Lower Merion celebrates 5th Annual Hope Classic; Jack Forrest scores 1,000th point

Ardmore >> Throughout his standout basketball career, Lower Merion senior Jack Forrest has always circled the date of the Hope Classic each year, when the Aces get the chance to do something special for LM assistant coach Kevin Grugan.
This year’s editon came Jan. 25, when Lower Merion hosted Haverford High School in the 5th Annual Hope Classic, benefitting the Angelman Syndrome Foundation & Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics.
“This night means everything to Coach Grugan and his family,” said Forrest following the game, a 61-49 Lower Merion win. “We talk about it as a team and we try to get as many students here as possible to help support Coach Grugan. He works so hard for us and we just want to try and give back.”
Grugan, who lives in the Haverford Township School District has three kids including his daughter Hope who lives with Angelman Syndrome (AS), a neurogenetic disorder that occurs in one of every 15,000 live births. Characteristics of AS include developmental delay, lack of speech, seizures and walking and balance disorders.
“When I looked at the schedule and saw we were playing Haverford on a Friday night in late January I thought it was perfect,” said Grugan. “The Haverford community has been awesome for us. Our kids attend Lynnewood Elementary and Chatham Park Elementary and their friends and their parents have been so supportive so to have two school communities – Haverford and Lower Merion – who have been supportive of our families it just made perfect sense.”
Following a small introductory speech about the night, the Lower Merion boys took the court, and just when Coach Grugan thought the night could not be more meaningful, Forrest put the icing on the cake when he hit a short runner in the lane while getting fouled giving him career points 1,000 and 1,001.
“I have loved coaching Jack for the past four years,” said Grugan, who also got to teach Forrest Pre-Calculus Honors. “He may not have always had the best luck health wise, but he is an awesome kid who works so hard and to see him achieve this milestone at home in front of a packed gym on the same night as the Hope Classic is very special.”
“We love Coach Grugan and his family so to share this occasion is special,” said Forrest, who finished with 17 points. “To get the win is even better.”
The win over Haverford helped Lower Merion inch closer to finishing an undefeated Central League campaign and clinching the top spot in the upcoming Central League playoffs.
“We have had an amazing season and it’s a great feeling to have two 1,000-point scorers (the other being Steve Payne),” said Forrest.
As the calendar inches closer towards the district playoffs, Forrest knows at some point he will have to turn his focus to continuing his basketball career as a member of the Columbia University basketball squad in the fall but for now it’s all about Lower Merion.