January 17, 2024 By Tom Hoffman, Photos by Adam Richins Photography
Kids and adults alike enjoy weekends, but last weekend was extra special for the Notre Dame Academy Basketball Team and the South Shore SNAP hoopsters.
Every Saturday in January and February, the NDA hoop players are joined by members of the Hingham High Boys Basketball team to mentor 25 special needs kids in the NDA gym. The sessions are a highlight of the week for all involved.
But what’s even more fun was the NDA team participated in the Annual Andrew Lawson Foundation Basketball Tourney at TD Garden on Sunday. Coach Nickie Orlando’s NDA squad overwhelmed Revere 60-36 on the Celtics home court improving their record to 6-0. At halftime, the NDA JV players escorted the SNAP players onto the floor with many proud parents watching.
The tournament honors the late Andrew Lawson, of Norwell, born with Down Syndrome but who played as a member of the Norwell varsity soccer and basketball teams. The tournament started at 8 a.m. with ten games played throughout the day and evening between high school boys and girls teams from throughout Eastern Mass.
Following the game, NDA hosted all the players, parents and kids at Legends where NDA President Annemarie Lynch Kenneally said it best, “As soon as I walk through the door of the NDA Gym on a Saturday, I feel the laughter and love filling every inch of the gym. I saw the joy of the SNAP children, the gratitude of their parents, and the smiles of our NDA girls.”
