By Dominic Scianna
Tom White, director of athletics at De La Salle Institute, has said it time and again when referring to his leap back into coaching after a long and storied career of success on the Meteors’ sideline as head of the Southside Catholic League basketball program.
“Dealing with 36 years of high school basketball was hard,” White said. “This is the most fun (coaching in Special Olympics) I’ve had in my life. These kids tell you, ‘I Love You’ – and when you show up to practice you better be bringing it or they’re going to let you know because they want to learn and want to be out here with their friends competing.”
And compete they did, for a second consecutive year as White and his Southside Occupational/De La Salle combined squad took the gold medal again in winning the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Unified Special Olympics State Basketball Series championship, outlasting Vaughn Occupational/St. Patrick High School 64-59 in the title game.
“I’ve done Special Olympics for the past eight years working at Vaughn, and I was asked to be a part of the Unified sport concept and I said heck yeah. So I reached out to my alma mater (St. Patrick High School) and they said they’d be happy to come on board,” said Vaughn Occupational/St. Patrick coach Louis Rachmaciej. “These kids are friends for life and love being with each other on the court. It means the world to all of us (coaches, players, and each school’s administration) to be a part of this sport.”
In the title game, Southside/De LaSalle was led by Unified partner’s athlete Chris Cole, who tallied 29 points, and Special Olympics athlete Brandon Dorsey pitched in with great support to net 5 points in the win.
Vaughn/St. Patrick had Unified partner Maurice Neely lead the way with 27 points, aided by key contributions from Special Olympics teammates Etinosa Uyigue and Alejandro Hernandez, who both had 6 points each for head coach Rachmaciej and his team.
“I feel it’s great to play for them (Special Olympics athletes), to have someone there for them and supporting them in a way,” said Neely, a St. Patrick Unified athlete. “We play together and they love that, and they can feel our energy. Winning and playing with them is better than anything (I’ve done).”
Unified Basketball first became an official Special Olympics Illinois sport in 2016. Special Olympics Illinois partners with the IHSA to offer a statewide Boys Basketball Championship Series each year culminating with the final games being played at the University of Illinois’ Champaign-Urbana campus.
The concept is a novel one that promotes integrity, honesty, sportsmanship, achievement, plus a unique brand of competition and fun all thrown into one.
Each team has Unified partner roster members from participating high schools all across Illinois, playing with Special Olympics athletes at neighboring schools – some of which are Chicago Public School (CPS) entries.
CPS had two teams in the semifinals with Southside Occupational Academy Hub in conjunction with De La Salle and Vaughn Occupational Academy in conjunction with St. Patrick High School. Both teams placed in the Final Four in the Division II Championships that competed on March 8 and March 9 at the University of Illinois.
Vaughn/St. Patrick nicknamed its team the Lucky Golden Eagles and their good fortune was evident in the semifinals, defeating East St. Louis in come-from- behind fashion, 51-38.
In the other semifinal last Friday, Southside/De La Salle won convincingly over a squad from Bradley-Bourbonnais.
The rules are simple in Unified basketball play, at no time can a team have more than two Unified players on the court, as they interact, mentor, teach, and compete as teammates with three Special Olympics players from their squad during the course of game competition.
“If we win it’s great but if we lose it’s OK,” said Vaughn Special Olympics athlete Jeremiah Wiggins. “I know what to do now. I used to get mad when I made mistakes, but when I did what the coach told me to do, I played better and got on the right track. I love that coach and I love my team.”
CPS is one of the proud sponsors of Unified Special Olympics Basketball and sees this initiative as a positive and enlightening experience for Chicago Public School participants.
“The Unified State Championship Basketball Series is a wonderful concept that we at CPS embrace for our student-athletes,” said David Rosengard, Executive Director of the CPS Office of Sports Administration. “It’s such a special event each year not only for the players, but for their families too, in watching great accomplishments of these young athletes on the court – and seeing the true friendships they are making off the court.”
The IHSA and its Executive Director, Craig Anderson, along with Special Olympics Illinois President & CEO, Peter Beale-DelVecchio put on a great show with their staff for two wonderful days of fun championship Unified basketball. All who participated and witnessed this special event left with gratitude & smiles on their faces.
Special Thanks to senior directors of Special Olympics Illinois, Melissa Garritano, and Jen Kelso for assistance with key information, statistics, and rosters for this story.
Photos by Joseph Gelman/OSA
