March 26, 2022 – Springfield, MA –
There are stories of athletes that leave impacts on those that hear those stories. This is one of those stories. Johnny Dombroski recently made his debut with the Western Mass Zombies of the ECBL. Although coming off the bench, Dombroski scored fifteen in his debut with twelve of those points coming in the final quarter. He is an impressive scorer with a bright future and hopes of landing a professional contract, but what makes his story one to remember is not his fifteen point debut.
When you watch Johnny play, the only thing that might stand out to you is his ability to score the ball. What many might not know is that Johnny has autism. Growing up Johnny has always struggled with having a learning disability and social challenges. Due to Johhny being different, it made it very difficult for him to gain friends with his unique set of social skills. In many cases, Johnny would feel left out and judged for being different than everyone else. Johhny Dombroski would find a friend in basketball. When friends were nowhere to be found, you could catch Johnny in the gym putting up shots and getting better each time. In Elementary school, his skills started to make him stand out and it would evolve into him participating at higher levels and winning.
Dombroski wanted to stick out for more than just having autism. He wanted to prove to himself and others that was so much more that was attainable. “Even though I was diagnosed with autism at a young age I wanted to make a statement in the basketball world and inspire all athletes with disabilities to play basketball at the college level and work even harder to make it to any level of pro basketball league and see where the sport takes you.” During his high school career, Dombroski played at Dearborn Academy, a special needs school in the Boston Area. During his four-year tenure, Dombroski would be an all-star for all four years, lead his team to their first ever GBBL (Greater Boston Basketball League) Division II South Championship in school history, score over 1,000 points, and become the all-time leader in scoring and rebounds in school history.
Dombroksi’s goal was to always play at the college and pro level. After he graduated, it was time to go back to school at Quinsigamond Community College where Dombroski would become a starting guard and the team captain. During his time there, Dombroski was named 2nd Team All-New England and was most notably known for holding the best three point and free throw percentages in New England and was ranked nationally as well. After College Dombroski would would look to take his next step in career and would find a roster spot with the New Hampshire Rockets of the ABA. Dombroski wouldn’t have the chance to show his ability with the team though, as the team would close its doors due to financial reasons. It seemed that Dombroski had just finally met his match but Dombroski stayed hungry and got in contact with the owner of the Western Mass Zombies of the ECBL. After sharing some game film from his time in college, Dombroski received an invite to training camp and later on he would receive an official spot on the team roster.
So you see, Dombroski’s story is much more than his 15 point debut with the Zombies. His story is one of perseverance and resilience. His story serves as motivation to those with disabilities and as proof that a disability doesn’t define who you are and what you can achieve. If you are ever in the Western Mass area and are looking for something to do, you should go visit a Zombies game and meet Dombroski yourself. When you do, you will see first hand that Dombroski is so much more than a disability. He is a champion.
