The NC field house was filled with a bittersweet atmosphere during the Pack the Place on Friday. The number 41 adorned the back of all of the t-shirts of the players, staff and student section; it was a subtle reminder of the death of former Special Olympics basketball player and member of the LT transition program Tony Burkes ‘15.

“You have really seen the kids rally together,” Head Coach Emma Colangelo said. “Every time they circle up, they say ‘for Tony.'”

Burkes was a the MVP of the Special Olympics basketball team and a huge part of Best Buddies, Colangelo said. He died on Aug. 24. 2017 before the start of his seventh season. The back of the Pack the Place t-shirts had Tony’s number, and there was a short memorial video before the 7 p.m. game.

“It is a tragedy, but they have tried to make the best of it,” Colangelo said.

The Gold team defeated Hinsdale Central 22-14, the Blue team beat Riverside Brookfield 24-21 and the White team fell to the York Dukes 21-14. Students from multiple age ranges and skill levels compete on the three teams at LT; some students started Special Olympics basketball this year, and others have been playing for over six years.

“I keep telling [the underclassmen] ‘be aggressive and be you'”, White team player Will Medina ’15 said. “Once you hit that court, it’s game on. So just have fun and get the win.”

The Pack the Place game was supported by a multitude of LT winter athletes. The girls basketball team, boys basketball team, boys swimming team, girls swimming team and wrestling team all attended the event. Athletes Committed to Excellence (ACE) and student council also attended the game.

“It makes me feel so happy that all of my friends and family are on the stand,” Gold team player Cassie Psenicka ‘22 said.

This is Colangelo’s first year as head coach. All three teams practice at the same time once a week, though they are trying to shoot for twice a week next season, Colangelo said. There is a district tournament at the end of the month; if each team wins its division, then they all have the opportunity to go to state.

“[Coaching three teams] definitely has its difficulties, but we always smooth everything out,” Colangelo said. “It’s so fun to watch them practice and get better and then play in the games. It’s an amazing experience.”