Northampton HS Unified basketball helping all students get ahead of the game
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — At a Unified Basketball practice in October, two Northampton High School students can鈥檛 wait to face off. The team is 2-0 already and will go on to be League Champs this season. But these two players, a senior and a freshman, aren鈥檛 anticipating their next win. Part of every practice is a team scrimmage, and one of the best parts of the game is getting to play their sister.
The siblings are paired for warm-up shots while the co-ed team is split into twos and threes under baskets in the gym. Sophie Ruff eagerly tells me about her idol. 鈥淭his is my older sister,鈥� she says. 鈥淪he鈥檚 a senior here.鈥�
Amelia Ruff stops bouncing the basketball and looks at Sophie.
鈥淚鈥檓 a freshman,鈥� Sophie continues.
Amelia looks impatiently at her younger sister. 鈥淪o, are there any specific questions you want to ask us?鈥� she says.
I ask what inspired them to join the team, and I鈥檓 not surprised by the answer.
鈥淚 heard about it through my sister,鈥� says Sophie. 鈥淚 had to come to her basketball games, and I hate being bored. I hate being on the sidelines.鈥�
Amelia smiles. 鈥淎nd since it鈥檚 my last year here, she said she would play with me before I go.鈥�
鈥淵eah, but I like it when we play against each other as well because I鈥檓 really a competitive person,鈥� Sophie continues.
Despite their undeniable sibling rivalry, they both explain gently what might be perceived as the others鈥� challenges. Amelia says that Sophie has apraxia of speech, or difficulty physically forming words. Sophie says that Amelia is cortically blind, or has trouble visually processing objects. For Sophie, it might take time and patience to communicate with other teammates, while Amelia must learn to pass and defend without being able to see the ball or players clearly.
You can鈥檛 tell any of this on the court, and that鈥檚 the point: In Unified Basketball, all students are athletes simply because they want to be. When the team assembles for a game, players with and without intellectual disabilities, known as athletes and partners, are indistinguishable.
Unified Sports are part of an international program overseen by the Special Olympics to foster inclusivity. Currently there are 124 Unified Basketball teams in the state, and this year NHS faces four schools in western Massachusetts.
Veteran coaches Mike Gill and Jim McGrath have been with the team since its inception at NHS in 2018. (They also helm Unified Track in the spring.) 鈥淲e鈥檝e been doing this for 30 years and this is like our coaching into the sunset, so it鈥檚 a great way to go out,鈥� says Gill.
Unified Basketball is scored and played competitively, but rather than on winning, the focus is on how the game is played. 鈥淲e cheer for the other team and they cheer for us,鈥� says Gill. 鈥淚f somebody falls down, we help each other up.鈥� This graciousness is contagious. Parents aren鈥檛 concerned about their kids鈥� playing time. Referees aren鈥檛 making controversial calls. Fans don鈥檛 take sides.
鈥淭he two main rules are to play hard and have fun,鈥� says McGrath. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to see the kids put a lot of effort into it and see a lot of smiles on their faces.鈥�
That said, Samuel Baker-Paquette doesn鈥檛 hesitate when he鈥檚 asked what he likes most about the game: 鈥淯m, winning!鈥� Baker-Paquette and Jared Kubin are Transitions students who have been with the team for five years. Thirteen players make up this year鈥檚 roster.
Sophomore Alexis Michna says that Unified Basketball is 鈥渁bout making kids feel good about themselves.鈥� Michna started playing basketball competitively when she was in kindergarten under her mom鈥檚 coaching, and in today鈥檚 practice she plays a patient point guard, guiding her team into formation before setting up a shot.
Ultimately, all sports should instill lasting confidence, says McGrath. 鈥淵ou go through failures and successes on an athletic team, and things aren鈥檛 going to be quite as devastating when you get into life.鈥�
For Amelia Ruff, the unity she feels on the court is humbling and empowering. 鈥淚t kind of gets us knowing that the world can be that way too if we can actually put aside our differences,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ecause we鈥檙e just human, we鈥檙e not anything else. And we can still play sports no matter who we are.鈥�
Now her sister is listening.
Unified Sports need support at NHS. For more information, visit .
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.