The Coronado High School Thunderbirds from El Paso, Texas were a part of one of the most amazing showings of good sportsmanship in recent memory. Mitchell Marcus, the team’s manager, has a developmental disability.
“He’s just an amazing person that our basketball team loves being around,” said Coach Peter Morales, who hired Marcus as his team manager.
During the final game of the season, Coach Morales had a plan in place to reward Marcus’ loyalty and dedication to the team. Prior to the final game, Morales told Marcus to don a uniform and suit up for the game.
The coach even planned to play Marcus for the final 90 seconds of the game no matter the score. As Coach Morales called a time out, he told Marcus to enter the game, causing a stirring reaction from the crowd, which chanted “Mitchell, Mitchell!”
“He wasn’t going to be able to score, but I was hoping that he was happy that he was just put in the game,” Coach Morales said.
As the time ticked off the clock, a player from the opposing team, Franklin High School, performed an incredible display of humanity and sportsmanship. The player, Jonathon Montanez, called out Mitchell’s name to grab his attention. He then passed him the ball. This allowed Marcus the chance to score a basket, which he proudly accomplished.
Check out the video, which is embedded in this post, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
