Over the course of the past year, womens basketball has bloomed and sprouted in popularity like virtually nothing else. Due to the likes of players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and many other young players, the sport attracted massive amounts of television numbers unheard of previously! Yet as Christians, we are not after numbers or supreme popularity; our purpose is much bigger.
Photo taken by Madison Bowden
This idea is what first year coach Tonya Mcintosh chiefly recognizes as the forefront of the womens basketball team at Covenant. Detailing her first year, Coach Mcintosh said that she has “enjoyed being at Covenant,” loving the college “since the day my daughter stepped on campus five years ago!” She later remarked that “to be surrounded by the beauty, God's people and the community of support has been amazing” in this period of familiar transition.
In terms of the leadership, she puts that upon the shoulders of the juniors and seniors of the team. As she notes: “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” It is her job to lead well as a servant of her players and Jesus so that her players can do the same to those around them.
And yet, Coach Mcintosh understands that these changes in a sizable transition will not always turn out in a day. Rather, their steady growth “seems incrementally small at the present time, but we experience the joy and the strength of the Lord in the midst of it.” Their goal is 1% growth every day, a process that “will lead to developing leaders in each class of players and recruits.”
Ultimately, she wants to “put a product on the floor that Covenant will be proud of,” mirroring the motto and mission of this faithful college. While the hope is always winning in a sport, Coach Mcintosh recognizes the purpose for this team being much grander than that. She lastly remarked that “If we can keep the focus of denying ourselves, playing free, and being the Light, then our season will be full of wins.”
She is incredibly “grateful for the opportunity to serve this institution” and “thankful for the support of our Covenant community,” eager to see where God takes them this year and moving forward. Make sure to come out and show your support this season!
Thumbnail photo taken by Madison Bowden.