Manhasset High School’s Unified Basketball Team, a member of the Special Olympics New York, played a scrimmage at Madison Square Garden on Monday, Feb. 9, during the halftime of St. John’s University Men’s Basketball home game.
The team, which includes both Unified athletes—students with disabilities and Unified partners—students without disabilities—was cheered on by over 180 Manhasset residents in the more than 20,000-seat stadium.
Nick Sforza, a parent of Unified athlete Michael Sforza, made the arrangements for the Unified team to play at Madison Square Garden.
Nick Sforza is the principal of an elementary school in Kew Gardens and has organized events like this in the past, where students have played at the Carnesseca Arena at St. John’s, and reached out to see if Manhasset would be interested in doing something similar
“This thing I put together is just my token of appreciation,” Nick Sforza said.
Special education teaching assistant Gerard Fay taught Michael Sforza and is one of the coaches for the Unified basketball team.
“[Nick Sforza’s] rapport with St. John’s has got this all set up and just about ready to go,” Fay said.
Fay said Michael Sforza was one of his favorite students. “He scores a couple baskets every game, but everytime…it’s like it’s his first time he’s ever scored,” he said. “Jumping up and down, looking for his family, yelling ‘I did it, I did it’”
“I’ve been around team sports my entire life,” Fay said, having coached high school and college lacrosse and high school football.
Four years ago, Fay joined the Unified team as a coach. “It was just a natural fit—me having the coaching, athletic background and knowing the kids who are the core of the team.”
Three Unified athletes and two Unified partners play at a time, rotating with around 20 other kids on the entire team.
Angela Krug, the mother of Unified athlete Ryan Krug, said she has been very appreciative of the team since it was formed five years ago.
“The Unified team is there to really promote social inclusion,” Angela Krug said. “If you have a kid with a disability, it’s just great to see your kid in a team uniform playing on the court.”
Ryan Krug said he enjoyed being on the team and learning to put his mind to something. “I was doing 3-pointers, 2-pointers,” and he said he was working on his spin move.
Several people recalled a moment from a previous Unified basketball game when Unified athlete Dan Cheetham scored his first basket, pumped his fists into the air, and the whole stadium began chanting ‘Danny.’
“It’s such a highlight at the school,” said Unified partner Maddie Cellura. “The whole stadium instantly went crazy!”
“Danny is a student favorite here at school,” Fay said. “He seems to know everybody, and everybody knows him.”
“There’s a lot of moments like that. They don’t always have that moment, that shining moment where people are watching them and cheering for them,” Fay said.
“They just get treated how anybody should be treated,” Cellura said.
Angela Krug said the Unified team helps foster inclusion. “Those friendships develop on the court through practice and then [they] can be taken off the court.”
“Its a great sense of community building, bridging the gap between the general ed and the special ed departments,” Nick Sforza said.
“It’s such a feel-good environment when these kids are on the court,” Fay said. “It’s the most uplifting moment of the year for our community.”
