Moment of the Year: Desert Oasis team manager makes most of playing time

By Taylor Bern

Monday, May 23, 2016 | 2 a.m.

This was, by all accounts, one of the best boy’s basketball seasons in Desert Oasis High history.

“We broke 21 school records,” coach Ryan Fretz said. “But when these boys grow up and no matter where I am, when we look back this is going to be that one memory from the season.”

That memory happened on Jan. 7 at the end of a home blowout against Bonanza High.

Ron Chan is a Desert Oasis senior who has been a part of the team for all four of his high school years, serving as manager and attending practices.

But Chan, who has autism, hadn’t played for the Diamondbacks until this season, when Fretz kept open one of his roster spots for Chan to dress for a couple of games.

Chan appeared in one game but hadn’t scored going into a rematch between Desert Oasis and Bonanza. The Diamondbacks got rolling, and with a big lead, Fretz pointed to Chan and told him to check in.

“It was an exciting feeling,” Chan said. “I could not have predicted what happened next.”

Bonanza coach Dan Savage, who has a background in special education, didn’t know anything about Chan but grasped the situation and told his team to relax on defense.

Desert Oasis grabbed a rebound and fed it to Chan, who hit a layup for his first career points, setting off cheers throughout the gym. Chan then hit another bucket right before time expired, prompting his teammates to sprint off the bench and mob him.

“It got everybody back down to earth about what high school sports is about,” Savage said.

Savage received an outpouring of goodwill, including from a distant friend who offered to purchase new uniforms for both teams. And for the Diamondbacks, it was a great memory in a season full of them.