Wolves Basketball Levels The Playing Field For Special Needs Kids – Scotch Plains, NJ Patch

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — Scotch Plains father and coach Jeff Mayerson is leveling the playing field for athletes of all abilities with his non-profit inclusion league — Wolves Basketball Academy.

The summer inclusion league, which incorporates special needs players with non-special needs players, participated its playoffs at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Scotch Plains on Tuesday night.

“It’s so fun to watch,” Mayerson said. “The league does so much for special needs kids and the non special needs kids too.”

Mayerson started the Wolves Basketball Academy — a 501(c)(3), non-profit, charitable organization — five years ago with his wife Karen and two sons Brett and Adam by his side. He had always coached his sons’ sports when one day his son asked him for help with coaching a special needs student.

“It kind of hit me that I needed to get these kids into a gym with their peers,” Mayerson said.

Mayerson started the organization with only 12 kids, now he has more than 100. He says he “found his calling” with the organization.

“I don’t have any special needs children but I love coaching and I always wanted kids to have a great experience with sports,” Mayerson said. “I am not one of those people where everyone gets a trophy but instead I want the kids to have fun and learn. Win or lose I want them to be proud with how they played.”

Wolves Basketball Academy allows kids to learn the fundamentals of basketball as well as play on a team. Wolves runs basketball clinics for children with special needs during the late fall and winter on Saturday mornings in Scotch Plains. In the spring and summer Wolves runs a middle school league as well as a High School league that is an inclusion league. Every team has one to three special needs players mixed with non special needs players.

Players come from all over the Garden State including across Union, Somerset, and Essex counties.

“It’s become a passion of mine,” Mayerson said. “We do so much for special needs kids and non-special needs players. You can see it change their lives. … We had one kid last summer who was being bullied in school and his highlight was to play basketball with us.”

For more information on joining the Wolves Basketball Academy or to donate visit wolvesbasketballacademy.com or gofundme.com/f/Wolves-Basketball-Academys.

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