Yahoo Sports 
Daily inspiration: Team manager with autism hits three on senior night
Adrian Martinez has been the team manager of the Canutillo (El Paso, Texas) High School boys varsity basketball team for three years. Martinez is a senior who has autism. Being part of the team is incredibly special to him, his mom tells Yahoo Sports.
On senior night, the team thanked him by asking him to suit up and get in the game. As soon as he did, Martinez nailed a three from the corner.
Fans were wearing T-shirts with his name and number on them, as well as chanting his name throughout the game. He'd been looking forward to the moment all season, according to his mom, Lilly Davila, but a week before the game it started to look like he might not get to suit up after all. In an email, she explained what happened in the week leading into the game.
We have a pretty big rivalry with Bowie HS which we were playing on Senior Night. As the time got closer rumors started to circulate that Adrian would not play, due to the importance and intensity of the game. We would be playing Bowie for 2nd place bi district 1-5A. I didn't want Adrian to hear the rumors so we decided to tell him that their was a possibility he might not get his chance to play as promised. This completely crushed him and found him later that evening crying in his room, which as his mother was heartbreaking. He rarely shows emotion.
The team captain wrote a letter to the coach, offering to give his starting spot to Martinez. The coach said that he would put Martinez in if the team built a big enough lead, and they responded in kind. "I have never seen these boys play with such determination," said Davila. They jumped out to an 11-0 lead, and the coach signaled for Martinez to go in.
He hit the shot nine seconds after entering the game. The crowd erupted in a raucous cheer, a moment no one in that gym is likely to forget. "It was his dream come true," Davila said.
Hats off to Martinez for hitting the shot, and the team and the fans for helping him celebrate.
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Danielle Elliot is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact her at delliot@yahoo-inc.com or find her on Twitter.
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