Published: March 13, 2008 11:41 am         

Christian B'ball tournament is more than a game

To the Whaley United Methodist Church 3-on-3 basketball team, the upcoming state tournament is more than a game.

It is a way to raise money to buy mosquito netting for families in Africa and Asia.

The Whaley team, made up of Joe Christian, Nate Jackson, Mike Pendergraft and Phil Neely, recently win the area competition and will have a one-game playoff in Fort Worth for the state title.

The Whaley team defeated a team from Paris 21-18 to take the area title.

Whaley UMC is sponsoring another local tournament to help raise money for a good cause, Christian.

“All of the proceeds, of the Nothing But Nets tournament, will go to help furnish mosquito netting to families in need, Christian said.

The Whaley team was at a real height disadvantage during the tournament, Christian said.

“It was a lot of fun to go down to Plano and represent Gainesville against the larger cities, and even more fun to win,” Christian said. “Every team was bigger, and in the championship game, we faced 3 guys at 6-4 or taller.

“Our tallest player, Phil Neely, is barely 6-3, and the rest of our team is under 6 foot tall. It was a very physical game, but our ball movement and great defense was too much for any team in that tournament to handle.”

“Jackson hit some huge 3 pointers, Pendergraft was all hustle, on the floor at least 4 times a game and Phil played big down low,” Christian said.

“I felt like I was able to shut down the other team's best player and make the passes to get us open shots,” Christian said.

“ We play a lot together, and it definitely showed in this tournament. But the best thing to come from this tournament has been the number of families saved from contracting malaria. Every 30 seconds a child dies from malaria. Each mosquito net costs only $10, and will cover a family for 5-7 years. We raised over $1100 in just our district tournament held at Whaley on Feb 23.

“ That is 110 families that will be spared from one of the world's most dangerous diseases. We will be having a follow up 3 on 3 tournament for the same foundation (all proceeds will go to the NBN foundation) on March 22 at Whaley UMC.

Please contact either Whaley UMC at 665-5588 Joe Christian, at 665-7752 to enter your team

You can also contact Christian via email at kimmyjoey1@sbcglobal.net.