Autistic Basketball Team Manager Plays in Game
The story of Jason McElwain can’t help but remind you of the movie Rudy (and the story it’s based on). So there it was, the last game of the regular season (although basketball instead of football). The beloved team manager was suddenly given the opportunity to suit up for the game. Then, with four minutes left in the game, he gets to go in. But here’s where the Rudy similarity ends. Unlike the movie where Rudy gets to make a tackle (or the real story where I don’t believe anything at all really happened), Jason got to really participate in the game in a fairly big way.
The ball came to him almost right away. His 3-point shot sailed completely off course, and the coach wondered if he made the wrong move. McElwain then missed a layup. Yet his father, David, was unruffled.
Then things got interesting. In all, he made 6-10 from 3-point land and had a long 2 where his foot was just over the line. 20 points. It was impressive enough to make it on Sports Center (thankfully someone was shooting some video of the game). The mob scene at the end of the game was amazing. He was hoisted up on shoulders as if he’d just won them the game (final score was 79-43). It really was an amazing looking thing and it’s a great story.
His performance was jaw-dropping: 20 points in four minutes, making 6-of-10 3-point shots. The crowd went wild.
“It was as touching as any moment I have ever had in sports,” Johnson told the Daily Messenger of Canandaigua.