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Decatur, Ill. (WAND) -- Mt. Zion eighth grader Ethan Osborne could make excuses, like the fact he's less than half his peers' size or that he runs a little differently.
He was, after all, just 3 pounds at birth and adopted from Russia at 23 months old.
But you won't hear a peep from Ethan. He's just glad to be here.
The 70-pounder's size means being a member of the Braves' roster wasn't an option -- but coach Jeff Shumate wanted to find a way for Ethan to be a part of the program, so he offered for him to join the team as a manager.
He helps run the scoreboard at practice, sets up drills and even takes part in them when he can. It's not a role of reluctance for Ethan -- he relishes the part he gets to play on the team, scoreboard and all.
But Shumate and his teammates like Carson Cuddy and Nathan Hart wanted to get "E", as they call him, more actively involved.
That's when they devised a plan: suit him up for a game, and keep feeding him till he makes a shot.
In this WAND feature story, Ethan and his parents Kyle and Mandy share what it was like to watch their son go through this moment and the subsequent tidal wave of social media comments, likes and messages that ensued from his time in the spotlight.
