It is with great pride and anticipation that we announce the inaugural season for Unified Basketball in Section XI. Teams from Northport, Amityville, William Floyd and Walt Whitman will be the first to compete in this newly formed program.
Unified Basketball is the brainchild of the New York State Special Olympics and is intended to find more opportunities for intellectually challenged students to compete in interscholastic athletics.
This program has the full support and backing of our parent organization, the NYSPHSAA, and currently services teams in six of the state’s 11 sections.
The game itself is truly basketball as we know it. Rules are consistent with school basketball and there are no exceptions to any existing regulations. The only difference is that this is a blended team of students with special needs and general education students.
At any time on the court there must be three students with a documented intellectual disability and two general education students. There is no support personnel permitted on the court at any time and each team may substitute freely as long as the basic requirement is met.
Additionally, there are opportunities for those students that may not respond to a regular game based on their disability. Those opportunities exist in a halftime competition where passing, dribbling, and shooting skills are showcased.
Each team will play six games beginning on May 8 and continuing for the next three Mondays and Wednesdays ending Thursday, May 25 with a culminating event for all teams at William Floyd High School at 4:30.
For your viewing pleasure, here are two links to great videos:
We hope to see you out there for this wonderful athletic experience!