FAIRHOPE — Patrick Peterson wants to play basketball.

He wants people in wheelchairs to play basketball. He wants those suffering from traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries and PTSD to play, too.

Walking with a cane? Come on down and hit the court with him.

The Army veteran and former defensive back for the Fairhope High School football team is on a mission to bring adaptable sports to Baldwin County's Eastern Shore.

It's a natural choice for a three-time gold medal winner in weightlifting and wheelchair racing in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games.

Does he look familiar? His smile graced the front of 3 million boxes of Cheerios distributed to military commissaries in 2009. He has spoken at MLK Day ceremonies at Fairhope East Elementary. And now he wants you on his team.

Peterson began holding practices for wheelchair basketball earlier this month at the Rotary Youth Club in Fairhope. There, a small band of regulars have set their sights on creating an expo team that will play games throughout the community in a three-pronged effort — to recruit players, grow community support and garner donations for equipment and the specialized chairs built for the rigors of the game.

"We're just really trying to establish something here on the Eastern Shore," said Tonya Butler, who serves as the team manager. "Opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in sports and recreation are extremely limited. We're just trying to start somewhere. Everyone deserves an opportunity to play."

Peterson came to the sport after breaking every bone in his spine in a 2001 motorcycle wreck. After a year of depression as he faced a life paralyzed from the waist down, the father of two said a chance encounter with a member of the Paralyzed Veterans of America helped him turn his attitude and his life around.

Similarly, his teammate, Blake Loftin, said wheelchair basketball saved his life.

At age 13, Loftin was run over by a boat and became paralyzed from the waist down. The transition from his able-bodied life to disabled sports helped him overcome the life altering injury, he said.

"I initially came home and couldn't find anything about it simply because the awareness wasn't there," Loftin said.

The group wants other kids, other people facing life-changing injuries to know they have teammates waiting for them.

"Kids with a disability spend lots of time excluded from lots of things," Butler said. "We want to show them where they do belong and what they can do."

The team, the group says, is for all ages, disabilities and playing abilities.

"Some people may not have the cognitive skills to play in a fast-paced, standing game, but if they are sitting in a wheelchair the game is a slower pace but still just as competitive," Peterson said.

The metal clinks when their wheelchairs collide as Peterson and Loftin spin, twist and volley. The game feels like a burst of energy from the sidelines.

On the court, the men yell and laugh as the ball drops and is stolen away and then stolen again. The pair whiz past bystanders and head for the basket.

Eventually, the group envisions a league with competitive travel teams, recreational teams and levels divided by age.

For now, they just want everyone to come out and play ball.

"Whether you think you qualify or think you don't qualify you should come out," Loftin said. "Let's get together and break a sweat and laugh and play and get as many people involved as we can."