Basketball is played, but there is more to this game when the Milltown Primary School community assembles for its signature event of the year.
Milltown’s annual, highly popular Basketball Buddies Tournament will be held on Wednesday, March 18, at the Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School. Milltown’s teams, Marron versus Gold, will tip off at 6 p.m.
Basketball Buddies, founded 18 years ago in Milltown, brings special education students together with peers who serve as 4th Grade Peer Models.
The game, which annually attracts a large crowd to the Middle School gymnasium, will once again be directed by the devoted Co-Coordinators, Debbie Shah-Patel and Gina Quaglia, who shared their insights on the importance of this event.
“Basketball Buddies is a powerful reminder of what inclusion truly looks like. It gives our students the opportunity to experience the joy of teamwork and competition while our entire school community comes together to cheer them on,” said Ms.Shah-Patel, who is a Speech-Language Specialist at Milltown.
“Basketball Buddies provides students with opportunities that go far beyond the court. It creates an inclusive environment where everyone can participate, feel valued, and experience the joy of being part of a team. Our goal is to promote understanding, acceptance, and friendships among peers,” added Ms. Quaglia, who is a Special Education Teacher at Milltown.
Here are 20 players who will play on March 18 in the game:
Riya Arun,Shashank Balaraj, Savannah Williams, Brielle Queen, Emily Moya, Krisha Amin, Anjaneya Rath,Adharva Alkondan, Becky Han, Arnav Patil, Vihaan Tadikonda, Rishaan Malhotra, Akhil Vuddagiri, Zoey Desai,Amanda Carvajal Salazar,Aadvik Gandhi, Mithran Obliprabu,Reyaan Dargan,Hilarion Stephenson Dela Paz, Elena Gulyas
Here are the five high school coaches:
Jake Dubinsky, Ava Nieves, Teagan Hughes, Steven Shimko, and Maya Patel
Here are the 13 Milltown staff volunteers:
Sara Laster, Gina Quaglia, Tara Mongno, Maria Shimko, Jaime Bowman, Amy Stires, Katie Gray, Eleni Ward, Courtney Rothkugel, Meghan Friedman, Debbie Shah-Patel, Debbie Rothbard, and Milltown Principal Dr. Matt Lembo.
Here is the schedule for March 18
WELCOME SPEECH: 6 PM
6:05 Starting Line Up
6:10 Star Spangled Banner sang by 3rd and 4th graders
Play 2 quarters of the game
6:30 - HALF TIME - dancing/performance
6:40 -2 more quarters
7 - presentation of trophies/pictures