At Troy High School, there is a girls’ basketball program, a boys’ basketball program, and a unified basketball program. Out of the three, the Unified Team is the lesser-known one. 

Brady Blackwell, the Unified Team Assistant Coach, said, “The unified team is classmates with and without intellectual disabilities playing together on the same team.” The team is a unique program because it includes both girls and boys and gives these students a chance to play basketball and meet new people. This year, the team went 9-1, with a total of ten games throughout their season. Blackwell continued, “We play traditionally on Tuesdays and then Thursday or Friday nights depending on the schedule, and they are played after the JV boys’ or girls’ games.”  

The Unified Team was created to give more students the opportunity to play a sport and be involved in something outside of school.

Blackwell shared his opinion about the importance of the team: “It’s been important to have this team because of what it offers to our student body as a whole.”

Students who like to be part of a team or a team-like atmosphere would enjoy being a part of this program. As well as competitive students or students who like to have fun playing basketball.

Blackwell later stated, “People should know that if they want to join, they should take the opportunity to try it out and if they can’t join, they should come see us play when they can. Having our fans there is so much fun.”

David Aldinger, the Unified Team Head Coach, shared that the reason he started coaching the team: “I loved coaching, always have loved coaching and this sounded like a new challenge.” 

Aldinger also said, “It’s the most fun I’ve ever had coaching, is this team. They don’t care about the score, they just want to play and have fun, and I’m just teaching them basketball and teaching them to be teammates.” 

When Blackwell was asked he shared, “[I] love it, the kids are great, our student athletes are unselfish, work really hard and [are] just a pleasure to work with.”

Junior Sydney Taylor is one of the student-athletes on the Unified Team, and her favorite part is the community: “I do enjoy playing because I’ve made friends with all the players and it’s just so fun to hang out and talk with them.” Both coaches and players on the Unified team share similar things they enjoy about being on the team.

“My favorite part is the new people,” Taylor continued. “I got to meet all the teammates and now I say hi to them in the halls, I talk to them at lunch.” One of the people Taylor met was junior Deyja Rankain, another player on the Unified team.

Rankain said that she enjoys playing, “because to me, when I shot the ball in there 2 times, I felt happy and everybody thought I was good, and I was grateful.” The coaches also shared that they loved seeing how excited the kids get when they score.

She also shared her favorite part of being on the team: “Shooting the ball and dribbling.” The players share that they have also learned things from being on this team.

For Rankain, “I learned how to be nice, and be good and talented.”

Taylor said, “I’ve learned that even people who have disabilities are just like us and they deserve to have fun too, and it’s the little things they appreciate.”

Students interested in playing for the unified basketball team may contact coaches Blackwell and Aldinger.