Gwinnett Daily Post

Staff Photo: Jason Braverman Players and coaches with the Gwinnett Majic Special Olympics team end practice with a huddle last week at the Monarch School as they prepare for the state championship this week.

DULUTH -- Jack Lytle, Jamie Dixon and Emily Ferguson line up for layups, shoes squeaking across the gym floor as they dribble the ball.

Applause from moms and dads, brothers and sisters, explodes from the sidelines.

As members of a state championship-bound team, the young people are honing their basketball skills as they prepare for the big event.

Ranging in age from 8 to 16-years-old, members of the Gwinnett Majic Special Olympics team are traveling to Cobb County this weekend to test their basketball prowess against other competitors from around the state.

The team has never been more ready, said Coach Brandon Williams.

"They've been getting ready for this," said Williams on a recent evening practice at the Monarch School in Duluth. "They're getting good at all the drills, and they're having an awesome time."

Added Williams: "Just look at the smiles on their faces."

The Gwinnett Majic owner said it's those very smiles that keep him excited about the first season for the Special Olympics team. Gwinnett Majic is a minor/pro basketball team that plays in the World Basketball Association. The recent Special Olympics partnership was "something we've been wanting to do," Williams said. "And it's going awesome."

Sixteen-year-old Lytle, a team member, couldn't agree more.

"I think playing sports is great, and helping on the team is fun," Lytle said.

Ninth-grader Jamie Dixon said the most important thing is "keeping eyes focused on the ball. That's how we get it right."

Dixon added that the team is "blessed" to be going to the state championship this month. "We've got to hold together as a team," he said.

Fourteen-year-old Emily Ferguson aimed and shot the ball with precision during the recent practice. Her father, Ben Ferguson, watched from the sidelines.

Ferguson is a volunteer for the team and enjoys spending time with the players and coaches. There are moments, he said, when it's one of the "most rewarding things you can do."

"To see their eyes light up when they make a shot ... man, it's like they just hit a grand slam in the world series," Ferguson said.

Fellow volunteer Trina Dillard watched 8-year-old son, Ian, aim from the free throw line. "He loves this," Dillard said, smiling.

Volunteer Terry Yard said being a part of the Gwinnett Majic Special Olympics "brings us closer as families and as team members." His son, Leroy, 18, is a team member.

Williams said if team members are victorious at this month's state tourney, they'll go on to the nationals.

The team's upcoming trip to the state championship already has at least one community member excited. Pattie Wheeler watched the athletes practice this week. She said it makes her "heart feel good to see how happy these kids are when they play basketball."

According to its website, the Special Olympics "strives to create a better world by fostering the acceptance and inclusion of all people...through the power of sport."

For more information about Gwinnett Majic, visit www.gwinnettmajic.com.