In this game, everyone wins. That is, everyone who takes part in the Fast Break Basketball Association’s Buddy Division. This winter marked the sixth year of the league and saw 60 “buddies,” or children and young adults with special needs, and 70 “pals,” or teenagers who volunteer as assistants, team up to play basketball and have fun.
Left: Bradley Cregge goes up for a shot during the East Brunswick Fast Break Basketball League game Saturday at Churchill Junior High School. Right: Stephanie Tidwell sets up for a jump shot during the game. Below: Elijah Rosado looks for an open teammate. Every Saturday from December to March, the Buddy Ball division finds children with cerebral palsy, autism and other special needs playing hoops at Chittick Elementary School. The buddies participate in up to three sessions each Saturday depending on how much they want to play. A typical session consists of about an hour of warm-ups, drills and teaching the game, followed by a half-hour game.
PHOTOS BY SCOTT FRIEDMAN The pals, who take a preseason training session, are assigned to buddies and assist them as they work on skills. There are also many adult volunteers who make the program possible.
“We have many great coaches who have kids that play in the program,” said Jon Alba, a Buddy Ball coach whose two sons volunteer as a pal and session coordinator. “We have many wonderful volunteers in the program. We have great pal coordinators like Maureen Alexander, Sue Degraw and Melinda Grande, as well as the assistant director for the Buddy Ball program, Kevin McAleer. They all have kids or had kids that have helped in the program as pals or session coordinators.”
It’s worth every minute to the volunteers, according to Alba.
“First, we try and create a fun and safe environment while teaching the special-needs kids the game of basketball,” he said. “Secondly, the pals and coaches form a strong bond over the course of the season that is nothing like I have seen before. The buddies look forward to working with the pals every week. Many great friendships are formed on both ends. [We] coaches truly enjoy the program to see how our coaching and life lessons benefit the buddies and the pals.”
And it pays off for the buddies, most of whom sign up to play year after year.
“It is amazing how much better the players become over the course of the season,” Alba said.
It all leads up to the big end-ofseason game, which this year was held last Saturday at Churchill Junior High School. The players received individualized sweatpants, and each was announced before the game, with their picture flashed on a screen as they came out to join their team lineups. The kids form two teams that play in five-player rotations based on skill level. The game is broadcast on EBTV and goes online as a podcast.
“The game is a very special day for everyone,” Alba said. “Everyone wins — from watching the game, helping at the game and playing in the game.”
This year was also special in that Ward Byrne, vice president of the Buddy Ball program, was presented with a special proclamation from the township for his and his family’s efforts to make Buddy Ball special each year. The program will be renamed the Ward Byrne Buddy Ball Program.
— Brian Donahue