by Jon Buzby - posted 2/12/2008
Blue Hens Host 75 Special Olympics Basketball Players
Monte Ross welcomes SODE athletes and coaches to the BCC
Zachary White gets autographs from Blue Hen players Jim Ledsome and Marc Egerson
R.J. Franco prepares to drive past a Blue Hen defender
Over 100 players and coaches attended Monday's clinic, held at the Bob Carpenter Center
With the long and tiresome college basketball season winding down, most teams try to spend less time on the court, rather than more at this point in the season. But on Monday night, after a grueling 2+ hour practice, lifting and dinner, every member of the University of Delaware Men's Basketball team took to the court again ~ to teach Special Olympics Athletes and Coaches a little bit about the game they play in front of thousands every week.
Over seventy-five athletes, twenty coaches and several parents heard Head Coach Monte Ross declare at the start of the two-hour clinic, "Believe me, we'll get more of a thrill doing this then you will."
The Hens then took the court, and took with them, the athletes of all ages and ability levels to learn various techniques and hints on how to execute the basic basketball skills of dribbling, passing, shooting, rebounding and playing defense.
Special Olympics coaches wandered the courts and sat in the bleachers watching how the Hens drilled the athletes, corrected mistakes and more than anything, applauded their efforts and success.
Athletes rotated to five different stations, every ten minutes, under the direction of Director of Basketball Operations, Saul Rafel-Frankel. At the conclusion of the clinic, the Hens players eagerly sat for an autograph session. The smiles on the athletes' faces as they watched their hardwood heroes sign autographs on a court that most Delaware residents only see from the stands, was worth everyone's time and effort to make this night happen.
When someone thanked assistant coach, R.C. Kehoe, for coming out and helping the athletes, his reply was, "No, thank-you for allowing us to be here."
That about says it all!