John Wallace (NBA) also graduated from Athena.
"Greece Athena's Jason McElwain, an autistic student who scored 20
points in just four minutes on Senior Night last week, was featured in a segment of ESPN's SportsCenter."
Posted on 02/23/2006 12:21:39 PM PST by Bratch
Ping.
Looks like the coach may not have realized what he had until the season was over.
Very nice, huh?
I saw an interview with him and he appears to be a high functioning autistic. My nephew is autistic and he cannot communicate that way...and he is mainstreamed into public schooling as well.
Great story but there was some cooperation from the other team also.
They had footage of this on my local news, the kid was draining threes. At first they weren't guarding him, but after he hit about 4 in a row they jumped out on him and he still drilled them. It was pretty funny he had very good, almost mechanical shooting form. I bet he practices... a lot.
This is great. Finding a unique person's special shine and using it. I am surprised he did not freak out when fans came surging at him.
That kid can really shoot. I thought this was going to be another story where the opposing team doesn't guard him and lets him make layups or something like that.
Do you know if there is a link to a video of this?
Ooops, nevermind, just saw this.
"Do you know if there is a link to a video of this?"
See post #11
Autism is often equated with total dysfunction, and in a normal social setting, this is often true. But, what is a weakness or peculiarity can sometimes be a strength, and that would be the monomaniacal focus upon one specific task or activity that autistic individuals so often ehxibit. Apparently, Jason's monomaniacal focus was upon three-pointers. The team's coach should be slapping himself upside the head along about now, for failing to notice, all season long, his most dedicated outside shooter, lol.
"I bet he practices... a lot."
There's a strong possibility that that is nearly all he does during his waking hours, voluntarily at least.
Cooperation doesn't mean a thing if you are moving and then have to set up any jump shot, let alone an outside one. You either have an eye for it or you don't and if he didn't, even if he was all alone on the court he wouldn't have made it. Toward the end he was being guarded and still continued to sink them. The kid is good.
dad let's me shoot 3's in the driveway
Is that a picture of Shepard Smith in the corner?
he's also easier to understand than most NBA players interviewed on TV
Man, I love that video.
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