ESPY Award touching dreams

Kobe Bryant is one of the nominated stars for the ESPY awards. But the happier person with that is Jason McElwain. He learned that he was nominated as well for an ESPY award while surfing the internet.

The emotion just came out. "I was really excited when I saw my name there on the screen," said McElwain, the Greece Athena High School student manager with autism who captivated the nation after scoring 20 points in just over four minutes in his only varsity basketball match. "To be in the same category as my idol, Kobe Bryant, is another dream come true."

As we said, McElwain, also known as J-Mac, received a nomination in the "Best Moment'' category, which also features Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers star who scored 81 points in an NBA match last season; the George Mason men's basketball squad that made a magical run to the 2006 Final Four; and Dakoda Dowd, a 13-year-old golfer who fulfilled her cancer-stricken mother's dream by playing in an LPGA championship.

"I'm aware that I've got some tough competition," J-Mac said. "I've already told my whole family and friends to vote."

It's important to know that the ESPYs, an Academy Awards-style show for sports, will be taped at Hollywood's Kodak Theater July 12 and televised on ESPN at 9 p.m. July 16. The event will be hosted by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.