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Men's basketball team strives for excellence through discipline

Multnomah Bible College's basketball team is tied with Northwest Christian College, 91-91. Only 1.3 seconds remain at the sideline. Chris Cook, a junior, passes the ball in to Henry Barrera, a junior. Barrera shoots ... score! Multnomah wins by two points, and the crowd goes hysterical. This was how Multnomah finished its last home game on Feb. 19 before going to Oklahomah City to compete in the NCCAA National Tournament on March 2.

It was the last home game for Andy Abramson, a senior, and Jeremy Borg, a senior, whose four years allowed for playing basketball are coming to an end. Abramson's parents flew in from Minnesota to watch him play. Both Borg and Abramson played "exceptionally well," Tim Beal, a freshman basketball player, said. Coach Chris Reese said Borg has had his best season ever this year and did a great job defensively as well. Abramson is "shooting better now than he has all year" and has also improved his defensive skills.

Many people don't know how much preparation goes in to playing basketball. Practice takes place five days a week for one-and-a-half hours per day. In addition, the players must lift weights two to three times a week on their own.

"About half the guys on the team are real careful about what they eat, with protein shakes and no-fat diets," Beal said. Beal, on the other hand, understands the importance of pleasure. "I like to live it up a bit and enjoy ice cream," he said. Nevertheless, fast food restaurants seem to be all right with the team. "Usually after the game we go to dinner," Sam Couture, a sophomore, said. "Coach likes Burger King a lot." Phil Spuler, a junior player, said that the team often goes to grocery stores after a game to get "a sandwhich, fruit and yogurt, and maybe something to drink." "I always get milk," Spuler said.

On top of rigorous practice and diets, the team spends much time away from school for games. This semester alone, they have spend 15 to 20 days away from school, Couture noted. "I want my honey home," his roommate Ben Thomas said jokingly. Often the team gets back around 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. Spending so much time away from school is sometimes hard on the players. "It's affected my social life," Couture said. "I don't have time to mess around." Beal said, "I'm a pretty self-disciplined person, so I pay the price to sacrifice social time. It's worth it, though."

Beal's roommate, Logan Cook, a freshman, said, "When he is here, he just does homework. It's pretty sick and twisted. I've been told that all the basketball players do that though. It's just a good group of studious kids." Cook added that his roommate was always in bed by midnight. "It makes me feel real bad about myself," he said.

The team seems to have the right attitude in its approach to all the time spent off campus. "If we're putting all those hours into it, it should be something that we're using for the Lord," Couture said. Couture said he had the opportunity to share the gospel with a couple guys on opposing teams this season. Beal sees the home games as a great opportunity to witness to people, either through singing or prayer, which they do at the end of every home game. "A lot of it is also how you act on the court," he said.

Coach Reese said he hears comments from other coaches such as, "Your kids play hard, but they stay under control," admiring their attitudes on the court. As a result, Coach Reese said, "Other teams respect us as a whole."