KTKA

There's no easy practice for the Wabaunsee basketball team and for one sophomore guard, you could say they're twice as tough.

"Everyday I have to deal with just working with one arm. And I have to work harder than anybody else with their two arms," says Wabaunsee basketball player Wade Capoun.

Wade Capoun's right arm is paralyzed: the result of a 4-wheeler accident as a child.

In just his first year of high school basketball, Capoun has worked his way from one of the last off the bench into the starting five. The biggest reason has been his defense.

"He kind of raises everybody else's energy level. Sometimes we make mistakes defensively because we we're just not quite there basketball-wise but as far as the effort goes, Wade's kind of a catalyst," says Dustin Wilson, coach.

"I've got quick feet so I move quick. I'm like more of a pest to other people," says Capoun.

The offensive side is where things get interesting.

Despite not having the use of his right arm to help balance the ball when shooting, Capoun has adapted by bracing the ball up by his chin.

"When I have to pick up the ball, I pin the ball against my chest to keep the people from stealing it. When I dribble I sometimes do moves with my hands and try and deceive them. When I do a lay-up, I have to keep the ball against me until I go up," says Capoun.

"He just know what his limitations are and he plays to his strengths. We haven't really changed anything, we just changed where we put him," says Wilson.

Capoun's strong work ethic comes from the heart; a muscle he says makes up for those he lacks in his right arm.