While the thrum of basketballs and squeaking of sneakers sliding across the gym floor are ever-present during Unified Basketball practices, the most noticeable thing in the gym is the joy. Smiles light up every player and coach’s face in the room.
Unified Basketball pairs together high school students with and without developmental disabilities to play basketball. Partners (people without disabilities) and athletes (people with disabilities) practice together and make up the team. The team practices three times a week and plays one game a week.
The idea to bring the program to the high school was introduced by junior Gabi Hunter. Hunter said she noticed a lack of representation in sports of people with developmental disabilities. She learned about Unified Basketball through a friend’s younger sister and set up a meeting with the Athletic Director in the fall of last year. Now, she participates as an athlete in the league and runs the Instagram account for the high school’s Unified Basketball team.
“I really hope that this will bring people together. It’s a coed sport open to people of all genders, of all grades and all levels of abilities in terms of basketball,” Hunter said. “I hope that we can introduce more Unified Sports to BHS soon.”
Alexa Bader, assistant coach for the Unified Basketball League, said that it is crucial for all kids, regardless of who they are, to be able to participate in school spirit and be part of a team community. She said she is excited for the impact the league will have in the future.
“I hope it means that, for our students in separate programs, when they walk through the hallways, a ton of kids will say ‘hi’ to them or will say ‘I saw your great shot in the game the other day.’ They’ll have a ton of extra connections that they’ll make in the structured way,” Bader said. “In electives, it’s tougher for people to figure out how to interact with each other, but playing basketball, everyone knows what to do.”
Assistant coach Ann Collins said the program could be a life changing opportunity, both on the court and in the classroom.
“It’s going to help us to see other people in a different way, to see from both sides: abled versus disabled people,” Collins said. “For me, it’s also going to be a learning experience because I work with all kids but being able to coach differently-abled students is going to be a lot of fun.”
Collins isn’t the only teacher who is excited about the league. Assistant Athletic Director Amanda Mortelette helped out while head coach Jocelyn Vendola was out. Mortelette was a special education teacher for 15 years and a basketball coach for 10 years, so this program was a perfect intersection of her two careers. While she is not directly involved in the league, Mortelette said that she plans to stop by often.
“A lot of times for people who are working in a school, our days get busy and bogged down. For me to come down to the gym the other day, it put a smile on my face immediately,” Mortelette said. “Interacting with the kids and seeing how much fun they’re having out there has been a joy.”
While basketball is the main focus, freshman Aubrey Davis said that her favorite part of the program is the community. Davis is a partner at Unified Basketball, and she loves the program because of how the team works together.
“I like being on a team because I like getting to exercise. I work out with my dad sometimes and my other family,” Davis said. “[Also] because everyone works together to solve problems.”
The Unified Basketball team’s first home game is on October 18. If you don’t have time to be an athlete or partner, Mortelette said that you can still help the team.
“I think the biggest thing is showing support for this team,” Mortelette said. “I just hope that this program is recognized by a lot of students in the school [so] that people come and support the kids and people realize what an amazing program it is.”
