Their Biggest Fans: Endicott Students Coach Special Olympics Basketball Team
For a group of Endicott students, Sundays are for basketball—but you won’t find them in a starring role at center court.
These students are part of a contingent of field hockey and football players and student volunteers who, since January, have dedicated part of their weekends to training young athletes anywhere from age eight to 15 in a local Special Olympics basketball league.
It’s a program new to Endicott, according to Director of Community Service Lauri Rawls, and operated in collaboration with Northeast Arc, an organization helping people with disabilities lead full lives in the community.
Field hockey player Grace Gervais ’25 learned of the league while seeking service opportunities through the College’s Community Service Office.
“Being a student-athlete is really busy, but it’s important to take time to do things that are good for the community,” said Gervais, who is majoring in business management.
Fellow field hockey player Brooke Yabroudy ’25 also jumped at the chance to coach in the league. She particularly enjoyed helping the athletes master new skills.
“We’d teach them new ways to pass or dribble the ball that seem so simple to us, but aren’t simple to them,” said Yabroudy, who is pursuing a double major in finance and business management. “It was so rewarding to see how proud they were when they learned how to do something new.”
While every athlete has their own unique abilities and challenges, Gervais noted, “It’s important to focus on their strengths rather than their limitations. Each one of them has something unique to offer.”
Education major Tyler Youmans ’25 made a special connection with one young athlete, Christos, who was hesitant to participate in practices at the start of the season.
“At first, I’d ask Christos to play with me, and he was not interested at all,” said Youmans, a football player. “Every practice, we’d play together a little more; he’d shoot and I’d rebound. And now, he’s warmed up and he’s so excited to see me every single practice. He’s my guy. I love him.”
The hard work of both the coaches and athletes culminated in a Special Olympics basketball league tournament in February in which the athletes put their hard-earned skills to the competitive test against other teams for the first time. They were accompanied by a very enthusiastic group of Endicott supporters.
“We had so many Endicott students, we outnumbered the volunteers running the event,” said head coach Rebecca Drager ’23, a biology and biotechnology major. “When our team scored their first basket, the whole gym went crazy because we were cheering so loudly. The kids were jumping up and down because they were so proud of themselves. It was a really beautiful moment.”
Beyond their athletic achievements, the young athletes have gained something even more special from the experience: a boost in their self-confidence.
“At the tournament, I told Christos, ‘If you feel ready, steal the ball.’ During one game, there was another player driving down the lane and he grabbed the ball. He lit up and I thought, ‘Wow, I taught him that,’” said Youmans.
Another measure of their success is the positive feedback they’ve received from the athletes’ parents.
“The parents signed up their kids knowing that college students would be the coaches,” said Drager, who is planning to pursue the Endicott Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing next year. “A lot of the parents have commented on what an amazing job we’re doing, and how present we are with the kids. We show up every week and are just so excited to be there.”
Resoundingly, all of the Endicott students agree that just as they taught the athletes basketball skills, they too learned valuable lessons during the experience.
“For these athletes, basketball isn’t just basketball,” said football player Matt Licciardi ’24, who is pursuing a degree in business management. “That’s their time to socialize, to make friends, to enjoy some time out of the house. They were there to have fun. And seeing that meant everything to us.”
Licciardi continued: “None of us knew exactly how much the experience would end up meaning to us when we volunteered. We underestimated how good it would feel to do something like that. You can’t even call it work.”
“Every Sunday we say, ‘This is the best thing we do in our week,’” added Yabroudy. “Seeing the smiles on these kids’ faces is priceless.”