On Saturday, March 11, 2024, the D128 Special Olympics basketball team won state at the Unified High School State Tournament Basketball Championship in Champaign, Ill.

Overall, the team found that “playing as a unified team where every player contributed either offensively, defensively or both” were what led them to victory, according to Deborah Beagle, head coach of the Unified Basketball Team, in an email.

After the first quarter, the team had to make some adjustments, especially with playing against Limestone Community High School which ended up taking second place in the championship, proving to be a hurdle.

“Limestone had too many three point shooters for one person to stop,” Beagle said in an email. “We made the adjustment to have two players at the top of the key in more of a man-to-man defense and then a 1-2 zone defense.”

Throughout the season, the team faced some hardships as they climbed their way up to state.

“The hardest part is when the athletes get frustrated with themselves and not give themselves the same grace [that] they give their teammates,” Beagle said in an email.

Without the team being able to work together and lean on their strengths, they might have not made it all the way to becoming state champions.

“Each of our players brings a different element to our team,” Beagle said in an email. “These elements are comprised of athleticism, positivity, coach ability, and teamwork… The athletes and the {United Sports] partners come together and truly play as a unified team.”

While every player equally helped pull the team together towards victory, for Beagle, Seniors Zach Henderson, Jack Wasser and Brendan Larsen “meant an awful lot to [their] team and its development and its performance.”

As the season progressed, the coaches were able to build stronger connections with their players.

“We were able to get to know our players more and more as the season went on and learned what they brought to the team,” Beagle said in an email. “The stats really highlight what a Unified [Special Olympics Basketball] team is all about.”