Kansas Christian
I’ve known Dr. Jim Poteet for a while now. I think that he recently turned 77 years old. He’s in the NAIA Hall of Fame. He’s the Chair of our recently-created Small College Basketball Alumni Association. He’s now on our Hall of Fame committee. He’s a basketball junkie. A gym rat. He loves our game.
After helping to grow Southwestern Christian (OK) grow the enrollment and the school significantly, he “retired” to move closer to his son and grandkids in the Kansas City area. As such, he was “recruited” to help grow the enrollment at Kansas Christian. He’s serving in multiple capacities, as he advises the President, serves as Vice President for Advancement and Athletics.....but again, he’s a basketball junkie, so you’ll typically find him roaming the sidelines at basketball games.
So he’s been asking me to come to a game.......and this past Thursday, I went...... and I’m sure glad that I did.
The time that I spent at Kansas Christian on Thursday night reminded me of why I love this game.....it’s not just the game itself. It’s the people. It’s the joy it brings. It’s the passion and emotion.
Kansas Christian is a tiny school with a tiny gym. I visited the gym this past Summer, and it was a tile floor with very little room on either side, and a stage at one end. Frankly, it looked like a very old elementary school gym. Dr. Poteet got the job, and went to work......and now they have a very nice wood floor, a nice scoreboard that hangs from the rafters in the middle of the court and they are in the process of updating locker rooms and building additional rooms within the facility. Quickly, they have created quite a home-court advantage, as the fans surround the court on three sides (including the stage).....and, in such a small place, it gets loud, as the sound reverberates. All of the sudden, the place seems to have “character”.
On the night, Kansas Christian took a 52-29 halftime lead, and cruised to a 103-83 win to move to 15-8 on the season (yet the Falcons have only lost once since Myron Wright (6′8″ and a nice player) and Wilkins Desir (fantastic athlete who is a ball of energy) became eligible. The Falcons are members of the NCCAA, and play at the Division II level. It’s only their second year as a team (technically, they had a team many years ago, but they brought back athletics two years ago), and they have a roster that is solely freshman and sophomores. There is a feeling that, if they can finish out the regular season with wins (they won again last night, 124-59, after leading 82-27 at the half, to move to 16-8), that they could earn an at-large bid to the NCCAA Division II Tournament.....possibly.
Here were a few additional observations:
* Dr. Poteet kept talking about what a wonderful group of young men that they had on the team.....and by all indications, the Falcons sure seemed to be having fun. Lots of smiles on their faces throughout the game.
* When Myron Wright went flying through the lane for a thunderous dunk, the fans went crazy. It got LOUD in such a small, intimate gym. Same went for Cordae Bass’ powerful dunk. The tiny gym practically shook.
* Both Rhema Bible and Kansas Christian played hard. Regardless of the level, these guys played with passion, and they really cared.
* I wish that more people could have seen that game......or other games at the NCCAA Division II level. I think that it would change some perceptions. There were some very athletic players on the court, and coaches, players, fans would have seen a good talent level......probably a higher level of talent than they would have expected.
* After the game, both teams and coaches gathered at half court. They put their arms around each other and prayed together. Before the game, there was a prayer.
* The Head Coach of Kansas Christian is a John Janssen. I talked with him after the game, and he talked about how much his players loved each other. While I had met John in the past, I was impressed. As a young coach, he understands the bigger picture quite well, as his heart and thought process is impressive. He told me, “I don’t know how many games we’ll win, but we’re going to love each other.” He’s quite spiritual, and he was kind enough to thank me for coming.
* I was introduced to Justin Strickland, who is in his first year as an assistant coach. Justin played for Culver Stockton, and then came back home to the Kansas City area, and found Kansas Christian. He’s now pursuing a Master’s in Theology from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and he’d like to be a Pastor. His smile is infectious, and he told me that he loves it at Kansas Christian. He says that he loves the players, and he could be there for quite a while. It was enjoyable to see his personal joy.
* The energy level of Jim Poteet is remarkable. I think that there are many people in their 50′s that would be envious of his energy level.
During this season, Dr. Poteet has called many times, and he’s told me, over and over, “This is fun. This is really fun.” Yes, it is. It’s really fun, and I was thrilled to witness the fun, the joy and the energy that came from Dr. Jim Poteet, John Janssen and the players at Kansas Christian College. Thank YOU for reminding me of the joy that our game brings to so many!
