Building Skills and Confidence Through Basketball

For athletes at the Center for Developmental Disabilities (CDD), this summer marked the beginning of a new opportunity to learn, compete, and grow through sport. CDD hosted its first Special Olympics-sponsored sports program, giving adult athletes the chance to participate in a basketball skills program led by Head Coach Fadi Ali.

Throughout several weeks of training, athletes worked on fundamental basketball skills including passing, dribbling, and shooting. According to Ali, the impact of consistent practice quickly became clear.

“[Consistent training] had an impact on the skills we were developing,” Ali said. “There was a pattern where athletes got better with each practice.”

That progress was especially meaningful when the athletes brought their skills to the competition in August.

One athlete initially struggled with confidence and did not attend practices consistently because he felt he was not good enough by his own standards. With encouragement from his house manager, recreation direct support professional, clinical director, and coaches, he decided to participate in the competition. He went on to finish second place in his division, just a few points away from first.

For Ali, the moment demonstrated not only how much athletes can accomplish through training, but also the importance of giving themselves the opportunity to try.

The basketball skills program marked an exciting first step in CDD’s partnership with Special Olympics New York, creating new opportunities for athletes to build skills, gain confidence, and experience the joy of competition.

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