Character real winner of Adventist basketball tournament
Joshua Hamilton
Public relations editorial intern
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia
It began with a vision: using basketball at Avondale College to share Christian values.
Marty Bernard from eventual winners Gold Coast leaps into action during the first Adventist Basketball Championship. Credit: Jared Martin.
Basketball is the most popular sport at Avondale, with more than 400 students playing each week. However, the genesis of the Adventist Basketball Championship, held in the Chan Shun Auditorium this past weekend, came after Avondale accepted an invitation to enter a team into a similar tournament in New Zealand in June this year. This resulted in former Avondale Basketball Association presidents Colin Chuang and Robert Stanton deciding to organise the first Australia-wide Adventist basketball tournament.
It began with an ending, as Colin, a marketing officer at Avondale, closed Sabbath. “If you can live your faith out on the basketball courts, then yes, God cares about basketball because He cares about you. He sent His son, Jesus, to die for us so we could live for Him. That’s why we’re here. But it’s not just on the courts; we’ve got to honour Him in our relationships, in our respect for authority, in the classroom and when we’re at home alone.”
Ten teams from around the country—members of one travelled from Western Australia to play—entered the tournament. They played intensely but with Christian character. Brett Carlsen, a Bachelor of Science student at Avondale who played for South Australia, noted the good sportsmanship, which he attributed to an acknowledgment “we are all brothers in Christ.” Gold Coast won the tournament by defeating Hunter 100-88 in the grand final.
The success of the tournament pleased Colin and Rob. “Basketball was just a bonus,” says Robert. “The social aspect and the spiritual aspect, that was the real high for us.”
The two plan to grow the tournament next year by, among other things, including women’s teams.
Thanks for your response Brenton.
How did the Avondale College team go and what happened with the trip to New Zealand?
Trent
Avondale College did not enter a team into the Adventist Basketball Championship. Rather, Avondale students joined with other players to play for their “home” regions.
Avondale did enter a team into the tournament in New Zealand, although the team did not make the final. The coach of the team, Colin Chuang, describes the friendships made not the games played as the highlight of the trip and notes the former as the motivation for organising the tournament at Avondale.
Kind regards
Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer