Have a ball: Hoop Heroes opens doors to all

By Tom Layman

Ten years ago, Jeff Casey was looking to give his son Matthew an opportunity to play organized basketball.  Matthew, who is developmentally disabled, didn't have an outlet to play sports in Duxbury youth leagues or the surrounding areas, and his father wanted to change that.

Casey decided to take matters into his own hands, so he gathered his son and a few other children dealing with mental disabilities and decided to coach them himself.

Today, his vision has turned into Hoop Heroes, a weekly basketball camp for children with cognitive disabilities held at the Alden School in Duxbury.  Every Sunday afternoon for 15 weeks, 30 to 60 children learn the fundamentals of basketball.

Casey came into this endeavor with no expectations at all, and said he is amazed at where the program is today.

"It shattered my goal," said Casey.  "I had no expectations.  I just wanted to give my child an outlet to play basketball.

"What has shattered my expectations is the acceptance of the town and the families who want their kids to be a part of it even if they don't have special needs kids."

A Partnership

Hoop Heroes is Casey's idea, but to help out in his quest he came in contact with The Arc of Greater Plymouth, an organization aimed at helping those with cognitive and other mental disabilities in the South Shore. 

The Arc has been with Casey since the beginning of the program, but in the early stages Casey took care of most of the work. 

"In the beginning I did most of the work as far as paperwork and coaching," he said.  "But The Arc really picked up in the last two years. 

"They really run the program and I just show up and do the easy part, I just coach."

Parents or guardians pay a fee of $20 at the beginning of the season for a 15-week experience with Hoop Heroes.  It was a 22-week program, but due to budget cuts, Hoop Heroes had to be trimmed back to 15 weeks in order for the reasonable price, said Programs Director Malissa Kenney.

Kenney has been with The Arc for two years, and said Hoop Heroes is by far one of the organization's most important and successful affiliated programs

"It has certainly grown in terms of members," she said.  "We see a lot of repeat kids, so we know that they are having a good time if they keep coming back year after year."

Kenney said that this program would not be able to succeed with all the support from the parents and most importantly the people who assist Coach Casey.

Volunteers

Casey and Kenney have been amazed at the amount of volunteers who come out to support the group. The number of volunteers has been rising every week, as Kenney believes it is word of mouth of volunteers telling their friends of all the fun they are having.

One of those volunteers is Aiden Garrity.  Garrity is a student at Duxbury High School and participates on the basketball and soccer teams.  His older brother and sister were involved in Hoop Heroes. He said teaching the game helps him out with his own self-education of the sport, but more importantly, it is all about lending a hand.

"A lot of kids need to be understood a lot more," said Aiden.  "Many kids don't get a lot of thought, and if you really get to know them and understand them, and I've made a lot of friends through this. 

"(Hoop Heroes) has opened a lot of new doors for me."

For Casey, the interaction between the children and the volunteers is "magical."

On the Court

When the children arrive for Hoop Heroes they meet up and run laps in small groups, with applause raining down from all over the gym.

Depending on the number of participants and volunteers, groups will be formed and the kids will work on their shooting.  Everybody gets a chance to make a shot, and this happens until they are all warmed up.

John, a player in Hoop Heroes, said his favorite part is shooting and dribbling.  When asked what it feels like when he scores a bucket he said it makes him feel "happy."

After that, it is time for free throws.  A few children are selected to make three free throws before they go to snack time, which Casey jokingly said is the kids favorite time of night. 

On this night Andrew Colton is the hero of the night that sent the group to snack time and he said it's all about practice.

"I practice a lot at home," said Colton, who said his favorite player is Ray Allen.  "I like team sports, and I like to get together with friends and help others out."

After snack time it is time to get down to business.  On this night there is enough players to form two games on each half court, and Casey said "the organized chaos" begins.

Each player will have a chance to dribble the ball, play defense and make a basket.  Both teams will run back and forth, but no one will defend the player dribbling the ball because they are there to learn and not just compete.

"There are no cuts, no tryout, nothing like that," said Casey, who coached youth sports for almost 20 years.  "It's just a great time for parents and kids to come out and learn how to play."

 

To learn more about Hoop Heroes click on the video below: