The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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Upward basketball wraps fourth season
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: March 29, 2007
If you need to know what direction youth basketball and "sports ministry" program Upward Basketball is heading in the Washtenaw County area, look no further than its name.
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Upward finished its fourth season in Washtenaw County with a final round of games at Washtenaw Christian Academy Saturday and an awards banquet Sunday night at Milan High School.
Upward Director John Terris said in those four seasons, Upward has gone from a handful of players and two divisions to four divisions, including 300 players and 75 coaches.
"Our goal is to reach out to all of Washtenaw County," said Terris, who said players come from Saline, Milan, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and elsewhere. "We've grown each year and the feedback has stayed positive ... the quality of basketball between this year and our first year is night and day."
Although there are a number of reasons behind Upward's explosion, Terris said one of the biggest is the program's devotion to equal teams and equal play for all participants.
Before the Upward season tips off, all players participate in a series of closely-monitored drills and practices. Players are then assigned to teams based on their skill level —with no team getting too much talent or too little.
Players also wear color-coordinated patches related to their skill level and are substituted in and out of the game on a pre-determined substitution pattern, meaning that each team always has approximately the same amount of talent on the floor as its opponent.
The result is competitive games, no blowouts and very little "sore losing." Of the simultaneous two games in the third- and fourth-grade division Saturday afternoon, one finished in a tie and the other was decided by two points.
"Every child deserves to feel like a winner," Terris said. "All our kids get equal time, equal opportunity, and equal attention."
Upward also requires their coaches to encourage and support their teams with a minimum of criticism. Terris says that the program has had to turn down volunteer coaches for being "too intense" in their focus on winning.
Each game concludes with a team meeting at which each player is awarded a star sticker for offense, defense or sportsmanship.
"It doesn't matter how they played," Upward coordinator Troy Bennett said. "The last thing they're going to hear before they leave is going to be a positive, that they did something really good. That makes a big difference."
But as the "sports ministry" tag used by Terris would suggest, Upward is concerned with more than simply providing area kids a place to play basketball. The program was brought to Washtenaw by a pair of Ann Arbor Baptist churches and remains unapologetically Christian. Each Saturday session includes prayer, a devotional for each team and a faith-based motivational speaker. Practices usually end with a Bible study.
Terris said that to this point, the program's Christian emphasis has not been an issue. Upward is non-denominational and the Washtenaw program includes children from what Terris describes as at least a dozen different denominations. He even estimates that as much of 30 percent of the program's participants come from non-churchgoing families.
"We've never had anyone quit because of (the Christian content)," Terris said. "Our leagues are not for everyone. But we meet with parents up front and let them know what Upward is about. There aren't any surprises."
And while Upward might not be for everyone, its numbers and feedback would suggest it is for a growing number of area families and young basketball players.
"This year has been amazing," said Milan's Molly Jeppesen, mother of player Konrad Jeppesen. "He didn't know any of the other players at the beginning, but they've all had a great time. And it's nice for the parents that we have the Bible study and speakers at halftime. We've had a great season."
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