Paradigm-Shift: my View of the All-American Weekend
By Josh Boyko
The girls Black Team gets hyped for the start of their 2026 AdventistHoops All-American game at Union Adventist University on August 1, 2026. (Kaitlyn Minden / AdventistHoops)
Forty years ago, Seventh-day Adventist colleges did not widely allow real competition or sanctioned college athletics—it was largely frowned upon. This summer, AdventistHoops helped Adventist athletes continue to showcase their talents by putting on the second AdventistHoops All-American event on the campus of Union Adventist University (UAU) in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Within just a couple of years, AdventistHoops founder Dustin Comm grew an idea of posting Adventist highlights on Instagram into a one-of-one type event for Adventist basketball, with the first All-American Weekend being at Loma Linda Academy/La Sierra University in 2025. This year Comm and the growing AdventistHoops team partnered with UAU President Yami Bazan and Athletic Director Drew Mekelburg to bring the event to Nebraska.
Before the start of the All-American games, AdventistHoops founder Dustin Comm (left) presented Union Adventist University president Yami Bazan (center) and athletic director Drew Mekelburg (right) with a signed jersey in appreciation of their partnership. (Kaitlyn Minden / AdventistHoops)
Not being able to make the 2025 event, I didn’t fully grasp the gravity of what had transpired. It wasn’t until Christmas 2025, when the documentary capturing the first All-American event dropped, that I realized the magnitude and potential of the organization as a whole; a film with more than 21,000 views, done by a small, but very talented group of people that reached and inspired so many. With my background in broadcast journalism, it was something that I knew I had to be a part of moving forward. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started helping with the platform, but I knew that I was all about the idea of promoting Adventist athletics. I joined the AdventistHoops team shortly after, writing blog articles, interviewing coaches and players, and helping to co-host the AdventistHoops Podcast.
The AdventistHoops team added more talented members in preparation for the second All-American Weekend, and it was really impressive how detail-oriented and thought-out the preparation was behind every aspect of the event. Weekly team meetings to prepare logistics for flying in 40 players and their families, pre-production on a documentary, preparing for a comprehensive media day, producing a professional broadcast of the all-star games, designing jerseys, and so much more.
Preparation always helps, but executing those details in quick succession are two different things. On the seven hour drive from Fargo, North Dakota, to Lincoln, I had plenty of time to dream about what the weekend would be like. I dreamt it would be big—a packed UAU gym (The Thunderdome), lots of interviews, and responsibilities. But you can never visualize exactly how four days are going to go at an event you’ve never been a part of before.
Victoria Matthews of Campion Academy checks in at the Ortner Center on Wednesday, July 29. (Enoc Borrero / AdventistHoops)
I pulled into Lincoln around 2 PM on Wednesday, July 29th, and the first thing that jumped out was the hospitality of the UAU staff. A quiet campus without students in session, but a beautiful and welcoming environment. The quietness was different from my prior visits to Union for basketball and volleyball tournaments, when students were around and a handful of academies were there to compete. All-American players trickled in throughout the afternoon and evening, getting settled in before gathering for evening worship.
One of the best aspects of the event was the spiritual component. It wasn’t an afterthought tossed in, but a central focus during a week of basketball. The theme was “Shot Ready,” built on a devotional manuscript written by Adrian Hargrove, co-host of the AdventistHoops Podcast. Each athlete received a custom student-athlete journal which included event information and note-taking space in the first half, and in the latter half, Hargrove’s devotional, “Master Your Slingshot.” Hargrove teamed up with UAU’s legendary public address announcer, Buell Fogg, UAU’s all-time men’s basketball leading scorer, Matt Gal, and campus chaplain, Mollie Dupper, to present the story of David and Goliath in unique perspectives that tied into the lives of the All-American players. After the speaker of the night, players were divided into small groups, one of which I had the privilege of leading, allowing for follow-up questions and thoughts to dive deeper into the message.
Recent graduates Gabriel Baldwin (Andrews Academy) and Kaden Carter (Georgia-Cumberland Academy) pose at one of the media day stations on Thursday, July 30. (Kaitlyn Minden / AdventistHoops)
Thursday was the busiest day of the week, and the one that made me nervous with how much was going on. Right after breakfast and morning worship, it was straight into “media day.” A great deal of planning went into media day to capture the athletes at six different stations: portraits, hype videos, press conferences, social media interviews, and more. I have to give a shoutout to the media day team because everyone excelled in their roles and turned the content around so fast that we had posts going up within hours of the session. Being the facilitator of the press conferences, it gave me the opportunity to learn the personality and temperament of each athlete coming through before the broadcast on Saturday night. Whether reserved or outgoing, each athlete spoke about leaning into this unique, one-of-a-kind experience, not just for basketball, but for their faith too.
Later that afternoon athletes got their first taste of college-level workouts with coaches from nearly all the Adventist colleges and universities. It was a wake-up call to a lot of people, including myself, to see how well the practices were run, how high the standards were, and how much improvement was needed to take their game from high school to the college level, even in Adventist basketball. As someone that grew up in a state with no competitive sports at the nearest Adventist academy, I tended to associate Adventist sports as non-competitive and nothing more than an intramural. But these players were all competitive and invested in the sport, which was something I’d never seen. But the coaches putting them through drills that brought out weaknesses, showing them that there’s a high standard and a big leap to see the floor in Adventist college basketball, was the most encouraging thing I saw on Thursday.
After an intense two-hour training session on Thursday, July 30, players and coaches bring the work to a close with a shout in the Reiner Wellness Center. (Enoc Borrero / AdventistHoops)
Friday afternoon we brought in Dr. Ravi Sabapathy from AdventHealth, and learned from him about the mindset it takes to play sports. The physical training can only take you so far but the preparation mentally that no matter the outcome, you can always choose to have an identity in someone much bigger than the result of a game. Dr. Sabapathy’s talk was another thing I wished I would have heard as a player years ago but can still apply to myself today and I hope the athletes soaked in the message. It was also eye-opening seeing Adventist representation in mainstream sports. Sabapathy works with the Legacy Motor Club NASCAR team and the Kansas City Chiefs, meeting with drivers, pit crew members, football players, and coaches about their mental approach to succeeding in life. Seeing AdventHealth get involved in the mainstream spotlight of sports over the last handful of years has been exciting to see, and getting to interact with that first-hand was a nice moment for me personally.
After hearing from Dr. Sabapathy, it was time for the first competitive scrimmages that divided the teams into the jersey colors they’d be wearing during the Saturday night all-star games. The coaches divided the teams and picked the side they’d work with. I sat in on the boys scrimmage at the new Reiner Wellness Center, and saw the teams working to improve from Thursday. The play was cleaner, players were finding each other in the spots they excelled most—things were starting to come together for both sides.
Another element to Friday were the team meetings after the scrimmages. Coaches took their teams aside and broke out whiteboards to talk X’s and O’s, giving players a better understanding of the game from a bird’s eye view. From open side pick-and-rolls to closeouts, each coach was looking to instill good habits in the players that could translate both during the main event Saturday night, but also long-term for those going back for another year in high school or on to the college level.
Adventist college coaches from nearly all of the Adventist universities returned for a second year to pour energy and instruction into the athletes, while also keeping their eye on potential recruits. (Kaitlyn Minden / AdventistHoops)
After a long few days of basketball, everyone got the chance to slow down and ease into the Sabbath. A much-needed period after the most intense workouts the players had experienced, and even for the AdventistHoops media team, it was a time to breathe after pumping out as much content as humanly possible. The group went to Collegeview Church across the street from the Thunderdome, where the congregation was excited to host the AdventistHoops event, giving us all a warm welcome. A theme that began from the first time I walked onto campus to the day we left: the staff at Union and the Collegeview Church members treated us incredibly and were such amazing hosts for the weekend.
That night we did what we set out to do after months of planning: let the top Adventist high school players put their talents on display, and it was a really fun watch from the broadcast table. I couldn’t have asked for a better broadcast partner than Matt Jakobsons on my right side, and the privilege of saying I broadcasted a game with Fogg, on the mic to my left. For me, the whole week wasn’t headlined by the basketball itself, but the people and purpose I was surrounded by. Advocates for spreading the talent of the players, the character of the players themselves, the hospitality at Union, the Christ-centered focus of the event.
The boys Black Team celebrates after a game-winning layup to cap off the Saturday night all-star event. (Kaitlyn Minden / AdventistHoops)
Joining AdventistHoops at the beginning of the year and experiencing the 2026 All-American event were the first times I’d been able to say that I was proud of Adventist athletics. Growing up in a place where the nearest Adventist academy was lucky to win a game, and with AdventistHoops not existing yet, I wasn’t able to see the talent of the players, dedication of the coaches, or professionalism of the photographers, designers, and planners behind events like this.
As much as the workshops, drills, and games were for the athletes, I applied them to myself as someone that wished an organization like this would have existed when I was in high school. Working in that setting, conducting interviews, leading a small group, interacting with the athletes and preparing to call the games on Saturday night was closest thing I’d felt to a dream job with purpose. I’ve broadcasted sports since the 8th grade, and went to college knowing that sports were my passion and that I wanted it to be my mission field. Working for AdventistHoops and seeing everyone come together that week was the first time it actually became just that for me. I can’t thank everyone enough for making the 2026 AdventistHoops All-American event what is was. I hope to be involved in growing this platform for a long time!