Hoops for Christ is a basketball training ministry using the game to share Jesus & the Gospel.
05/28/2026
Canada 🇨🇦🏀✝️
Amazing tour of camps & coaches clinic with my time in Regina & Saskatoon. So impactful & as I always say “Basketball is Ministry.”
Thank you for the kingdom partnership through the game Andrew & HoopLife.
05/20/2026
The “unholy trinity of basketball” is shame, guilt, and doubt. These three hidden forces quietly steal a coach/player’s confidence, freedom, and joy. I just returned from a powerful event in Jackson, TN & want to unpack this revelation myself & Coach Matt Sanders experienced.
The unholy trinity has a message many of us know: Shame says, “I’m not good enough.” Guilt says, “I messed up again.” Doubt says, “Can I really do this?” When these voices control you, you begin to coach or play tight, scared, hesitant, and overly focused on mistakes instead of trusting what you already know & are capable of.
The real growth begins when we learn to separate their identity from their performance. Your identity is not rooted in your performance but in what God says about you & how beloved you are. Turning off the scoreboard & internally at rest with Abba. That is where freedom starts and that is where the real coach/player begins to show up.
I will be unpacking this on weekly community zoom call tomorrow 5/21 (details below). Also at a basketball coaches clinic this weekend 5/22 in Regina, Canada with 🏀✝️
🌎Join us for this powerful community call...
5/21, Thurs.
3pm est / 12pm pst
đź”—Zoom link inside the skool community
Link in Bio:
https://www.skool.com/jesus
05/18/2026
We can't wait to be back in the Philippines!
Phil Morrison is back with us, and we're stoked to welcome PBA player Keith Datu to the floor. A few more names still to come. Stay tuned.
Every coach has a platform. The question is what you do with it. The game has an origin many have forgotten. God inspired this game. Come experience basketball through that lens.
July 11, 2026 | CCF Center Pasig
9AM – 3PM
350 PHP
Limited spots. Link below.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdVXq4zk3VBphYD1u4bQcMX5mv_f29Q5xOA8h42-6fXdWdF0g/viewform?usp=header
Make Different Normal
Pruning & Surrender….
I want to be clear, there are ways to love people up close & at a distance. But there are seasons you will have to walk alone or with a very small circle. Pruning seasons especially. 🙏🏀✝️
Thank you to the & Alex Banks JR Slaughter
Basketball is a universal language but not an identity. I used to live for basketball like it was my god, I bought into all the lies (Ball is Life). I went far with it too, high school championships, College All-American & even Overseas Pro playing all over the world.
But when your whole identity, happiness & self worth is wrapped up in how you perform it’s a roller coaster of emotions. Mostly disappointment, perfectionism & depression. But this is why so many feel trapped inside their sport…
The game is beautiful in so many ways but we’ve lost the true design of basketball/sports. Basketball is not an identity, it’s actually a gift & ministry to us. It brings people together & brings people to God. Basketball was created in 1891 by Dr. Naismith to actually be a ministry and discipleship tool. 🙌
Pull up to any country in the world, different languages, different culture…. But they love to hoop. You can connect right there. Basketball is a Mission field.🏀✝️🌎
👉Join our “Basketball Missions Community” online to connect, get equipped & encouraged. Hundreds from all over the world meeting weekly, praying, testimonies, opportunities for bball missions trips & weekend events. Link in my Bio & here:
https://www.skool.com/jesus/about?ref=ed56b732e12448f1a0d63aab1b73e345
Do you know what’s amazing about basketball/sports… it gives access to the heart & soul of people. Today from 8am-8pm I literally spoke to hundreds of different people from Louisville, Russia, Philippines, etc all because of basketball. It was about marriage, about shooting mechanics, missions trips, a funeral, playing overseas, healing, kids, life & yet the connector was basketball.
This evening I was in the gym training players. One specifically came to me for shooting. We ended up speaking about identity & deeper internal doubts. This led to a revelation about his self worth & identity was beyond his performance. “As a man thinks, so he will become.”
Basketball is Ministry 🏀✝️
Let this sink in - 250,000 miles of Roman roads/highways were built & that gave the Apostle Paul incredible ACCESS, INFLUENCE, EFFICIENCY & STRATEGIC ROUTES to spread the Gospel. This applies to basketball/sports…
Yes, the platform of sports & social media give us an even bigger access today. 🌎🏀✝️
👉Connect & Join our Basketball Missions Community on Skool. Link:
https://www.skool.com/jesus/about?ref=ed56b732e12448f1a0d63aab1b73e345
04/16/2026
The best first step...
Every child’s first experience with basketball matters more than most parents realize. It’s not about skill yet—it’s about how they feel. Do they feel confident? Do they feel encouraged? Do they walk away smiling and wanting to come back? That’s why our Beginner Academy is so important. It’s a safe, positive environment where kids aren’t pressured or overwhelmed—they’re guided, encouraged, and built up. They learn the game the right way, at the right pace, surrounded by coaches who truly care. For many kids, this becomes the moment they fall in love with basketball—not because they were pushed, but because they felt confident, capable, and excited.
Beginners Basketball Academy
Saturdays 3p-3:55p
Dates: 4/18, 4/25, 5/2, 5/9, (makeup day 5/16)
@ First Baptist Church Prospect
8911 US-42 Hwy (church next to Gustavos)
Ages: 5-8 (boys/girls)
If your child is just starting basketball, the most important things are that they feel comfortable, have fun, and build confidence. Our Beginner Academy was created specifically for young players who are new to the game or still learning the basics.
We create a positive, encouraging environment where kids can learn at the right pace without feeling overwhelmed. Our coaches are former college and professional players who love teaching the game and know how to connect with young athletes in a way that makes learning both fun and encouraging.
During each session, players will learn the core fundamentals of basketball including:
• Ball handling
• Footwork and coordination
• Layups and shooting basics
• Defense and movement
• Learning how the game actually works
We keep the pace age-appropriate and encouraging, using fun drills and stations so kids stay engaged while they learn. As players grow more comfortable, we gradually introduce simple decision-making games and friendly competition to help them build confidence.
Players are grouped by age and skill level, and we always finish with a confidence-building team huddle and short devotional that reinforces positive character, teamwork, and loving the game.
Many parents tell us this is the perfect first step into basketball because their kids leave smiling, more confident, and excited to come back each week.
Sign up here:
https://hoopsforchrist.org/collections/camps-clinics/products/2025-spring-beginners-academy-copy
Basketball was born in a very specific kind of environment- one where faith, character, and physical discipline were meant to grow together. In 1891, Dr. James Naismith, working under the YMCA, was tasked with creating a game that could shape young men in the dead of winter. It had to be something active, but also purposeful.
The goal wasn’t just entertainment, it was formation. Something that built teamwork, self-control, respect, leadership and unity. In that sense, basketball wasn’t just invented in a gym—it was shaped in a culture that believed the body and soul could be trained together. It was modeled after discipleship.
Jesus had his 12 disciples. A coach would have 12 players. Basketball is Ministry.
From that humble beginning, the game didn’t stay local for long. It traveled fast through YMCA networks like wildfire, carried by teachers, missionaries, and educators who saw it as more than a sport—it was a tool for connection and character wherever it went. Across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America, hoops went up in schoolyards and church grounds, and the game began to speak a universal language: movement, teamwork, and shared purpose.
Today, from dusty outdoor courts around the world to the bright lights of the NBA, NCAA & Euroleagues basketball has become one of the world’s great global games—but if you trace it back far enough, you still find those early roots: a simple idea, formed in a Christian educational mission, that a game could help shape the whole person.
Today we are taking the game back to its origins & roots 🏀✝️ Join us & connect… “Basketball Missions Community” on Skool:
https://www.skool.com/jesus/about