For God’s Glory, No Matter Where: Luke Deininger
By Josh Boyko
Luke Deininger was a member of the first-ever AdventistHoops All-American team in 2025.
1 Corinthians 10:31- So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
For one 2025 AdventistHoops All-American, this has been his theme verse throughout his basketball journey. Luke Deininger grew up in Orlando, Florida, loving sports—mainly soccer and basketball. But as he got to high school he had to choose between his two winter sports—soccer and basketball—the first of a few crossroad decisions he’d have to make in his athletic journey. Inspired by his older brother Adam, he decided to go the basketball route.
“My brother was at Orangewood Christian Academy, and he started this whole idea of playing in college to be honest. I kinda looked up to him, watched him put in the work, and he was able to go play Division II at Fairmont State University.”
After deciding to put in the work himself, Luke was faced with another decision. Which school had the best opportunity to take him to the college level like his brother? Deininger played his freshman season at Forest Lake Academy, before making the difficult choice to transfer out to Mount Dora Christian Academy.
Luke played his freshman year at Forest Lake Academy in Florida.
“It was tough because it wasn’t an Adventist school. But I just felt like in order to really fulfill my potential in basketball, I needed to make a change. I prayed about it a lot and ended up making the switch. And it was a great decision. I met tons of great people there. Loved my coaches, loved my teammates. And I just looked at it as an opportunity.”
However, the opportunity came with challenges, and yet another decision to make. Games were scheduled on Friday nights and Saturdays, a dilemma that many Adventist athletes have had to deal with. When facing this crossroad, Luke did the only thing he knew to do.
“I prayed about it a lot. And in my eyes, it was like, God gave me these talents. And I think he wants me to play for him. But I think, I didn't look at it as being Adventist as a disadvantage. I looked at it as being able to be an ambassador for Christ.”
Luke made the difficult decision to transfer to Mount Dora Christian Academy (Florida) for the remainder of his high school career.
Through his freshman year, Deininger’s entire environment had been surrounded by Seventh-day Adventists. Mount Dora provided a different experience—new people, new beliefs, new opportunities to share his faith. “Yeah, it's different. I mean, you get there and it's like a whole different view. I went to elementary, middle school, and then my first year of high school, it was all Adventists. The only people I hung out with. So it was just different. I mean, you go to like, even the Bible classes, everything's different. You get a different view, which is good. I mean, I think sometimes we get stuck in a bubble and we don't realize there's other views out there. And I think it was good for me to kind of branch out and meet new people. I talked to a lot of my teammates about God actually, and we had great conversations. Everyone was super welcoming. Again, lifelong friends I've made there.”
Deininger settled in quickly at Mount Dora and found instant success on the court. The Bulldogs won their district all three years with Luke on the team. His success led him to getting the nod as an AdventistHoops All-American in the event's first year.
Luke impressed on and off the court at the first-ever AdventistHoops All-American Weekend.
“I was actually super nervous for that. I had no idea what to expect when I got there, but everybody was super welcoming. All the Adventist coaches that were there were super awesome. They all gave a ton of feedback, a ton of advice. The practices were great, really intense. It was high-level basketball. I really enjoyed it. And then obviously the game was super fun. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And to be a part of the very first one ever, that's special.”
In his senior year in high school, Luke averaged 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals; collecting several accolades along the way including:
3-time District Champion
First Team All-District
Most Outstanding Athlete for Basketball - Mount Dora Christian Academy
Cletus Stuzman All-Tournament Team
Nathan Hayes Character Award
Central Florida Player of the Week Nominee
Those accolades also allowed him to live out the dream of following in the footsteps of his brother by playing college basketball. In March 2025, Luke committed to Division III Covenant College in Georgia where he’s majoring in business and beginning to get minutes as a freshman.
Luke has spent his freshman year of college at Division III Covenant College in Georgia, where he’s majoring in business.
When asked about advice he’d give to younger Seventh-day Adventist basketball players wanting to play in college, Luke says “I just tell them it's possible. I mean, you just got to work for it. If you work, the coaches will find you. It's the truth. I mean, you stay close to God, and you just let God put everything in place. He has a plan for all of us.”