Steve Howard doesn’t ever remember feeling like there was anything different about him, despite being born with only a left leg. While growing up in downtown Jersey City, he tried to be like every other child in the neighborhood – participating in sports, especially basketball. But it was never anything he took seriously. Just a way of making friends. “No one in the neighborhood ever paid much attention to [the disability],” Howard said. “There were some kids who made fun of it, but I never let it bother me.” Howard continued to live his life as best as possible, attending A. Harry Moore School for the Handicapped – where he learned to maneuver with the help of a prosthetic leg – then on to Hudson County Prep. The fledgling boys’ basketball program at Hudson County Prep in Jersey City is still in its infant stages, having been instituted about five years ago. So head coach Ed Mathieson can’t be picky when it comes to getting interested players. Come one, come all. “We’re not in the position to turn anyone away,” Mathieson said. “We welcome everybody. We give everybody a chance to try out.” However, Mathieson was faced with an interesting dilemma last year when Howard came to try out for Mathieson’s team. Great, Mathieson instantly thought. Although he was a raw talent, having never played organized basketball before, Howard was a 6-5 shot blocker. There’s always room on a small team for a defensive forward. But there was another slight problem. Howard didn’t have a right leg. Mathieson would always welcome another interested player, but one without a leg? Playing competitive high school basketball? Certainly a novel approach. “I wanted to give a try,” Howard said. “I’ve been playing basketball since I was 10 or 11, but I never tried out before for any team. I thought I was now good enough to play, so I figured I would try.” At first, Howard tried to disguise the artificial leg. “He wore long warm-ups and really didn’t want us to know,” said Hudson Prep assistant coach Greg Hall, a former standout at St. Anthony who played college basketball at Hartwick and Wagner. “But once he was on the floor, you knew right away.” Although Howard walks and runs with a discernible limp, the coaches and administration at the school never hesitated to give him the opportunity to play. “I saw a story about the kid from Notre Dame (Doug Edwards, a walk-on who saw limited action last year) who was able to play with one leg,” Hudson Prep athletic director Mike Rooney said. “I saw that and said, ‘We have the same kind of kid in Steve Howard.’ I figured that if the kid from Notre Dame could do it, then Steve could do it. I was willing to do whatever it took to allow Steve to play.” Rooney then sent a letter to the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association, informing them of the school’s intention to allow Howard to play. Apparently, it was the first request of its kind that the NJSIAA had heard of. There had been requests for players with one arm or one eye. But never one who played basketball while using an artificial leg. “No one had ever asked the state for permission for a kid to play with only one leg,” Rooney said. “I think there was some concern whether if Steve fell, if someone would get hurt by the artificial leg in contact. But I think that was the only worry.” Mathieson had no concerns at all. “Once we made sure we had the necessary paperwork, we had no problem at all,” Mathieson said. “He was welcomed right away.” “He just had this rawness,” Hall said. “He showed he could play right away. The only problem he had was being serious. And he was living with the fear of something happening to the leg. But he played over the summer and that gave him confidence that he could compete with the leg.” “It’s a handicap, but I don’t treat it that way,” Howard said. “I just love playing. The leg only hurts me with mobility a little, but I really don’t think about it much. I just play.” One of the guys Howard’s teammates never looked at him differently. “It’s not about his leg,” said senior Adam Pinkney, who recently scored his 1,000th career point. “I never measure him from having one leg. I just thought he was big at first, then I thought he was goofy. But it’s also about Steve’s character. Steve plays with his heart. You really don’t pay attention to his leg when he’s playing.” Howard is so oblivious about his disability that he constantly pokes fun at it. “He’s always cracking jokes about his leg,” Hall said. “He really doesn’t care.” “It doesn’t even bother me,” Howard said. “If I can make people laugh about it, it makes things easier for me.” After learning the finer parts of the game last year as a junior who saw very limited action, Howard now isn’t just window dressing, a novelty or a hardship case for Hudson Prep. He’s the starting power forward for the 15-4 Hurricanes, who will face Wallington in the opening round of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group I state playoffs. Howard is averaging nearly eight points per game, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. “He’s not just on the team,” Mathieson said. “He plays. He starts. He’s a key member of the team, a reason for our success. It really is unbelievable.” Apparently, opponents don’t realize right away that Howard has only one leg. He still conceals the prosthesis well with undergarments. “I think they’re amazed at first that I can actually play with one leg,” Howard said. “But as the game goes on, the amazing part goes away.” Hall, who works with the Hurricanes’ inside players, is probably Howard’s fiercest critic. “I don’t treat him any differently than I do the others on the team,” Hall said. “We let him have it good.” “They treat me regularly,” Howard said. “If I’m not hustling, they’ll let me know. They get on me.” Pinkney said that he’s amazed with the way Howard contributes. “You see the way he jumps and rebounds and blocks shots and then you have to stop and think, ‘Hey, he only has one leg,'” Pinkney said. “I mean, he blocks a lot of shots. He’s not as fast as anybody else, but if you go up to the basket weak, you’re going to know he’s there. Of course, anyone would be impressed by the way he plays, even if he had two legs. He more than holds his own down low, especially with the big guys.” “You see people with handicaps and you wonder how can they do it,” Pinkney added. “Most people would be too ashamed to come out of the house. If I didn’t have my two healthy legs, I would want to be like Steve.” Howard doesn’t complain about the handicap. “People could say that it’s remarkable, but I just think I’m a kid who’s playing,” Howard said. “I’m glad, because I never thought there would be a chance that I could play. And that’s all I wanted to do.” Pinkney said that Howard is an inspiration to the entire Hurricane team. “The fact that he goes out and plays hard every game with such a tremendous handicap,” Pinkney said. “It’s a challenge to him and he does it. I think he’s an inspiration to all of us and should be to everybody.” “If I can be an inspiration to other people with handicaps, then I would be happy about that,” Howard said. “I could be treated differently, but I don’t want that. I want to be like everybody else.”