Arizona Christian Homeschool Athletic Association Thriving After 20-Year History
By Shanxi Omoniyi (The Lion) |
What do NBA players Blake Griffin and Allonzo Trier have in common with Allison Miller, a junior basketball player at The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, California?
All were previous homeschoolers who participated in the National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championships (NCHBC), according to Arizona State University’s Cronkite News.
“The prospect of even entering such an event – in which (East Valley Athletes for Christ, or EVAC) first appeared with boys basketball in 2021 – was as foreign as homeschooling back when EVAC was established in 2003,” writes Payne Moses.
The Arizona association of Christian homeschool families started with just one boys high school basketball team. Today it has maxed out capacity with 291 students across 37 teams, according to the article.
“EVAC actually has greater and better and more customized extracurricular athletic experiences … because it’s parent-led,” said EVAC communications director Grant Botma. “There’s not bureaucracy or red tape for what is part of a public school.
“If the parent has an idea, and it fits within the mission, vision and core values of EVAC, parents step up and do it and we support it. And that’s a really big thing because that creates, again, athletic experiences that would not have been had anywhere else.”
‘Relationships in the community’
Demand for EVAC’s services have skyrocketed in recent years, with some families coming from as far away as Anthem, Maricopa and the West Valley to enroll, Moses notes.
“Now at an enrollment near 300 students, EVAC is officially maxing out its capacity. An influx in volunteers would be the only way it can sustainably expand.”
Miller, who won back-to-back state titles in the Canyon Athletic Association’s second division, credited her homeschool experience with helping her prepare for the NCHBC.
“The difference in how people play basketball around the country is really interesting. … There’s just a different feel at that tournament,” she said. “I think it just opened up another gear of competitiveness within EVAC and (was) something else to work towards because some of the years in EVAC my teams were pretty dominant.”
The association’s success stems from its emphasis on flexibility and parent-directed learning, said Tracy Miller, Allison’s mother and EVAC administrative assistant.
“It was worth it for us to stay in something that was maybe less competitive because of the relationships in the community,” she said. “It’s kind of twofold that way, and I think it drives the mission of our organization, (which) is community, our dedication to Christ and then competition.”
Meanwhile, Allison continues to excel in college basketball. She has even influenced Fonda Wilson, coach of The Master’s University women’s basketball team, to start recruiting other homeschool athletes.
“(Miller) has been informing me about (homeschool athletes) all year, and that’s really where my heart wants to be, is to look in that portal because the Lord’s going to glorify that,” Wilson said. “He’s going to be so faithful. I’m just looking for his kids.”
Originally published by The Lion.
Shanxi Omoniyi is a staff writer for The Lion. She also serves as Online Content Director at Midwest Parent Educators (MPE), a nonprofit organization serving thousands of homeschool families not only in the KC metropolitan area of Kansas and Missouri, but also in neighboring states such as Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma and Nebraska.