Student with cerebral palsy notches assist in HS basketball game

Mitchell Greathouse can usually be found cheering on Freedom High School's basketball team, but Tuesday night, he got to join them on the court.

Greathouse, a senior at the Morganton, N.C., high school, was diagnosed with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy when he was 9 months old, according to Langston Wertz Jr. of the Charlotte Observer. The boys' basketball team has been a big motivational tool for him in his physical therapy, which includes using a special walker called a gait trainer to take steps.

"So, I got together with (coach Casey Rogers) and said, 'If he can take 50 steps would you allow him to play?'" Freedom teacher Meghan Welty said. "He said, 'Of course.'"

Greathouse's opportunity came Tuesday during Freedom's 80-57 win over Patton High School. With players from both teams cheering him on, he threw the ball to Freedom senior Niguel Moore, who scored.

"That night was amazing," Welty said. "We live in a small town and the gym was packed full and the student section was full and they all had handmade signs. I expected that Wednesday, when I got to school, that it would be crazy. But it's Friday, three days later, and it's still the talk here.

"The kids at school are united and trying to get Mitchell on the Ellen Show. It's gone viral and it's pretty amazing to see our community come together. Mitchell is Freedom's No. 1 fan and he's always supporting this school. It was neat to see our school come together for him."