Autism affects one in every 55 children in the United States. Towson coach Pat Skerry, while leading a silently awesome surge in the Colonial Athletic Conference, knows exactly what this feels like. He 3-year-old son, Owen, was diagnosed with Autism nearly two years ago.
Skerry’s story can be found here from CBSSports.com’s Jeff Goodman. A well-done piece.
As a result, the Tigers will host Autism Awareness night tonight when Towson takes on UNC-Wilmington. Several autism groups will be in attendance to distribute information about autism and Towson players were wear custom shoes from Under Armour in blue — the color of autism awareness — and Seahawk players will wear pins in honor of the night as well.
You can’t ever go wrong with a night that speaks out and raises awareness against a disorder that affects so many. Hope it does a lot to help combat the cause.
It also is great to see it getting some publicity, paired with the season that the Tigers are having. They’ve already surpassed last season’s win total, by 10, sitting at 11-12 right now, 6-4 in the CAA.
David Harten is the founder of The Backboard Chronicles. Follow him on Twitter at @David_Harten.