Tyler Sigmon has been in yearbook photos with the St. Johns boys varsity basketball team for the past four years, but he was always dressed in street clothes. Sigmon was the student manager.
But Sigmon, who was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy when he was a year old, has always wanted to get off the sidelines and into the game.
Friday, Sigmon finally got his chance to put on a Redwing uniform and take to the court. He didn't squander the opportunity, scoring the first two points in a game against East Lansing.
"When I started to help out with the basketball team (as manager) I never thought I would get the chance to play," he said. "It was always a dream of mine to be out on the floor."
Sigmon's cerebral palsy impairs his motor skills to the effect of limiting his mobility and the range of motion of his left arm.
But he has also been the student manager for the football and baseball teams since his freshman year.
"I've always loved sports and this is my way to get involved," he said.
Friday's East Lansing game was the last regular-season home game of Sigmon's high school career and coach Caleb Miller wanted to see that he had a chance to play. Miller and East Lansing coach Steve Finamore made an agreement that Sigmon would start and score the first basket. Afterward, East Lansing would score an uncontested basket.
The Redwings' play went as planned with teammate Johnny Thompson finding Sigmon open under the hoop, but Sigmon missed the shot. Undaunted, he rebounded his shot and scored.
Playing in front of the largest home crowd of the season, cheering erupted from both St. Johns and East Lansing fans as well. A timeout was called after East Lansing scored and St. Johns students rushed the court to congratulate their classmate. East Lansing and St. Johns players alike congratulated Sigmon.
"It made me realize what kind of a community St. Johns is," Sigmon said. "It made me feel really good to know that a lot of people cared about me and wanted to see me do well."
Sigmon, who had been practicing the play throughout the week, said the reason he missed the first shot was because they were using a Spalding basketball instead of the usual Rawlings. The ball was purchased special so Sigmon could take it home as a souvenir, but it didn't feel quite right to Sigmon.
"The grooves were wider and it was slippery," he said.
Finamore, a longtime friend of Miller, told the St. Johns coach that Sigmon was just padding his stats by getting a rebound to his credit.
"Tyler is a kid that loves sports," Miller said. "He could be a Jeopardy whiz in the sports category; he really knows and follows sports. His love and passion for sports has made him want to be involved with the teams in St. Johns."
Miller sent out a district-wide e-mail notice before the game, informing teachers and staff that Sigmon was going to get his chance to play.
"I was overwhelmed by the number of people who responded, those who had Tyler in class or those who knew Tyler," Miller said. "Everybody he meets just falls in love with him."
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