NOVI, Mich. – This is Unified Sports at its best, because it’s not one team or two -- it’s 10. Multiple communities are coming together with one goal.
This is the second year that Novi has hosted the Unified basketball tournament. The 2019 version was groundbreaking, but word got around, so 2020 is much bigger.
"Our first year, we had 20 kids," said Andrew Saari, a special education teacher and Unified coach. "This year, we have 48 -- over double in three years. It's awesome to see."
Jennifer Zagon said she loves watching her son, Daniel, play for Novi.
"This has just been an amazing program," Zagon said. "The Unified Sports bring so much joy and confidence. I feel so much gratitude that Novi has this program."
The tournament format is pool play with multiple games happening at once. The championship game is at the end, but the scores and outcomes don't mean as much as the feeling of inclusiveness between athletes and their peer partners.
“It’s fun to see kids who can’t do a lot with sports get to go out there and play and score,” Novi football player Chris Breslin said. “It’s fun to see.”