Saturday mornings are Jeff Mayerson’s favorite time of the week. Arriving extra early to the gymnasium at The Newmark School, Mayerson, a 27-year resident of Scotch Plains, begins setting up stations for that morning’s clinic of Wolves Basketball Academy. Before the joyous sounds of children, volunteers, and basketballs fill the gym, Mayerson finds that solitude almost meditative. “And then the first kid comes running in and it gets loud, and that process just brings me so much energy.”
Wolves Basketball Academy, a fun and friendly environment for children with special needs to learn the fundamentals of basketball, has an origin story befitting a humble superhero. Mayerson’s son, Brett, was 15 years old and shadowing a younger boy with special needs in a local league. Brett wanted to help this boy have the best experience on the team possible but was finding himself frustrated. “My son came to me and said ‘Dad, he’s just running in circles. He’s not engaged with the team and never even touches the ball! How can I help him?’“ Mayerson explained.
Mayerson, who played and coached basketball, baseball, and golf throughout high school and college, went to observe what Brett was saying. To Mayerson it seemed simple – get this young boy in a gym with other kids with special needs and teach them the fundamentals. Brett and his brother Adam (12 at the time) were ready to make that happen, along with their mom.
“My wife, Karen, is a pre-school teacher and pointed me towards the Newmark School. The directors there loved the idea, but I didn’t have any special education experience. So, they put me through training with their physical education teachers to learn how to communicate best with the kids.” When the clinics began at the school’s gym, the directors were right there observing and supporting Mayerson. “But by the third Saturday, they told me ‘You’re good, you’ve got this.’”
Mike Freeman, Mayerson’s best friend, also of Scotch Plains, has been with Mayerson since the inception of Wolves Academy and rarely misses a clinic. Along with the volunteer peer mentors and coaches are paid occupational therapists helping. The kids go through five stations focusing on different skills including agility, dribbling, passing, and shooting. “I run it very structured as if it were just a standard clinic. And parents often come to me pleasantly surprised to see how well their child is doing with that structure as opposed to just running around which sometimes other special needs programs become.”
Mayerson really feels that the program has positively impacted the town with some unexpected benefits. “For the 11 years we’ve been running the program, it has opened the eyes of so many kids in town that have come to volunteer. It changes their perspective on life’s difficulties, and they end up feeling so good about themselves as well as helping the kids in the program feel like they are part of a team.”
Mayerson estimates 80% of his high school peer mentors and coaches continue volunteering throughout college breaks and beyond. Mayerson offers an annual scholarship awarded to the most dedicated volunteer and supports the volunteer with all the knowledge they need to make the most of those rewarding Saturday mornings.
Mayerson started to realize early on that basketball was just a vehicle for socialization for many of these kids. The academy has changed his perspective - and his family’s as well – about the impact we can have on others. “In my third year of Wolves Academy, there was a boy, and he was so excited to tell me it was his birthday. So, we sang happy birthday to him. After the clinic that morning, the mom came up to me saying thank you. I’m thinking she really doesn’t need to thank me for singing happy birthday,” Mayerson explained. “This mom told me that every year, her son would invite his classmates to a birthday party, but no one ever showed up. This year, because of the friends he’s made through the program, we have twelve kids coming to our house for a party this afternoon!”
That little boy is still at Wolves Academy eight years later and is now shadowing the younger kids new to the program.
As kids started asking to play actual games with the skills they were mastering, Mayerson created an inclusion league that is played at IHM church in Scotch Plains. Word of mouth has made Wolves Academy rich in volunteers. “The kids bring their friends and just have the best time playing and coaching the kids. And I’m able to act more as a host to the clinic, bouncing around to stations and talking with parents about any concerns.” Mayerson and Freeman were also trained through the NBA early on with an NBA clinician certification as well as USA basketball certification.
Wolves Basketball Academy offers scholarships and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Please visit www.wolvesbasketballacademy.com for more information about how you can join.