Boys basketball

DES MOINES, Iowa - Special attention is something West Des Moines Dowling High School's Bubba Fatino always has avoided, but in a game last month, he was the focus of applause and adoration.

Fatino, who is legally blind, scored his first varsity basket on a layup during the second-ranked Maroons' 72-53 boys basketball victory over Des Moines Hoover.

"I got up there a little bit and knew it was in," said Fatino, a 5-foot-9 senior guard. "Then I heard the crowd and I heard our announcer. It's kind of cool when you hear your name as you're going down the court."

Fatino, who has 20/400 vision, was diagnosed with Stargardt's Disease, a hereditary condition that affects the retina, in the first grade. Although he uses Braille in his school work and cannot drive, he has played basketball since the third grade.

"I was calling him Michael Jordan (Tuesday) night," Fatino's mother, Lisa Vacco, said. "Nothing ever held him back. Bubba has always been a strong person. A lot of people don't even know he's blind until they're told."

Fatino made a free throw in a game against North last season, but said he rarely shoots from the floor.

"It doesn't bother me to shoot, but I've always been a point guard and I love passing the ball," he said.

With Dowling holding a commanding lead over Hoover, the Maroons student section began chanting Fatino's name. He entered the game with 3 minutes remaining and followed a teammate's advice.

"I got the ball in the corner and one of the guys on our bench yelled, `Bubba baseline, Bubba baseline!' " Fatino said. "I just went hard with my right hand, then up with my left. It's probably the most exciting thing that's happened to me all year. After you make the basket, you're so much calmer. You're not as nervous."

Fatino went back to the locker room looking for the person who shouted the instructions. Dustin Rand came forward and greeted Fatino with a high-five.

"Bubba is kind of like our motivation," Rand said. "Me and him are the only Italians on the team, so I told him he was my boy."

Fatino cannot focus on objects in front of him, but has adapted by using his peripheral vision. He started playing basketball in the Dowling system in the seventh grade, immediately earning the respect of teammates and coaches.

"Bubba is real quick," Dowling Coach Bob Ligouri said. "I can remember him playing in the seventh grade and he was absolutely going by people. He made some of the greatest passes you've ever seen."

Fatino's eyesight could get progressively worse and might leave him totally blind. He plans to attend college and major in sports medicine.