruiting, Welty said his focus would be on going to various tournaments and reminding student-athletes of UW-Whitewater’s wheelchair basketball program. His goal and expectation is to have the program back on its feet by the start of the Fall 2026 semester.
But where does that leave the one current student-athlete, and potential recruits for this year? Welty emphasized the importance of working on fundamentals, and other core skills that are critical for wheelchair basketball.
“You can always work on fundamentals and different things with any number of athletes. Chair skills and cardio are critical,” Welty said. “There’s definitely a blend of having a structured practice and an opportunity to scrimmage as well.”
Recruiting isn’t the only thing Welty is focused on this year. He also talked about the phrase that has become ingrained by everyone involved with athletics at UW-Whitewater, which is upholding ‘the tradition of success.’ The women’s wheelchair basketball program has won three national championships and has had several Paralympians. Quickly establishing a winning culture that is composed of hard work, dedication, and fun is a priority for Welty. From his playing days, he enjoyed the success of course, but ultimately it’s the culture that Welty remembers.
“The winning was awesome, but I just remember the people and what everybody meant to each other,” Welty said. “We were very close then, and still are to this day.”
Each year most of the freshmen at UW-Whitewater take the “new student seminar” class, and within that class they spend a day with the wheelchair basketball program. Welty takes full advantage of this opportunity to inform students about wheelchair basketball and grow the sport.
“It’s about advocacy and growing the sport. It’s about showcasing this wonderful sport to those with and without disabilities,” Welty said. “Wheelchair basketball is the greatest sport in the world and UW-Whitewater is the greatest program in the nation and is incredibly storied.”
Going forward Welty is focused on what the future holds for UW-W’s women’s wheelchair basketball program and the sport of wheelchair basketball in general.
“It’s a slow and steady process but I hope to get it back to where it was. I’m just excited for the future,” Welty said.
