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Unified Basketball

INTERSCHOLASTIC UNIFIED BASKETBALL:

A spring sport, participants in grades 9 – 12 compete statewide.

Boys and Girls

Interscholastic Unified Basketball Guidelines & Adapted Rules Introduction to Interscholastic Unified Basketball The purpose of Unified Sports is to create unique teammate bonds through authentic competitive experiences tailored to the appropriate skill development and ability level of participants. In Unified Sports, individuals with intellectual disabilities (athletes) are paired with individuals without intellectual disabilities (partners) to promote growth in sport-specific skills (shooting, passing, dribbling, rebounding, etc.). Additionally, Unified Sports experiences create a culture of inclusion and foster understanding in schools and communities. Participation in Unified Sports leads to new friendships, improved self-esteem and positive changes in attitude and behavior. In the Player Development Model, higher skilled Unified partners or “P” are typically paired with lower skilled athletes “A”, as noted in the diagram below. The Unified partners’ role is to be a supportive teammate, facilitating the flow of the game and assisting athletes in following plays and directions issued by their coaches. Coaches are responsible for teaching rules of the game, game flow, game situations, game expectations, and developing sport-specific skills so that teammates can eventually be ready for a higher level of play. Coaches are also responsible for educating all players about the purpose and philosophy of Unified Sports, emphasizing TEAMWORK and the INCLUSION of everyone. To guarantee meaningful involvement and optimize participation, teams should not include players who dominate play. Permitting any teammate to dominate play greatly limits opportunities for other participants and undermines the spirit and intent of Unified Sports. The Interscholastic Unified Sports basketball season will be determined by the Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) in partnership with Athletic Directors and Special Olympics Vermont (SOVT). Regional divisioning (i.e. North, South), official assignments, max and min game requirements, game start time, seeding, and tournament play will be under the direction of the VPA in partnership with SOVT.

Please contact Michael Leonard for more information:

mleonard@bsdvt.org

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