He met Barack Obama, Derek Jeter and Joe Torre. But Jacob Froman was happiest when serving as a ball boy at Collegiate varsity basketball games.
“Whenever he was there, it just gave us extra life,” senior guard Christian Fisch said.
Froman, the Dutchmen’s greatest fan and a fifth-grader in the Upper West Side Ivy League school, died on Jan. 16 from a two-year battle with medulloblastoma, a rare form of brain cancer.
“He definitely inspired me and inspired everyone else on the team,” guard Harrison Green said. “He really put things in perspective for us.
Basketball is really important for us, but there are things that are a lot more important than basketball.”
Collegiate coach Ray Voelkel said he first met Froman when he was a Kindergartner and was always around the gym.
“He loved basketball and every Friday night when we had packed houses, he seemed to always be able to sneak in when other people couldn’t get in,” Voelkel said.
Voelkel said he developed a closer bond with Froman as his fourth-grade physical education teacher last year, just 12 months after Froman had been diagnosed with a disease that afflicts about 250 children annually.
Jacob Froman is hoisted on Mike Nelson’s shoulders after Collegiate’s victory in the New York State Federation championship game in Glens Falls, N.Y.
“I realized he was just an unbelievably spirited kid,” Voelkel said. “It’s amazing because until his last day, everything was good, everything was smiles. He had a tremendous spirit and tremendous love for Collegiate and basketball – and especially Collegiate basketball.”
And that feeling was mutual.
“His reciprocation was much greater than we gave him,” Green said. “I think he meant a lot to us, inspired us. He changed everybody’s life.”
Green said he first met Froman because he was in the same class as Green’s brother, Steven. After Froman was diagnosed, Green said he grew even closer with Froman, working with him in his physical education class.
“We developed a bond and I started hanging out with him more outside of class,” Green said. “He’s really an inspirational kid, just an amazing person, really strong and never was afraid. He didn’t want to let his sickness get in the way of being a kid.”
A year ago, Collegiate played in the New York State Federation championship, capturing the Class B title at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
Froman was already in a weakened state, but he joined the team upstate and was lifted on the shoulders of last year’s captain Mike Nelson after the victory against St. Agnes.
“It was his Super Bowl. It was the NBA Finals,” Voelkel said. “I think he was happier than we were and the boys were probably happier for him than themselves. It was a special moment.”
Voelkel said he thinks about Froman every day and he is still a big part of the Collegiate basketball team. The Dutchmen honor Froman with a black band on their uniform and on Saturday, at the 10th annual Coaches vs. Cancer High School Basketball Classic at Draddy Gymnasium on the campus of Manhattan College, a moment of silence was held in Froman’s honor.
“When we have a moment of silence like that it really hits home, for me and a lot of the other players,” Fisch said. “I’ll never get over it.”
In Froman’s memory, a charitable organization, Kids v Cancer, has been established to support innovative pediatric cancer research.
And the Dutchmen are looking to honor their biggest fan by trying to repeat as state Federation Class B champions.
“Every time the boys put those bands on, that’s who they’re thinking about,” Voelkel said. “It would be unbelievable if we could do what we did last year. He’s very special to the team.”