Eagle JV squad to take on UNC, January 20
By Heidi Heater, a sophomore from Jackson, Ky.
WILMORE, KY— While most are dreaming of a white Christmas and gifts under their tree, the Asbury College Men’s JV basketball team is dreaming of playing the University of North Carolina’s JV team in Chapel Hill on Jan. 20, 2007.
It isn’t every day a NAIA Division II college gets to take on an NCAA championship program and Jim Aller, men’s basketball coach, is enthusiastic about the upcoming opportunity for his team. This dream come true started as a casual conversation between Aller and Gary Kempf, athletics director. Aller told Kempf he would like his team to play in the Dean Dome one day. Kempf, who had met UNC’s head coach, Roy Williams, while working at Kansas University, called Williams and made it happen.
While at UNC, Aller hopes his team will do their best and most importantly make a good impression. “Anytime you take the floor in a game, there is a chance for a positive or negative impact,” Aller said. In an electrically charged moment, it is easy for tempers to flare at a seemingly bad call or a flagrant foul. Aller hopes his team will remember for whom they play and keep a Christ-centered attitude throughout the game.
Sophomore small forward, Patrick Crouse, from Elizabeth City, N.C., is ready to use his skills to glorify God. He said, “Hopefully, by the way we play and the way we present ourselves on and off the court, UNC will see Christ through us.”
Aller expects his team to put their best sneaker-clad foot and shooting-arm forward. He believes that the Dean Dome’s reputation could at first cause butterflies and jittery ball-hands, but he said, “Once the game starts, it’ll be just like any other game.”
Kempf, paraphrasing a quote from Hoosiers, concurred with this statement. “Every basketball court is the same length and height, so once you get past everything else, you’re OK.”
Freshman guard Brian Johnson does not think intimidation of the Dean Dome will cause him to miss easy lay-ups. “It’s just another game to me,” he said.
Win or lose, the Asbury basketball team will dream of playing the Tar Heels the coming weeks and envision memories of the Dean Dome for the rest of their lives.
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