Hey Parents –If you found this book, you are probably wondering how your homeschool athlete can compete competitively. Or maybe you are wondering if it is possible for your student athlete to get a college scholarship. I had the same questions, too! Even before we made the decision to homeschool, I wondered silently if my kids might have a talent to play a sport competitively and if so, would homeschooling hold them back or be an advantage for them.Many are surprised to hear names like Justin Jackson, Mariah Jefferson, Alonzo Trier, Blake Griffin (and his brother Taylor), were either a part of - or graduates of - competitive Christian homeschool basketball programs. In this book, I've compiled our family's experience of 25 years of homeschooling our 7 children – six boys and one girl. We had five boys before our girl came along and they were a lively crew. Everything at our house became a competition! Basketball became the sport they were drawn to and the adventure began.Our journey started with our first five-year-old and continues today. I've been a spectator, Athletic Director, but mostly coach throughout all of these years. In the book, I share our heart behind the "why" behind our crazy decision to play ball. Our "why." All the practices, games, training, camps, injuries – we understand the crazy part. With that being said, we believe it's one of the best parenting decisions we made.In the elementary years, we had tons of fun! We tried to focus on the fundamentals while keeping it all fun. The fundamentals were going to be key for later years if the kids continued to play. We didn't force them to play. We found other homeschool families with similar desires and joined their team. These were some of our best days!In the middle school years, the commitment level increases. Coaches demand more, more practices each week, and some teams now play year-round. So, decisions had to be made – how serious am I? How committed am I? Do I want to continue? Are there other things I am more passionate about? Players begin to learn about trash-talking, injuries, emotions, growth spurts, hormones – it is a wild ride!During high school years, everything comes together – the fundamentals of elementary, and the training of middle school and the years of developed basketball IQ. Now, the physical component is added to the mix. The players can use their basketball "bags" to do things they've not been able to do before. If time was given in the earlier years – learning fundamentals, this season is the most fun for them. Preparing for possible college ball becomes a goal for some. All the earlier years prepare them for this season.We had a lot to learn about the college season – recruiting, NIL, coaches, college life, summer tournaments, college tryouts. There was no book for this! We learned on the fly like everything else we do as homeschoolers. One of our kids has played in college so far, but others have been recruited as well.Frequent questions other parents have asked us over the years are included in the book that I try to answer as honestly as I can, including finances, injuries and time. Mostly, they're curious to know our "why."We discuss coaches and the influence they had on our kids. Finding great Christian coaches was very important to us and instrumental in our kids growth – physically, emotionally and spiritually.We believe basketball has been a training ground for life. I've even called it our best homeschool class, although some would disagree. The kids had to learn to deal with success, defeat, unfairness, and be ready for any of them at any moment. Basketball worked the "do hard things" muscle. Far from perfect, but our adult kids are some of the hardest workers we know! And we're grateful…We hope and pray this 120 page book will encourage and inspire you on your family's journey! Tom has been married to Becky for 36 years and they have raised seven kids. He has worked in construction, engineering, IT and in
