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’”
Source: LI Press
