Here is a wonderful article from The Times Tribune in Scranton, PA. It’s about a high school basketball player who happens to have Down syndrome.  A very inspiring girl!

CLARKS SUMMIT — It started with a standing ovation for 19-year-old Selena Waters, and ended the same way.

Playing and starting in the first game of her high school career, the senior with Down syndrome not only provided a feel-good start to Thursday’s game against Honesdale, but a storybook finish, too.

Waters hit a free throw on the first possession of the game, then scored on a drive at the final buzzer, tallying five points overall to help top-ranked Abington Heights to a 55-21 Lackawanna League Division I victory.

The equipment manager on the team since her freshman year, Waters donned a Lady Comets’ jersey, No. 21, for the first time, and it was a night that neither Waters, her teammates, coaches or any of the approximately 750 fans — about triple an average game attendance — will soon forget.

“I’ve never felt like this,” Abington Heights coach Vince Bucciarelli said. “Winning basketball games is nothing compared to seeing the smile on her face tonight. And I’ve won over 400 games, and some big games. But the smile on her face and to hear the people cheering for Selena Waters, you can’t put that into words. You had to be here to see that.”

Waters, admittedly a little nervous, pulled up short on a tap play designed to get her a layup. She missed the shot but was fouled.

“We were practicing free throws the night before and she wasn’t reaching the net,” said her father, Joe. “I think she was just tired from the day’s activities. So, when she got to the foul line, I didn’t know if she’d reach the basket. I’d mentioned to somebody that I wasn’t sure if she would get it in or not. And they said that it didn’t matter.”

No, it didn’t. But there was a collective sigh of relief and outpouring of love when Waters’ second free throw danced off the front iron, hit the back of the rim and dropped softly through the net.

“I was praying,” said her mother, Dori. “She does have talent and I knew she could do it. I trusted that she would do it. The thing that keeps going through my mind is that it takes a village. If it wasn’t for everybody here, this wouldn’t have happened. Both coaches, the kids, the teachers: it takes a village to raise a kid.”

It was just 1-0, but the rest of the points that went on the scoreboard — except for Waters’ final four — didn’t seem to matter.

Turns out, it was one of the best shooting nights in Becky Burke’s career. She made seven of her first eight from the floor, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range, en route to the most spectacular, and insignificant, 25 of her career.

“They didn’t matter compared to those five,” Burke said. “When you see that, it just makes you happy to play basketball. I was crying in the first part. I wasn’t going to hide my tears. It was something that was really special for her.”

As special as the first few seconds were, the end of the game couldn’t have been scripted.

“I was debating whether to put her back in the game and she scores two more baskets and the people went nuts,” Bucciarelli said.

She’d never been in uniform before, but even Waters understood that it’s more important to be in the game at the end than it is to start.

“To finish the game,” Waters said when asked which felt better. “It was so much fun and I scored a lot of points. It’s the best score I’ve ever made. I was nervous in the beginning. I was trying to do my best for the team.

“Everybody was cheering me on. Go, Selena, go.”

One that wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation of Honesdale’s staff players and head coach, Roy Gibbs, whose own granddaughter, Gracie Box, also has Down syndrome.

“They don’t make them any better than you guys up there,” said one Comets fans as he pushed his way in to thank Gibbs after the game.

”Could I shake your hand?” asked another. “That was very classy.”

Gibbs shook his head and simply shrugged.

“I don’t even know what the score was tonight, and furthermore, I don’t even care what the score was tonight,” said Gibbs. “You witnessed something that is life changing. This little girl doesn’t know it, but it has done as much for me as it has done for her.

“In my thousands of games as a player and a coach, this rates up there as one of the highlights of my career.”

Waters got a chance for her final heroics because Gibbs took a time out to stop the clock as she impatiently stood at the scorer’s table, waiting to return for the final 1:41.

She scored on a drive with 33 seconds left, then again, almost magically, as the final buzzer sounded.

“If it wasn’t for Roy Gibbs, this wouldn’t have come off,” Bucciarerlli said. “If it wasn’t for the story in the paper today, this place wouldn’t have been as packed as it was. They came to see Selena.”

And to cheer her, from start to finish.

Contact the writer: mmyers@timesshamrock.com ©The Times-Tribune 2007

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