02/24/2024
(Posted by Coach Steve White)
This Team
What can you say about this team? Other than it’s special! All the teams that I have been a part of under Coach Brandon Dotson at Augusta Christian Schools have been special. Each one takes on its own personality. Each one goes its own direction and has their own success. This team, though, holds a special place in my heart for so many reasons. I’ve been around a lot of these guys for all three years, some for two, and some just this season. Yet, I feel like we have been a family that has been together for years! This family, that we call the Augusta Christian men’s basketball team, has grown together, laughed together, traveled together, played together, cried together, and flat out has done life together. This team showed up during one of the toughest times in my life. When my mom went in the hospital this past November, who came to visit her and me? When my mom passed away in December, who reached out to me who showed up? This team. These men in training, as Coach Kareem Pratt calls them, showed up for me and my family. They showed up because that’s what we do. I show up for them and they show up for me. You can’t create something like this without the Lord’s hand being on it. I’ve had the pleasure of leading most of these boys in a discipleship small group at Augusta Christian. I’ve had the opportunity to pour into these young men through God‘s Word. I’ve seen huge amount of growth in each of them. Some may think because of our success over the last several years that all we care about is winning championships. That could not be further from the truth. Losing last night’s State Championship hurt. It stung for sure. Yet, the banners we love to raise are young men who have been changed for life. Coach Dotson has created a culture of reaching young men for Jesus and discipling them through a game that we all love. Basketball is just the vessel that God has allowed us to use to pour into young men in order to see them become men of God, who become great husbands and dads. We will forever be family, and nothing will ever take that away! I am blessed to call these coaches, players, and their families, my family! To God be the glory!