Teen with autism has perfect March Madness picks
by Beth
I decided to take part in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament pool here at Easter Seals Headquarters this year. There was no money involved, thank goodness — both of my final teams were out by the second round!
If only I’d consulted Alex Hermann before making my picks. Alex has autism, he is 17 years old and lives in a nearby suburb of Chicago. We’re into the “Sweet Sixteen” round of this year’s upset-filled March Madness, and so far Alex has chosen every single winning team correctly. From an NBC story:
The odds of anybody doing that? One in 13,460,000, according to BookofOdds.com. It’s easier to win the lottery. Twice.
“I’m good at math,” Alex, a Glenbrook South High School student, said. “I’m kind of good at math and at stats I see on TV during the game.”
Alex’s 24-year-old brother Andrew helped his little brother enter the picks on CBSsports.com’s bracket challenge. They entered one of three bracket games offered by CBS. Unfortunately for Alex, it was the only one without a prize attached — one of the other CBS games gives $5,000 per winning round. Sounds like his mom is taking it all in stride.
“If he would have won any money he would have just saved it,” his mother Diane said. “He’s a big saver.”
For those of you who get an opportunity to pick again when it comes down to the Final Four, here’s a hint: Alex picked Purdue.