A packed house honors Garfield senior Max May
GARRETTSVILLE — Amidst the noise Friday, a couple of quiet words stood out.
As the crowd celebrated an incredible moment, after Max May put in a layup for Garfield's first basket, May turned to coach Andrew Olesky as he walked off the court and thanked him.
As nearly 1,000 people, most wearing "We Play With Max" T-shirts, honored May's courage in battling brain cancer to get back on the hardwood, there was a touching humility in May's reaction.
He didn't take a bow or salute the crowd.
That wouldn't be like the humble G-Men senior, who has always insisted that his main goal is to compete alongside his friends and win.
So as nearly 1,000 people expressed their gratitude for May — his courage and his story and the way he lifted every single heart Friday night — he simply expressed his gratitude toward his coach.
May simply shook Olesky's hand and then sat down on the bench.
"At the end of the day, basketball is just a game. There are many things that are more important than basketball, and Max embodies that, and it feels good to be able to give him an opportunity to get some recognition," Olesky said. "It was kind of nice to see both communities stand up and give him the applause that he deserves because he's a fighter and they recognize that fighting and they respect it and everybody's behind Max."
That simple handshake Friday was May.
As understated as he is remarkable.
As humble as he is brave.
That humility, if anything, left Olesky in awe.
"Even before all this happened, Max has always been a team-first personality in terms of success and in terms of doing the right thing on the court," Olesky said. "Then when this happens, he still had the right outlook, putting the team first, never ever wanting attention, and it's just remarkable because I've often said that he's the toughest kid in school, and I still believe that."
Friday's event was, in a way, a perfect representation of May.
It started out as a humble idea, humble like May himself.
The G-Men simply wanted to honor May's courage, the sheer will it takes him to keep showing up day after day even as he battles physical challenges that most high-schoolers will never know.
The first clue, perhaps, of how big Friday was going to get was those free "We Play With Max" shirts that Garfield gave out.
According to G-Men assistant coach Matt Hill, they ended up giving out more than 800 shirts.
And sure enough, on Friday, that Garrettsville gym was packed.
Not just for the varsity game, but the JV game.
Not just the seats, but the balcony atop the home stands was lined with fans in black shirts.
"It started out with a modest idea and it kind of exploded into something big and it was cool to see so many people in shirts, so many people here to support Max as well as to watch a high school basketball game," Olesky said. "It was just cool because this is a rivalry, but they're neighboring communities, and sports are so cool because it brings people together in such a unique fashion and tonight really embodied that, and as a coach, as a participant in sports, I was very, very happy to see that."
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: A packed house honors Garfield senior Max May
