Community key to success of Adventist Basketball Championship
Andrew Parker
Public relations editorial intern
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia
Thirty-four games, 13 teams, two days, one goal: to bring teams from across Australia together, not just to play basketball, but to develop community and experience Christian values.
The second Adventist Basketball Championship, held in the Chan Shun Auditorium on Avondale College of Higher Education’s Lake Macquarie campus October 22-23, included teams from Avondale, the Gold Coast, Kempsey, Melbourne and Western Australia.
For the first time, the championship featured a women’s competition, with most valuable player Adelle Bottrell, a Bachelor of Business student, leading Opals to a 43-32 win against Multeasers in the final.
In the men’s final, reigning champions Gold Coast Waves beat a resilient Melbourne—who defeated an injured Avondale in the quarter finals—112-86. Waves gained their winning lead in the third quarter after scores were level at halftime. The teams then treated fans with entertaining displays of athleticism, with players on each side allowing players on the other to show off their best slam dunks.
The fans created a good atmosphere over the weekend, with chants of encouragement for good play or of motivation to get their team back into the game.
Avondale men’s team member Josh Hamilton enjoyed sharing with others passion for the sport and for God. “I learnt not only more about basketball but more about myself and my walk with God through the way others were treated on and off the court,” he says.
Organiser Jared Benard, president of the Avondale Student Association, hopes fans and players take away “a positive experience of coming to Avondale and playing in the Adventist Basketball Championship.”