AdventistHoops

Kelvin Green is a lifelong Seventh-day Adventist who played 1.5 seasons for Division 1 Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland, during which time, he did not have to play on the Sabbath. Kelvin talks about the blessings of his time there, and the tensions that grew because of his Sabbath agreement. Ultimately as Kelvin saw more success, he ended up on ESPN’s Cold Pizza morning show, talking about his Sabbath observance and the team dynamics at play with that unique situation. After this, Kelvin transferred to Division 2 California University of Pennsylvania to finish his playing career.Kelvin reflects on his recruiting process as a high schooler and how the Sabbath affected the offers he received. He also gives advice to current prospects who are dealing with the Sabbath dilemma, and the guys discuss a number of topics related to Sabbath conviction and basketball.Kelvin acknowledges that life after his playing career was tough at times. He watched friends continue on to play professionally, wishing he could get an opportunity while still observing the Sabbath. Recently, he was impressed to turn a new page in pursuing ministry, and now attends the Andrews University Theological Seminary in Michigan, where he’s entering his first year as an assistant coach for the men’s team at Andrews.Thank you for listening! Make sure to rate, review, and subscribe to help us grow this community!Follow Adventist Hoops on Instagram: www.instagram.com/adventisthoops

The new men's and women’s head coach at Pacific Union College talks about his basketball journey from Takoma Academy (TA), all the way across the country to his current job in Angwin. Along the way he’s played and coached at Southwestern Adventist University, and coached at the high school level at TA and public schools in Arizona.Landon shares his plan for building a foundation for the program at PUC, talks about the challenges he’ll face in coaching two collegiate teams at once, and what his first orders of business have been. Being hired late into the summer, he takes us inside the mind of a coach who is trying to recruit for a fast-approaching season, including his pitch for players to come to PUC and the emphasis he’s putting on recruiting Adventist players.Landon breaks down his teams’ deficiencies an his most pressing personnel needs for the upcoming season, and comments on just how helpful athletic scholarships can be in helping to shape a program.Thank you for listening! Make sure to rate, review, and subscribe to help us grow this community!Follow Adventist Hoops on Instagram: www.instagram.com/adventisthoops

Sacramento Adventist Academy’s athletic director and girls head coach talks about how he got into coaching as a student missionary in Micronesia, and how he’s built one of the best Adventist girls basketball programs in the country. The guys discuss the proud tradition of SAA basketball, including joining the state athletic association in 2001, and what the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoff structure looks like now.Kenny reflects on his team’s section championship run in 2023-2024, including a regional final four appearance, and the long-term goal-setting and milestones that have been a part of his plan to build a program since taking the head coaching position. He breaks down the calendar year for basketball activities, from summer practices to summer leagues to weightlifting. He also explains how crucial it is for a coach's support system, like family, and the school administration and parents, to be behind them when committing to build a program.Kenny talks about incoming senior captain Victoria Fowler, his love/hate relationship with AAU as a high school coach, and why he never complains to the officials anymore.Thank you for listening! Make sure to rate, review, and subscribe to help us grow this community!Follow Adventist Hoops on Instagram: www.instagram.com/adventisthoops

The vice principal and interim athletic director at Takoma Academy in Maryland shares some of the rich history of TA basketball, going back to a 1964 game with Pine Forge Academy. Eventually because of concerns about competition, TA got away from playing other Adventist schools and instead began to play non-Adventist schools. Keith credits Coach Bob Paulson with building a strong interscholastic basketball program in the 1980’s that set a foundation for the future. Influential in establishing that culture was Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wooten’s annual camp, hosted at Takoma Academy, where TA students got to attend and work the camp, playing with some of the best players in the area. Keith lists off his greatest TA teams and players of all time, and the coaching tree that has come out of the school. He talks about the wealth of talent in the greater DMV area, and how TA’s proximity to other great programs has provided opportunities for non-Adventist players to enroll at Takoma over the years. He shares why they continue to return to the Southwestern Adventist University Hoops Classic each year, and how the girls and boys teams are looking for this next season.Thank you for listening! Make sure to rate, review, and subscribe to help us grow this community!Follow Adventist Hoops on Instagram: www.instagram.com/adventisthoops

This daughter-father duo from Chisholm Trail Academy in Texas talk about their team’s success the past couple of seasons, culminating in championships this season at the Southwestern Adventist University Hoops Classic and their state playoffs. Ally reflects on the dynamics of playing for her dad, Dennis gives advice to parents on interacting with their kids in a healthy way, and they talk about Ally’s cousin, Chloe Griswell, who led the Lady Blazers in scoring this past season as a freshman. Ally shares her experience as a Dallas Mavericks ball kid, what she is working on over the summer as she makes the jump to college basketball at Walla Walla University, and what her recruiting process was like.Thank you for listening! Make sure to rate, review, and subscribe to help us grow this community!Follow Adventist Hoops on Instagram: www.instagram.com/adventisthoops

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Tamir grew up as an Orthodox Jew. He fell in love with the game of basketball and excelled to the point where he was the #25 high school prospect in the country as a 17-year-old. His story became a national headline in places like Time Magazine, 60 minutes, and Sports Illustrated, where he was dubbed the “Jewish Jordan.” This budding fame and media attention led his Jewish school to ask him to play elsewhere for his senior year because it was becoming a distraction. As a devout Jew, his options were limited because of Shabbat observance. Takoma Academy reached out and explained there would be no Sabbath conflicts as an Adventist school, and he transferred. He received a scholarship offer from the University of Maryland with accommodations for Shabbat, but later was told he’d have to play on Sabbath, and eventually signed with Towson University. After a successful freshman year, his coach was fired, and the new coach was not accommodating of Sabbath. Tamir took the opportunity to move to Israel where he played professionally for seven years and still lives to this day.Tamir talks about the difference between Israeli and American players, how the clubs in Europe are preparing more well-rounded players, and his various entrepreneurial ventures. He also shares how the October 7 attacks impacted his family and community, and how basketball helped to provide a little normalcy for families in his area in the aftermath.Thank you for listening! Make sure to rate, review, and subscribe to help us grow this community!Follow Adventist Hoops on Instagram: www.instagram.com/adventisthoops

The boys head coach and athletic director at San Gabriel Academy in southern California gives context to the success his team has experienced in the California Interscholastic Federation in Division 2. Kevin talks about how he grew the program from the lower divisions into a perennial contender at higher divisions. He shares his perspective on playing at the Southwestern Adventist University tournament and talks about one of the top college prospects on his team, Mahamadou Diop. The guys discuss how sports is a character revealer, the influence of retired Walla Walla University AD Tim Windemuth, and how Adventist education could use competitive sports to address declining enrollment numbers across the North American Division.Thank you for listening! Make sure to rate, review, and subscribe to help us grow this community!Follow Adventist Hoops on Instagram: www.instagram.com/adventisthoops

Oakwood University's men's head coach started his basketball journey with OU as a student in the 1980's playing on a touring team that visited churches and conferences, playing host teams as a recruiting tool. From his days with that original Ambassadors team to becoming an assistant and eventually head coach of the men's team in 2015, Simon has sought to keep the spiritual and personal development of his players at the forefront of his teams. For most of his head coaching tenure, OU played in the USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association), and throughout the 2010's made three championship appearances, including two USCAA national championships. That success led to OU joining the NAIA in 2022. Simon talks about the transition to a higher level of competition and how he responds to criticisms about pitfalls of competition and Adventist athletics in general, as well as the recruitment of non-Adventist players. He comments on the annual matchups with Washington Adventist University and how the schools have come to a place of great rapport after an initially contentious matchup. As head athletic director, Simon shares the difficulties of balancing both jobs, and reflects on how recruiting has changed since he first started. The guys talk about the transfer portal, how it is changing college basketball, and may negatively affect opportunities for high school seniors.Thank you for listening! Make sure to rate, review, and subscribe to help us grow this community!Follow Adventist Hoops on Instagram: www.instagram.com/adventisthoops