Local News
Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind hosts Western States Basketball Classic

Salt Lake City, Utah – Student-athletes from various states who are entirely deaf or hard of hearing are competing in the Western States Basketball Classic, which is being hosted by the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind.
“We have five other state deaf schools,” Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind athletic director Jonathan Helgesen says. “we came together… so they can feel that unity and realize that there are other people just like them.”
Not only did the players at Thursday’s game exhibit unity, but so did the students, staff, and other local high school students who studied sign language and supported the squad with their stomping feet and raised hands.
The teams may still utilize sign language to communicate plays, understand the fouls called by deaf referees, and receive coaching to make the necessary adjustments despite their inability to hear.
“[It] was amazing, that feeling of being here, and having my boys see that,” recalls Wade Hester, the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind men’s basketball coach. “That made them nervous because there were a lot of people, but it was a good experience for them.”
There is a bigger goal for this tournament since Coach Hester wants his team to win it all.
“The deaf community just coming and supporting that heart, that’s what gets us,” Hester adds. “The crowd filling the bleachers was the biggest crowd we’ve ever had.”
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