Sonny Phillips is an 8th grader and a proud member of the Big Sandy Pioneer basketball team.
Fans attending the Big Sandy-Chinook basketball game 2 weeks ago were treated to a heart warming display of sportsmanship, courtesy of the Chinook Sugar Beeters and the Big Sandy Pioneers. In the closing minutes of the game, 8th grader Sonny Phillips scored his first basket as a varsity player. After a missed 3 point attempt was rebounded by a Sugar Beeter, the opposing player passed the ball back to Sunny who made a second attempt at the 3 point shot, and again missing. The missed shot was again rebounded by Chinook and passed back to Big Sandy. This time to Cooper Taylor, who encouraged Sunny to step closer and try again. This time Sunny hit the shot to the roaring approval of the crowd.
Karli Phillips, Sonny's mom, explained her reaction: "I cried. I giggled. It was a proud moment... To be able to watch Sonny do his thing. To have him make points in the game, watching how his teammates just cared for him so much, and how the other team appreciated him and were able to help him achieve his goal also. It was very heartwarming." For Sonny, the achievement is a big accomplishment. Sonny has faced quite a few challenges in his lifetime and has grown a great deal in the last few years since moving in with his aunt and uncle after the passing of his grandmother, who took care of him for most of his life. Sonny is on the autistic spectrum, which has resulted in a struggle with learning, grasping abstract concepts, and managing social situations.
Karli describes Sonny's basketball career as, "A labor of love with LOTS of practice!" His persistence and practice can easily be witnessed throughout the warmer months when Sonny spends hours in the driveway practicing his shooting in the driveway. That effort has been bolstered by a team of great kids and the encouragement of Thomas Dillworth, who has coached him every year. Thomas has put special effort into encouraging the young man, including planning plays to set Sonny up for shots. One play in particular is called "the Sonny" in which he heads down court and is dished the ball in a long pass where the young man goes for the three point shot.
I asked Sonny about the moment and was treated to an array of one word answers. Sonny's autism results in a tendency to be a man of few words. Despite saying very little, his smile and beam of pride speaks volumes as he watches the play over and over on his sister's phone. In addition, he can hardly contain his excitement when he talks about the three pointer he scored the following weekend against Northstar in the final 5 seconds of the game.
Karli described it as a "A buzzer beater... Just like Kobe Bryant," in a fairly convincing impression of her son. The young athlete grinned wide and replied: "Yeah. I shot like Kobe Bryant. It's because when I went to a hotel in Missoula, and I watched a story about Kobe Bryant. I watched a video about how he shoots a three pointer. So I can know how to shoot three pointers."
The moment, and video from the crowd, caught the attention of the local news. During practice one afternoon this week, Sonny was visited by Tom Wiley from KRTV in Great Falls for an interview about the play. The story will air on the local news after the Super Bowl. It can also be viewed on MontanaSports.com in the video section of the website.
Sonny's interest in basketball began with him watching highlight videos and playing the NBA2K video game. Karli explains that they use streaming services for tv and don't have access to live sports, so Sonny is glued to sports channels whenever they visit hotels or relatives. His favorite teams are the Chicago Bulls, the Golden State Warriors, the LA Lakers, and (of course) the Big Sandy Pioneers. His favorite players are Anthony Davis and Steph Curry and Kobe Bryant and Clay Thompson and Lebron James. Karli points out that he knows these players and teams from playing NBA 2K and from highlight videos online.
