 | Brad Hennefer, who has Down syndrome, has made believers out of those who have watched him play basketball. Courtesy of the Hennefer family/Cherry Hill East High School |
By Joe Santoliquito, Special to SI.com
CHERRY HILL, N.J. -- The game is already decided and only eight seconds remain when the chant starts.
B-Rad, B-Rad, B-Rad.
Suddenly, Brad Hennefer rises off the Cherry Hill East High bench, slings off his red-and-white sweats, and checks in at the scorer's table.
Play resumes and the ball quickly reaches Hennefer's hands. The opposing players clear a path, so Hennefer can drive in for an uncontested layup, which he misses, but then scores off the rebound. A huge roar erupts from the crowd, some fighting back tears.
It's a scenario that has played out time and time again this season at Cherry Hill East. Hennefer, a 5-foot-10 senior, was born with Down syndrome, a cognitive disability that causes delays in the way a child develops, and often leads to mental retardation. That hasn't deterred Hennefer, 19, who has played in 21 regular-season games and scored in eight for the Cougars this season. He has 23 points, including a three-pointer with 26 seconds left in a game against Lenape (N.J.) last Thursday. Cherry Hill East was down by six at the time, and after Hennefer's big three the Lenape coach told his players, "[Hennefer is] not to touch the ball [again]."
Hennefer is believed to be the only high school varsity basketball player in the nation with Down syndrome, according to his coaches. But above all else, Hennefer, also an excellent golfer, is a joy to be around. His presence has affected teammates, classmates, family, friends and opposing teams and their coaches, who have an understanding that when Hennefer enters the game, they let him shoot.
Mention his name to anyone who's ever met Hennefer or seen him play and a smile usually follows. Cherry Hill East coach John Valore, the dean of high school hoops coaches in South Jersey, has seen it all. He's 63 and has been the head coach of the Cougars since 1976. It's to a point where Valore is now coaching the children of players he once coached in the 1970s and '80s. But Valore has never had a player like Hennefer.
When Hennefer first thought about playing basketball his freshman year, Valore was slightly apprehensive. He thought about using Hennefer as the team statistician.
"Then I thought about giving him a chance to play, and thought it would work out nicely, which it has," Valore said. "I wanted to see where it went, and four years later, Brad is going to get a varsity letter for basketball. There's been such a positive reaction to this. He really has a way with people, and how he touches people. But I also have to say, Brad didn't get any breaks. I'll get on him just like I do any of my other players. Brad goes through all of our drills, and the more he understands a drill, the better he is at it. He works with the team on offense and defense. And we have used him in some key moments, like the game against Lenape."
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