June 2015
“Hoops with Cops” Community Basketball Tournament
Saturday, June 20th, House of the Lord Church, 1pm
Former Cavs Larry Nance and Jimmy Oliver to coach
excerpts taken from article written by Colette Jenkins in the Akron Beacon Journal
This Saturday at 1pm, in the gymnasium at The House of the Lord on 1650 Diagonal Road, The goal of the tournament, sponsored by the church and the Peace, Justice & Equality Committee, is to help build positive relationships between police officers and community members.
“In light of the nationwide tensions between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve, we wanted to do something to restore and reinforce positive relationships in Akron,” said the Rev. Jimmy Taylor, a staff pastor at The House of the Lord. “A basketball game is a simple way to bring police and community members together to bond and get to know each other as human beings.”
The teams, which will be blended to include both community members and police officers, will be coached by former Cleveland Cavaliers players Jimmy Oliver and Larry Nance.
Nance, whose No. 22 jersey was retired in 1995, played for 6½ seasons with the Cavs, after a midseason trade from the Phoenix Suns in 1988. In his NBA career, Nance made three All-Star Game appearances and was voted to the All-Defensive Team three times. He still holds the Cavs’ record for most blocked shots in a game with 11 and holds the distinction of being the first winner of the NBA’s Slam Dunk contest. He finished his career with 15,687 points and 7,352 rebounds.
Oliver was drafted out of Purdue University in the second round (39th pick overall) by the Cavs in 1991, after an All-Big Ten career. He is a former Mr. Basketball in Arkansas (1987) and a veteran of parts of five NBA seasons (with the Cavs, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards). He also holds the distinctions of being second-leading scorer in Croatia (2005), Korac Cup MVP (2001) and top three in scoring twice in Greece (2001, 2002). He was also a member of the 1998 bronze medal World Cup U.S. National Team.
“Playing with each other requires community members and police officers to build working relationships. Hopefully, it gives officers insight into how community members feel and helps community members see that officers are people too,” said Oliver, who has worked for the Summit County Juvenile Court since 2008. “This is an opportunity to change perceptions. Police can see that not all community members view them in a negative light and community members can see that a few isolated incidents don’t make police officers bad people.”
The tournament is free. But tickets, which can be picked up at The House of the Lord, are required.
NORTHEAST OHIO AREA TRACK FEATURE. . . STREETSBORO
They have had NO home track meets for almost 20 years. Their track is just some left over gravel from years past. There is no long jump pit, no pole vault equipment, and barely a flight of hurdles. Yet Streetsboro (O.) High School has been turning out some remarkable young sprinters over the past two years. Not only have their relay teams routinely succeeded the past couple years, but they have been turning out spectacular sprinters for almost a decade now. Starting with Cory Lanterman who placed 5th in the 400 meters (49.68) as a frosh back in 2006 and in the 200 (2009 - in spite of a pulled hamstring), Kasey Schwing placed 3rd in the 100 in 2008, Tiarra Bivins placed 8th (2008) in the girls 100 and set the school record, Alex Todd got 3rd in shotput (2012), and Destiny King 4th was 100 meter hurdles (2013).
However, last year, area track fans were further confounded when Dakari Carter WON the state 100 meter race and finished 2nd in the 200 AS A FRESHMAN! Obviously not content, Dakari ran a 10.61 100 at the Austintown Regional and a state record 21.3 200 if not for the wind. (100 Video) (200 Video). Not to be forgotten is another freshman, Keshon Jones, who is Dakari's younger cousin. Keshon qualified 3rd for State with a 22.0 200 and some spectacular relay legs. Senior Prince Franklin finished 6th in the 100 finals as well and a 4th speedster, soph Myron Jones, is already a state finals relay veteran!! Their potential seems endless.
Also making a statement is sophomore girls sprinter Savannah Nevels. She ran the best 100 in Streetsboro history in spite losing a rare run-off for the last 100 meter spot (tied Bivins' school record 12.38) and really impressed with her 3rd place finish in the 200 meters (25.4 - another record) Video of 200
Yet Saturday its what they didn't do - NOT winning the 4x100 relay, that caught our eye. Junior star Qb and star basketball player Jerry Judd visibly injured his hamstring running his leg of the 4x1, but willed and hopped the baton to Keshon who kept his poise, waited for the baton, and brought them from 7th to 5th. Dakari took it from there and got them to state with a 3rd place come from behind finish.
Streetsboro's 4 x 100 relay video -racing in navy blue.
Streetsboro's blistering 4 x 200 relay video (1:27)
Numerous bi-standers complimented coaches and relay members for the heroic performance. Though we were sad to see such a fine athlete (and person) such as Judd injured - his performance will long be remembered. Perhaps its the toughness that comes with overcoming the daily adversity of such inadequate facilities that make these runners so special!
Akron Beacon Journal Story
Feb 2015
OHIO HIGH SCHOOL TOURNAMENT BASKETBALL
St.Vincent-St.Mary HS and head coach Dru Joyce II completed its regular season undefeated (as did Green HS) when they beat undefeated Walsh HS AT Walsh on February 17th 66-59 and Canton McKinley February 28. St.V-St.M has been playing larger schools that are state and nationally ranked all over the state of Ohio this year and still maintained their perfect record. Since then they have won their first three contests in the State Tournament, winning their District championship over rival Akron Buchtel, and advancing to the Regionals. St. V is led by Akron commit Josh Williams, Cleveland State commit Jabri Blount, and the quiet but athletically explosive junior Henry Baddley -rising to #1 in Division II state polls and #3 in national rankings.
Medina High School is led by 7'0" University of Michigan junior commit, and Christian athlete, Jon Teske. On March 14, Jon led Medina to an upset win over District #1 seed Massillon Jackson to advance to Shaker Heights at Regionals by scoring 27 (of team's 45 pts), with 12 rebounds and 10 blocks. Medina's young squad has advanced to Regionals for only the fourth time in the history of the school. Ironically, the first time was with Jay Peters' heroics (now the CVCA head coach), and another was when they were led by Tony Stockman during his "Mr. Basketball" season (Stockman is now head coach of Ohio Christian U) Rebuilding quickly under first year coach Chris Hassinger, Medina finished the season with only a .500 winning % and had to recovering from losing all-state guard Craig Randall when he moved to Arizona and 6'6" All-Everything forward, Brandon Wilkins (now at Mercyhurst).
Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy had a fantastic regular season and finished 22-4 overall. The core of the team was led by brothers Michael and Nate (the head coach's sons) and cousin Luke (the coach's nephew). Big brother Bob was previously mentioned as a member of defending national NAIA champion Indiana Wesleyan. CVCA's season finally ended in the District Finals versus Cleveland Central Catholic. Coach Jay Peters (himself a former star at Medina & Kent St) has been taking his teams to several District and Regional championships over the years.
COLLEGE
Ohio Christian University, led by 3rd yr coach Tony Stockman (Medina HS/Clemson/Ohio State), led his squad to their third straight regional championship in the NCCAA DII ranks. The Two-time defending national champs were the #1 seed this past weekend but got upset at the buzzer in the 2nd round and had to settle for 5th place. NAIA D2 defending champion Indiana Wesleyan was rated #1 in the country all year, was 31-2 and made it to the quarterfinals before losing. CVCA's Bob Peters was 3rd in scoring with 12.3 pts per game on 50% shooting and also led the team in steals and was a leading 3pt shooting (41%).
Charleston Southern won 19 games and was the #1 seed under (friend and head coach) Barclay Radebaugh, entering the Big South tournament before falling to Longwood University. Victor Dorsey (Akron SVSM, Akron Springfield), is a freshman for Longwood. Wichita State also was upset in the semi-finals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament when Illinois State overcame a deficit in the the second half with 63% shooting. Still, Head Coach Gregg Marshall and Akron Firestone's senior, Darius Carter will help them bounce quickly in the National Tournament and shake up plenty of tournament brackets.
Conversely, 7th seeded Akron U won the first three rounds of their MAC conference tournament before losing a real war to eventual champ Buffalo. Akron was one of the two or three best teams in the MAC all season before losing a couple of tight games. Akron lost four "should-be" senior starters to discipline who left school prior to the season. Much loved Coach Dan Peters, passed on in late October from cancer, dealing the team another blow. During the final weeks of the season, two more starters and a part time starter went down to injury. All-MAC center Pat Forsythe is suffering from turf toe and All-MAC frosh Noah Robotham was lost to ACL surgery - seemingly inconceivable losses. Coach Keith Dambrot and staff managed to lead the Zips to their tenth consecutive MAC semifinal with significant production from freshman Antino Jackson,Jr., and juniors Jake Kretzer, and Reggie McAdams. Few teams can lose basically 7 starters and a motivational leader and still perseverance to even greater accomplishment.
January 2015
NATIONAL CHAMPION OHIO STATE FOOTBALL (and local connections)
Sr. Captain Doran Grant (SVSM), finished out his career with Ohio State as National Champ!!!. Next stop is the NFL draft.!! Paris Campbell (SVSM), Dante Booker Jr. (SVSM) capped off a three year run where they won back to back State Championships with their football team at St. Vincent - St. Mary and now a national championship. Cardale Jones (Cleveland Glenville and Ted Ginn Academy) also continued his success from the last three games. The SVSM athletes were participants in TEAM JAM activities while in High School. Cardale was met while John helped Frank Stretar's "Leader Within" program that also involved Christian Bryant (Ohio State / St. Louis Rams). Feature stories were written in Sports Illustrated on Cardale and an additional one on Doran (link here).
Akron U's Reggie McAdams named Player of the WeekJan. 19, 2015. A starter at the beginning of the year, Reggie has since been asked to come off the bench and provide instant offense. While all of his team knows of his shooting prowess, not many would have expected his 31 point outburst off the bench to carry the team to a win over Central Michigan and be named Player of the Week. Reggie has also been a faithul attender at our team chapels and devotional times the past three years.AKRON U COACH DAN PETERS (Oct 2014) Coach Dan Peters went home with his Lord Monday, October 27th. Anyone that new him was a better person because of it. It's rare that we run into a man that pursues the best interests of others even while in the midst of a competitive atmosphere. During this past season, colleges and universities all over the country paid tribute to Coach, his influence, and his battle versus cancer. The day of his passing, sociial media and television was a live again with tributes. Our personal conversations with him have revealed his love for God, his trust in Christ as His Savior, his love and concern for others, and courage and strength. His family has been gracious to share their son/husband/father with us througout his life and especially in his last days.
When asked what could be done for him during his last days, Dan answered..... "SPEND TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY"
Lets all repay the favor by showing the part that Coach left in OUR lives back with his own family in the way we unselfishly make time to show love back to them.
(Link to Akron Beacon Journal Obituary/Funeral Feature by Marla Ridenour)
THE PURSUIT: Honor & Impact (Sept. 2014)
NEWS FLASH!! - none of us are perfect. Most "role models" show their human limitations sooner or later. However, notice where we started from and you will notice dramatic change and improvement. We all vary in the amount of success we have in pursuing Christ faithfully - so we just keep pursuing. Here are some examples of that progress.
LeBron James is back in Cleveland to play basketball but his presence has never ceased to impact the Akron area. Keep an even closer eye on the LeBron James Family Foundation and his "I Promise" challenge among many other efforts in the community. Tony Stockman is the head coach at Ohio Christian University men's basketball team. In his two years as coach he has been two time National Christian College Coach of the Year and two time National Christian College champion. Dante Booker Sr, is the proud father of Ohio's Mr. Football (2014) and National HS Defensive Player of the Year Dante Jr. (now at Ohio State), but he is also an Akron Fireman/Paramedic and a TEAM JAM Board Member. Jimmy Oliver (NBA) works with at-risk young men as a Juvenile Officer. Jerome Moss (Geneva College fb/bb and Malone football) is head coach for Akron U - Wayne Campus mens basketball, a professor at Akron U and works with Akron City school students. Brandon Sweeney (a former college running back) founded the organization Purpose Beyond the Game and authored the book "Loving the Game When The Game Doesnt Love You Back", challenging young men to recognize the real reason for their aspirations and aiding fatherless young men to discover the Fatherhood of God. Tug Hulett is now a Dean at Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, La., as well as a basketball and baseball coach and even helps with the youth ministry - just two years removed from professional baseball (in majors with Seattle, Kansas City and Boston). Shawn Lazarus (Michigan U./Detroit Lions) is associate director of TEAM JAM and owner of Lazarus on the Rise. Romeo Travis and Dru Joyce III ran their first "Give N' Go" basketball camp this summer at House of the Lord Church.
“Hoops with Cops” Community Basketball Tournament
Saturday, June 20th, House of the Lord Church, 1pm
Former Cavs Larry Nance and Jimmy Oliver to coach
excerpts taken from article written by Colette Jenkins in the Akron Beacon Journal
This Saturday at 1pm, in the gymnasium at The House of the Lord on 1650 Diagonal Road, The goal of the tournament, sponsored by the church and the Peace, Justice & Equality Committee, is to help build positive relationships between police officers and community members.
“In light of the nationwide tensions between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve, we wanted to do something to restore and reinforce positive relationships in Akron,” said the Rev. Jimmy Taylor, a staff pastor at The House of the Lord. “A basketball game is a simple way to bring police and community members together to bond and get to know each other as human beings.”
The teams, which will be blended to include both community members and police officers, will be coached by former Cleveland Cavaliers players Jimmy Oliver and Larry Nance.
Nance, whose No. 22 jersey was retired in 1995, played for 6½ seasons with the Cavs, after a midseason trade from the Phoenix Suns in 1988. In his NBA career, Nance made three All-Star Game appearances and was voted to the All-Defensive Team three times. He still holds the Cavs’ record for most blocked shots in a game with 11 and holds the distinction of being the first winner of the NBA’s Slam Dunk contest. He finished his career with 15,687 points and 7,352 rebounds.
Oliver was drafted out of Purdue University in the second round (39th pick overall) by the Cavs in 1991, after an All-Big Ten career. He is a former Mr. Basketball in Arkansas (1987) and a veteran of parts of five NBA seasons (with the Cavs, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards). He also holds the distinctions of being second-leading scorer in Croatia (2005), Korac Cup MVP (2001) and top three in scoring twice in Greece (2001, 2002). He was also a member of the 1998 bronze medal World Cup U.S. National Team.
“Playing with each other requires community members and police officers to build working relationships. Hopefully, it gives officers insight into how community members feel and helps community members see that officers are people too,” said Oliver, who has worked for the Summit County Juvenile Court since 2008. “This is an opportunity to change perceptions. Police can see that not all community members view them in a negative light and community members can see that a few isolated incidents don’t make police officers bad people.”
The tournament is free. But tickets, which can be picked up at The House of the Lord, are required.
NORTHEAST OHIO AREA TRACK FEATURE. . . STREETSBORO
They have had NO home track meets for almost 20 years. Their track is just some left over gravel from years past. There is no long jump pit, no pole vault equipment, and barely a flight of hurdles. Yet Streetsboro (O.) High School has been turning out some remarkable young sprinters over the past two years. Not only have their relay teams routinely succeeded the past couple years, but they have been turning out spectacular sprinters for almost a decade now. Starting with Cory Lanterman who placed 5th in the 400 meters (49.68) as a frosh back in 2006 and in the 200 (2009 - in spite of a pulled hamstring), Kasey Schwing placed 3rd in the 100 in 2008, Tiarra Bivins placed 8th (2008) in the girls 100 and set the school record, Alex Todd got 3rd in shotput (2012), and Destiny King 4th was 100 meter hurdles (2013).
However, last year, area track fans were further confounded when Dakari Carter WON the state 100 meter race and finished 2nd in the 200 AS A FRESHMAN! Obviously not content, Dakari ran a 10.61 100 at the Austintown Regional and a state record 21.3 200 if not for the wind. (100 Video) (200 Video). Not to be forgotten is another freshman, Keshon Jones, who is Dakari's younger cousin. Keshon qualified 3rd for State with a 22.0 200 and some spectacular relay legs. Senior Prince Franklin finished 6th in the 100 finals as well and a 4th speedster, soph Myron Jones, is already a state finals relay veteran!! Their potential seems endless.
Also making a statement is sophomore girls sprinter Savannah Nevels. She ran the best 100 in Streetsboro history in spite losing a rare run-off for the last 100 meter spot (tied Bivins' school record 12.38) and really impressed with her 3rd place finish in the 200 meters (25.4 - another record) Video of 200
Yet Saturday its what they didn't do - NOT winning the 4x100 relay, that caught our eye. Junior star Qb and star basketball player Jerry Judd visibly injured his hamstring running his leg of the 4x1, but willed and hopped the baton to Keshon who kept his poise, waited for the baton, and brought them from 7th to 5th. Dakari took it from there and got them to state with a 3rd place come from behind finish.
Streetsboro's 4 x 100 relay video -racing in navy blue.
Streetsboro's blistering 4 x 200 relay video (1:27)
Numerous bi-standers complimented coaches and relay members for the heroic performance. Though we were sad to see such a fine athlete (and person) such as Judd injured - his performance will long be remembered. Perhaps its the toughness that comes with overcoming the daily adversity of such inadequate facilities that make these runners so special!
Akron Beacon Journal Story
Feb 2015
OHIO HIGH SCHOOL TOURNAMENT BASKETBALL
St.Vincent-St.Mary HS and head coach Dru Joyce II completed its regular season undefeated (as did Green HS) when they beat undefeated Walsh HS AT Walsh on February 17th 66-59 and Canton McKinley February 28. St.V-St.M has been playing larger schools that are state and nationally ranked all over the state of Ohio this year and still maintained their perfect record. Since then they have won their first three contests in the State Tournament, winning their District championship over rival Akron Buchtel, and advancing to the Regionals. St. V is led by Akron commit Josh Williams, Cleveland State commit Jabri Blount, and the quiet but athletically explosive junior Henry Baddley -rising to #1 in Division II state polls and #3 in national rankings.
Medina High School is led by 7'0" University of Michigan junior commit, and Christian athlete, Jon Teske. On March 14, Jon led Medina to an upset win over District #1 seed Massillon Jackson to advance to Shaker Heights at Regionals by scoring 27 (of team's 45 pts), with 12 rebounds and 10 blocks. Medina's young squad has advanced to Regionals for only the fourth time in the history of the school. Ironically, the first time was with Jay Peters' heroics (now the CVCA head coach), and another was when they were led by Tony Stockman during his "Mr. Basketball" season (Stockman is now head coach of Ohio Christian U) Rebuilding quickly under first year coach Chris Hassinger, Medina finished the season with only a .500 winning % and had to recovering from losing all-state guard Craig Randall when he moved to Arizona and 6'6" All-Everything forward, Brandon Wilkins (now at Mercyhurst).
Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy had a fantastic regular season and finished 22-4 overall. The core of the team was led by brothers Michael and Nate (the head coach's sons) and cousin Luke (the coach's nephew). Big brother Bob was previously mentioned as a member of defending national NAIA champion Indiana Wesleyan. CVCA's season finally ended in the District Finals versus Cleveland Central Catholic. Coach Jay Peters (himself a former star at Medina & Kent St) has been taking his teams to several District and Regional championships over the years.
COLLEGE
Ohio Christian University, led by 3rd yr coach Tony Stockman (Medina HS/Clemson/Ohio State), led his squad to their third straight regional championship in the NCCAA DII ranks. The Two-time defending national champs were the #1 seed this past weekend but got upset at the buzzer in the 2nd round and had to settle for 5th place. NAIA D2 defending champion Indiana Wesleyan was rated #1 in the country all year, was 31-2 and made it to the quarterfinals before losing. CVCA's Bob Peters was 3rd in scoring with 12.3 pts per game on 50% shooting and also led the team in steals and was a leading 3pt shooting (41%).
Charleston Southern won 19 games and was the #1 seed under (friend and head coach) Barclay Radebaugh, entering the Big South tournament before falling to Longwood University. Victor Dorsey (Akron SVSM, Akron Springfield), is a freshman for Longwood. Wichita State also was upset in the semi-finals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament when Illinois State overcame a deficit in the the second half with 63% shooting. Still, Head Coach Gregg Marshall and Akron Firestone's senior, Darius Carter will help them bounce quickly in the National Tournament and shake up plenty of tournament brackets.
Conversely, 7th seeded Akron U won the first three rounds of their MAC conference tournament before losing a real war to eventual champ Buffalo. Akron was one of the two or three best teams in the MAC all season before losing a couple of tight games. Akron lost four "should-be" senior starters to discipline who left school prior to the season. Much loved Coach Dan Peters, passed on in late October from cancer, dealing the team another blow. During the final weeks of the season, two more starters and a part time starter went down to injury. All-MAC center Pat Forsythe is suffering from turf toe and All-MAC frosh Noah Robotham was lost to ACL surgery - seemingly inconceivable losses. Coach Keith Dambrot and staff managed to lead the Zips to their tenth consecutive MAC semifinal with significant production from freshman Antino Jackson,Jr., and juniors Jake Kretzer, and Reggie McAdams. Few teams can lose basically 7 starters and a motivational leader and still perseverance to even greater accomplishment.
January 2015
NATIONAL CHAMPION OHIO STATE FOOTBALL (and local connections)
Sr. Captain Doran Grant (SVSM), finished out his career with Ohio State as National Champ!!!. Next stop is the NFL draft.!! Paris Campbell (SVSM), Dante Booker Jr. (SVSM) capped off a three year run where they won back to back State Championships with their football team at St. Vincent - St. Mary and now a national championship. Cardale Jones (Cleveland Glenville and Ted Ginn Academy) also continued his success from the last three games. The SVSM athletes were participants in TEAM JAM activities while in High School. Cardale was met while John helped Frank Stretar's "Leader Within" program that also involved Christian Bryant (Ohio State / St. Louis Rams). Feature stories were written in Sports Illustrated on Cardale and an additional one on Doran (link here).
Akron U's Reggie McAdams named Player of the WeekJan. 19, 2015. A starter at the beginning of the year, Reggie has since been asked to come off the bench and provide instant offense. While all of his team knows of his shooting prowess, not many would have expected his 31 point outburst off the bench to carry the team to a win over Central Michigan and be named Player of the Week. Reggie has also been a faithul attender at our team chapels and devotional times the past three years.AKRON U COACH DAN PETERS (Oct 2014) Coach Dan Peters went home with his Lord Monday, October 27th. Anyone that new him was a better person because of it. It's rare that we run into a man that pursues the best interests of others even while in the midst of a competitive atmosphere. During this past season, colleges and universities all over the country paid tribute to Coach, his influence, and his battle versus cancer. The day of his passing, sociial media and television was a live again with tributes. Our personal conversations with him have revealed his love for God, his trust in Christ as His Savior, his love and concern for others, and courage and strength. His family has been gracious to share their son/husband/father with us througout his life and especially in his last days.
When asked what could be done for him during his last days, Dan answered..... "SPEND TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY"
Lets all repay the favor by showing the part that Coach left in OUR lives back with his own family in the way we unselfishly make time to show love back to them.
(Link to Akron Beacon Journal Obituary/Funeral Feature by Marla Ridenour)
THE PURSUIT: Honor & Impact (Sept. 2014)
NEWS FLASH!! - none of us are perfect. Most "role models" show their human limitations sooner or later. However, notice where we started from and you will notice dramatic change and improvement. We all vary in the amount of success we have in pursuing Christ faithfully - so we just keep pursuing. Here are some examples of that progress.
LeBron James is back in Cleveland to play basketball but his presence has never ceased to impact the Akron area. Keep an even closer eye on the LeBron James Family Foundation and his "I Promise" challenge among many other efforts in the community. Tony Stockman is the head coach at Ohio Christian University men's basketball team. In his two years as coach he has been two time National Christian College Coach of the Year and two time National Christian College champion. Dante Booker Sr, is the proud father of Ohio's Mr. Football (2014) and National HS Defensive Player of the Year Dante Jr. (now at Ohio State), but he is also an Akron Fireman/Paramedic and a TEAM JAM Board Member. Jimmy Oliver (NBA) works with at-risk young men as a Juvenile Officer. Jerome Moss (Geneva College fb/bb and Malone football) is head coach for Akron U - Wayne Campus mens basketball, a professor at Akron U and works with Akron City school students. Brandon Sweeney (a former college running back) founded the organization Purpose Beyond the Game and authored the book "Loving the Game When The Game Doesnt Love You Back", challenging young men to recognize the real reason for their aspirations and aiding fatherless young men to discover the Fatherhood of God. Tug Hulett is now a Dean at Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, La., as well as a basketball and baseball coach and even helps with the youth ministry - just two years removed from professional baseball (in majors with Seattle, Kansas City and Boston). Shawn Lazarus (Michigan U./Detroit Lions) is associate director of TEAM JAM and owner of Lazarus on the Rise. Romeo Travis and Dru Joyce III ran their first "Give N' Go" basketball camp this summer at House of the Lord Church.