When Adam Sparacio walked back out to the court earlier this week, the crowd was electric. It was Swampscott’s Senior Night, and the Big Blue were set to take on one of the state’s top-ranked teams with Salem paying a visit.
What most haven’t seen is the journey the senior captain took to get to that point. For the past three years, Sparacio has been in the midst of his own battle, having been diagnosed with a recurring brain tumor as a freshman. Yet, you wouldn’t know it, especially given how much of an impact he has had on the school’s basketball and baseball programs, respectively.
“As a person, he’s just one of the most positive kids that I’ve ever been around,” Swampscott basketball coach Jason Knowles said. “He’s got tremendous courage. The fact that he’s never once sat back and felt sorry for himself, and he continues to keep pushing forward, I think everyone can learn from a kid like Adam. It’s about what you have now, and working with what you have now, focusing on getting stronger and better everyday. That’s Adam in a nutshell. He’s a warrior.”
Two weeks ago, Sparacio was named a finalist for the 2026 Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Basketball Courage Award, which recognizes high school basketball players who have consistently gone above and beyond throughout the basketball season and have demonstrated courage in their approach to their team, school and community. The senior was one of 10 nominees selected from a pool of hundreds across the nation.
Knowles has been at the helm of the Big Blue’s basketball program since 2019. He also serves as the assistant principal at Swampscott Middle School, and runs an after-school basketball club in town. As early as Sparacio’s elementary school years, Knowles found himself trying to convince the young student to pick up the sport.
“He had the size,” Knowles said. “He’s a brilliant kid. We knew he’d be able to pick it up. An excellent athlete. When you see that criteria in a kid, you do everything you can to try to get them to play basketball.”
By the time he was in eighth grade, Sparacio decided to give hoops a try. He quickly realized he had a knack for the sport, and fell in love with the game. By the time freshman year rolled around, he was already playing at the junior varsity level.
“I would say after my first season (it clicked),” Sparacio said. “Right away pretty much, after my first season I fell in love with it.”
However, in the winter of 2023, Sparacio began to experience consistent headaches, and started to suffer from vomiting spells. He was checked into Mass General Hospital in March.
“I had a surgery to cure the hydrocephalus, which I was diagnosed with thanks to the brain tumor, and also to make sure that the tumor wasn’t cancerous, ” Sparacio said. “Thankfully, it was benign.”
After the surgery, Sparacio was determined to get back to playing sports at Swampscott. After taking some time to recover, the young freshman was playing junior varsity baseball for the Big Blue one month later.
During his sophomore year, Sparacio was elevated to the varsity level for Swampscott’s basketball team. While there were minor setbacks, he played most of the season. He had a second surgery during the summer, looking to get back to full strength. In his junior season, Sparacio was a full-go, finishing with the third most minutes played on the roster. The Big Blue made an appearance in the Div. 3 tournament.
This past summer, Knowles called his team over for a meeting following a summer league workout. He had a surprise in store.
“Coach Knowles pulled me aside after one of our summer league games,” Sparacio said. “In front of the whole team, he actually was like, ‘Congratulations, you’re a captain.’ (I was) alongside three good friends in my grade, so it was good to hear that.”
This winter, Sparacio has undergone three more surgical procedures for hydrocephalus. Prior to doing so, the senior center played in two games, leading the Big Blue to convincing wins over Gloucester and Winthrop.
“This kid is one of the best human beings on the planet,” Knowles said. “His attitude (is impeccable), and he’s such a positive human being. He’s just looked at this as an obstacle that he’s going to overcome. He said he knew that this stuff was going to happen, but was glad that he was able to play two games (this season). His outlook on life is extraordinary. He’s a very mature young adult.”
As Sparacio took on the latest challenge in his battle, the Big Blue came together as a team, determined to play for their beloved teammate.
Just this past week, Sparacio made his return to the program following a recent surgery, joining his fellow players on the bench for their biggest game of the season. Swampscott proceeded to upset Salem in a thrilling 58-52 finish.
“That was amazing,” Sparacio said. “Especially given that it was Senior Night, and everyone wants to win their Senior Night. Going in, knowing that Salem is the No. 2 team in our division, I had hope in the team. I had faith in the team, but I didn’t expect us to play as well as we did.”
With the win, Swampscott leaped to sixth overall in the latest MIAA Div. 3 power rankings.
The Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Basketball Courage Awards will be handed out Feb. 19. For the two overall winners — one male and one female — Jersey Mike’s will make a $2,000 donation to the players’ high school basketball programs in their honor and reward each overall winner with an additional $5,000.
While Sparacio is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the basketball season as part of his recovery process, he is driven to finish his high school career wearing a Swampscott jersey one more time. The center averaged three points to go with six rebounds per game in his tenure. Also a member of the National Honor Society and enrolled in five advanced placement classes, Sparacio intends to play baseball for Swampscott in a matter of weeks.
“It helps to have the team and this town behind me through all of it,” Sparacio said. “Speaking of that, I’m going to begin radiation treatment on the tumor in about a couple of weeks. That should have me out of baseball until April 8. So that’s what I’m motivated by — to get back for baseball by then.”
Tournament season looming
The end of the basketball regular season is near. The official cut-off date is Feb. 19.
The official tournament brackets will be released on Feb. 21, with preliminary rounds beginning Feb. 23. The top 32 teams in each division, based on the MIAA power rankings, will qualify for the postseason. Teams with a record above .500 that are outside of the top 32 will also make the tournament and participate in the preliminary round.
The state championship round will take place March 13-15.
