Unified basketball game generates great vibes for players, fans
A member of the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park Unified basketball team fires up a shot Wednesday afternoon at Plymouth High School.
For the first time in a long time Wednesday afternoon, the final score of the basketball game played in the Plymouth High School gymnasium didn’t matter.
It was all about the journey.
The special game featured Unified Sports teams representing the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park and Livonia Franklin High School.
Unified Sports is a program that brings together individuals with and without intellectual disabilities to participate in sports, promoting inclusion, friendship, and understanding through shared athletic experiences.
Rousing cheers
No matter which team scored, the robust crowd of students, faculty and family members cheered loudly.
“It’s always fun for the players and coaches when we get support like this,” said P-CEP co-coach Amy Boyer. “Games like this help get the word out, too, that there is opportunity for these kids to play sports in high school.”
Co-coach Merrill DeRose said there was a rare occurrence during P-CEP’s 66-24 victory.
“Every player on the team got to shoot at least once,” DeRose shared. “I love seeing the smiles on their faces when they shoot — whether the ball goes in or not.”
Adding to the fun
DeRose and Boyer started coaching P-CEP Unified Sports 14 years ago. DeRose is an adaptive physical education teacher at Salem High School and Boyer works in the Plymouth-Canton Schools district.
“When we started coaching Unified Sports, the only sport offered was bocce,” Boyer said. “Since then, we’ve added bowling in the fall and basketball in the winter. We’re one of the few school districts in Michigan that offer three sports.”
Among the heart-warming moments Wednesday included multiple times when a Unified player rebounded a shot and handed the ball to a teammate instead of taking the short-range shots.
And the joyful reactions from players after their shot found nothing but net was uplifting — both for their teammates and fans.
Cheerleaders and pep band, too!
In addition to the entertaining game, both teams’ Unified cheerleading squads performed. The award-winning P-CEP marching band was also represented by a well-tuned pep band.
While Wednesday’s game was a season highlight for the P-CEP Unified Stars, the spotlight is about to get brighter as next week they will take on a Unified team from Lincoln Park at Little Caesars Arena, the home of the Detroit Pistons and Red Wings.
“Everyone played phenomenal today,” DeRose concluded. “The smiles on the players’ faces is why Amy and I do what we do.”
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
