As college basketball moves toward crowning its national champions, the Upper Cumberland Righteous And Mighty Servants celebrating (RAMS) celebrating their championship.
The Rams 18-and-under team won the Division 5 National Christian HomeSchool Basketball Championship. Head Coach Willie Maddux said the home schoolers took on teams from across the nation.
“Usually, it takes years to reach this kind of success and buy-in from the kids and families, because we have to travel a lot,” Maddux said. “So, the commitment that the boys have shown to play better basketball, playing it the right way, and being able to compete on that kind of level this early, it’s just huge.”
Maddux said he tried to play a difficult schedule that included bouts against public schools like Dekalb, Macon and Clay County. Maddux said he and his squad felt confident headed into the national championship tournament in Missouri.
Brothers Ezra and and Noah Owens as well as Gunnar and Gage Giffey made up the nucleus of the championship team. Maddix said the boys’ chemistry and familiarity with each other as a key in their title run.
Ezra Owens was crowned the championship MVP with his 18 points on an efficient 5-for-6 performance from behind the arc that lead his team to Titletown.
“As far as chemisty, it helps. But, Gunnar and Ezra have played together for so long, they might as well be brothers,” Maddux said. “They push each other.”
Along with streamlining parent-coaches meetings, the two pairs of siblings set the tone for a family atmosphere, Maddux said.
“There’s an opportunity for home school students to play competitive basketball at a high level. It’s not what you would generally think of as far as I guess the stigma of home school basketball or private school basketball where a lot of people think ‘Oh, it’s not competitive,’ because it is. There are some great athletes that we compete against,” Maddux said.
The team finished with a 26-11 overall record including a 47-33 win over No. 2 seed Houston to earn a Gold Ball and the program’s first national banner.
