During one of his middle school basketball games this season, Chief Umtuch Middle School eighth grader Sean Dillon found himself with the ball in his hands and space to shoot. Quickly, Sean heaved the basketball at the rim, coming up just short.
A Daybreak Middle School player on the other team snagged the rebound and then, unexpectedly, handed the ball back to Sean. After a moment’s hesitation, he took another shot.
A miss. Another Daybreak rebound. Another “steal” ending up in Sean’s hands.
The third time was the charm.
Face beaming, Sean ran back up the court beating his chest as both teams and the entire crowd cheered him on.
Sean lives with Down Syndrome, though his mom said the diagnosis has never held her son back. He is highly capable and started playing basketball at around 3 or 4 years old. Still, this moment meant a lot to them.
“He sees himself as everyone else. Being part of a team like this is huge,” Jenna Dillon said. “Wearing that team shirt is an extreme source of pride.”
Daybreak Dragons coach Tracee Villines said she told her players about Sean, but they decided entirely on their own that they would give Sean the opportunity to make a basket.
“I know Sean was on top of the world,” recalled Everett Winegardner, an eighth grader at CAM Academy playing for the Dragons. “That expression on his face? I would pay a hundred dollars to see that again.”
“It was heartwarming to see him like that,” agreed teammate Marcus Pruett. “His parents were crying. I was about to cry. Coach was crying. It was just a really great moment to see.”
“Honestly, we had been struggling during the season with some attitudes and a lack of success,” Villines said. “This game and the kindness they showed to Sean and others really changed our season. After that, win or lose, we were finally a team.”
Chief Umtuch coach Ron Wagner said Sean has made baskets in other games, but what stood out was the thoughtfulness of the moment.
“Kids want to win,” he said, “so to see them recognize the situation and respond without prompting? That was really cool to see as a coach.”
The Daybreak players said the moment with Sean sparked a change in their attitude toward the game and even school in general. “The next day we were at school I felt like I was doing better in my classes,” said seventh grader Corey Neuman. “Just happier and more energetic.”
For Jenna Dillon, the moment is about much more than just her son.
“I just think it's important for everyone to be included, because that's what the world looks like,” she said. “So, if you want kids to grow up knowing how to play well with others, you’ve got to have others in the game, right?”
In the 1980s, Battle Ground Public Schools eliminated organized sports at the middle school level due to several failed local levies. Middle school sports were reinstated following voter approval of the current education and operations levy in November 2021. That levy will soon expire. If a replacement levy on the April 22 ballot is not approved by voters, middle school sports may again be eliminated after the current school year.
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