‘Visibility is important': Nova star who came out as gay returns to court in LGBTQ+ tourney

A unique basketball tournament tips off in the Philadelphia region this weekend. It's hosted by the National Gay Basketball Association and one of its stars is a familiar face, who made history at Villanova University and once he left the court.

At 6-foot-8, New Castle County, Delaware, native Will Sheridan towers over most others, including myself.

I walked through the Pavilion with my former Villanova roommate, whose brave decision years ago opened the door for tournaments like the Brotherly Love Hoops Classic to thrive.

Basketball was a simple game, but as he starred at Nova, Will felt part of his life was out of bounds.

“It was like living two lives or like this kind of unspoken secret or truth,” Will said.

Will was keeping his sexuality in the closet. Yet fans of opposing Philadelphia schools let him hear it -- saying words we won’t repeat here.

“I just felt bad for my family. My grandmother would be at games, my mom,” the basketball star said. “To have her child be ridiculed like that publicly, it took a lot of maturity for her to be in that, you know, and then she was also coming to terms with the reality of it right?”

And, so was one of his teammates.

“A player didn't want to be my roommate because they would be perceived as gay,” Will – back at Nova’s Pavilion – said this week. “It’s crazy to think about now. But that person has since apologized.”

There was a positive out of it – Will and I became roommates while on the road with the Wildcats. I was a manager for the Wildcats while Will starred for Nova on the court.

“We shared things, and we became friends, and I think that helped,” Will said.

I witnessed what Sheridan called his “internal nightmare.”

“What kind of fears did you have?” I asked him.

“The fear of losing everyone that’s important to you because you’re being yourself,” Will answered.

Yet Will faced those fears after graduating and publicly came out, becoming the first major college basketball player to do so.

But, it didn’t entirely quiet the storm.

His mother was strong and supportive. But what about his father who died in 2016?

“Did your dad end up accepting you?” I asked him.

“No,” Will said. “Me and my dad had a great relationship. It was just ahead of its time, right?”

“And, I’m OK with that. My sister is also a lesbian and we don’t have the same mom, so he left me with a best friend.”

It’s that support system that elevated Will.

First, finding his voice in music. Then, finding his purpose in a familiar place.

“I talked to coach (Jay) Wright, who's, dare I say, a paternal figure in my life -- a mentor -- and he was like why don’t you apply to this company.”

At Wright’s urging, Will wound up at USLI, an insurance company based in Delaware County.

And his work at USLI has led him back onto the court, playing on a sponsored team in the National Gay Basketball Association (NGBA).

“Visibility is important -- this is important,” Will told me. “So that someone that looks like me might be from where I'm from or not.”

“Once you find that community, love them up. And they'll love you back. I think that's what I found with NGBA. I think it’s definitely what I have at work.”

Part of Will’s job is encouraging people to be their authentic selves.

He recruits college students for USLI's Student Program. Sheridan also uses his diverse life experiences to educate and connect with his colleagues, serving on USLI’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team.