As March Madness kicks into high gear, fans in Connecticut (and around the country) will be cheering on the University of Connecticut Huskies. But there’s one fan who has a special relationship to this elite basketball team. For the last few years, Elijah Randolph, an eighth grader in Farmington, has been, essentially, a member of the UConn men’s Huskies team thanks to Team IMPACT, a nonprofit organization that matches children facing serious illness and disability with college sports teams.
Elijah was diagnosed with Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm (BPDCN), an aggressive and rare form of blood cancer, in 2023. His mom, Aurora, began connecting with as many organizations as she could to help lift Elijah’s spirits in the face of his diagnosis. It was while at a family weekend at Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, the camp founded by Westporter Paul Newman for children with serious illnesses and their families, that she met a representative from Team IMPACT. She applied for it, and they waited.
In the meantime, Elijah, who tells Westport Lifestyle he had “no interest whatsoever” in basketball at the time, ended up meeting Andrea Hurley, UConn head coach Dan Hurley’s wife, while in the hospital. The UConn team had gone to visit the unit where Elijah was. “At the time, Elijah was known as the mayor of the eighth floor,” Elijah’s dad, Carl, says. He had a particular reputation as the unit’s Uno champion. Andrea challenged Elijah to a game. “I don't really think that she knew how to play Uno,” says Carl with a laugh. “I think that that was her way of breaking the ice with him.”
After Elijah beat her in that first game, they kept playing. Slowly, Andrea started raising the stakes, offering to play for sneakers, a jersey, and eventually, tickets to a game. (Elijah, of course, won quite a lot.) “Before we knew it, we were going to the games on a regular basis,” says Carl. The Randolphs were at the 2024 National Championship game, where Elijah even had the opportunity to cut down the net after the Huskies’ win. “We thought that was the end of it,” says Carl. “But then my wife got a reply from Team IMPACT saying we were chosen as a match for UConn. Needless to say we think there may have been a little pulling of the string somewhere!”
When Elijah’s Team IMPACT match began, it only strengthened his bond with Coach Hurley and the team. “Every time I go and see them, it's like my second family,” says Elijah. “The campus is like my second home. The experience has been amazing.” Aurora agrees. “He has unique relationships with each one of the players. It’s wonderful to see how he’s able to express himself with them,” she says. Adds Carl: “And we really like that they check on his grades and ask how he’s doing in school. Coach Hurley's a big stickler on grades!” (Carl also says there’s been a big improvement in Elijah’s grades since Coach Hurley started asking about them, which is especially impressive given Elijah’s recent return to full-time school.)
It might seem like an unlikely thought to pair college athletes and coaches with kids facing disability and illness, but it’s turned out to be an absolutely brilliant one. “The idea was bringing two populations of people who would never otherwise intersect, but also have so much to learn from one another,” explains Lynn LaRocca, LCSW-C, the High Profile Program Manager for Team IMPACT. “The power of a team, really, is not about wins and losses on the court, but what it is like to be part of an entity that is supporting you, guiding you, keeping you in place, encouraging you, picking you up, cheering you on, and setting limits when you need to. For kids and families who face chronic illness or disability, there's a lot of similar challenges.” Things like feeling isolated, or missing out on opportunities other kids have— these are relatable feelings for elite athletes. By building emotional bonds that allow both sides of the match to really get to know one another, it becomes a safe space. “This isn’t a meet-and-greet,” says Lynn. “It’s deeper and bigger than that.”
The players and staff members have been changed by getting to know Elijah, too. “He's been with us through thick and thin, ever since my freshman year. He motivates us every day,” says Solo Ball, a junior guard.”When you see a guy that you know may be going through some things and he never shows it one bit, you get motivated even more. Having him in our corner has been everything for us.”
Elijah and his family are paying the goodwill they’ve received forward, too: Carl founded Elijah’s Entourage, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization helping children and families rebuild emotionally, mentally, and spiritually during and after cancer treatment through hugs, care packages, healing journals, and family connection programs designed to nurture the heart after the hospital.
Facing childhood illness or disability is never easy. But organizations like Team IMPACT are crucial in lessening that burden on the children who have to fight. “I know what Team IMPACT has done for my son, and I know that it can help other kids as well,” says Carl. “I believe in their mission one hundred percent.”
To learn more about Team IMPACT, visit teamimpact.org. To learn more about Elijah’s Entourage, Inc., visit elijahsentourageinc.org