SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Members of the Slippery Rock University men's basketball program recently took a break from their spring semester to work with the Butler County Special Olympics basketball team.
 
Slippery Rock student-athletes and coaching staff helped the Butler County Special Olympics basketball team prepare for their upcoming tournaments with a practice at McQuistion Elementary School in Butler, Pennsylvania.
 
As part of the practice, The Rock men's basketball program set up skill stations which allowed SRU players to interact with and provide personal one-on-one coaching to the Special Olympic athletes before holding 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 scrimmages.
 
This year marked the fourth consecutive season in which the Slippery Rock men's basketball program worked with the Butler County Special Olympics team.
 
Representing The Rock at the practice were head coach Ian Grady, assistant coach Jon Valeriano and student-athletes Elijah Hill, Braylon Littlejohn, Brady Mayo and RJ Sledge.
 
The mission of Special Olympics Pennsylvania is to provide year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
 
All training and competition opportunities are provided free of charge to the athletes and their families, enabling everyone to experience the benefits of Special Olympics that extend well beyond the playing field.
 
For more information on how to get involved with the Special Olympics, visit www.specialolympicspa.org.
 
Slippery Rock concluded its 2025-26 season with a 17-12 overall record that included an 10-10 mark in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference competition. The Rock qualified for the PSAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed in the Western Division. SRU has now recorded winning campaigns in 16 of the last 17 completed seasons while qualifying for the PSAC Tournament for nine consecutive years.





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