The week of March 4 has been added to the weekly schedule page.

The Week of January 20 has been added to the weekly Schedule page.

Foundation

As a part of the development of the OCS basketball program, a few years ago I with the help of my assistant developed an idea to determine who we wanted to be. I saw an article in a coaching magazine discussing the heritage of a program and how they tried to present it to their players. Loved it and used the concept to create our own. It is a coliseum concept with Pillars, Building Blocks, and Foundation. Over the course of the next couple years, with the help of coaches and players, we defined the concepts more and added the scriptures that exemplify the concepts.

As we looked at the Pillar Concept, I felt the foundation was extremely important. What is our foundation in which our entire philosophy stands? Christ! There could be no better foundation for a basketball player that is a Christian. There could be no better foundation for any man. We want everything we do to sit on the principles of God's Word which in the end lead to the work of our Savior Jesus Christ.

As we look at Scripture, we are reminded of the importance of the solid foundation. When Christ is the beginning of the foundation (chief cornerstone) it is even stronger and can help produce a great life for His service.

Matthew 7:24-26

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

Ephesians 2:19-21

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

Our desire is for our players in the end to be WORLD CHANGERS as they take what they have learned to their current generation and also to the next generation.

OCS 58 - WOLL 54

Great come from behind win for the Lancers last night at Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes.

Oakland Press

Great Group of Players

It has been a great start to the season. We are a couple weeks away from our first game, but it has been exciting to see the development to this point. I have a great group of kids that work hard. Don't get me wrong they do have their moments when they have to be "encouraged" to go harder. I'm excited to see how they will mix together as a group as they learn how much they really need each other. If they become a team and learn the system, they could have good year with wins and loses. If they sell out and commit to the greater good of the team, they could have a great season. Obviously, there are many factors that influence a season along the way, but the one thing we have total control of is our effort. If we determine to give a championship effort every night who knows what could happen.

Conditioning

As conditioning sessions have come to an end I was thinking how physical conditioning has common threads with spiritual conditioning. How are they the say?
1. Conditioning is the base on which we develop. As we work our bodies to be more conditioned we have the ability to work on the basketball skills and develop at a higher level. Fatigue does not hold us back. The same is with spirituality. As we focus in on our conditioning, a quite time with God, we create a base on which we can live our everyday lives. We can grow beyond the basics.
2. The conditioning allows us to lengthen our performance. Athletes that never tire are very productive to a team. Those spiritually conditioned can stand longer in the fire of temptation.
3. Those that are physically conditioned will have a greater ability to use their cognitive skills because they will not tire as quickly. They can instruct and guide others in the mist of the battle. Those that are spiritually conditioned will have an answer for different situations. They can have the ability to guide and counsel others spiritually.

The Bible tells us to be ready to give an answer for our faith in 1 Peter 3:15 (But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear) and to be alert in 1 Peter 5:8 (Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour). I know this can be hard as we walk our through our daily lives, but if we condition ourselves we can better live out our spirituality in our daily lives.

It is always fun to see how Christ brings spiritual concepts to mind as we focus on the physical.

Time to Start Again

It is almost that time of year. The best time of year. Time to begin again. We have been working and preparing for this time. On November 12th we will get the great opportunity to start practicing as a team. It is always exciting looking forward to what we could become. There is a ton of potential with this group of players. Once tryouts are complete, we will begin the process of coming together as a team. It should be a great time.