COLLEGE PARK, MD (Oct. 12, 2021) – The Maryland men’s basketball program and head coach Mark Turgeon officially added Team IMPACT teammate Ben Snyder to the program with a “Signing Day” ceremony prior to the team’s Media Day Tuesday.
“Ben is as tough as they come,” Turgeon said. “He joined our team during COVID and actually joined our team on Christmas night last year. We were never really able to get together last season so we did everything through zoom. My players did a great job of developing relationships with Ben over zoom. The reason Ben is here today is because he never officially got to sign with our team. So, Ben, I'd love to finally make it official. Congratulations and welcome to the Terp family.”
The 10-year-old Snyder joined the men’s basketball program last season but was unable to hold an official “Signing Day” in-person due to COVID-19. He still joined the team via Zoom events, while his cardboard cutout traveled with the team to every road game.
Snyder joined the program via Team IMPACT, which pairs children facing serious and chronic illnesses with collegiate athletic programs for two years.
A native of Alexandria, Va., Ben caught a bacterial infection that traveled to his heart and destroyed his aortic valve last December. Ben went through many ups and downs as his body fought to recover from infections and multiple open-heart surgeries. Ultimately he needed to have a heart transplant. Ben progressed quickly after the transplant, regaining his strength and mobility incredibly quickly. On January 9th, he will officially be one year post-transplant.
ABOUT TEAM IMPACT
Team IMPACT has matched over 1,900 children with more than 600 colleges and universities across 48 states, forming lifelong bonds.
Throughout the journey with Team IMPACT, all of the participating children gain strength, camaraderie, and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency, and perspective, which cannot be taught in the classroom.
For more information on the Team IMPACT project, visit the organization's website at www.goteamimpact.org.
“Ben is as tough as they come,” Turgeon said. “He joined our team during COVID and actually joined our team on Christmas night last year. We were never really able to get together last season so we did everything through zoom. My players did a great job of developing relationships with Ben over zoom. The reason Ben is here today is because he never officially got to sign with our team. So, Ben, I'd love to finally make it official. Congratulations and welcome to the Terp family.”
The 10-year-old Snyder joined the men’s basketball program last season but was unable to hold an official “Signing Day” in-person due to COVID-19. He still joined the team via Zoom events, while his cardboard cutout traveled with the team to every road game.
Snyder joined the program via Team IMPACT, which pairs children facing serious and chronic illnesses with collegiate athletic programs for two years.
A native of Alexandria, Va., Ben caught a bacterial infection that traveled to his heart and destroyed his aortic valve last December. Ben went through many ups and downs as his body fought to recover from infections and multiple open-heart surgeries. Ultimately he needed to have a heart transplant. Ben progressed quickly after the transplant, regaining his strength and mobility incredibly quickly. On January 9th, he will officially be one year post-transplant.
ABOUT TEAM IMPACT
Team IMPACT has matched over 1,900 children with more than 600 colleges and universities across 48 states, forming lifelong bonds.
Throughout the journey with Team IMPACT, all of the participating children gain strength, camaraderie, and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency, and perspective, which cannot be taught in the classroom.
For more information on the Team IMPACT project, visit the organization's website at www.goteamimpact.org.
