We were able to start our very first basketball teams this year!

Under Coach Dennis Aldy’s leadership, we pulled enough boys together to have both JV and Varsity teams! Many of our players were inexperienced but willing to learn, and Coach was able to lead the team through many victories! He brought every player back to the basics of footwork, ball handling, and shooting to help them build a strong foundation. Along the way, he helped each of them find a new meaning in the word “team;” Coach made sure the boys all operated as a team and trusted  each other, both in practices and games. Our seniors, Ryan Charles, Nathan Kind, Bryan Scott, Jacob Ramos, Tyler Collings, and Samuel Thekkekara all helped lead their teammates as well. They stepped up to lead the team on the court according to Coach’s direction.

On our senior night, Coach Aldy was able to spend 2-3 minutes talking about each senior. He highlighted each of their strengths and praised them all for the strong men they were becoming. He said he was blessed to have this group in the first Daniel Academy team because they made it so much easier to start and coach the group!

Starting the basketball team this year was a journey of faith from start to finish. We started scheduling games later than we should have, which meant that many of the schools already had full schedules. Gyms that we were hoping to use for practices and games were either already booked or way too expensive, and the lack of knowledge as to what went into starting a basketball team on our part made the whole process difficult! However, we trusted Jesus through it all and He provided everything we needed plus some!

We are so grateful to everyone who came to any of our home games, and especially to Coach Aldy and his family for pouring their time and resources into our school as well. We’re so proud of our first team ever for winning a good majority of their games, and we trust that the Lord is going to help us build more on this foundation! The boys came together in unity and leadership both on and off the court, and we trust and pray it will only get better.

 

By Becca Fraser