Fisher Senior has a special game….

Posted on February 22, 2009
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Below is the complete story from The Daily Pantagraph about Bryan Paris (sorry that I misspelled Bryan’s name in an earlier post Patty and Mike!). I hope you enjoy reading about this exceptional child! Congrats to the whole Paris family.

Kindred: A senior moment that will last a lifetime
By Randy Kindred
rkindred@pantagraph.com
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The seniors on Fisher High School’s boys’ basketball team have grown up with Bryan Paris. Most met him in kindergarten. Perhaps initially they noticed a difference, saw Down syndrome when they looked his way. That seems so long ago now. | Read more Kindred

“We just see him as one of the guys,” said senior guard Travis Bayler.

Bayler and senior teammates Matt McGarigle, Pat Rodgers, Jacob Browning and Brandon Rice wanted the world to see that, too. They wanted Senior Night to belong to Paris as much as themselves.

So they requested that Paris, a team manager for Fisher football and boys and girls basketball, be allowed to suit up and play in Tuesday night’s final home game against PBL.

“Travis came up with the idea during the summer,” McGarigle said. “We talked about it and decided to make it happen. We know how much it means to him. He loves sports and he’s always with us. We thought it would be good to give something back to him.”

Fisher athletic director Ben Derges worked out the details with PBL athletic director John Overstreet and coaches Ron Ragle of Fisher and Scot Vogel of PBL.

If the game was close, an extra minute would be put on the clock afterward to allow Paris to play. If it was not, he would go in the game when Ragle deemed appropriate.

With 1 minute, 12 seconds remaining, and PBL ahead by double digits, Ragle sent Paris in. Shortly thereafter, Paris took a pass on the right wing and sank what Derges described as “a mid-range jumper.”

“There were a lot of people standing (in the gym),” Derges said. “It erupted when he hit that shot.”

Later, as the final seconds ticked away, Paris scored again from about eight feet out as PBL won, 61-53. Friendship, compassion and sportsmanship won as well.

Derges called it “a heartwarming experience,” adding, “I saw a lot of tears and everyone was smiling.”

Two of the moist eyes belonged to Patty Paris. She and her husband, Mike Paris, saw their 18-year-old son embraced, celebrated, included.

“It was something you never think you’d get to see,” she said. “They (the seniors) wanted him to go out in style … what a style.”

Bryan Paris was given his No. 40 uniform five days before the game. As Mike Paris thanked the players, his son “dragged him out of the gym,” Bayler said. “He wanted to get home to show his mom.”

Paris slept in the uniform that night. Had his parents let him, he would have worn it day and night until Tuesday’s game.

They convinced him to leave it at home so it would be in good shape for game night.

“It was neatly folded and placed on his desk,” Patty Paris said. “He kept it where he could see it.”

Meanwhile, Ragle worked Bryan Paris into two practices, giving him basics on where to go on offense, etc. Bayler said that helped Paris feel comfortable when he got in.

But while Tuesday was his first game action, he had been on the floor many times. Throughout high school, Paris has shot baskets during halftimes and between games, with his father rebounding for him.

Often, fans from both teams cheer when the ball goes in.

“He puts on his little floor show,” Patty Paris said. “He’s always looking for that NBA 3-pointer. Sometimes he makes it.”

Regardless, Paris has a loyal fan base in Fisher. Bayler said everyone in the community of 1,647 “loves him and knows him.”

Some may have his autograph. Patty Paris said her son keeps extra paper in his backpack, just in case he needs to sign for someone.

He won over new fans Tuesday. Bayler glanced over and saw players on the PBL bench clapping and cheering when Paris scored.

Bayler credited PBL for being supportive. So did Patty Paris, calling it “a class-act school.”

“None of this would have happened without their support and everybody who sees what Bryan is able to do,” she said. “They let Bryan decide where his limitations are. That’s when Bryan shines through.”

Randy Kindred is a Pantagraph columnist. To leave him a voice mail, call 820-3402. By e-mail: rkindred@pantagraph.com. The Randy Kindred Blog is at www.pantagraph.com/blogs

© 2009, Realm of the Shadow Redux. All rights reserved. reproduction of this post must include a link to the original post.

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