Oklahoma Special Olympic Athletes Take On SNU Basketball Teams

It’s stuff dreams are made of, getting to show off your basketball skills on a college court, at one of the biggest games of the year. 

With the band in place, fans in the stands, and the SNU players taking the court, it was time for some big-time basketball, but the college players weren’t the only athletes the crowd came to see. 

“I kind of pitched the idea to the coaches and our administrative team and just said hey, what if we do a special Olympics night as kind of a promo night to try and get the community to come out and get involved,” said Nick Pettit, Assistant Athletic Director of Operations at SNU. 

During half time of the girl’s game, boys with the Oklahoma special Olympics team took on a couple of players on the SNU team. 

“We passed the ball to each other, and I was doing one of the most baddest crossovers, and he did one too,” Oklahoma Special Olympics athlete Aric Roberson said.  

“Being in front of the crowd and cheering them on, and especially the student’s section at a college, so everybody was for it,” Pettit said. 

And after the boys showed off their skills, the girls took to the court during half time of the boys game. 

“It was really fun to play basketball again,” Sidney Gonzales, Oklahoma Special Olympics athlete, said. 

It’s still not clear who had more fun, the athletes or the students.

“You know our students, you know they brought the noise and I think they understood just how much it meant to these student athletes to come out and just play,” Pettit said. 

After all the baskets and all the fun, there was one clear message from all the athletes. 

“Teammates support each other because that’s what Special Olympics basketball is all about,” Oklahoma Special Olympics athlete, Craig Baker said. 

The Special Olympic athletes say this was just a warmup for the Oklahoma Special Olympic games in Stillwater in May, for information or to support visit, www.sook.org.