"I can't wait": Roosevelt High School's unified hoops team looks to go back-to-back

MINNEAPOLIS — Students from Roosevelt High School will get a once-in-a-lifetime chance Thursday to play competitive basketball at the Target Center. It's remarkable, considering the path to this moment.

The co-ed team is "unified" both in name and practice, pairing students who are differently abled with their classmates.

The program is in just its fifth year at Roosevelt and is already paying dividends.

"Some of these kids will never be on a sports team. Just seeing them on the court, and seeing the high fives, the hugs, and the comradery, that's what makes it all," said Jacki Wincek, who oversees Roosevelt's Unified sports program. "It's all about these guys. Just the joy on their faces (as) they get to do this thing. The amount of hours they put into practice, it makes it all worth it."

Roosevelt's unified basketball team will now have a rare chance Thursday to repeat as back-to-back unified state champions. To get to this point, the team won its way through a regional tournament earlier this month.

"These kids, any time they can come down to the gym, they want to practice. They want to defend the trophy," Wincek said.

Obie Esparza, who plays on Roosevelt's boys' team, serves as the coach of the unified team.

"I've been thinking about (Thursday) so much," he said. "I am so excited. I can't wait. I've been thinking about it all week."

Sophomore Zoe Wright is on the team alongside her sister Sophia, who has Down syndrome.

"I think it's really cool to see kids who are in general ed, who wouldn't usually be together in a class with kids from special ed, I think that unified really brings that opportunity to connect for kids," Wright said.

The Teddies Unified team will play at the semifinal game Thursday at noon. A win would put the team in the state championship game at 3 p.m.