Men's Basketball News

Men’s Basketball Season Review

The 2011–2012 Eagle men fought hard through a tough year of injuries and illness in route to a 13-10 Bible college record (13-16 overall). Faith entered the season with high expectations, returning nearly all key contributors from their highly successful 2010–2011 campaign. However, the Lord had a different plan for this season, as three Eagle men went down with serious injury, and the team as a whole suffered with sickness and less serious injuries throughout the season. Despite the tough circumstances, strong upperclassmen leadership and great team camaraderie helped the Eagles stay focused on glorifying Christ and praising Him no matter what, leading to another successful year and continued spiritual growth in both the coaching staff and team.

Early on, it looked like the Eagles were going to roll through another great year on the court, as Faith handled Northland International and Lincoln Christian easily in our annual Faith Classic in early November. Shortly after that game though, things began to get tough as two starters went down with serious knee injuries, and the combination of a tough nonconference schedule and those injuries caught the Eagles off guard. Faith lost 5 in a row but righted the ship going into the break with a road win. Coming out of the break, the Eagles faced more bad news as a third starter went down to a serious ankle injury. However, Faith responded well and got their feet back under them, winning 4 of their first 5 games. As the Eagles slowly got injured players back, they continued to try to find the right combination, but we just couldn’t seem to do anything consistently, playing kind of a “Jekyll and Hyde” semester with some games looking beautiful and others not so much. The Eagles went 9-8 during the second semester, with the highlight of the season being a 93-84 victory over region rival North Central University.

Several men were recognized for their on-the-court achievements through post season honors. Dathan Marshall was selected as a First Team All-Region player and Second Team All-Conference player. Tyler Terlouw was a Second Team All-Region and Honorable Mention All-Conference selection. Tyler Betz was also a Second Team All-Region selection, as well as a National Player of the Week selection during the first semester and a Scholar Athlete. Chad Fincham was an Honorable Mention All-Region selection and a Scholar Athlete. Paul Brown was an Honorable Mention All-Region selection.

Although there were many exciting wins and eventful road trips, by far the most enjoyable event for the team was the opportunity to minister at the state boys’ home in Eldora. The team was able to spend about 2 hours in ministry through a basketball clinic, followed by a great time of testimony from Jon Rocha and a little time afterwards to converse one-on-one with some of the residents. “While we enjoy the opportunity to compete on the court, I have seen time and again with this group that their true joy comes through the ministry they can have through basketball.  As exciting as it was to coach them, I think I am more excited to see how they are going to be used in ministry through athletics and whatever other opportunities they pursue going forward,” noted coach Fincham.

Thank you to the parents, fans, and every member of the Eagle Nation for your support of another great year of Faith basketball. We look forward to continuing this ministry for many years to come!

 Marshall Receives Second Straight All American Selection

(3/6/12) Springfield, MO – The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) released the 2011-2012 men’s basketball Division II All American selections today at the national tournament banquet. For the second straight year, Eagle’s shooting guard Dathan Marshall was an honorable mention All American selection. Marshall led the Eagles to 13-10 Bible college record, and was the team’s leading scorer, averaging 17.7 ppg. Marshall led the team in scoring in 13 games this season, and went over the 1,000 career point mark during the Eagles game versus Central Christian College of the Bible, where he scored 26 points in the Eagles win. Dathan is a junior in the Biblical Studies program at Faith.