Shows
Adventist PodcastsAdventistHoops - Episode 31 - Aldin Smalling of Basketball Factory - Club basketball in Canada and the personal struggle of playing on Sabbath in universityAfter seeing how his Sabbath observance was honored in high school in Canada, and the potential he saw in Adventist youth around him as an adult, Aldin and his wife started the Basketball Factory in Calgary, Alberta. Their club teams play in high level tournaments across the country, maintain an Adventist code of conduct, and don’t play on the Sabbath.Aldin talks about the logistics of running traveling teams, the openness of tournament organizers to schedule games around the Sabbath, and the opportunities he’s seen to witness. He explains the club’s annual schedule, and ma...2025-06-2540 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 31 - Aldin Smalling of Basketball Factory - Club basketball in Canada and the personal struggle of playing on Sabbath in universityAfter seeing how his Sabbath observance was honored in high school in Canada, and the potential he saw in Adventist youth around him as an adult, Aldin and his wife started the Basketball Factory in Calgary, Alberta. Their club teams play in high level tournaments across the country, maintain an Adventist code of conduct, and don’t play on the Sabbath.Aldin talks about the logistics of running traveling teams, the openness of tournament organizers to schedule games around the Sabbath, and the opportunities he’s seen to witness. He explains the club’s annual schedule, and ma...2025-06-2540 minAdventist PodcastsAdventistHoops - Episode 30 - Evan Willis & Reggie Todd - Adventist travel club basketball and playing D1 without compromising SabbathPastor Willis shares how he was inspired to create the Northeast Stingers basketball club through his church in North Carolina, and how it’s grown to include multiple age groups and out-of-state tournaments. Head Coach Reggie Todd shares how they fill their schedule, some of the challegnges of coaching a club, and how the experience has benefitted the kids as athletes and young men. They share their 2025 experience at the Newmyer Classic at Andrews University, how they’ve secured funding for their travels, and advice for others out there who see a need to give Adventist kids more experience.2025-06-0956 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 30 - Evan Willis & Reggie Todd - Adventist travel club basketball and playing D1 without compromising SabbathPastor Willis shares how he was inspired to create the Northeast Stingers basketball club through his church in North Carolina, and how it’s grown to include multiple age groups and out-of-state tournaments. Head Coach Reggie Todd shares how they fill their schedule, some of the challegnges of coaching a club, and how the experience has benefitted the kids as athletes and young men. They share their 2025 experience at the Newmyer Classic at Andrews University, how they’ve secured funding for their travels, and advice for others out there who see a need to give Adventist kids more experience.2025-06-0956 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 29 - Carla Monnier - A driveby shooting changed her life forever, but she’s reconnected with her basketball past as an assistant for the Forest Lake Academy girlsCarla shares her basketball journey, from her early days in Maryland playing at Beltsville Adventist School, to a storied high school career at Mesa Grande Academy in California, followed by a challenging college campaign at Pacific Union College. She recounts the horrific, seemingly random shooting she fell victim to while living in Florida that resulted in a spinal cord injury, leaving her in a wheelchair. She describes the feeling of loss, how her life changed, and her journey back to the court as an assistant for the Forest Lake Academy girls. She talks about the practical realities of coaching in...2025-05-1233 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 28 - Caleb Allen - Advent SportsThe founder of a new company called “Advent Sports” talks about his basketball journey from a small Adventist school in Oregon to playing college ball at Union College (now Union Adventist University), coaching at Campion Academy in Colorado, and eventually serving as an assistant for the women’s team at Walla Walla University (WWU). The guys discuss the ideal number of weekly basketball activities for high school players and how that differs in college, and Caleb talks about how a growing number of Adventist colleges are prioritizing athletics by finding outside money and gaining community support. He explains how his lo...2025-04-1134 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 27 - Ethan Lowe - La Sierra University’s Men’s Head Coach on building a championship program, a historic season 23-24 season, and why he still wears a suit to gamesLa Sierra University’s men’s head coach shares his college basketball coaching journey, which began at the age of 22 under the guidance of his dad at a community college in Southern California. He later joined the staff at Hope International, a top-ranked NAIA program where we worked for five years before getting the opportunity at LSU. Ethan talks about the lasting coaching wisdom from his father, his team's historic conference run in only his second year, and the value he puts on playing NCAA competition (at the time of this recording, LSU had played five D1 opponents in the...2025-03-3131 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 26 - Lucio Camacho - Loma Linda Academy AD and girls head coach on working at smaller Adventist schools at previous stops versus now at the largest in North America.Lucio is the athletic director and girls head coach at Loma Linda Academy in California, the largest Seventh-day Adventist school in North America. His career in education began at now-closed San Pasqual Academy, where he started their sports program. He spent 15 years at Mesa Grande Academy, and Loma Linda until today.Lucio talks about the challenges of building a program at a boarding academy where kids leave for extended spans of time, and how he has supported and mentored his coaches throughout his career until today. The guys discuss some of the Mesa Grande Academy girls...2024-11-2940 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 25 - Jared Rusher - Andrews University men's head coach on casting a vision and shifting culture.As a first-year head coach for Andrews University, Jared talks about his vision for the program, which he acknowledges has struggled recently. He talks about his experience with shifting culture and mentality at his prior stops at a Michigan junior college and high school. His father coached at Andrews as a kid, and Jared played for the Cardinals for one season in college, so taking this position is a full circle moment for him.He talks about the differences of coaching at a junior college versus a four-year university, the challenges of recruiting for a rebuilding...2024-10-2737 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 24 - College Recruiting and Scholarships - Why don’t Adventist colleges offer full athletic scholarships? How can we compete with other schools that do? What kind of return on investment do universities need to see?Why don’t Adventist colleges offer full athletic scholarships? How can we compete with other schools that do? What kind of return on investment do our university administrators need to see to invest more heavily in athletic scholarships? This episode features our first-ever panel as we discuss a topic that many people think about, but may not have the context to fully understand the realities that our colleges deal with. To help us in this discussion, Dustin is joined by Javier Krumm, Athletic Director at La Sierra University, Joy Hirdler, Vice President of Financial Administration at Pacific Union College, an...2024-09-0253 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 23 - Tim McGuire - Pro ball in MadagascarCurrently living in Madagascar, Tim played for a local professional club there, and owns a social business called "Tour One Planet" that connects tourists directly to local businesses. He describes his start in basketball as a freshman at Pine Tree Academy in Maine, gaining motivation as he saw individual success at the since-closed Atlantic Union College tournament. He gained experience as a practice player at Washington Adventist University before transferring to Andrews and playing two years. His last season at Andrews he enrolled in a masters program, which in his words, was the least expensive at AU and allowed...2024-08-2042 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 22 - Kelvin Green - Playing D1 with Sabbath accommodations and ending up on ESPN's Cold Pizza show.Kelvin Green is a lifelong Seventh-day Adventist who played 1.5 seasons for Division 1 Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland, during which time, he did not have to play on the Sabbath. Kelvin talks about the blessings of his time there, and the tensions that grew because of his Sabbath agreement. Ultimately as Kelvin saw more success, he ended up on ESPN’s Cold Pizza morning show, talking about his Sabbath observance and the team dynamics at play with that unique situation. After this, Kelvin transferred to Division 2 California University of Pennsylvania to finish his playing career.Kelvin re...2024-08-0743 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 21 - Landon Banks - Pacific Union College men's and women’s head coach on building a new foundation and challenges of coaching two teams at once.The new men's and women’s head coach at Pacific Union College talks about his basketball journey from Takoma Academy (TA), all the way across the country to his current job in Angwin. Along the way he’s played and coached at Southwestern Adventist University, and coached at the high school level at TA and public schools in Arizona.Landon shares his plan for building a foundation for the program at PUC, talks about the challenges he’ll face in coaching two collegiate teams at once, and what his first orders of business have been. Being hired...2024-07-3031 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 20 - Kenny Johnston - Sacramento Adventist Academy’s athletic director and girls head coach on building a program.Sacramento Adventist Academy’s athletic director and girls head coach talks about how he got into coaching as a student missionary in Micronesia, and how he’s built one of the best Adventist girls basketball programs in the country. The guys discuss the proud tradition of SAA basketball, including joining the state athletic association in 2001, and what the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoff structure looks like now.Kenny reflects on his team’s section championship run in 2023-2024, including a regional final four appearance, and the long-term goal-setting and milestones that have been a part of his plan to...2024-07-191h 01AdventistHoopsEpisode 19 - Keith Beckett - Takoma Academy basketball history with vice principal/interim athletic director, which goes back to the 1960's! The vice principal and interim athletic director at Takoma Academy in Maryland shares some of the rich history of TA basketball, going back to a 1964 game with Pine Forge Academy. Eventually because of concerns about competition, TA got away from playing other Adventist schools and instead began to play non-Adventist schools. Keith credits Coach Bob Paulson with building a strong interscholastic basketball program in the 1980’s that set a foundation for the future. Influential in establishing that culture was Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wooten’s annual camp, hosted at Takoma Academy, where TA students got to attend and work...2024-07-1335 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 18 - Ally and Dennis Haslam - Daughter-father duo from Chisholm Trail Academy talk dynamics of playing for and coaching each other.This daughter-father duo from Chisholm Trail Academy in Texas talk about their team’s success the past couple of seasons, culminating in championships this season at the Southwestern Adventist University Hoops Classic and their state playoffs. Ally reflects on the dynamics of playing for her dad, Dennis gives advice to parents on interacting with their kids in a healthy way, and they talk about Ally’s cousin, Chloe Griswell, who led the Lady Blazers in scoring this past season as a freshman. Ally shares her experience as a Dallas Mavericks ball kid, what she is working on over the summer...2024-06-2744 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 17 - Tamir Goodman - From the Sports Illustrated cover to Takoma Academy, the "Jewish Jordan" talks Sabbath observance and October 7 attacks.A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Tamir grew up as an Orthodox Jew. He fell in love with the game of basketball and excelled to the point where he was the #25 high school prospect in the country as a 17-year-old. His story became a national headline in places like Time Magazine, 60 minutes, and Sports Illustrated, where he was dubbed the “Jewish Jordan.” This budding fame and media attention led his Jewish school to ask him to play elsewhere for his senior year because it was becoming a distraction. As a devout Jew, his options were limited because of Shabbat observance. Takoma...2024-06-0626 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 16 - Leslie Aragon - Resigning from Orangewood Academy after building one of the best Adventist programs in the country.After 19 years at Orangewood Academy as one of the most successful Seventh-day Adventist basketball coaches in the game, Leslie resigned from his position as athletic director and head girls coach on March 22, 2024. Many in the community felt he was unjustly pushed out, resulting in more than a thousand signatures on an online petition in support of the school retaining him. Leslie shares his background growing up in the Church, attending Orangewood as a student, and how he built up such a successful athletic program over the years. He reflects on some of the accomplishments he’s most proud of, from...2024-05-311h 02AdventistHoopsEpisode 15 - Kevin McCloskey - San Gabriel Academy's boys coach on building one of the top Adventist programs in the country, how Adventist education could use competitive sports to address declining enrollment. and The boys head coach and athletic director at San Gabriel Academy in southern California gives context to the success his team has experienced in the California Interscholastic Federation in Division 2. Kevin talks about how he grew the program from the lower divisions into a perennial contender at higher divisions. He shares his perspective on playing at the Southwestern Adventist University tournament and talks about one of the top college prospects on his team, Mahamadou Diop. The guys discuss how sports is a character revealer, the influence of retired Walla Walla University AD Tim Windemuth, and how A...2024-05-241h 02AdventistHoopsEpisode 14 - Simon Jacob - Oakwood University's men's head coach discusses USCAA championships, pitfalls of competition, and recruitment of non-Adventist players.Oakwood University's men's head coach started his basketball journey with OU as a student in the 1980's playing on a touring team that visited churches and conferences, playing host teams as a recruiting tool. From his days with that original Ambassadors team to becoming an assistant and eventually head coach of the men's team in 2015, Simon has sought to keep the spiritual and personal development of his players at the forefront of his teams. For most of his head coaching tenure, OU played in the USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association), and throughout the 2010's made three championship appearances, in...2024-05-1556 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 13 - Seth Fogg - North Tampa Christian Academy’s athletic director on how the school became one of the top Adventist programs in the country.North Tampa Christian Academy’s athletic director talks about his experience joining a brand new school in 2019 with a blank slate on which to build an athletic program. Over the past several years, NTCA has become the best overall Adventist basketball program in the country; in the 2023-2024 AdventistHoops post-season rankings, the boys were ranked #1 and the girls were #3 for Adventist teams. Seth talks about this transformation and his role in supporting the coaches and players that have come in, as well as the media and recruiting attention garnered by some of the student athletes there. He also shares hi...2024-05-0842 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 12 - Tyler Wooldridge - Southwestern Adventist University’s men’s head coach talks about playing in the NCCAA, and why he takes his team to play a division one NCAA school every year.Southwestern Adventist University’s men’s head coach talks about playing in the NCCAA, success at an Adventist round-robin tournament at Union College this year, and why he takes his team to play a division one NCAA school every year. The guys discuss how difficult it is to try to coach more than one team in a season, as Tyler did early in his career, and what it’s like organizing the largest Adventist academy tournament in the world with around 50 teams coming each year to the Hoops Classic. Dustin rants about the importance of Adventist college...2024-05-0346 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 11 - Andrew Vaughan - Walla Walla University junior guard on playing AAU without compromising Sabbath, and why some higher-level Adventist academy teams don't come to the Adventist tournamentsWalla Walla University junior guard Andrew Vaughan came out of the proud tradition at Portland Adventist Academy, but also emphasizes how important his experiences outside of Adventist basketball were to get him to where he's at today. Without compromising his Sabbath beliefs, he found ways to participate in AAU and The Grind Session (an elite prep basketball circuit), which helped him to make the jump to the college game. He's proud to play for a Seventh-day Adventist university, and gives advice to younger Adventist players on how to reach the next level.Andrew reflects on the...2024-03-2341 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 10 - Blake and Braden Essex - Union College brother tandem talk childhood battles, motivating each other today, and advice for young Adventist hoopersBrothers Blake and Braden Essex play for Union College ("Union Adventist University" starting in May 2024) in Nebraska. Their basketball journey has gone from playing together in Colorado at Mile High Academy, to living apart when Blake started college at Union and Braden moved to Texas, to being reunited on the court again this season at Union.The Essex boys talk about their basketball influences growing up, what their childhood driveway battles were like, and how they motivate each other on the court today. They share how the Warriors season is going this year as an independent...2024-01-1239 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 9 - Michael Brown - Third-year guard for Washington Adventist University talks SWAU Hoops Classic and playing against brother in annual WAU—Oakwood gameWashington Adventist University Shock third-year guard Michael Brown shares his experience growing up in the DMV and attending both Spencerville and Takoma Academies in Maryland. He shares his favorite high school accomplishments, including playing alongside his older brother for two years, and attending the Southwestern Adventist University Hoops Classic five years in a row. Mike reflects on why he decided to attend WAU even though his brother chose Oakwood, what the experience was like to play against his brother in the annual Oakwood vs WAU game, and what the transition to the college game was like...2024-01-0440 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 8 - KiAndre Gaddy - Adventist playing D1 at Tarleton State in TX and how Walla Walla University helped him get thereKiAndre Gaddy currently plays for NCAA Division 1 Tarleton State University in Texas. Previously he played at Walla Walla University after finishing his high school career at North Dallas Adventist Academy. In 10th grade, everything changed for KiAndre when he went from playing middle linebacker in New Jersey, to moving across the country to Dallas, Texas, and playing organized basketball for the first time. He also started going to church and became a Seventh-day Adventist, attending the Dallas Fellowship Church with his mom and relatives. KiAndre talks about how raw he was as a sophomore at North Dallas, and how...2023-12-1832 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 7 - Kevin Mitchell - La Sierra University Women's Head Coach - Training Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid, importance of Adventist colleges playing D1 schoolsKevin Mitchell has coached at numerous levels of basketball, and has extensive experience in skill development as a trainer. He’s worked with youth players all the way up to NBA players like Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid through “Pure Sweat” and trainer Drew Hanlen, one of the top NBA trainers in the game. Kevin was the California Pacific Conference Coach of the Year in 2020, when he led the La Sierra University women to the conference tournament. The guys discuss the current state of skill development and how much preparation should go into, not only each workou...2023-12-151h 16AdventistHoopsEpisode 6 - Jered Lyons - Washington Adventist University Women's Head Coach - Playing for non-Adventist schools, running distinctively Adventist program while recruiting non-AdventistsJered Lyons' journey has come full circle. Born at Washington Adventist Hospital, he grew up Seventh-day Adventist while playing high school and college ball at non-Adventist schools that were accommodating of the Sabbath. He now serves at Washington Adventist University's athletic director and women's head coach, where he's been since 2014.With a background in communications and design, Jered brought his multimedia skills to WAU's program, and since then, along with his staff, he has continued to elevate the program's brand with professional photography, communications, and video.Jered talks about the legacy of the...2023-12-1552 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 5 - Brandon Broome - Walla Walla University Men's Head Coach - USCAA national champion, theoretical Adventist all-star team in NCAA D1, transitioning from player to coachBrandon Broome joins the podcast to share his basketball journey that has led him to become the men's basketball head coach at Walla Walla University. Brandon won a USCAA national championship as a player in 2008 for Oakwood University, and talks about the challenges of transitioning to coaching after playing at a high level. Brandon discusses some of the hurdles that prevent Adventist colleges from signing more Adventist players, and talks about the great talents that exist in Adventist basketball. The guys ponder what an Adventist mega-team could accomplish at the NCAA Division 1 level, and celebrate some...2023-12-1540 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 4 - Jerry McFarland - Washington Adventist University Men's Head Coach - Coaching future NBA players, wins over NCAA D1 programs, supporting Adventist basketballJerry McFarland joins the podcast to talk about his basketball journey that finds him as men's basketball head coach at Washington Adventist University. Jerry has more than 30 years of experience, including coaching future NBA players in AAU and four years as head coach at Takoma Academy in Maryland, among other stops. Jerry reflects on how the game has changed from when he played, and touches on his program's success since his arrival as an assistant coach seven years ago, including two wins over NCAA Division 1 opponents. Though he is not Seventh-day Adventist himself, Jerry shares his...2023-12-1545 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 3 - Drew Mekelburg - Union College Men's Head Coach - Challenges of being both AD and head coach, how to build peopleUnion College men's basketball head coach Drew Mekelburg joins Dustin Comm to talk about recruiting, traditional basketball skill instruction that is changing, and the challenges of serving as both a basketball coach and athletic director.Drew is going into his fifth year as head coach in Lincoln, and shares his goals of building up young people in the form of legendary Union basketball figure, Ron Dodds. He also talks strategy about his Warriors team going into this '23-'24 campaign and how they feature 6'9" star post player Blake Essex in the offense....2023-12-1539 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 2 - Tony Nakashima - Walla Walla University's Women's Head Coach - NAIA National Champion, video coordination at Kentucky, how to close the skill gap in Adventist basketballWalla Walla University women's head coach Tony Nakashima joins Dustin Comm to share his coaching journey, from winning a NAIA National Championship with University of Montana Western to serving as a video coordinator at the University of Kentucky, and how those experiences have formed him as he now leads the WWU Wolves.Tony reflects on how he's matured as a coach, how we can close the skill/experience gap in Adventist basketball, his strategies in recruiting, and how he approaches the scouting of upcoming opponents.Thank you for listening! Make sure to subscribe...2023-12-1438 minAdventistHoopsEpisode 1 - Kia Williams - Andrews University Women's Head Coach returns to her alma mater and talks qualities in prospectsAndrews University's first-year women's head coach, Kia Williams, joins Dustin Comm to talk about expectations heading into her first season at her alma mater. Williams played for the Cardinals for four years, was an assistant coach for two years, and now takes the reins at the helm.Williams talks about the strongest quality she looks for in prospective recruits, why one of her top priorities in her first year is making sure her athletes get the recognition they deserve, and potentially using Adventist high school tournaments as recruiting grounds.Thank you for listening...2023-12-1422 min