Fearless to National Champions

Casandra Barnes March 2014

 

“Do not fear...” is the command given the most throughout the bible. Led by coach Greg Tonagel, and assistant coaches Jeff Clark, Ethan Whaley, David Dimmich and Fred Hodson, the Indiana Wesleyan University Men’s Basketball team talks more about giving God the credit for their NAIA National Championship title than their own skill sets.

 

Coach Tonagel began speaking of fearlessness eight months ago. He was looking for a theme for the basketball team that would challenge the players to get to the next level both physically and spiritually. He used fear to motivate his players but realized that fear could be crippling.

 

At a basketball conference, one of the coaches kept talking about his fearless players, seven of whom are on the national team. This got the coach interested in learning more. He began digging in the bible and decided to bring in speakers and start devotions on the concept of being fearless.

 

Coach Tonagel began teaching the concept of being fearless on the basketball court. Devin Gray, a junior and manager of the men’s basketball team, sat down and talked with me about how the coach began this process. Gray said the team is formed up of a lot of young guys, and coach Tonagel wanted to create a culture of confidence in the men. He didn’t want the fear of being young to hold the team back. The coach encouraged the team to play every play like it would be their last. For DJ Bettinger, a junior guard, fearless was about being shot-ready. The team really focused on not worrying about what others will say. As they focused the fearless approach on the court, Gray said the team grew on a spiritual level as well.

 

Aaron Murray, a sophomore, met with me at McConn to discuss with me his take on fearlessness. On the side of basketball, he said there were the three Cs to fearless: fearless catch, fearless create, and fearless catch. The fearless catch was all about putting yourself out there and catching the ball, while fearless create was about creating plays and making that pass. The fearless catch was about getting in the paint and making those rebounds. “

 

Fear weakens greatness and God calls us to greatness”, said Coach Tonagel. We can’t do great things if we are fearful of the outcomes. He wanted the team to learn that what they are becoming is bigger than what they are doing.

 

This was an identity issue. Knowing who they are and what they will become. The statistics do not define the men. To Bettinger, this concept was about having courage in something greater than you are. The team’s identity isn’t in basketball; it’s in the Lord. Bettinger said, “Fearless is about having courage and confidence. It was a whole transformational process”. Tonagel stated that we sometimes have a small view of God, but he wants his team to realize God is bigger than whatever we may be afraid of.

 

According to Murray, one of the team’s greatest changes was that they grew in unity. He explained, that last year they grew in unity among the classes, and this year that barrier was broken. He also said the players were on so many different levels, but everyone continued to challenge each other to grow. The biggest takeaway Murray was given, is knowing “what you do off the court is more important than what you do on the court”.

 

Jacob Quick, one of the managers of the men’s basketball team, sat down with me and shared how the teaching of fearlessness shaped his life as well. Quick explained how he viewed fearlessness as not being afraid to talk to new people in a way that shows you are interested in their life. He shared that in Branson at the national tournament, he would find reasons to go talk to staff. He would talk to them beyond what he needed, and didn’t worry about time or being afraid of how they would react. He found this very rewarding and hopes someone was touched by his actions.

 

Murray explained to me how all this helped him as well. His freshman year for him was a time of healing after so many changes were made in his family life. Then this year was it was about branching out again and building himself up to be a better man for his girlfriend, and professors and other students. His team members were a crucial part to this as well. They became his best friends, guys he could rely on to be there to hang out and have fun and get together to do bible studies.

 

As an extrovert, this year Murray was able to share his experiences more because he loves talking to people. He told me one of his favorite quotes that he lives by is “if you’re not making someone’s life better, what’s the point of living?” by Will Smith. Murray says if he walks finishes a conversation with someone and they are not smiling, he feels like he has failed them.

 

Athletes are put on a pedestal, especially at a small Christian college where the students look to them as leaders. Coach Tonagel coaches his men in hopes that they use this pedestal as a platform to preach the gospel.

 

Bettinger also agreed with this. He viewed this as a responsibility, rather than a pressure. He said he has been blessed with the platform of basketball and uses it as a stage to worship God. He hopes that students see the basketball team and says, “look those guys are on fire for the Lord and they take their walk seriously”.

 

Murray echoes Bettinger’s response by saying that he does feel a pressure of being a role model, but it is a positive pressure not a negative pressure. He explained that the team was still free to be themselves. He said they were, “craziest team to ever exist”. He also said however, that because of the platform they are on they have they had to respect their roles and live in a way that is pleasing to God.

 

Becky Nierste, a junior nursing major, shared with me her feelings on the men’s basketball team and gave me a small window of how the campus views the team. She says it is easy to judge them when they are on the pedestal, but it’s not always as it seems. One wants to say the team is just putting on a front, but Nierste argues that they are very open and are letting people see their genuine hearts.

 

Coach Tonagel said his two assistant coaches Jeff Clark and Ethan Whaley grew in their own spiritual lives through fearlessness. As they grew, they did a great job teaching the players about fearlessness as well.

 

Quick seconded this in his interview, saying he admired the way coach Whaley does things. He is very approachable and interested in the players’ life. Murray also agreed with this saying the fearless approach was modeled from the top down and the coaches did a great job leading the team. They were very patient and took the time to talk with him, even if when he thought he was asking a dumb question. The coaches were directly involved with helping the team learn fearlessness and the team grew as one as the coaches took their part in leading the way.

 

As the guys pursued the Lord, their fear began to diminish and faith was able to grow more in their hearts. As they took the concept of fearlessness to heart, their playing on the court became better, paving the way to become NAIA National Champions.