(12-29-2017 06:55 PM)BlazerMatt Wrote:  The stats are helped by the strength of schedule being so abysmal. We didn’t schedule a team full of Down’s syndrome kids to play a home game, but judging from who the coaches did put on the home schedule, it wouldn’t surprise me if they tried.

(12-29-2017 06:55 PM)BlazerMatt Wrote:  The stats are helped by the strength of schedule being so abysmal. We didn’t schedule a team full of Down’s syndrome kids to play a home game, but judging from who the coaches did put on the home schedule, it wouldn’t surprise me if they tried.

(12-29-2017 07:27 PM)the_blazerman Wrote:  Free throws don't have squat to do with whether or not you are playing the globe trotters or dexy's midnight runners.

(12-29-2017 06:55 PM)BlazerMatt Wrote:  The stats are helped by the strength of schedule being so abysmal. We didn’t schedule a team full of Down’s syndrome kids to play a home game, but judging from who the coaches did put on the home schedule, it wouldn’t surprise me if they tried.

(12-29-2017 06:55 PM)BlazerMatt Wrote:  The stats are helped by the strength of schedule being so abysmal. We didn’t schedule a team full of Down’s syndrome kids to play a home game, but judging from who the coaches did put on the home schedule, it wouldn’t surprise me if they tried.

(12-29-2017 09:08 PM)BandGrad Wrote:  

(12-29-2017 06:55 PM)BlazerMatt Wrote:  The stats are helped by the strength of schedule being so abysmal. We didn’t schedule a team full of Down’s syndrome kids to play a home game, but judging from who the coaches did put on the home schedule, it wouldn’t surprise me if they tried.

BlazerMatt, I thought you was better than this. Come on, Down’s Syndrome???? Really dude??? Please edit this.

(12-29-2017 08:58 PM)Jball Wrote:  

(12-29-2017 06:55 PM)BlazerMatt Wrote:  The stats are helped by the strength of schedule being so abysmal. We didn’t schedule a team full of Down’s syndrome kids to play a home game, but judging from who the coaches did put on the home schedule, it wouldn’t surprise me if they tried.

I’m sorry and I know you are a moderator, but what you wrote is offensive... Down’s syndrome kids... Do you know anyone that have children with Down’s? I do. Still loved.

(12-30-2017 12:06 AM)BlazerMatt Wrote:  

(12-29-2017 08:58 PM)Jball Wrote:  

(12-29-2017 06:55 PM)BlazerMatt Wrote:  The stats are helped by the strength of schedule being so abysmal. We didn’t schedule a team full of Down’s syndrome kids to play a home game, but judging from who the coaches did put on the home schedule, it wouldn’t surprise me if they tried.

I’m sorry and I know you are a moderator, but what you wrote is offensive... Down’s syndrome kids... Do you know anyone that have children with Down’s? I do. Still loved.

Not only do I know someone with Down’s syndrome, he played basketball for me. I coached youth league basketball for nearly 10 years, usually 10-12 year olds. I coached his older brother and stevie served as our ball boy, cheer leader and team mascot. I loved having him around and when the time came two years later I made sure that he got the chance to to experience basketball like his brother. My favorite basketball memory as a coach involved him and his team.
We only had 8 kids on the team, two of them brothers who moved at the end of the fall semester, leaving us with six, one of whom being Stevie who as I mentioned, had Downs. He was a big teddy bear and everyone on the team loved him. The league had a rule that you had to play man to man defense, which I steadfastly broke by teaching a bunch of 12 year olds to play match-up zone that looked enough like man to man that I could get away with it just so I could keep him down in the paint on defense when I played him, and as the league also had a rule that every kid had to play at least one full quarter, he played every game.

So after Christmas and losing the brothers we were down to six players. One of the first games back from the break another one of our players had the flu and couldn’t play, so we played with five. We had a player foul out, and so played most of the 4th quarter with 4 players one of whom was our big teddy bear, who could play surprisingly good post defense but traveled ever time he touched the ball, no big deal though, I taught him to volleyball the ball towards teammates instead of trying to catch rebounds because it scared him when the other team would try to take the ball from him.

With only four players I didn’t even have to pretend to play man to man, and instead on the spot during a time out when our 5th player fouled out walked them out on the court and showed them what a 1-3-1 defense was andhow we would play a 1-3-1 but ours would be a 1-2-1 and just not have a weak side defender, with the two players gliding side to side so we always had a player on ball side and another in the middle of the lane.

We had a small lead when we lost our 5th player but lost it shortly there after, but it stayed a one possession game for the most part. With about a minute left we were down one, our best player missed a contested shot, (contested because he was getting double teamed full time, sometimes triple teamed because most teams wouldn’t really guard Stevie)

The shot didn’t even hit the rim, but instead fell right into Stevie’s hands who calmly turned without traveling and layed the ball in off the glass just like it was our pregame layup drill and gave us a 1-point lead.

The whole gym went crazy. I called a time out just so we could all celebrate the moment with him. The kids were all ecstatic, and I don’t think a single parent in the gym had a dry eye, I know I sure as hell cried like a baby, and his mom and dad were bawling their eyes out.

It wasn’t the game winning shot, the other team scored but then we scored again and won the game by one point.
We all went out for pizza afterwards to celebrate and the whole team signed the ball for Stevie. It wasn’t a championship or anything but it is still to this day my favorite basketball game I have ever seen or been a part of at any level, and Stevie’s layup is a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life.

(12-30-2017 12:38 AM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  Guess that nice story gives you a pass then to denigrate them.

(12-30-2017 01:04 AM)BlazerMatt Wrote:  Let the record state that I have amended my original post to avoid upsetting those who took my post as an attack on people with Down’s syndrome. It now reads “a team full of Message Board Posters“