Autistic Teenager Out-Rudys Rudy, scores 20 in 4 Minutes.
 

GREECE, N.Y. -- Jason McElwain had done everything he was asked to do for the Greece Athena High School basketball team -- keep the stats, run the clock, hand out water bottles.

That all changed last week for the team manager in the final home game of the season. The 17-year-old senior, who is autistic and usually sits on the bench in a white shirt and black tie, put on a uniform and entered the game with his team way ahead.

McElwain proceeded to hit six 3-point shots, finished with 20 points and was carried off the court on his teammates' shoulders.

"I ended my career on the right note," he told The Associated Press by phone Thursday. "I was really hotter than a pistol!"

In recent days, McElwain's phone has hardly stopped ringing. When his family went out for a meal, he was mobbed by well-wishers. A neighborhood boy came by to get a basketball autographed.

McElwain, 5-foot-6, was considered too small to make the junior varsity, so he signed on as team manager. He took up the same role with the varsity, doing anything to stay near the sport he loves. Coach Jim Johnson was impressed with his dedication, and thought about suiting up McElwain for the home finale.

His performance was jaw-dropping: 20 points in four minutes, making 6-of-10 3-point shots. The crowd went wild.

"It was as touching as any moment I have ever had in sports," Johnson told the Daily Messenger of Canandaigua.

McElwain didn't begin speaking until he was 5. He lacked social skills but things got easier as he got older. He found many friends and made his way through school in this Rochester suburb, although many of his classes were limited to a half-dozen students. And he found basketball.

On the varsity, he never misses practice and is a jack-of-all-trades.

"And he is happy to do it," Johnson said. "He is such a great help and is well-liked by everyone on the team."

Even though McElwain was in uniform for the Feb. 15 game, there was no guarantee he would play -- Athena was battling for a division title.

The fans, however, came prepared. One section of students held up signs bearing his nickname "J-MAC" and cutouts of his face placed on Popsicle sticks.

The Trojans opened a large lead against the team from the nearby Spencerport. With four minutes left, McElwain took the court to deafening cheers.

The ball came to him almost right away. His 3-point shot sailed completely off course, and the coach wondered if he made the wrong move. McElwain then missed a layup. Yet his father, David, was unruffled.

"The thing about Jason is he isn't afraid of anything," he told the newspaper. "He doesn't care what people think about him. He is his own person."

On the next trip down the floor, McElwain got the ball again. This time he stroked a 3, all net.

He was just warming up.

"As soon as the first shot went in that's when I started to get going," he said.

On the next attempt, he got another 3-pointer. Then another, and another. In fact, he would have made one more 3, but his foot was on the line, so he had to settle for 2 points.

Greece Athena won 79-43, and pandemonium reigned. McElwain signed autographs, posed for pictures and was hoisted by his teammates.

The Trojans begin sectional play Saturday and McElwain will be on the bench again, wearing his usual shirt and tie.

It doesn't bother him. More important, he said, is "trying to win a sectional title for the team."

McElwain will soon be done with high school basketball, then enroll in business management this fall at Monroe Community College.

"I'll go on to college and I'll try to hoop there," he said. "I just love it, it's one of the greatest sports in the world."

they had the video of this on the NBA Insider show on TNT last night (or whatever that show with barkley is called) and the atmosphere in the gym when he got off the bench was like a NCAA tourney game.....when he hit the first 3 the place went nuts, and it wasnt just the team carrying him off the court when the game ended...the court flooded with the entire student body from the stands and they all picked him up....hundreds of people were in the stands with little cardboard faces like Kornheiser has on PTI waving them for this kid...i would have to say it was one of the coolest things i ever saw.

great story

dola, the 6 3pointers in a game is a school record.

i think this was also posted here.

Yeah, the video of his shots is below:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/...n1339324.shtml

Absolutely fantastic video...wow.

This came on the news today while we were playing poker at a buddy's place. At first people sort of rolled their eyes, but by the end of it the place was going crazy with every shot. What a great moment... the reaction of the players on the bench as he makes each shot is priceless.

Hot as a pistol!

What a story! When I saw everyone on the stands rush him, I teared up. I'm a sucker for these kinds of stories.

i heard about this first on the Dan Patrick Show yesterday, and Olberman told a story about another autistic kid whose father wrote to him when he was still on sportscenter that actually made me start to tear up. i tried to find it on the espnradio website but cant find the archives.

Funny thing is, the guy I am on tour with, the Marketing Associate that works for me, this was his cousin, he was laughing the entire time as he was being relayed the story from his brother, who was there.

Laughing in a mocking way or a positive, "I can't believe it, good for him" way?

Positive......He was genuinely happy for his cousin........

It was awesome to hear he and his brother talk, the kid is a great shooter according to them.

Saw this on Sportscenter the other night. No I wasn't watching it, but I saw the lead in and decided to Tivo it.

That was so cool!

Very cool.

Sign that kid to a contract!!

I'm sure he's better than what the Hawks are putting out there ;).

Great story. The video of it is awesome, I loved the reactions of the fans and players on the bench

I really want to watch this. Awesome story.

Ok....just watched it and it sent chills up my spine. I thought, at first, that they were allowing him to hit those shot, but he was being defended against. That was remarkable. Great story!

Amazing history, i must admit i hald almost tears in my eyes thinking on the parents of that guy and the proud they must be about his son. This proves everything is possible.

I just showed the wife and she was in tears. Just a great story.

Man I was crying like a baby, probably for a good 2-3 minutes.....an awesome story......This is the reason I love sports so much, the potential positive impact it can have on a young life is unlimited.

One story like this totally offsets any number negative stories we get bombarded with throughout the year.....it's the main reason I coach, you just never know when you make a difference in a young adults life or when they will make a difference in YOUR life.

THIS is what high school sports or kid sports in general should be about.

I am happy for the kid but i am also extremely proud of the coach for putting the kid in the game.Having been a coach for 15 years i have seen a lot of shitty things coaches do to kids.This reafirmes for me that there are still coaches out there that care about the kids.

i might just watch this every morning for the rest of my life, what a awesome way to start a saturday. i got all lumpy throated the moment everyone jumped up when he initially got off the bench.

If you don't tear up watching that, you are dead inside. What a terrific story.

Great video. Reminds me very much of the many kids I've seen over the years really treat mentally challenged kids with esteem.

Any way to download and save the video?

That's a great story.

Same here...this is just awesome.

Another site has it on YouTube, I'll see if we can get it

Jesus..my eyes water every time I look at this thread.

Never thought I would tear up at work.

I'd cry, but I don't have tear ducts. I have to carry a a water bottle on my belt for when my eyes get dry. I'd say that takes up like 30% of my day.

Great story, and I am very happy for the kid. I just wish they would let him play in the playoffs. He can stroke it.

This is the greatest footage I have ever seen. I've shown it to everyone I can and everytime I get chills. Amazing...

What I like most about it, other than the guy taking his one moment and making his own, is the support the kids have for him. We all remember school, and kids can be some of the meanest people in the world because of their insecurities, but to see them rally around him and support him makes me very secure that the next generation is going to do ok.

I have the video on my hard drive in AVI format, but I don't have webspace to host it. If someone wants it or can host it lemme know and I can send you the video.

I agree. The coach deserves a WHOLE lot of credit on this. Many coaches don't see kids and what they aspire to, just the wins and losses. I hope this Rochester fans know that they have a great coach there.

As a side note, Disney is trying to option this story into a movie.

That's so awesome.

I was in Rochester all weekend and didn't realize this was a national story til last night when I saw footage on ESPN2. I had seen it in yesterday's paper out there and thought it was a great story. From what I have heard, the school had been supporting the kid all seaosn with the "head on a stick" things in the crowd.

WVU look into using YouSendIt or Rapidshare.de

What a great story. My friend told me about it, but to see the video..remarkable.

That's the one part of the video that doesn't surprise me at all, at least not in this day and age. I'll state unequivocally that the kind of reaction we saw in that video could have been expected at virtually any high school in America. I've seen a particular sensitivity to the physically and mentally handicapped both in the local schools I've worked with, and also on a national level at camps. I've seen this kind of stuff (obviously on a smaller level...never seen that kind of amazing success, which of course heightened the reaction) so many times that I don't really know why I am continually amazed when I see some of the most cynical, self-absorbed, me-first teenagers completely change when they're around someone with a mental or physical handicap. Unfortunately, when taken out of those situations, they're usually still the same surly SOB's. :p

I don't post here a whole lot but I just had to for this. What a great story. It was just great to see everyone rally behind him. Unfortunately my memories of kids like him in high school were that they were usually teased or ignored. This was very good to see.

I've heard that many autistic kids show the capacity for "supertalent" or rare ability in a certain field. Perhaps the shooting ability demonstrated in the video is an example of this. Of course basketball isn't just shooting, but perhaps the kid (if his shooting ability is not a fluke) should have been utilized more in at least a specialist role...

He had played organized basketball earlier (I believe at the modifided level) before being cut (I believe at the JV level). He wanted to still be a part of the program as he loved hoops so he became the manager. It's not like they picked a kid at random out of a special ed class and told him to suit up.

FWIW, this made the national headlines overhere in the Netherlands.

Showed this to my wife. This is the kind of stuff reporters should be telling us instead of a man who killed three people, or a child molester, etc.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...E&SECTION=HOME

Hollywood Calls Autistic Basketball Star

By BEN DOBBIN
Associated Press Writer

GREECE, N.Y. (AP) -- Alone in the gym after practice, Jason McElwain went through his elaborate pregame ritual.

The 17-year-old senior, manager of the Greece Athena High School basketball team, drained a 3-pointer, a double-pump layup and a free throw, kissed the back of his ring finger at center court and sped off to the dressing room to exhort and amuse his teammates.

"You've gotta give it everything you got!" McElwain sang in rap verse. "The winner goes home all happy/The loser goes home and says/`Mommy we lost the game, wah wah wah!'"

McElwain, who is autistic, was back in his role as an all-around motivator on the eve of a sectional semifinal game Tuesday night - handing out water bottles, dispensing tips, helping run drills. Two weeks earlier, he suited up for a game and delivered a jaw-dropping performance.

His play drew national attention, and a flood of calls from Hollywood. His parents have received inquiries from about 25 production companies ranging from The Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. to independent documentary filmmakers.

"I don't know what I'm walking into," McElwain said.

In his team's final home game of the season, McElwain entered with four minutes to go. It was his first and only appearance for the Athena varsity team in this Rochester suburb. The 5-foot-6 manager hit six 3-point shots and a 2-pointer and was carried off the court on his teammates' shoulders.

His triumph was captured on a student video that made the rounds of the television networks. The school was besieged with calls and e-mails from parents of children who have autism, a little-understood developmental disorder.

"We have an obligation as a society to find a way to include people with different abilities," said the school's athletic director, Randolph Hutto, whose 12-year-old son, Joshua, is autistic. "This, hopefully, will help open doors for some people, or open some eyes."

McElwain, who didn't begin talking until he was 5, still lacks social skills but has learned to cope well in his teens, said his special-education teacher, Diane Maddock.

"He might talk a little loud, laugh a little too long or not be able the read the body language or even the tone of voice of a person, but it's not a big difficulty," Maddock said. "If you call him on it, he will acknowledge it, say 'OK, you're right, I shouldn't have said that or laughed when I laughed.'"

"This couldn't happen to a nicer kid," she added.

Considered too small to make the junior varsity, McElwain signed on as manager, then took up the same role with the varsity to stay near the sport he loves. Amazed at his dedication, coach Jim Johnson had him suit up for the home finale. There was no guarantee he would play - Athena was battling for a division title - but he got in when the Trojans opened a large lead.

"It was like a big old bucket and I was just hitting them like they were free throws," McElwain said. "I just felt relaxed."

The coach couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"He's been my right-hand man, he's there every day and just getting him the opportunity to suit up was emotional enough for me," he said. "For him to come in and seize the moment like he did was certainly more than I ever expected. I was an emotional wreck."

Because he played in just one regular-season game, McElwain was ineligible for sectional play. But he's not bothered.

"I just want to win as a team, not individually," he said.

What's more, he prides himself on having a lot of friends.

"I'm not really that different," he said. "I don't really care about this autistic situation, really. It's just the way I am. The advice I'd give to autistic people is just keep working, just keep dreaming, you'll get your chance and you'll do it."

Dola.....

Wish he could get a waiver to play, or at least be allowed to suit up, for the sectional playoffs.

I never saw this version...