Unified Basketball

Higher Learning Basketball has partnered with the Special Olympics of Rhode Island and Unified Champion Schools to offer a Unified Basketball Summer League for students entering grades 3–6.

This league brings together Athletes and Partners to promote inclusion, teamwork, and positive sports experiences through the game of basketball.

Program Note
This program is being offered on a pilot basis. Any athlete who requires additional adult supervision (including, but not limited to, one-to-one support, instructional assistants, teacher assistants, or PASS workers) must have that supervision provided by a parent or guardian as a condition of participation in the summer league.

2026 Unified Summer Basketball League

The Unified Basketball Summer League is open to students in rising grades 3–6 who attend an elementary school in the designated participating town or city. Students must register for their community’s team to participate.

The league follows the Unified Sports model, which recommends that each team roster consist of approximately 50% Athletes (students with IEPs) and 50% Partners (students without IEPs). This balance ensures an inclusive, collaborative, and supportive environment for all participants.

More info

Team Requirements

Rosters

Minimum roster: 10 players (5 Athletes, 5 Partners)
Maximum roster: 20 players
Each team must have at least 5 Athletes and 5 Partners registered and committed to participating in games.
Teams are selected by the principal of each participating school.

Games

One game per week on Tuesday evenings (5:15 – 9:15 PM)
Rain make-up night: Wednesday (see weather policy for details)
Game format: Two 16-minute halves, with the final two minutes of each half played with stopped time

Season Schedule & Format

Regular season: Tuesday, June 23 – Tuesday, July 29
Playoffs: Week of August 3

This inclusive program brings together kids with and without intellectual disabilities on teams, creating meaningful opportunities for friendship, teamwork, and fun through sport—a core goal of the Special Olympics Unified Sports model.

Eligibility & Team Composition

Students must attend an elementary school in the designated participating town or city and register for their community’s team.
Team rosters are selected by each school’s administration.
Following the Unified Sports model, each roster should ideally include roughly 50% Athletes (students with IEPs) and 50% Partners (students without IEPs).

More info

Directors

James FitzGerald

With more than 26 years of experience in education and athletics within the North Smithfield School Department, James (Jim) FitzGerald has dedicated his career to promoting inclusive, student-centered physical education and sports programming. Throughout his tenure, he has taught Health, Physical Education, and Adaptive Physical Education to students from Pre-K through grade 12, creating meaningful opportunities for learners of all abilities to grow through movement, teamwork, and positive competition.

At North Smithfield High School, Jim has served as the Health and Physical Education Department Chair for the past 15 years and as the school’s Special Olympics Liaison for six years. Under his leadership and commitment to inclusion, the North Smithfield High School earned recognition as a Nationally Recognized Unified Champion School. He has also coached Unified Volleyball and Unified Basketball for more than 11 years, helping student-athletes and partners build confidence, friendships, and lifelong skills through sport.

A certified coach through the National Federation of State High School Associations, FitzGerald has coached basketball, soccer, baseball, and tennis across a wide range of levels, including recreational leagues, competitive travel programs, middle school teams, and high school varsity athletics. His passion for inclusive athletics and youth development continues through the creation of this new Unified Basketball Summer League, designed to provide elementary students across Rhode Island with a welcoming, supportive, and engaging sports experience.

Gary McCoombs

Gary started his career in 1988 as an Adaptive PE teacher in Assonet, MA. In 1990, he began his teaching career in the Warwick Public Schools as a PE/Adaptive PE teacher at Drum Rock Elementary School. Mr. McCoombs also coached football, indoor track, and girls’ volleyball at Warwick Vets High School. Gary coached boys’ tennis, girls’ tennis, and indoor track at Toll Gate High School. Mr. McCoombs was named the RI Elementary PE Teacher of the Year in 1997.

Gary and his family moved to Vienna, Austria, for the 2008-2009 school year, where he was the PE Director at the Vienna International School. He also coached girls’softball and girls basketball while in Vienna, where he travelled to London and Zurich for tournaments.

When Gary returned to the United States in 2009, he was appointed as the PE/Health Department Head at Winman Junior High School in Warwick.

Mr. McCoombs became the Principal at Hoxsie Elementary School in 2011, and he has been there since that time. He was named the Educator of the Year by Junior Achievement in 2023. Gary was also named the 2019 Shapiro Award by the Warwick VOWS (Volunteers of Warwick Schools).

While at Hoxsie Elementary School, Mr. McCoombs was the first person to start elementary school unified basketball in the state of RI in 2023. The Warwick Elementary School Unified Basketball tournament attracted over 3500 spectators and 12 schools at Hendricken High School in the spring of 2025.

Mr. McCoombs has volunteered as a Little League Baseball coach in Coventry, RI, and as a CYO basketball coach in Coventry. He has also been a Big Brother of RI since 1988.

Sign up today!

Ready to take your game to the next level? Register today for Higher Learning Basketball programs and experience the difference our expert coaching and proven development methods can make in your basketball journey.