In life, when there’s an opportunity to take a shot, take it. This is exactly what nineteen-year-old Jason McElwain did, and this shot had the power to change his life. At birth, a severe form of autism took over McElwain’s life, but he was not diagnosed with high functioning autism until the age of two. Since that moment, basketball became his escape and his biggest passion. Though too small to make the junior varsity high school team, he held his head high and excitedly became the manager for varsity. For his last home game, the coach let him wear the uniform and surprised McElwain by letting him play for the last four minutes of the game. Those four minutes changed his life and transformed him from an ordinary kid with a simple dream to …show more content…
McElwain did not understand why he always got cut, but according to Dr. Jeff Robinson, “Since autism impairs social and communication skills, individual sports may be the ticket” (Shrewsbury). Basketball may not have been the best sport for his circumstances, but he fell in love with it and followed his dreams. His coach made him the manager, so he took stats, helped with drills, and prepared the guys for game time. He did all these jobs with a smile on his face, and it all paid off on February 15, 2006, which was the day that changed his life forever. This was the night of the last home game, and his coach finally put his name on the roster and gave him a jersey. With four minutes left in the game, McElwain ran on the court and the crowd went crazy with posters and chanted “J-Mac”. Within the four minutes that he was on the court, he scored twenty points and they won the game. The crowd stormed the court towards “J-Mac” and they made him feel like a true champion. His dream came true in those four minutes, and all of his hard work, love, and dedication for the sport became worth his time. McElwain really did successfully take his shot, and from that moment on, he was seen as a