Jason J-Mac McElwain - The Game of My Life: A True Story Of Challenge, Triumph, and Growing Up Autistic

Pregame
JASONS STORY

Game
February 15, 2006Prime Time

One
STAY FOCUSED

Game
February 15, 2006Game Time

Two
BIG BIRD

Game
February 15, 2006Halftime

Three
GROWING UP

Game
February 15, 2006Crunch Time

Four
GREECE ATHENA

Game
February 15, 2006Showtime

Five
NEVER GIVE UP

Postgame
FOUR MINUTES THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

JASONS STORY

O N THE NIGHT OF F EBRUARY 15, 2006, in a high school gymnasium in a suburb of Rochester, New York, something remarkable happened: an autistic teenager named Jason McElwain took the court for the Greece Athena Trojans varsity basketball team. And he didnt just take ithe grabbed it with both hands and made it his own.

That he was there at all, in uniform, was remarkable, considering that until he was three years old Jason McElwain refused to eat unless he was forced to do so. He didnt speak until he was five. He spent most of his early childhood sitting beneath his parents dining room table, banging together two packs of Trident Bubble Gum, or alone in the corner of his special-needs classroom, disconnected from the other children. As a child, he was unable to maintain eye contact or respond to the most basic external stimuli. His body went rigid at the slightest touch. He often appeared to stare blankly across the room. His parents worried that they would never reach him, that Jason would remain closed off from the simple social interactions that moved the rest of the world.

Young Jason was prone to autistic outbursts and erratic behavior that included rocking back and forth, flapping his arms, and humming in a low moan. And yet through Jasons fog of autism, he somehow formed a close bond with his brother, Josh. They would have been like twins, except for the profound differences in their personalities and affect, and yet over time, Jasons parents began to notice that Jason would mimic his brother and follow in his footstepsalmost literallyas he was learning to walk. The relationship ran counter to an article Jasons parents had read on autism, which suggested that autistic children might never experience such points of connection in a sibling relationship, while at the same time it seemed to confirm another article, which suggested that autistic children are often raised and primarily influenced by their healthy siblings.

Like many autistic children, Jason had his obsessive interests, and for the longest time he lived and breathed basketball. If he wasnt playing it, he was watching it, or thinking about it, or following the accounts of his NBA heroes in the newspaper or on ESPNs SportsCenter . He dribbled a ball, up and down the street, everywhere he went. He spent countless hours on his driveway court, playing knockout or H-O-R-S-E with Josh. Each Christmas, his mother would buy him a new basketball and say it was a present from Josh, and each Christmas Jason would tear the gift wrapping from his new basketball like he couldnt wait to see what was inside. He was never disappointed.

That this determined young man could overcome his various disabilities to stand on a high school basketball court alongside some of the strongest players in the region was astonishing. But there was more to Jasons story than a token appearance in a single game. The game took place on Senior Night, the last regular-season game on the Trojans schedule, and it was a long standing tradition at Greece Athena to honor graduating players just before the game. Their parents were on hand, snapping photos. Their mothers received flowers. Seniors who didnt normally get a chance to start would find themselves in the starting lineup. Seniors who only played a little would play a little more. And a senior like Jason McElwain, who as team manager was charged with keeping his teammates focused during games and practices, would be allowed to dress in uniform as an honorary team member. It was a way to give something back to a kid who had given so much of himself to the team, who had missed out on so much as well.

Adding to the big deal was Coach Jim Johnson, who had taken Jason aside at the beginning of the season to promise him he would get to dress in uniform for the game. And if the moment presented itself, he said, he would get Jason into that final game. Underneath this goal, Coach Johnson made a wish: he hoped like hell his players would get Jason the ball for an open look and the kid would have a chance to score.