Sometimes, the pieces fall into place so perfectly to bring two friends together. Matthew and Caden may have met months earlier, but it wasn’t until Matthew was matched with the Baldwin Wallace men’s basketball team through Team IMPACT that the two realized the true potential and power of their friendship.
Matthew’s older sister is a cheerleader at the same high school Caden attended, so Matthew got to go to many games and say hi to all the athletes when the two were in school together. “Caden began interacting with him a bit more, and he soon became Matthew’s favorite player,” Matthew’s parents, David and Katie, said. David and Katie are both alum of Baldwin Wallace, so later that year when they learned their son was being matched onto the men’s basketball team at their alma mater, the entire Droes family was ecstatic. A few weeks after Matthew learned he was joining the Baldwin Wallace basketball team, he learned his buddy Caden had committed to play for the Yellow Jackets. “At our first meeting in September, Matthew was very excited to meet all his new teammates,” David and Katie recalled, “but his face lit up we he saw that Caden was on the team.”
That day, Caden and Matthew gravitated toward one another. They followed each other around at practice, did yoga together, and talked in the weight room. Caden introduced Matthew to the other players and made Matthew immediately feel like one of the guys. Because of this, Matthew’s parents say, they have noticed positive changes and a new confidence in their son. “Matthew has really embraced being part of the team,” they said. “He refers to his teammates as ‘the guys’ and looks forward to interacting with them. He has improved his communication and listening skills, which is sometimes challenging for individuals with Williams Syndrome. He has a sense of belonging with his teammates and the university.”
As the season went on, Matthew developed closed friendships with many of the players on the team, but his parents say his connection with Caden is unique. “Caden is like Matthew’s big brother on the team,” they said. Caden looks for Matthew at practice, calling him over to participate in drills with their teammates. He showed Matthew the “secret entrance” to the locker room and takes him for snacks at the campus rec center. “Although Matthew is comfortable being with all of his teammates, Caden is always who he looks for first.” Because of this, Matthew knew right away Caden deserved his Teammate of the Year nomination.
At home games, Caden looks for Matthew in warm-ups and makes sure he was in the prime spot to have the best game day experience. Once the games start, Matthew is usually right next to the team bench, giving the best high-fives and celebrating his teammates. After a close game resulted in a big victory for the Yellow Jackets, Matthew was thrilled when Caden brought him into the locker room to celebrate. Matthew went into the locker room for a few minutes and came back with Caden and Head Coach Tom Heil. “He was all sweaty and when I asked him why and he said he was “dancing with the guys!’” David and Katie recalled. “He still talks about that game and Caden’s dance moves.”
Off the court, Matthew and his teammates continue to make memories that foster Matthew’s sense of belonging with every interaction. When Matthew’s family held a fundraising walk for the Williams Syndrome Association, they made shirts for Team Matthew. ”When we asked Matthew what color he wanted the shirts he said, ‘yellow, like Baldwin Wallace,’” Katie and David said. “This sense of belonging and being part of the team has been one of the best benefits we have seen as a family, and it will no doubt make his confidence soar in the future.”
This instant bond grew even stronger as Matthew and “the guys” spent more and more time together. At a preseason scrimmage and team dinner a month after Matthew joined the team, Coach Heil told everyone that Caden is “like LeBron James to Matthew.” That mutual respect and admiration Matthew feels for Caden he feels from Caden as well. “Caden genuinely cares for Matthew and wants to be part of his life in the future,” David and Katie said. “We heard from Caden’s mom that he wants to be in Matthew’s life for a long time and be like a big brother to him. It truly means the world to use to see how big an impact Caden had on Matthew and Matthew on Caden this season. As parents, we are blessed to know that Matthew has made a lifelong friend who will support him.”