MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Luke Atkinson told WCPO 9 that Tuesday night was the "best night of [his] life."
The Middletown High School senior has served as manager of the Middletown High School boys basketball team for four years, and, along with the other three seniors and cheerleaders, was honored during the last home game of the season.
It was arranged between Middletown and Mason coaches to allow Atkinson, who has Down syndrome, to start the game, then score the first basket. After that, a Mason player was allowed to score without being guarded.
It took Atkinson five shots at close range, but with 7:34 left in the first quarter, he made a basket and the large crowd at Wade E. Miller Gym gave him a standing ovation as he walked off the court.
Watch the scoring shot:
Late in the fourth quarter, with the Middies leading 63-53, Coach Bill Edwards Jr. put Atkinson back into the game. He took five more shots — from 3-point range — but all missed. He finished the game one for 10 from the field for two points.
Atkinson, 19, was introduced before the game, accompanied by his parents, Mark and Jennifer, and older brother, Jake. After the game, Edwards Jr. presented all seniors with framed jersey, including Atkinson with a No. 10 jersey.
Atkinson flashed a smile and told the crowd and his teammates that he “had fun” with them during the game. Edwards Jr. said Atkinson will be a “Middie for life.”
Atkinson also had some fans in the crowd, including the father of Memphis Grizzlies guard and Middletown native Luke Kennard, who went to Franklin High School.
