For a kid who loves basketball, the chance to shoot hoops on the floor of the United Center is something only dreams are made of.
But big dreams came to life this week for a group of lucky young athletes from Norridge who earned a rare chance to play a private basketball game on the United Center court in December.
The group of 34 seventh- and eighth-grade students — all of whom play on the basketball team for their school — had the full court to themselves for 15 minutes of scrimmaging before the Chicago Bulls players took the floor for Dec. 22’s Bulls game against the Toronto Raptors.
Norridge students earned their private play time at the United Center through the Chicago Bulls’ “Court of Dreams” program, which lends the court at the United Center to schools that purchase 200 tickets and resell the seats to parents and teachers.
Schools get a discounted price on tickets through the program, which grants some families who normally couldn’t afford full-price tickets the chance to go to a Bulls game.
For eighth-grader Patrick Owens, the game was his first time at the United Center, and his first time taking in a live NBA game with his dad.
Owens, who has played basketball for Leigh School for two seasons, said he was more excited about watching the game live than playing on the court with his friends.
“I’m feeling a nervous excitement,” Owens said. “Playing on the court is pretty cool, but the best part is going to the Bulls game because I haven’t been to one yet.”
Principal of Leigh School, Jennifer Ban, brought the ‘Court of Dreams’ program to her school district this year after her friend (an administrator at another school district) recommended it.
Knowing it would be a great experience for the students, Ban ignored her fears that the schools might struggle to sell all 200 tickets.
As soon as the sale was announced to the basketball teams and word spread through the schools, the tickets started going faster than she expected.
“We didn’t want to pressure people into buying the tickets, but we figured we could sell them all between the two schools,” Ban said.
Wearing matching t-shirts with the words, “District 80 Night at the Bulls Game,” the kids took full advantage of the start of winter break and their moment on the court by posing for photos on the Bulls bench and journeying through the tunnel that connects the locker rooms with the court, Ban said.
“It was a great experience and a wonderful opportunity for the kids,” Ban said. “We told the kids that this wasn’t about being competitive, but about having the chance to play on the court.”