She was the team manager for the Tucson High School junior varsity basketball team this school year. On Friday, though, she was an honorary guest at the Phoenix Mercury practice.
Alyna Macias was persistent all season, asking the Tucson coach if she could play in a game. Coach Felicia Greenhouse made her a promise—if she did a good job as the manager, she would earn the opportunity to play in the last game.
Back in February, she did just that. When the Phoenix Mercury caught wind of it, they invited Macias, who has down syndrome, up to Phoenix for a day to shadow the team's equipment manager, Denise Romero.
"When I heard that Alyna was coming, one of our team reps told me about her story, and right away I was drawn to her. First off, because she's a team manager and that's like my love, and what I've always done," Romero said. "We love just sharing our experiences with local teens."
Romero took Macias behind-the-scenes at Talking Stick Resort Arena and shared the ins-and-outs of managing a professional team. She even got to hang out on the court during practice.