On Thursday, February 7, LCA’s varsity boys basketball team defeated Bethlehem Christian 54-41 to advance to the GISA Region 4 Championship Game against John Milledge School on Friday, February 8. Though coming up short 49-50 in that game, the team is still able to advance to Round 1 of the GISA State Basketball Tournament. They will play Trinity Christian School (Dublin) on Wednesday, February 13, at 6:00 p.m. at Heritage School in Newnan. Go Lions!
Congratulations to all of the boys varsity players as they continue to the state championship bracket. We are so proud of you! And at LCA, sports are about more than winning and losing. The Gwinnett Citizen posted an article in December 2018 entitled "Coaching Basketball to Instill Life-Long Lessons," featuring Coach Mark Davis. The following is an excerpt from that article that depicts Mark’s heartbeat and purpose for coaching:
Over his years at LCA, Mark has laid deep roots. Both his sons played on the basketball team and met their wives at LCA. And Mark says every semester when he gets a new batch of players, he feels like his family continues to expand. “Those boys that I coach, I am extremely close with,” Mark said. “[In] my mind and in my wife’s mind, we have 12 or 13 new boys every season. They become family, and we would do anything for them.”
The way Mark sees it, his previous role as principal and his current one as campus pastor aren’t that different from coaching. It’s all about forming relationships and teaching lessons to the people he works with.
Coaching is just another piece of his greater service ministry, according to Mark. When he instructs the players and discusses strategy, he always tries to impart some kind of value that the player will be able to use long after his dribbling days are over.
“And what if we use the game to teach the young men how to live life? “Mark said. ”The guys we coach at this level, some will play another year, and then their basketball career is going to be over. But these kids are 16, 17. If they live to be 80 to 85 years of age, they’re going to play ball for five years. They’ll live another 70.”
He added,” I’m failing them miserably if I don’t take that ball and teach them to live their life. 70 years versus five years — where are you going to invest?”
You can read the full article in the Gwinnett Citizen by clicking HERE.
