Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia
A win by the first international team in a higher standard competition marked the fourth annual Adventist Basketball Championship at Avondale, October 19-20.
Jace Roberts measures his jump shot during a Harmon Drive Hawks game at the Adventist Basketball Championship. Credit: Colin Chuang
The Chronicles, founded by members of the Kennington Community Fellowship in London, England, backed up from a week of school visits, exhibition games and a clinic to beat Suns—captained by alumnus Chris Starrett—83-78 in the final. The championship, held in the Chan Shun Auditorium on the Lake Macquarie campus, tested the stamina of the streetball team, which travelled to Australia without any bench players.
Frank’s Fury, captained by alumna Adelle Bottrell, beat Hermanas in the final of a women’s competition that featured the championship’s youngest ever team—Avondale High School finished third.
The championship is developing a reputation not only for its competitiveness but also for its sense of fair play. Those entering (including Jace Roberts, pictured measuring his jump shot during a Harmon Drive Hawks game) “love the game and play passionately,” says organiser Josh Wood, a ministry and theology student at the college of higher education, “but they also enjoy coming together as a faith community.”