Last week, Pennfield Middle School basketball player Shayne Farmer and his teammates, along with manager and coach Matt Scott, were honored at Philadelphia 76ers home game as part of the celebration of Autism Inclusion Night.
At the Mar. 28 game against the Brooklyn Nets, Farmer was recognized as the “Strong Kid of the Game” and received a personalized jersey. Farmer, who was diagnosed with autism at an early age, tried out for the ninth grade basketball team at Pennfield and made it.
Before the team’s final game of the season, Farmer delivered a speech to his teammates, expressing his gratitude to them for a great season. Scott recorded it and it ended up in the hands to the Sixers. Scott was contacted about having the team recognizing Farmer and the whole team.
Scott was recognized as the night’s “Community Champion” for helping to create an inclusive environment so that Farmer can be seen as just another teammate.
“These kids made my job easy,” Scott said. “Shayne’s teammates never had to be told how to treat him or behave around him, he was simply part of the team. They made Shayne work hard every day at practice, constantly competing with him and pushing him, making him the best basketball player he could be. These students understood all of this because of the environment fostered by the progressive thinking and inclusive practices of the North Penn School District.”
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