Oakwood Adventist Academy: Success Without a Post-season
By: Josh Boyko
The Oakwood Adventist Academy Mustangs boys celebrate after a win during the 2025-2026 regular season. (Azana Andrews)
When a team is talked about as “not being defined by wins and losses,” they don’t typically have an undefeated record in their region. However the Oakwood Adventist Academy Mustangs were just that at 8-0 in Area 16 in division 1A of the state of Alabama, and heading to the postseason as the top seed. Unfortunately they never got to chase the championship run in front of them. After exceeding the state limit of regular season games and self-reporting this to the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA), the association banned Oakwood from post-season play. An appeal was filed, and after conflicting county court rulings and temporary restraining orders were handed down regarding the first playoff game, the original ruling was upheld. The season came to an abrupt and disappointing end.
The Alabama High School Athletic Association banned Oakwood from post-season play after the team exceeded the state limit of regular season games. (Azana Andrews)
The school released a statement stating, “The situation that ended their postseason was a self-reported administrative scheduling issue—not player misconduct. No student-athlete was academically ineligible, and no residency or transfer rules were violated. The appellate court ultimately ruled on jurisdiction regarding the Temporary Restraining Orders, and the postseason disqualification stood.”
Assistant coach and parent, Tirso McCoy, praised the amazing character of the kids, banding together after receiving the heartbreaking news. “This doesn't fall on the kids, but when adversity did come, they handled it with maturity beyond their years. They stayed composed. They supported each other. They kept showing up in the right way. And as a parent, that's what I'm most proud of. Championships matter, but at the end of the day that character will last longer.”
Despite the disappointing ending, head coach Jarrett Swain is proud of how the group carried themselves throughout the season. (Azana Andrews)
Head coach Jarrett Swain reflected on the season and his pride in the young men he coached. “The word ‘team’ describes this group. They play selfless basketball. It was definitely ‘we over me.’ It didn't matter who took the last shot. They were brothers on and off the court. They hung out, they had fun, they did everything together. They carried themselves with pride on and off the court. I think they'll be known on the court as one of the scrappiest, hardworking, toughest Oakwood teams we've ever put out. We played the number one team or the number two team in every division in Alabama and every game, every coach told us, ‘man, that was everything we could handle, everything we wanted.’ So, we don't do moral victories, but to leave some of those games like that, that's a win for us.”
The seniors for this Mustangs team were a catalyst in their success. Senior 2026 AdventistHoops All-American Jadon Williams averaged nearly 13 points and 10 rebounds per game on 65% shooting, leading the team in all categories. Isaiah Gideon consistently added 10 points per game, providing secondary scoring for Oakwood. The Mustangs played an 8-man rotation in the majority of their games and each player that saw consistent varsity time averaged at least 6 points per game. Coach Swain spoke to the depth his team displayed.
2026 AdventistHoops All-American Jadon Williams led the way for the Mustangs as a senior, averaging a double-double. (Azana Andrews)
“I think this is one of the more balanced teams we've had over the years. We had some good senior leadership. We had Jadon Williams who had been on varsity for four years and Jason McCoy our shooting guard. He had been on varsity for three years. Jamel Myrie was a two-year starter. And then we had another senior, Isaiah Gideon, who came in last year and played JV and stepped up right to the plate this year for varsity. And those four men, their leadership was great. You know, they had one goal. Of course, we didn't get to that goal, but they led by example. They led vocally and I can't thank them enough.”
When asked about the biggest area of growth this season, it wasn’t the undefeated Area 16 record or the top 10 division ranking (Oakwood finished at #7 in 1A on MaxPreps) in the state that the players mentioned first. Instead, it was a bigger type of growth the group experienced. “I would say spiritually, actually, because we all grew together,” said Williams. This season, a lot of us started praying more. There's things that we're depending on God a lot more for. So just growing spiritually as a team and growing together.”
The Mustangs biggest takeaways from the season was the personal and spiritual growth they experienced. (Azana Andrews)
“We grew more when we trusted each other,” added fellow senior Daylin Alford. “I think towards the middle and later in the season when things started to come down, my teammates started to come together. Like J-Williams said, spiritually, but also off the court. These are brothers I'm going to carry with me the rest of my life.”
Coach Swain lauded the efforts of all his seniors and also voiced his confidence in the next wave of players emerging. “Jaiden Morton will be a four-year starter on varsity so a lot of experience coming back with him. He's been in every type of game you can imagine. Uriah Williams, same. He's been with the program since he was in sixth grade, so great experience there. Malachi Jones, he'll be a junior next year. He's a name to definitely look out for and I think you'll hear that name a lot. Juniors Chris Lee and Donnell Morgan both saw significant minutes on varsity this year and I think they'll be ready. We got a good core nucleus coming up from JV that we're throwing to the fire early.”
The 2025-2026 Mustangs season will not soon be forgotten thanks to the character each player displayed both on and off the court. (Azana Andrews)
That group will carry Oakwood into their next season with plenty to build on, but the 2025-2026 Mustangs season will not soon be forgotten thanks to the character each player displayed both on and off the court. “I think being part of the Adventist community is big because we carry Oakwood Academy wherever we are, either at church or on the basketball court,” said Alford. “And I think the way that we presented ourselves on the court this year was a testament to the school, the administration, and on how they brought us up as young men, but also as Adventist athletes.”