Bon Appétit’s Elijah Schwartz shines at Special Olympics Regional basketball tournament

Elijah Schwartz playing basketball. Photo courtesy of Elijah Schwartz.

When asked if he was the best player on his basketball team, Elijah Schwartz answered, “Yes. I don’t want to brag, but yes. I’m one of the best players.” In addition to being a familiar face on campus, Schwartz is a star player for the Marion County Capitals, who, on March 16, secured the Division A victory for Oregon’s annual Special Olympics basketball tournament at North Salem High School.

When he’s not playing ball himself, Schwartz can be found at basketball games supporting the Bearcats or in the Goudy Commons cafeteria where he works for Cafe Bon Appétit. Schwartz is also currently the team manager for Salem's professional basketball team, The Salem Capitals. 

According to Schwartz, alongside their tournament victory, his team also won the tournament sportsmanship award. “It was huge all around. My coach said, ‘Most importantly is to win the sportsmanship award no matter what cause that’s just bigger than basketball.’”

When asked about his favorite part of the tournament, Schwartz responded, “The last game because everyone played and we scored 50 points, and that was the highest of the season.” Schwartz said he had “about 12 points and eight or nine assists in the final game personally.”

A prolific outside shooter, Schwartz also values his role as a team player. “There's value in everyone. Find that value and latch onto it. … You don’t have to be selfish about how you play. You don’t have to be selfish about how you coach. Figure out the pieces to the puzzle, and it can really work,” he said. When discussing his current teammates, he made sure to name all of them and reflected on each of their additions to the game. “[Peyton] was one of our funniest teammates. … Joey was our best one-handed full-court shot,” he said. 

Schwartz began his playing career at Crossler Middle School before first managing and eventually making the varsity team at South Salem. During the Saxons’ 2016 senior night, Schwartz played as a starter. “I hit the first three of the game,” he said. “It was so much fun.”

He said his current Capitals teammate, Ryan Hopt, inspired him to pursue team management when they both attended South Salem High School. “He was a senior when I was a freshman. [He was] one of my biggest role models in high school just as a team manager. … I wanted to be a team manager in high school my first year cause of Ryan,” he said. 

In regards to the Marion County Capitals, 2024-25 was only Schwartz’s second season playing. Their next season kicks off in January, and Schwartz hopes that many of his teammates will return and they will get to keep working on the game together and refining their skills. 

At present, Schwartz is excited about the upcoming games for the Salem Capitals. “We have a home game on April 11 if people can come out to that.”