CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. — There is no 31 on the Abington Heights boys basketball roster, but there is tonight. Martin Hastie is a team manager. He’s on the autism spectrum. He’s also a senior and along with his fellow seniors on senior night, he played and started against Wallenpaupack.
”I’m finally a player for tonight," Hastie said. "It means everything to me. All the past players, the current players, they mean the world to me. They’re always cheering me on, off and on the court."
”Before the games, I give him a Lifesaver," Abington Heights Boys Basketball Coach Kenny Bianchi explained. "I said, ‘Here. This game you need extra energy. Here’s three.’ The kids love him. He loves them.”
The plan to have Hastie suit up in this game goes back to this past summer, making this a moment months in the making.
”Sent a letter to the PIAA saying he’s on our team now," Bianchi explained. "First we were just going to let him dress up, but now we said no. We’re going to start all the seniors. He’s a senior. So, started like that and we just kept it a secret and we just gave it to him yesterday, number 31.”
At the end of the game, the moment he'll never forget.
”This is very special to me," said Hastie, who scored a layup at the end of the game. "I’m very emotionless, but I thought this was very emotional for me, to give me the opportunity to play.”
”We’re just honored that this would even be an opportunity for him," Martin's father, Kevin Haste, added. "We never in a million years thought he would have this opportunity. We just wanted him to help out with the team.”
”It just makes you think as a coach that there’s more than basketball," Bianchi said. "If you can help somebody and make somebody to be happy, that’s better than winning any basketball game.”
Scoring and soaring for the Comets.