WEST COAST BAPTIST SPORTS NOT CENTRAL LANCASTER COLLEGE PLAYS BASKETBALL, VOLLEYBALL, BUT EMPHASIS IS ON RELIGION.Byline: Kevin Connelly Kevin Connelly was born in Middlesbrough, England. He is an impressionist comedian, and after dinner speaker and is probably most famous for his role on the popular BBC television programme 'Dead Ringers'. Special to the Daily News West Coast Baptist College West Coast Baptist College is an unaccredited Independent Fundamental Baptist Bible college in Lancaster California, offering graduate and undergraduate degrees in Pastoral studies, evangelism, missions, church ministries, music, Christian education, youth ministry, and point guard Jonathan Sisson is the son of Christian missionaries, so he knows the allegories of the Bible very well. One of coach Curt Beeson's most common motivational tools, Sisson says, is one with which even secular basketball fans is familiar: the story of David and Goliath David and Goliath are figures of a well-known tale in the Bible (1 Samuel 17, in most English language versions), wherein David, an Israelite shepherd-boy and future King of Israel. . West Coast Baptist, an Association of Christian College Athletics The Association of Christian College Athletics ( ACCA ) is an organization of collegiate athletics. It was incorporated to provide an opportunity for smaller Christian College members to compete on an equal level of competition with schools of like size. (ACCA ACCA Air Conditioning Contractors of America Association, Inc. ACCA Association of Chartered Certified Accountants ACCA American Corporate Counsel Association ACCA Association Communale de Chasse Agréée (France) ) Division II men's basketball team, is competitive in its five-team Pacific Christ Athletic Conference. But the Lancaster-based Eagles play the underdog role in eight to 10 games a season, taking on NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III teams such as the University of Redlands The University of Redlands is a private liberal arts and sciences university located in Redlands, California. The university's campus sits on 160 acres (0.6 km²) near downtown Redlands. The university was founded in 1907 and was associated with the American Baptist Church. and Cal Lutheran. The only NCAA team West Coast Baptist has defeated in five years of basketball is Caltech, a perennial doormat in Division III. ``It has always been (coach Beeson's) dream to beat a Division III team like Redlands,'' said Sisson, a sophomore who spent his adolescence in the Philippines. ``It's hard because I'm a competitive person, and we're usually overmatched, but we've played teams like La Verne close before, losing by 10 points or so.'' Sisson, who led the Eagles with 18 points and six assists per game this season - West Coast Baptist played its final game last weekend - is grateful for an opportunity to play the sport while pursuing a career in the Christian ministry. ``I love the game of basketball,'' he said. ``(Coach Beeson) is such an awesome guy. He's a godly god·ly adj. god·li·er, god·li·est 1. Having great reverence for God; pious. 2. Divine. god leader who teaches us valuable life lessons like toughness and sticking with something even when it becomes difficult. ``This is not a school people come to for the athletics. I ultimately want to be a youth pastor, so I came here to train and study for the ministry. It is important for me to reach out to troubled teens.'' West Coast Baptist, founded 11 years ago, has just two official athletic programs: men's basketball in the winter and women's volleyball in the fall. Beeson, also the school's athletic director, says the lack of ACCA opponents prevents the creation of other sports programs. ``Soccer is probably the next step,'' Beeson said. ``But those talks are in their real preliminary stages right now. ``Even though we don't have a very large budget, we think sports are important because they teach many of the principles we believe in here, like character, discipline and school spirit.'' Beeson's Eagles, who won conference titles in 2003-04 and 2004-05, considered this season a disappointment. They went just 6-18, but only one player graduates - reserve shooting guard Tim Egge - and Beeson believes his team can compete for the PCAC PCAC Partially Conserved Axial Vector Current PCAC Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (New York, NY) PCAC Paul Creative Arts Center (University Of New Hampshire, Durham, NH) title next winter. But it's not about wins and losses at West Coast Baptist. ``Basketball is another way of teaching us discipline,'' said Egge, who will graduate with a degree in secondary education in May. ``We're all here because we feel like we've heard the call of God. I came here because I wanted to get a deeper foundation in my faith.'' Kevin Connelly, (818) 713-3607 kevin.connelly(at)dailynews.com |
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