Ian Sagar, from Hoyland Common, was the top-scorer in the European Championships final as Great Britain retained their title with a thrilling 59-57 win over hosts Turkey on Sunday.
The 31-year-old sank 17 points to take his tally for the tournament to 85 from eight games, all of which finished in victories for the Bulldogs. This came a day after he scored three points in the final minute to give GB a 72-69 semi-final win over Spain.
He will now spend the next few months 'settling back into Barnsley life' before heading back to Italy where he plays professionally. He said: "I've already had plenty of phone calls from friends and family wanting to go out for a drink with me or for a meal. I am trying to put them off for a few days so I can just relax because I'm really tired after the European Championships.
"I will be hitting the gym a lot while I am in Barnsley because I need some bigger muscles but I'll also be enjoying being back in my hometown. I always enjoy coming back here and I hadn't been back since Christmas so it's really good."
Sagar says the win in Turkey will help him get over the agony of finishing fourth in the London Paralympics last year. He said: "It's fantastic. We went out there to win and we've done it. We knew the Turkish were going to be tough and what a final to play in. This is why I play basketball, not for the celebration after but to play in those games. "I didn't even know I was top-scorer, you get caught up in the moment and you just play the game as it comes, but it's a nice little bonus."
Turkey raced into a big early lead but Sagar sank two baskets to reduce the deficit to 16-8 at the end of the first period. GB fought back in the second session and ended it level at 26-26. The Bulldogs were 47-45 ahead after three periods and, although Turkey took the lead in the final session, GB held on to win as the hosts missed several free throws.
The Bulldogs had previously won all five of their group games then beat Poland 89-56 in the quarter-finals before top performances from Sagar in the final two games earned them gold. Sagar has been in a wheelchair since a motorbike crash in Barnsley in 1999.
