Playing Hoops with Heart
Port Jefferson hosted its first Unified Basketball game
recently against Commack High School. Under the guidance of the Special
Olympics and supported by Section XI, the concept is to pair people with
and without disabilities on the same team, providing an equal
opportunity for all to contribute to the success of the team through
their unique skills and qualities.
The team consists of nine members in grades 9-12. Along
with Adam Sherrard, director of athletics, they participated in a Youth
Activation Conference Summit hosted by the Special Olympics in late
spring where they learned about inclusive sports and how to provide
opportunities for all students to participate in sports alongside one
another. The group also learned how to take on leadership roles in
promoting unified activities and engaging the school and community in
supporting the athletes. As part of the program, the students have also
been promoting the campaign “Spread the Word to end the Word” in
attempts for high school students to understand how the use of the
R-word is offensive and to be more thoughtful with their choice of
words.
Coached by Jayson Williams, the recent game was an
exciting first for Port Jefferson. Sophomore Hailey Hearney said that
after getting to know one another as players on the team, now there are
more smiles and a special fellowship in the hallways with the special
education population. Her teammate James Marci simply said from the
sidelines “this is why I do it,” when another teammate, Michael Brown,
sunk yet another basket to cheers from the crowd and a win for Port
Jefferson at 48-38. To date, the team is undefeated at 4-0.
HOME GAME TODAY 4 p.m. COME OUT TO SUPPORT OUR TEAM: Michael Brown,
Ryan Daly, Shane DeVincenzo, Adam Friedman, Hailey Hearney, James Marci,
Aarya Patel, Brendan Rogers and Chris Scotto.