Phoenix Basketball 2024 Season Comes to Close

We wanted to take a moment to recognize the achievements of our basketball teams and coaches for the 2023-2024 season. Our athletes and coaches have shown dedication, skill, and perseverance this season, and we are proud to acknowledge their performances.

The 2023-2024 jr high boys basketball team, coached by Ben Young and Teeyha Campbell.

First, we wanted to congratulate the Jr. High boy's team, led by coaches Ben Young and Teeyha Campbell. With a record of 16-4, they secured a second-place finish in the TSIAA conference, showcasing their talent and teamwork on the court.

Next, the JV Girl's and Boy's teams, with coaches Jen Nyago, Shaun Galford, and Isaiah Aaseby played an independent schedule that allowed them to elevate their game, providing invaluable experience and development opportunities that will shape their future contributions to our basketball program. The JV Girl’s team still has a couple of tournaments left to play in February and March.

Special recognition goes to our Varsity boy's team, led by coaches Andrew Bartlett, Isaiah Aaseby, and Stephen Ownby. They reached the semi-final game of the division 2 state playoffs, a testament to their hard work, skill, and determination throughout the season.

The 2023-2024 boys varsity basketball team, coached by Isaiah Aaseby, Andrew Bartlett, and Stephen Ownby.

We also want to honor our seniors, Antonio Thomas and Justice Garner, who have been integral members of our basketball program for all four years. Their leadership, dedication, and talent have left a lasting mark on our program, and we are very proud of their contributions.

We extend our sincerest gratitude to our senior captains, all our players, coaches, and loyal Phoenix fans whose support contributed to our teams’ successes throughout the season.

Some notable individual highlights of the season were the following (pictured left to right):

• Elam Littleton received All-State honors with the TSIAA

• Caleb Muñoz was awarded the Star of the Game for the Jr. High Championship game

• Justice Garner's record-breaking performance, scoring 32 points in a single game on senior night.

We look forward to the continued success of our basketball program in the years to come. Together, we will continue to rise as the Academy for GOD Phoenix!

Congratulations once again to all our teams and coaches on the 2023-2024 season!

Embracing Holistic Development: Unlocking the Potential of Student-Athletes

This year we celebrated the Academy’s 10th anniversary. Like many schools, our athletic program has played an important role in the lives of our students and seen some significant successes! Since our establishment in 2013, our school athletic program has produced championship teams, celebrated all-conference players and league MVPs, and garnered admiration from players, families, and fans alike. However, what truly sets us apart is our holistic approach to player development. “We are not solely trying to build athletes,” says head soccer coach, Jason Roufs. “We’re trying to build well-rounded individuals who enjoy sports, who aren’t afraid to engage in sports as adults, and who have the understanding, strength and coordination.” Our philosophy revolves around the belief that by encouraging student-athletes to participate in multiple sports until the age of 16, we foster comprehensive growth, strength-building, intellectual maturation, and the development of invaluable life skills.

Coach Roufs (far right) celebrates an incredible 2023 soccer season with his high school team after they finished as runner-up in the division tournament.

A key biblical passage for Coach Roufs comes from Ephesians 4:1-13. This text highlights the many various roles that are required for a well-functioning team. “Sports culture celebrates just a few positions. Look at the stats that are kept: most points scored, most assists, or most saves. But what gets overlooked is how every single player plays an integral part. The life skill to be learned is that the goal is not for everyone to become the highest scorer: the goal is to figure out your giftings and the role that you play best, and contribute that to the success of the team.” 

Phoenix athletes participate in cross-country, volleyball, basketball, and soccer. At the heart of all these sports are two key values: 1) giving one’s whole heart and energy to the learning process, and 2) embracing mistakes as integral to growth. We acknowledge the reality that sports are temporary. Even if a student wants to go pro, it will be a temporary season in their life. But what the students will always take with them is the attitude of approaching every practice time, every game, with focus and whole-heartedness. Mistakes are normal. Necessary, in fact. What is to be celebrated is the humility and resilience to push through mistakes and come out stronger on the other side. 

A great example of that this year was freshman Camden Cole, who nervously tried out for the Phoenix soccer team. Unsure as to whether or not he had the skills and experience to be on the team, coaches encouraged him to to try out, and he made the team. “At the beginning of the season I placed him all over the field, to figure out his skill set. He started out as an outside mid, then forward, then outside back,” Coach Roufs shared. “By the end of the year he was our starting goal-keeper, filling a crucial need on the team.” Camden’s coaches and teammates alike were impressed with his unwavering commitment and willingness to step into a very difficult position. “That’s the kind of person we need in our athletic program. People who are willing to give their all for the team, and trust their coaches to place them in whatever position best serves the team.”

Coach Olson instructs his high school volleyball team during a regular season match. Learning to trust the authority and direction of a coach is emphasized in our sports program.

Junior Moriah Olson says that sports have offered her valuable life lessons on leadership: “One of the key values I have learned through Phoenix sports is that leaders are servants. I have been playing volleyball longer than my other teammates and so naturally I have been put into a leadership position over the past 3 years. As a result, I have had to learn that being a leader is more than just instructing and correcting others, but it is about making sure your team is doing well as a whole (spiritually, interpersonally, interpersonally, academically, etc.). It’s about sacrificing your time and energy for the betterment of the team.”

Jr High basketball player, Nanozi Nyago, takes a free throw during a semifinal tournament game. Nanozi is learning to take lessons from her bible classes and apply them to her team dynamic and skill development as a basketball player.

Phoenix athletes also learn how scripture applies to every aspect of their lives, both on and off the court. 7th grader Nanozi Nyago says this has been the most valuable lesson she’s learned in her athletic experience with the Academy: “A valuable lesson I have learned playing with our athletics program that I have carried into other areas of my life is biblical application. Our coaches have taught me and my teammates how to apply scripture to any situation, good or bad. I’ve been able to apply this value to academic, social, spiritual, and emotional situations.” 

Moriah Olson further emphasized this point.  “A verse that Coach Olson often brings up on the court is ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭14‬. In volleyball, it is important that we have what’s called “a short memory”, where we learn and then move on from the mistake we made. It is a fast paced game and each rally ends in a mistake (made by your team or the opposing team). This verse is a great metaphor for the game of volleyball but it’s great for life too and I have learned to apply that “short memory” in school, at home, and with my friends. Mistakes are going to be made, it’s a part of being human, but when we can learn from them and then move on, it is going to do a lot more good than holding on or feeling shame for the mistake made.

Off-season training has begun for the 2023-2024 year for Phoenix athletes! Students are preparing to take the court and field again, representing their school and the Lord. We hope to see you there cheering them on!

7 Benefits of Enrolling Your Child in Elementary Sports

With the early morning games, commutes to practice, and trying to remember which kid is playing at which location on which week, you may be wondering if elementary sports is worth the hassle, especially when you could just enroll them in Saturday morning cartoons instead. But don’t worry, the benefit is worth way more than just the participation trophy they’ll get. There are plenty of great reasons to sign your kids up for athletics, even when they are still young. 

1. Physical Fitness

Academy students can begin participating in the Phoenix soccer program as they reach upper elementary school. Developmental teams allow for students to progress in their skills through practices.

Obviously, one of the first benefits that pops into most people’s minds is the physical training they receive. Kids involved in sports are given opportunities to improve their balance, coordination, and agility, all of which have benefits that exceed far beyond their time on the field or court. It begins helping kids get in tune with their bodies, which is advantageous for setting them up for a healthy lifestyle in the future. 

2. Develop Friendships

Sports are a great way for kids to deepen their friendships with their peers. It provides fun, structured activity which allows them to add a new dynamic to their relationships as they bond over a shared interest. 

3. Learn Teamwork

Outside of developing friendships, sports often include elements of teamwork which help kids learn how to better collaborate with others. Organized sports give participants a chance to work together to meet a common goal (by scoring a goal). 

4. Observe Personal Growth

Another reason sports are good for a kid's development is because it allows them to see their growth. Whether it is comparing their past and current cross-country meet times or noticing how much further they can kick the ball than during their first practice, athletics allows children to better understand how hard work can pay off as they recognize the progress they make. It encourages them to try and to look for potential in themselves. 

The elementary boys cross-country team took home a first place team championship along with several individual runner awards.

5. Prove You’re Their Biggest Fan
As their parent, you already are their biggest fan, but athletic events give you an appropriate venue to cheer for them as loud as you want. It allows you to see how they act in a different environment, which can help you learn them better, and it also gives you and your kid shared experiences which they will remember as they get older.  

6. Learn a Skill

Learning a skill not only boosts one’s self-esteem, but can make participation in that activity all the more enjoyable. Their knowledge and skills connected with that sport can be a source of confidence for them as it helps build a part of their identity. 

7. Life Lessons

We know it's cliché, but sports really do teach kids life lessons. It can be used as an analogy to help children understand certain concepts which they may not be able to fully grasp detached from an immersive experience. Whether it’s trusting and obeying your coach, enduring through tiredness, training to overcome, or learning to work as a team to accomplish what you couldn’t on your own, there are a plethora of lessons you can communicate to your children through the use of sports, and what better way to teach them than to let them play.