A 10-year-old basketball fan from Falkirk, Scotland, got the chance to coach his favorite team, the Caledonian Gladiators, after dressing up as the team's head coach, Gareth Murray, for Halloween.
Max Philliban, a huge Gladiators fan, decided to pay tribute to Murray by dressing up as him for the team's game against the Leicester Riders on October 29th. Max went all out, wearing the club's jersey, carrying the coach's writing pad, and even got a tattoo of the same fabric as Murray on his sleeve.
Murray and the Gladiators players were impressed with Marks' dedication and decided to reward him with the opportunity to train with the team. Marks will join the Gladiators for an upcoming practice where he will work with the players and experience life as a head coach.
"I'm so excited to train with the team, I can't believe it," said Marks." I just thought it would be fun to dress up as Gareth, but I'm glad it made him smile when he saw me.
Max's mother, Linsey Philliban, said her son was ecstatic when he found out about the opportunity to train with the Gladiators." She said, "When we told Max he would have the opportunity to train with the team, his little face lit up - he was ecstatic." Max is a diehard fan - we've watched all the home games for the past three seasons.
Murray said he was impressed with Max's dress code and enthusiasm for the team." Murray said, "I think it also made some of the players laugh and it was great to have the opportunity to chat with Max and his family after the game." We'd love to have Max along to help us train for the upcoming games - I joked with some of the guys on the team that he does seem like a good fit for the head coaching position.
The Caledonian Gladiators, the only professional basketball team in Scotland, are currently arranging to meet with Max's family to help him train together.
"Gareth and all the players are very friendly so I'm really looking forward to seeing them again," said Marks.
The Gladiators organization praised Max's creativity and passion for the team, and they are thrilled to have Max join their training sessions. Max's story is a reminder that anything is possible if you have a dream and are willing to put in the work.