To kick off the season, we took our team to Mason City, Iowa for a tournament this past weekend. Coach Michael Loney's old college teammate Garrett Callahan of Ambush Basketball invited the team to come participate in a tournament he hosted at North Iowa Area Community College. 

We traveled to Mason City the following morning. To cover the registration cost, the team ran the tournament concession stand on Saturday. 

​We competed in four games over the course of the weekend, fighting hard in all of the games. Our first game we came from behind, made a layup as time expired to go into overtime, and won in overtime! It was a great way to start the season and see our young men fight through adversity.

​The tournament organizers hosted a party on Saturday night at a local bowling alley. 

​Special thanks to Garrett Callahan and Ambush Basketball for inviting us to participate in the tournament!

On Saturday, April 30 we packed up and headed for Camp Shalom in Mound City, Kan., for a 1-night retreat to kick off the beginning of the season.

​Before heading out to Camp Shalom, we did the "War Memorial Run" where we ran from Union Station to the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Mo.  

Upon arriving at Camp Shalom, we played basketball and hung out with the camp staff, including a 99-year-old missionary that the team was able to meet last summer as well.

We then helped the Camp Shalom staff with a few work projects around the property. 

The night ended with a bonfire, more basketball, and other team bonding activities.