EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH TYREE CRUMP
Presented by SONS MAGAZINE
From Pain to Purpose: The Unstoppable Rise of Tyree Crump
Born in the heart of Bainbridge, Georgia, Tyree Crump's journey has been anything but easy. Raised by a fearless mother and shadowed by the tragedy of losing a father he never got to meet, Crump found purpose through the power of faith and the game of basketball. From AAU gyms to the SEC spotlight at the University of Georgia and now a professional career overseas his story is layered with heartbreak, healing, and a relentless determination to break generational curses. In this raw and powerful interview with SONS Magazine, Tyree opens up about family, forgiveness, and the divine voice that reminded him: "I got you."
SONS MAGAZINE:
I'm here today with professional basketball player TYREECRUMP:. How are you doing today, sir?
TYREE CRUMP:
Doing amazing, man. All is well. How about yourself?
SONS MAGAZINE:
I'm blessed. Now I understand that you're from Bainbridge, Georgia, is that correct?
TYREE CRUMP:
Yes, sir. The country part of Memphis, Georgia.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Coming from a small community like Bainbridge, what first put you on the radar of the University of Georgia? That's a huge program.
TYREE CRUMP:
Oh, man. Yeah, it was. You know, being from a small town, guys usually don't get looks. I would say AAU put me on the map. It helped me get my first offer from Georgia. Georgia was actually my first offer. Being from Bainbridge, all my family are fans of UGA. So I knew I was going to Georgia right away. It wasn’t about any other schools, when I got my first offer from Georgia, I already knew I was going there.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Tell me a little about growing up in Bainbridge, about your family and about your community. Going from a smaller community to a major university like Georgia takes an amazing amount of talent and an amazing amount of confidence in yourself. Where did that confidence come from?
TYREE CRUMP:
It came from growing up without my father and seeing what my mom went through with her sickness. It made me the player I was because I felt like I had nothing else but sports. I was going through a lot, and sports was my outlet. Really basketball and football, but I ended up playing basketball. I concentrated and kept working on basketball and just got better. Just seeing what my mom went through. I never got a chance to meet my father, I just heard stories about him. I faced a lot of adversity and it built up inside me. Then almost losing my mom, sitting on her deathbed, it just brought out another side of me. When I played basketball, I felt like that's the only time I could just let it out and give it my all. Some days I used to just go in the bathroom at school and cry because I didn't know if my mama would be gone when I got home. So, coming from that, nothing was easy. Everything that I had, I had to work for it. Still to this day, I have to work for everything. People see I got the talent and they see I put in the hard work no matter what. When God wants you to be someplace he’s gonna place you there. So all I can do is just keep working.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Amen. For our readers who aren't familiar with your background and your story, do you want to touch a little bit on your parents, on what you did go through?
TYREE CRUMP:
Yeah, definitely. So, my father got shot nine times. I know it's a little deep, but I actually ended up talking to the guy who took the rap for him dying, for him getting shot. I took a big step, it was hard for me to take that step, but I did after all these years. They were best friends, he told me the story but I won't get into it now because I’m gonna try to get him to tell his side of the story in part two of my documentary. I asked him a while back if he would be open to telling his side of the story for the documentary and he was open to it. But, just hearing the stories about my father, man, you could tell my father was a great dude. But, when you are on a different path than what God wants you to be on sometimes the outcome comes out a little different. You see what I'm saying?
SONS MAGAZINE:
Oh, yeah.
TYREE CRUMP:
From all the stories that I hear about my dad, he was a great person. By him growing up in a small town everybody knew him, everybody loved him. You know, like I said, he was on another path and it just caught up with him. Everybody says, “Man, you look just like your dad, y'all could be twins. Every time I see you, man, I can't stop thinking about your dad, you look just like him.” All the stories I hear just make me smile. He was doing all this at this young age, I can't believe it. You know, he died when he was 18, and they buried him when he was 19.
SONS MAGAZINE: Oh man.
TYREE CRUMP:
Yeah, he actually got killed at his birthday party. Like I said, it's deep, man. I can't wait to get in
front of the camera and just show where I come from, I just want the world to hear my story.
SONS MAGAZINE: That's amazing.
TYREE CRUMP:
And as far as my mom, she is a very, very strong woman. She has been through a lot, we've been through a lot. She never gave up, I saw my mom on her deathbed. She went from weighing 130-140 pounds to weighing 60-80 pounds. Man, that can mess up a person up mentally, you know? Seeing her go through that, and then bounce back from that, I just knew it was all God. We prayed so hard for her, we prayed every day. She got healthy and I told my mom, you got a purpose on this earth. I don't know what it is, but you have a purpose. I saw her on her deathbed, then to see where she’s at now, that's how I know God is real and nobody can tell me anything different.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Oh yea! Amen.
TYREE CRUMP:
Seeing her go through all of that and still working hard to make sure we had everything we needed….. Mainly everything I needed, she never really cared about herself, she just wanted to make sure I had everything. When she was sick she never missed a game, and when she got healthy she never missed a game. She never missed a game no matter how she felt. She would come home and go straight to bed because she was so sick, but she never wanted to miss a game. Even when I went to college at Georgia, any game she could get to, she came to. So that’s why I say she is a strong woman, she gave me that drive. That’s where I get that work ethic, that drive. That describes my mother, a very strong woman. She has always done whatever it takes to get it done. Battling all the things that we have had to battle and me being here, man, I’m blessed! Nobody but God, that’s all I can say, nobody but God.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Man, that says a lot. You reached out to the gentleman that took the rap for your father’s murder, that says a lot about you and about your strength. People don’t realize that a large part of forgiving others is for your benefit. If you don’t forgive you carry that pain around inside you and that will impact you for the rest of your life.
TYREE CRUMP:
I could tell you stories. When I was in around the seventh grade he got out of prison. Like I said, they grew up together, they were best friends, locked in. I can’t wait until we get in front of the camera so I can really put everything out there. The first time I saw him my mom showed me a picture. She said, this is such and such, this is who took the rap for everything. His gun wasn't the one that killed my dad. My dad was shot nine times, but it was multiple guns that were shot. So I saw him a couple times but I was young, so it really didn't hit me until I got to high school. After I hit high school age I was angry.
He would come to my basketball games, he would just show up. He wanted to support me, but he was supporting me from a distance. I got older and when I saw him, I said, “what's up”, and we just went our separate ways. Every time I saw him, he would speak to me, and I would speak back. He would speak to my mom, my mom would speak to him, there was never any tension or anything like that.
One day, just about a year and a half ago, I saw him at the gas station. The Holy Spirit was on me to ask him what happened that night so it could just take a burden off me and him. I never saw this man take his glasses off, ever. He always had on dark shades, I never had seen his eyes. You could tell something went through him because he took his glasses off when I asked him that. He told me what he told me and we talked it up. I Told him, I forgive you, I know you and my dad were friends, regardless of what other people may say about you.
I don't know if my dad's side of the family has forgiven you, I can't speak for them, but I'm speaking for his son, I forgive you and I wish you the best in everything. I told him there could possibly be a part two of the documentary coming out and that if he was open to telling his side of the story, we can do that.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Man! That takes strength. And after hearing about your mom, I can see where your strength comes from. She has an amazing story.
TYREE CRUMP:
Oh yea. You know what though, the crazy thing about it is it all started with playing basketball. That's why I feel like God sent me to finish, to pick up where my dad had left off. I gotta break the generational curse. So that's why God put me where he put me with a basketball. It all started with my dad, this is actually his story. I'm living the life he was supposed to be living. That's how I look at life. I'm real spiritual, so I'm definitely tapped in with God. I talk to God all the time, and he talks back to me. When he talked back, he gave me the answers that I needed. He told me that I got to finish what my dad started, and I said, okay, it all makes sense.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Oh yes, iIt does. So, at a young age, who was it that first steered you towards basketball? Was it your mom? Or was it just a love you naturally had for the game?
TYREE CRUMP:
No, it was actually my first cousin. She is the one
who put a basketball in my hands when I was younger. She was really good at basketball. Everywhere she went to play basketball she took me with her. We'd go from project to project and play basketball. We’d go across the street from where we stayed or where my grandma stayed and play basketball. I come from a sports family, everybody plays sports. But my cousin was actually the first one to put the ball in my hands, and that's how I got started. But what took my game to the next level? I'm gonna tell you a story, I got my butt beat for this. I'm from Bainbridge and Tallahassee, Florida is probably like 30 minutes from us. My mom was really sick at the time, I was probably in the seventh grade. That's when I got started in AAU ball, it’s what changed my life.
There was this guy that used to play basketball for the high school I ended up going to. He was a star player there. He saw me play and knew I was up and coming. I used to always watch him at the gym. I would workout with him and play one on one with him. He
said, man, you gonna be the biggest person that came through here. He told me he played for this AAU team and they are having a tournament. He asked if I wanted to go and I was like, shoot, yeah, let's do it. My Grandma was the type that didn’t trust people. She would say, “I don't know these people, I ain't letting you go nowhere.” So I made my own decision to go that day. We had the little flip phones back then and my Grandma called me. I told her I was down at the park and I’ll be home in a little while. She was like, okay, I was just checking on you. Man, me and him shot to Tallahassee and I went missing for the whole day. I looked at my phone and I got about 50 to 100 missed calls, they were blowing me up. When I got home my Grandma beat me so bad, but it was all worth it. She was beating me so bad my mama stopped her and told her that's enough. That's how I got started with AAU. My AAU coach, Coach Lee, that's who changed my whole life. I wouldn't be talk
ing to you right now if it wasn't for him, he put me in the position to be the player I am today. He kept me working because he knew it would be easy for me to go down the wrong path, being with the crew, being with my friends. I had a lot of friends that played basketball, but they dropped out of school in the eighth grade or ninth grade to be in the streets.
That could have easily been me but he was like, no, we ain't doing that. He said, “You got potential, you gonna move in with me this summer, and we gonna work.” My grandma wasn't buying it at first, but then when he came down, she knew it was serious. She was like, okay, my baby must be serious. Then my mama said, “just let him go.” After she said that, the rest is history.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Are your friends supportive or kind of jealous of what you have achieved?
TYREE CRUMP:
Nah, all my friends are always like, bro, you the one. We were way before our time. The stuff these kids are doing now we've been doing since I was a baby. So I was molded a little differently. So, me and my friends were grown in middle school. My friend was always like, man, you gonna be the one that makes it.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Oh yeah?
TYREE CRUMP:
Yeah, I had friends that used to always push me. If they were getting ready to fight they'd be like, Tyree, you don't need to come with us today because you know it's gonna go down. I would say, man, I'm going anyway, y'all can't tell me I can't come, I'm going with you. But, eventually I caught on to it, it was just like my friends were on a different path than me. So I figured out that if I wanted to play basketball and play sports then I gotta do something different.
SONS MAGAZINE: Yes.
TYREE CRUMP:
And I had another coach in middle school named Coach Clark. He was really hard on us. He was one of those old school coaches. We used to skip school and go straight to Burger King. He would come, thump us in the head and he would be cussing us out.
SONS MAGAZINE:
We need more of that old school discipline.
TYREE CRUMP:
Yeah, man, if I could rewind my life I would do the same thing all over again because it made me the person I am today. But, yeah, they still support me. I got friends all over, we never changed, I never changed. I still go see my friends, I never changed even though I'm professional. While I went to Georgia, I never changed, I still was the same person. That's why I get so much respect.
SONS MAGAZINE:
That’s a blessing right there. Good people surrounded you, even when you went through tough situations, you were surrounded by great people. We said earlier that you went to the University of Georgia, who is in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). That is arguably one the best conferences in the country, I gotta say arguably because I'm up here in Big Ten country. I watched some of your clips and I said, that brother can shoot! You are one of the top three point shooters in Georgia history, aren't you?
TYREE CRUMP:
Yeah, I'm in the top ten. I think I'm maybe nine now. I didn't even have the career I was supposed to have at Georgia. Imagine if I was really able to just be turned loose.
SONS MAGAZINE: Oh yea.
TYREE CRUMP:
But Georgia was a great experience. Like one of the best in my life. I'm playing in Iraq now, my teammates are all older than me. They are like 35, 36 years old. I tell them all types of stories and they are
amazed. They sit there with their mouths open when I tell them stories. They come up to me all the time like tell me some more stories, bro, you got a story for me today? I’ll tell them yeah, I got a couple for you. Georgia was a great experience, but I was originally supposed to go to Florida State.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Oh, really?
TYREE CRUMP:
Yes, I was originally supposed to go to Florida State. My AAU coach lived in Tallahassee and I was with him during the summers. We would go see Coach Ham, up at Florida State. Every day I'm playing pickup with the players and they thought they had me in their back pocket. They were calling every day, pulling up to the games, coming everywhere. But I had another coach at Georgia that was doing the same thing. Just the relationship me and him developed, I was like, I think I'm just going to Georgia.
And then Tallahassee was right there, close to home, I wanted to be farther from home. I wanted to grow up and be a man. I didn't want to be right there with my mom. I wanted to do something different. So, when I went to Georgia for the first time I committed right on the spot.
SONS MAGAZINE:
So out of all the games you played at Georgia, what's the game that sticks out in your mind?
TYREE CRUMP:
Oh, man, Vanderbilt. It was versus coach Jerry Stackhouse, my senior year, 2020. I'm gonna tell you a crazy story, and it correlates to the day. So this is how God worked, it's just everything coming full circle for me. So. Earlier that day we had an event and I left my practice jersey at the hotel, so they had to give me another practice jersey. I got number 43. It wasn't a problem, nobody was upset or anything like that, it happens. But, 4/13 is my dad's birthday.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Oh yeah?
TYREE CRUMP:
So, 4/13 is my dad's birthday and I had 43 on. So, I'm having a good game. We're going back and forth. I hit three points back to back and I had like nine points. So, you know, we were in a rhythm. We were down, like I said, it was a very good, close game. I’m telling you the voice of God is real. One of their guys was at the free throw line and I heard in my ear, you’re about to hit the game winner, I heard that.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Oh man!
TYREE CRUMP:
I got nervous and my heart started pounding. The way it was set up, that's how I knew, man, nobody can tell me God is not real. So, I came down the court, they kicked the ball to me and I hit it from half court. Man, that was the highlight of my college career. I never felt so good. Still to this day, when I watch the video, I get chills because I just remember hearing that voice. “You're about to hit the game winner.” It was crazy because I was going through a lot of adversity at the time with the coach. He wasn't playing me as much as I wanted my senior year, and I was trying to make a name for myself. But, that was the highlight and that's when God was like, I got you, no matter what people try to do, I got you, they can't deny you. Then, my name just blew up everywhere. That correlates to today, 43, 4/13, my dad’s birthday.
I wear the jersey number 43 right now, it's crazy. I framed those shoes I was wearing when I hit that shot. The socks, the underwear and all that, I’m never going to throw any of that away.
SONS MAGAZINE:
I feel you. So after you graduated from Georgia, what was the process you followed to check out different avenues to play pro ball? What steps did you take or who reached out to you etc.?
TYREE CRUMP:
Coming out of college it was rough because COVID hit, but an agent reached out to me. His name was Corey Markham, he’s a very good guy, he scooped me up. He was new with the agency. He had three players, me, Jay Scrubb, and another guy named A.G. So, it was us three at the time that had a big name, but he had more people too. I didn't really have that stock in the mock drafts, so it was hard for me. Plus COVID hit so they didn't know if they were gonna have a season. There were no workouts, we couldn't get interviews or anything like that, so it was kind of rough for me. So, I ended up going through
all of 2020 just working out. I missed that whole year and then the next year me and my agent parted ways. It was just a lot for me, I was on my own for a little bit. Then I went through a deep depression because I felt like it could possibly be over for me. I was thinking this is about to be my second year with nothing, you know. But long story short, I ended up finding a home with TBL agents. I met some great people in Houston. I know you are familiar with Steve Francis?
SONS MAGAZINE:
Oh, yeah.
TYREE CRUMP:
I met Steve Francis. He called me and was like, hey Debo, that's what he called me, you don't have to worry about anything, you are on my team. He said come play in Houston, we'll get you set up in an apartment, we'll make sure you are good. So I wasn't getting paid that much, but it was a start. I just wanted to play basketball anyway, I would have played for free. So Steve Francis was the owner of the team and James White, who played for the Spurs, was the coach. So I had great people around me and my team was so good. We won like 24 games and we only lost two. We went to the championship game but we lost in the championship. So, man, it was a journey. After that, I worked out for the Houston Rockets G League team. I got that opportunity hanging out with another agent out of Houston. He was like, I know you ain't signed with nobody. I'm finna scoop you up, you gotta work out tomorrow with Houston. So I'm like, okay, I go to Houston, I'm the best player there easily.
Then I go to Detroit, I'm one of the best players there by far. Nobody is even close to working as hard as I am anyway. Then the next day we went to Dallas, all these back to back. They ended up taking a Dallas guy who is the same age as me. They took him because he was a Dallas kid, which I can understand. That's why I say politics. The last team I didn't even work out for. The South Bay Lakers, they just kept hearing my name. They were like, hey, we could possibly sign this guy.
My agent was telling them, this guy is a player. They called other gyms too and were told I was really good. But, it just didn't work out. So I was going through so much after that. I couldn't even breathe, man, because I put so much work in to get right here. I felt like if I got that shot, I'd be in the league right now. Nobody was working like I was working, I felt like that was my only shot. So after that I went into a deep depression. I wasn't even playing basketball anymore because I felt like the agent did me dirty. He backed out on me. He started hitting me up say-
ing he could get me overseas, then he stopped, he stopped doing everything. He stopped texting me. I hit him up one day because I'm a man and at the end of the day I stand on principles. If you can't do something for me, tell me. I'm still gonna respect you if you can't do something for me, just tell me. I respect people who stand on principle. That's what I stand on, that's what I go by. It's just the way he did it. But, God was like, I'm just showing you a glimpse of your future. You’ve got to go through a little more before I can get you to where I'm going to take you. I didn't know that until later though. Back then I'm crying, I'm just going through everything, man. I ain't got no money, it's like I'm trying to figure it out. This is what we call real life, the real life outside of basketball.
SONS MAGAZINE: No doubt.
TYREE CRUMP:
I went through a real deep depression, man. But God started showing me I had a purpose on this earth. I stopped playing basketball, other than going to LA Fitness sometimes and just playing pickup games. This man came up to me one day and said, “Son, you’ve got calling on you, you got a light above your head.” Then he walked off. Then kind of like chills went through my body.
He waited for me outside and told me again that I had a calling on me. I was like nah, you know, he was just telling me, “you have a calling.” That's what he kept saying. I was like do you mean a spiritual gift, he was starting to scare me a little bit. He said, “Man listen, you have a spiritual gift. Don't be surprised if you start hearing a voice talking to you. I'm like, this man is crazy. I got the man’s number then he started praying.
went on playing basketball. I went to the Atlanta Entertainment Basketball League (ABEL). This is how I got my name in Atlanta: I went to the AEBL and I got matched up with Lou Will and I had 36 versus Lou Will. I matched up with Joe Johnson and had like 28. People were like man, you can hoop. They said, “I heard you played at Georgia, where you playing at now?” I was like, I ain't playing anywhere. They were like, “man, listen, go chase your
Then one day I was in a room with the lights off. I was just laying in the dark, and I heard God say, “You can't depend on anybody but me. I had to strip everything from you so you can see that you can't depend on anybody but me.” Then he said, “I'm gonna give it all back to you but you just gotta trust me, you gotta give your all to me.” This is what he told me, this is a true story, man. And you guess what I did? I still disobeyed. So guess what? Everything was delayed because I didn't obey what he wanted me to do. So I said, you know what, I’m going to follow God’s direction. I didn’t know much but I come from a praying family. I grew up in the church choir and all that. But you know, as a kid, you don't really get into the Bible. You hear stuff, but you don't really get into the Bible.
So I just picked up the Bible and started reading it. I started seeing a difference really fast, even though I
I met a guy named Will Solomon, and that's who helped me get my first contract. He played for Clemson and he played in the NBA. I met him at a pool party. We were just out there talking and, being young guys, we got that trash talking going on. We just started going back and forth. He was like, you can't do nothing with me on the court. I'm like, I promise you, whatever you want to put on it, we can put on it. He was like, I got a thousand dollars, you get your squad and I’ll get mine.
I had about 500 in my pocket and I dropped it on the ground. I said whatever you want to do, we can bet. He said all right, bet. He said we’ll play a game to 12. I said, if we go to 12, I’m going to score 10. We set it up. Now, mind you, I ain't played basketball in about two or three months, I'm just talking trash. I didn't even think we were really gonna play. He called me that Sunday and said I hope you're ready, we're gonna bust y’all up tomorrow. Man, we pulled up and everything that I told him I was gonna do I
did. I scored 10 and we beat them. He pulled me to the side and said, listen bro, I'm gonna help you. He said, don't worry, bro, I got you. I was telling him my situation and stuff and he said man I'm gonna help you. I told him whatever I say, I can back it up. I promise you, I can back it up, I got that dog in me.
SONS MAGAZINE: Yeah.
TYREE CRUMP:
So I'm telling my guy, whatever it takes to win, I'm going to do it. He sat down and looked at me like, man, I really let this youngster do me like that. But guess what I was doing? I still was disobeying. I was chasing after something else, basketball. So I told God, yeah, okay, I hear you. Then one day Will called me and was like, “Look, I got you this deal. It's a low amount of money, but take it. If you take it, your life's gonna change in two to three years.” I was like man, I ain't doing that, I could just get a 9 to 5 job or something. He was like, “Bro, trust me, just trust me.” That is what made me take the deal. I wasn't even gonna take it but he just kept calling. He finally caught me and said, “Why are you ducking me? I'm trying to help you.” I'm like, yeah, I'm going to sign.
Then I got another call, this is usually how you just get caught up. I'm not even in my hometown but they were talking about me. They were saying me and somebody else robbed somebody. I can't have that on my name. First off, I didn’t live down there anymore, I lived in Atlanta so how is that even possible? Word got around and my mom and my step pops, he raised
me, so he pops, called me and told me they heard I robbed someone too. He said he told them that I don’t even live here, how is that even possible? That was God saying, you better sign that contract, you better get up out of here.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Oh yeah, it was.
TYREE CRUMP:
So, yeah, that happened and I signed the contract. I called my mom and told her I just got a contract to play overseas, it ain't much money, but I'm gonna do it. I love y'all, and this is what's gonna go on. My mom was like, okay, cool, so they were on board. And, bro, that's how I got my first contract. I went from making nothing that summer to making something now. I really got in tune with God. That's why I said overseas helped me.
My first year overseas I didn't go out, I didn't party, I didn't do anything. All I did was sit in my room and watch tv. Sometimes I wouldn't even turn the tv on, I would just lay in the bed and that's when my connection with God got real strong. I started learning how to manifest things. I was praying and everything that I said I was gonna do, I did. Everything that I wrote down and said I was gonna do, I did. So, there was a shift, I look at life differently now. The stuff that I thought I needed, I really didn’t need. The friends that I thought I had, not all of them are my friends. Sometimes it takes isolation. I saw somewhere one time a sign that said, “When God isolates people he is trying to make them great.” This correlates to my life because he did that for me. And I'm still isolated right now. I'm overseas in Iraq, it's part of the journey. The money’s good so I'm gonna do what I got to do and handle my business.
This reminds me of the same situation I was in my first year. There’s nothing to do but just focus on you, build you. I learned that sometimes when God’s gonna take you to the next level that you have to be isolated to get yourself mentally strong. When you're going to go up to another level you've got to go through some stuff. I started seeing people fall out of my life. I say, maybe they are not meant to be in my life. They are still my people and they are still my friends. We are just on a different journey, you know?
SONS MAGAZINE: Yea I feel that.
TYREE CRUMP:
The path that I'm going on, they can't come with me. I just got to go by myself. And it all makes sense to me. But hey, I'm an old head at heart out here.
SONS MAGAZINE:
I think all the stuff you've been through is amazing. When you were down, you still persevered. You still had that strength inside you, that strength that came from your parents, that strength that came from God, and you kept moving forward. Most people don't do that, that's inspiring right there.
TYREE CRUMP:
I got a gift, I can read when somebody is going through something, when somebody is crying out for help. Man, listen, I was crying out for help, but nobody could hear me. I was crying and it was eating me up inside. I wanted to tell people, I wanted to show people, but I couldn't because I had to be there for them. I was there for people and I ain't have nothing, even if it was just talking to them. I'm giving
them advice, and I need to follow that advice myself. I talked to people, you just never know what a person is going through. Just a simple hi can change a person's mood. My family called me the key because I keep everything together. Like, when I'm with my dad's side of the family, I keep everything together over there. I’m like, we ain't doing all that arguing and stuff today. My grandma called me and said, I can't wait till you come home and calm stuff down.
SONS MAGAZINE:
The key, I like that. Something we didn't touch on, you talked about the struggle to get there, but you actually won a championship overseas, right?
TYREE CRUMP:
Yeah, I won my first championship this year, in
2024. Most people can't say they have done that. They've been playing overseas for 15, 16 years, and I got my first championship in only my third year playing.
SONS MAGAZINE: Look at God, man.
TYREE CRUMP:
Man, crazy. Like, I said, everything comes full circle, everything comes back around. I know I
keep talking about God but he is real. When I heard him say I am going to give you everything plus more, I couldn’t see it. Three years ago, I couldn’t see it, but I can see it now. I can see what he meant by I'm gonna give you everything back, plus more, I see that now. I'm blessed. It ain't me, it's all God.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Oh yeah, that's it right there. And, aside from
basketball, I understand you got a smooth fashion style too bro.
TYREE CRUMP:
Yeah, I love fashion. Ever since I was a little I always had that style, I always had a little swag about me. I used to go to school and I had my own trends. Like, I would have one shoe tied, the other one loose, and pants in my sock. People would be like, man, I'm dying, how do you do that? I'm showing boys at school how to do that.
My mom used to always have me fly. It came down from my dad. They say that when my dad was 17 he had everything. Every time a new outfit came out he got it. He had so much Tommy Hilfiger that he was bringing to the cleaners that when he passed away they had to shut the cleaners down. For his funeral there was a big Tommy Hilfiger balloon.
The world couldn’t have handled two of us. When
I look at myself, I'm looking dead at him, bro. I’m telling you, we twins, you wouldn’t be able to tell us apart. They say I am the spitting image of my dad. I walk like him, talk like him, act like him, and dress like him. For real, it's crazy. Sometimes my uncles will say, “it can't be real, I got my brother back.” But yeah, I love fashion.
I just love dressing up, what's better than looking good, man? You feel good, you dress good, you smell good, you got your nice little haircut, what's better than that?
SONS MAGAZINE:
So with your passion for basketball, fashion, and things like that, what are your short term and long term professional goals?
TYREE CRUMP:
Well, personally, I wanted to open a nail salon in my hometown. I also want to, like I said, we have a lot of great athletes that come through but they don’t have any guidance. So I want to build a facili-
ty where we can teach them what it takes to be great. If you want to play basketball, really any sport, we're going to have something for you. We’re going to make sure you do your homework when you get out of school, and we are going to train you. So a couple of businesses. I really want to open that nail salon for my mom. For me, I want to do something with sports or go back and coach.
Maybe go back and coach at the high school I played at, build them into a powerhouse. Let me get some of these players from Atlanta and just build a powerhouse school. Me and my best friend, we grew up together and went to Georgia together, were talking about that. When we're done with our basketball careers we're gonna go back and get the high school Basketball team and really run it. Imagine that, bro. You got two guys who went to UGA ,both top 100 in the country, best friends, and we are cousins, who ain’t gonna want to be a part of that? When me and him played against each other in high school we were rivals.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Oh yeah?
TYREE CRUMP:
Yeah, if people didn’t get their tickets at school or get there during the jv game they wouldn't get in the game. Really when I played period if you didn't get there during the jv game you ain't getting in. We had coaches lined up on the wall. Where I'm from, they ain't never seen nothing like that. Me and him had it. You know me, I got confidence in myself so I used to walk in during the third quarter of the girls game. I walked in late because I wanted to see the crowd. I came in fresh, too. I had my J's on, I might have my warm up on with no shirt up underneath walking through, that's just who I was.
SONS MAGAZINE:
Nothing wrong with that, confidence leads to success.
TYREE CRUMP:
Yeah, but coaching in high school and working with kids is what I want to do. We need to pour more into kids. These kids are going down the wrong path. They listen to what these boys are saying on the streets. They are seeing all this stuff on YouTube or whatever and it ain't got to be like that. It's okay to have a nine to five, it's okay to do other stuff. You don't have to be a gangster to be a player. Do that working a nine to five, man, ain't nothing like having money in your pocket.
SONS MAGAZINE:
When I asked you what your goals were they all dealt with giving back and helping other people and that says a lot about you, and a lot about the God in you. I definitely appreciate you, man. With all the stuff you've been through, I guarantee our readers, no matter where they are from, will pick up something from your story that they can relate to that they had to overcome themselves. So what message would you like to give to the young folks out there, to the people reading the magazine, to keep them encouraged and keep them moving forward like you have?
TYREE CRUMP:
I would say that the only person who can stop you is you! When adversity comes, that’s just a test to see if you have faith. Keep going forward!
JAYVON MAUGHMER
Built for the Court and Called for the Kingdom
By SONS MAGAZINE Editorial Staff
In a game where points matter and stats dominate, JAYVON MAUGHMER plays with something deeper than numbers. Yes, he’s 6’6”, yes, his three-point percentage turns heads, and yes he locks down defenders with grit that can't be coached. But behind every crossover, every rebound, every silent prayer in the locker room is a man built not just for the game, but for purpose.
father who pastors, it was never just about playing well it was about living right. The echoes of hymns and bouncing basketballs were his soundtrack. Discipline wasn't just a coaching term, it was a lifestyle.
From local gyms in Chillicothe, Ohio to making a name at Cedarville, and now on the big stage at Liberty University, JAYVON carries a rare blend of humility and hunger. Coaches call him “a big guard.” Teammates call him “a leader.” And his family? They just call him blessed.
“I’m not trying to fit anyone’s mold,” Maughmer tells us. “Whether I’m guarding the one or the
four, playing ball or mentoring kids after practice, I’m just trying to be where God needs me to be.”
That mindset has fueled a career of consistency. Not flashy for the sake of flash but efficient, reliable, and relentless. His defense? Relentless. His faith? Unshakable. His impact? Already stretching beyond the stat sheet. Even with dreams of going pro, he’s already sowing seeds for the future. His vision includes opening a multi-sport training facility, a space for young athletes to not only grow stronger but wiser. “It’s about more than reps,” he says. “It’s about purpose. About knowing who you are when the buzzer sounds and the crowd goes quiet.”
That’s JAYVON MAUGHMER. Not just a baller. Not just a believer. A blueprint for what it looks like when calling meets craft.
On any given night, you might find him sinking threes, shutting down scorers, or encouraging a teammate on the bench. But no matter where he is, he plays with something no defense can stop: Conviction. Character. Christ.
SONS MAGAZINE
Let’s start off by going back to the beginning, obviously, you've been in basketball your entire life and you've also been in church your entire life. Who or what was it that inspired you to begin your relationship with Christ? And who inspired you to begin your relationship with basketball?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
For my journey with the Lord it has to be my dad and grandpa. I would say my parents in general, mom and dad, and then my grandpa. They both got me started on my journey with the Lord, with my grandpa being the bishop of our church and my dad being the pastor and then all my uncles being pastors. You know, it kind of runs in the family, going to church every Sunday. So, it started at a really young age, even though at that time I didn't really know what I was reading or what I was talking about.
But as I got older and started understanding the word I started talking about things with my dad and
grandpa, they helped me through all that. As far as basketball, I'd have to say again, my parents. Then my coach, who I started with, Pat Beard. Me and his son have been playing together since second grade, and we played together all the way up through high school. So, that is what got me started in basketball. Playing at the Y and my dad taking us to the Y and shooting. I kind of just fell in love from there.
SONS MAGAZINE
How old were you when you started playing AAU ball?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
We started pretty early. I don't even remember when we first started AAU, but we were young.
SONS MAGAZINE
When you were younger, did you ever play any other sports? Or once you fell in love with basketball you said this is it right here?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
I played baseball when I was younger and then football all the way up until high school. I stopped
playing football for a year, came back my sophomore year and then broke my shoulder. After that I was like, yeah, I'm done, I'm gonna focus on basketball. Actually, funny story, when I broke my shoulder we were doing tackling drills. I broke my shoulder in practice.
Everybody thought, oh, he's just faking it but honestly could not lift my arm past my shoulders. So I get home, and I couldn't move it. It hurt to move, hurt to sit down, everything hurt. My brother thought, oh, he's just whining, and my mom didn't think anything of it. So they took me to urgent care and it was broken. They were like, oh wow, you were actually hurt. I was
SONS MAGAZINE
You mentioned that you fell in love with the Lord as well as basketball at a young age. When did you realize that you actually had a special talent or gift for basketball? When did you say, I can actually play at the college level, I can maybe make a career out of this?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
I'd probably say around maybe freshman year of high school or sophomore year. As I started going through high school I started getting a little bit better, and I went from there. I knew that I wanted to play at the
like, yeah, I
am, if it was just a stinger I would have been back out there. So, after that, I focused on basketball.
SONS MAGAZINE
Oh man. Was that your shooting arm shoulder
JAYVON MAUGHMER
It was my left, so not my shooting arm side.
SONS MAGAZINE
Man. That's a serious injury right there to overcome.
college level since then. My freshman year I didn't play as much varsity. Then my sophomore year, I ended up starting and it just kind of took off from there. I knew after that I wanted to play in college, and then even after college.
SONS MAGAZINE
All right. Now I know you have the height, you're 6’6”, so do you consider yourself more of a two guard or a one?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
Now that I'm at the Division one level, I’m more of
like a two guard, two or a three. But at the Division two level I was probably a two through four. Sometimes I had to run the four, maybe even the five, when we had a smaller lineup in there. But I'd say I'm a two or three. They call me a big guard.
SONS MAGAZINE
I was looking at your stats and I was wondering. It may be going back to your time with Coach Beard, playing AAU, it kind of seemed like you had to be positionless. It used to be that they would put players in one position only and they developed you towards that position. But the game has evolved and you have a better chance of succeeding if you can play more than one position. When you were at Cedarville, you shot around 52% from the field, 41% from three point, and around 81% from the free throw line. How did you develop your well rounded game, that versatility?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
You know, I think it's really just God given. Some people have their roles, their positions, and then
you got the guys who can play any spot you put them in. So I think it's really just God given and, also, staying consistent in the gym working on everything that you need to focus on. I think one of the biggest things is being able to guard different positions. I think that's a really big part of coaches being able to put you at different positions. I think for me, this year, it's helped me because they have me guarding the one, the two, the three, and sometimes I even have to guard the four. So I think it's really just staying consistent and being able to guard, that's one of the biggest things right there.
SONS MAGAZINE
All right. I know when you were at Cedarville you were first team All American and you guys actually won the championship.
JAYVON MAUGHMER
Yeah, the NCCAA.
SONS MAGAZINE
That’s a great accomplishment right there! You
were at Cedarville for four years then you transferred to Liberty. What made you decide on Liberty after leaving Cedarville?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
My coach at Cedarville was really close friends with Coach McKay here at Liberty, so I kind of had a foot in the door because of their connection. As soon as I announced that I was entering the transfer portal Coach McKay was one of the first people to reach out to me and wanted me to come on a visit. When I went to visit, it was great.
Everything from convocation to the coaching staff. The guys really made me feel I was already part of the team, even though I wasn't yet. So I think that was one of the biggest things. I was at a Christian school at Cedarville, and this is also a Christian school, so it was a pretty easy decision. But the coaching staff and the players all made me feel welcomed and like I was already a part of the team.
SONS MAGAZINE
So, when you were coming out of Chillicothe High School did the fact that Cedarville was a Christian school factor into your decision to go there?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
A little bit. It was more my brother being there though. Getting to play two more years with him at the college level, most siblings don't get that opportunity. So that kind of tied into it, getting to play two more years with him was really fun. It really helped me through my first couple years having my brother there. We'd always go get food late at night, we were always talking to each other. So it helped me through those first couple years of college.
SONS MAGAZINE
Going from a division two school to a division one school did you notice a big difference in, not only the level of competition, but more intense practices, things of that nature? Or was Cedarville pretty much the same experience as Liberty?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
I think it's a very similar experience. I'd say the only thing that is different would be the speed and the physicality of the games. I wouldn't so much say the practices because we had some tough practices at Cedarville. But, I think like in the game you can tell the difference in the physicality and speed. Coming up with all my cousins and my brother, playing against them, helped prepare me. They're all older than me so playing with them helped me and then being able to play teams like Dayton in exhibition games when I was at Cedarville prepared me for moments like this. So I think it was kind of an easy transition from Cedarville to here.
SONS MAGAZINE
Nice. Going back a little bit, throughout high school, you mentioned that probably the strongest part of your foundation is the fact that your family is in ministry. You mentioned your grandfather, your father, your uncles, things of that nature. Growing up in a church community, how do you think that's helped you be able to thrive in a team sport? Do you think that some of the things you've learned from your church family, people that may not necessarily be blood, but it's a church family, you have a common goal. Do you think that helps you be a better teammate?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
Oh, yeah, definitely. I'd say just the love and support of the church family really helps. Like anytime something's posted on Facebook, Instagram, or something, I see half the church commenting. Saying, “Oh, we're so proud of you”, or whatever it might be. The love and the support, the community aspect of the whole church, helps me with all the connections that I form. Not only on the team but even outside the team. I can just be walking around school and meet somebody, that helps with building that community as well.
SONS MAGAZINE
Oh yea. I know college life can be crazy. Being at a Christian university is a little different but how do you find yourself building and growing your relationship with Christ? Obviously you're busy with classes, with basketball, things like that, do you still have opportunities to build your relationship with Christ.
JAYVON MAUGHMER
Oh, yeah, definitely. Just in our locker room alone, we do what we call culture sessions. We do it pretty much every day, before we watch any film or scout. Coach K is really big on forming us as young men, not just on the court, but also off the court. I think those culture sessions have been really big. We do those not so much to talk about basketball but it's more about building us up. I wouldn't say it’s like Bible study or anything, it's more of you knowing what to do.
Coach always says, what do you really know about God, and things like that. So I think those culture sessions are really helpful, they keep myself and the whole team accountable, just reminding us that Christ is always with us. That no matter if you play basketball after college, professionally, or whatever you're doing, that Christ is always going to be there. Coach McKay is really good at building us up as young men on and off the court. So I think that's really, really special.
SONS MAGAZINE
I like that. Okay, now let me ask you this, what's your bread and butter on the court? What's the thing that feels the most natural to you?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
That's tough because the coaches say I can do multiple things. When I was at Cedarville, I'd say, I don't know, because I shot a lot of threes, but I would also back people down. So, yeah, that's tough. I know this year it's a lot of defense for me.
SONS MAGAZINE Really?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
Yeah, they want me to be the defender on the team and I kind of stepped into that role so I’m trying to do the best I can on defense. So, I would say all around, inside and outside. I would say I don't really have a go to move or a go to shot.
SONS MAGAZINE
I talked to your brother the other day and he mentioned his defense too. To me, growing up, whether people had talent or not, defense and rebounding is all about heart and effort.
JAYVON MAUGHMER
Yeah.
SONS MAGAZINE
A lot of people don't have the heart or the intensity to play defense. So where do you think that that tough-
ness came from that you have in you to be able to be that good on defense?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
When I came to Liberty to visit they showed me what they expected from me, mostly on the offensive end. They also showed me, which I don’t think many schools do when they are recruiting you, where they wanted to see me improve. That was on the defensive end. So them showing me kind of triggered my understanding that at this level you need to be able to guard.
SONS MAGAZINE
No doubt.
JAYVON MAUGHMER
You can’t get by half stepping. Them showing me that and knowing that I needed to get better on the defensive end in order to play at this level or even professionally. I think that was the biggest thing.
SONS MAGAZINE
Once you leave Liberty your goal is to play professionally correct?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
Yes, it is.
SONS MAGAZINE
Do you have a preference on where you go or where you play?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
No, I don't really have a preference. I think it's more of where God puts me, whether that be the NBA G league or overseas. It really just depends on where God sees me being the best fit. So, I don't really have a set place in mind.
SONS MAGAZINE
I know your major was sports management at Cedarville. So 25 years from now, after you retire from being a basketball player, do you see yourself transitioning into coaching or what do you think you'll eventually do in sports business management?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
I wouldn't say coaching, but I kind of want to start a training business. A business that would help young men and women get prepared for their sport, whether that be basketball, football, softball, baseball, whatever. A training business where you work on strength and agility. Coming up, we went to a place called AP Prep. They trained athletes for speed and agility as well as strength. Basketball, baseball, and football guys would go there. So it wasn't just for one sport, it was for everyone trying to get better. So, yeah, just kind of being able to help the younger people out. Kind of show them the way, help them out, and help them be the best they can be in their sports.
SONS MAGAZINE
That speaks to your foundation as well, with your family, your goal is ultimately to help other people, which is a beautiful thing. At this point in your life who do you find that inspires you? If you are feeling down or feeling lost, obviously you're gonna turn to the Lord first, but whether it be basketball, life, whatever the case may be, who inspires?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
I’d say it's really my family. They're always there, always supporting me. From my dad to my brother to my grandpa to all my cousins, they're always there supporting me. So, I really turn to my family because they've been with me my whole life. They know everything about me and they know how to deal with everything that I may be going through. through it more than if I just try to do it alone. So, yeah, definitely my family.
SONS MAGAZINE
Yeah, I like that. So when you watch the NBA is there someone you see that your game kind of mirrors? You mentioned that you have an all around game, which is definitely needed in today's game. Who's your favorite NBA player? Who do you think plays similar to your style of play?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
My favorite NBA player is probably Kevin Durant. I've always been a fan, OKC is my favorite NBA team, ever since Harden, Russ and KD were all there.
I'm still a fan even though they are all gone now. But it's kind of tough because I think that my game has changed over the years. But when I was first starting out, I kind of mirrored my game and tried to play a little bit like KD. I played a little bit with my back to the basket and I could also shoot the three or drive. So I would say Kevin Durant, but I don't know what others would say if they watched me play.
SONS MAGAZINE
KD definitely has the all around game you're talking about, so I can see that. To get to the level that you're at, to play as long as you’ve played, and to excel the way you've excelled, you’ve had to overcome a lot of obstacles. What do you think is the biggest obstacle that you've overcome?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
I'd say the biggest obstacle was just learning to be consistent. Whether that be in basketball or being consistent with the Word, it can really go both ways. If you're not staying consistent in the gym you're not going to be performing to the best of your ability. Also, if you're not staying consistent in the Word it can hurt you too. You're not learning as much as you can. You might know the basics of everything, but if you're not fully diving deep into the Word you won’t be getting a full grasp on everything. So I think consistency is the best way I would put it.
SONS MAGAZINE
Definitely, that's good. You mentioned that you played with your brother in high school for a couple years and then you were fortunate enough to play at Cedarville for a couple years with him as well. What do you think you've learned from your brother during that time that made you either a better person or a better basketball player?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
You know with him being a couple years older he taught me how to deal with certain situations in college and high school. He went through everything that I went through first so he had insight on what I should do in certain situations. When I was first coming into college he helped me a lot be-
cause he would see things that I didn't see and he would kind of coach me, in a way, in order to be the best that I could be. So, being able to talk to him about certain things, on and off the court, has really been helpful for me.
SONS MAGAZINE
Very nice. Big brothers do look out for us. Let's go back several years, back to when you first started playing AAU ball. If you could give your younger self any advice, knowing what you know now, what would that advice be? There may be someone wanting to be where you are right now. They may want to play division 1 basketball with the upcoming opportunity of playing professional basketball. Having the opportunity to do what you love, having a deep love for the Love for the Lord, and having a supportive and loving family, you're in a good position right now. So what kind of advice would you give a younger kid to help them along the way?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
I'd say just stay consistent and keep working hard. Nothing is going to be handed to you, you got to work for it. Whether it's basketball, football, or whatever just keep training and working hard, the Lord will provide everything for you. It may not be on your timing, but the Lord's timing is always
right. So I'd say just keep working hard and staying consistent. Whether that be staying consistent in the Word or your sport, just stay consistent and work hard. Eventually, if you continue to work hard, things will work out for you. You'll gain a lot of trust from others if you continue to work hard, because they'll know what you can do. They will see that you want it bad and they will be wills just work
I heard that! Before I let you go, did you want to leave us with anything else?
JAYVON MAUGHMER
I would just say that whoever may read or hear about this just keep working hard. Whether that be in sports, your job, or whatever, keep working hard and be consistent, it builds trust with managers or coaches. So just stay consistent, work hard, and everything will work out on God's timing.
From small-town Chillicothe, Ohio to professional basketball courts in France, Branden Maughmer’s journey defies expectation. But beyond the stats and highlight reels lies a story of spiritual growth, leadership, and purpose. In this exclusive SONS Magazine interview, Branden opens up about the mentors who shaped him, the brother who inspired him, and the relentless faith that fuels him. Whether he’s sinking mid-range jumper or mentoring the next generation, Branden is proof that success is more than a stat sheet—it’s a calling.
SONS MAGAZINE
You have a love for athletics, I know you played football and basketball, and I also know you have a love for the Lord. Tell me a little about who or what started you down each of those paths.
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
First, I would say with Christ it would definitely be my family. More specifically, my dad, grandpa, and my uncles. My dad and both of his brothers are all pastors with their own churches, and my grandfather is a Bishop. Growing up going to church every Sunday, well with my dad being a pastor, a lot of times we went to church
“Idon’ twanttobeknownjustforbasketball.Iwanttobeknownasagood dudewhocanhoop.”
twice on Sunday. Just being around the Word a lot and being around so many other believers, just in my household, that was my foundation. But now I'm living on my own in France and I've been building my own relationship with God. Growing up I was surrounded by faith, with my parents and everything, but now I made it my own. I'm blessed to have the parents that I have, and the family I have, they're all really strong believers.
Everybody doesn't get that, I'm one of the blessed ones to have had that growing up. Secondly, who inspired me with basketball. Crazy enough, I didn't even really fall in love with basketball until I was around 14 or 15 years old. I really liked baseball growing up, I played a lot of travel baseball. I didn’t play any travel basketball. I did go to all of my brother's AAU games though. Going to his summer AAU games with my parents, that's really where my love of basketball came from. Watching him enjoy it, seeing him win all the time with his teammates, and seeing the relationships he was building really helped me fall in love with the game. I saw all the good that came out of it for him and I was like, let me give it a try, and you see I ran with it. I'm a second year professional player playing overseas. I definitely give a lot of credit to my little brother. Crazy, I know. I try to be big bro, I try to inspire him, but he inspired me.
SONS MAGAZINE
When you went to Chillicothe High School you were all Ohio in football and basketball, right?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Yes, sir.
SONS MAGAZINE
You said you were around 14 when you fell in love with basketball. What made you decide to pursue basketball over football?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
The thing is, I really didn't even like football. I played football because my friends played it. Growing up I played with kids that were a lot bigger than me and they were the best ones on the team. I was the quarterback growing up, from when I was little all the way up until I graduated. The two running backs I had were the same size they are now back in the sixth grade, and they are both 25 now. So they were in the sixth grade with little grown men's bodies going out there. Every time they touched the ball it was a touchdown. So I didn't really get a whole lot of action.
I was just like, yeah, I'm not really feeling it. Then my mom tried to hit me with, it's always been my dream to have a son that played high school football. I was like, that ain't your dream. You just don't want me to give it up because, you know, all my friends do it. I'm glad she made me do it. I'm glad because obviously it turned out really well for me. Looking back on it some of the best times I had were on the football field, even though I fell in love with basketball. Some of the most intense games and some of the best battles I've ever been in were on that football field. I’m really glad I went through it.
SONS MAGAZINE
Yeah, that's all right. Growing up in the church, having that strong family structure that pointed you in the direction of Christ, can you compare the experiences you had with your church family to your sports teams family, especially at the high school age. Were there any parallels? Did it help you be a better teammate or a better leader on the field and on the court?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Yeah, for sure. Just seeing my dad being a leader and seeing his organization skills. Seeing him organize the whole church and the leadership skills it takes to do that inspired me. Seeing a man do his job and that man being my father, a lot of black young men don't have that. I was blessed to have that. Watching him lead my family and lead the church gave me a head start over a lot of people because I like to motivate people when they're down, or even motivate them more when they're up to just to stay humble. Don't ever think you're too high because the abilities that God gave you, he can take them away just as quickly as they came. That was really big for me. My dad always told me, like if I would get first
team like I did in both sports in all Ohio, just don't ever let it affect who you are as a person. Always be the God fearing man you are. You help out people that can't help themselves. I really try to do that with the young guys on the team. I always tried to inspire the next generation, the dudes that I knew were going to be on that football field or basketball court after I graduated.
SONS MAGAZINE
It is obvious that you have a great deal of respect for your mom, dad, and grandfather. Tell me something each one of them told you or showed you, even if it's just by example, that helps you be the man you are today.
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
For my dad, he really instilled in me to be a great basketball player, but to be an even better person. Don't worry about the game so much because the ball's gonna stop bouncing one day. But your life is gonna keep going, God willing, long after basketball stops. So be a good person, even better, help the people that can't help themselves. For my mom, she always told me, love yourself like you are, you're good enough. There were times, when I was going through depression, I didn't think I was good enough because I was always worried about what people said.
I was judging myself so hard, and people weren't even really judging me because they were so caught up in their own lives. I'm sitting here thinking the world revolves around me, and I'm so caught up in my own mind. And I remember breaking down in front of my mom one day, and she just had to hold me and just tell me, “Son, it's going to be all right. You're good enough, you can't control everything, focus on what you can control.” And as for my grandpa, me and my grandpa have a great relationship. We clown each other a lot, but it's all love. He inspired me not so much for something he said but for what I see him as and that’s a man of God. When I think of what men of God should be, it is his example I see.
He is just so open to everybody. Like when we go out to eat after church, he is always talking to people. He always has a smile on his face no matter what he's going through. He's always trying to make somebody else's day better. It gives me joy just seeing him. He's got a better understanding of life than he had when he was my age. And so, I think living that long and having all that experience is the dopest thing in the world because you have a better understanding of the true meaning of life. Just seeing him always trying to put a smile on somebody else's face is inspiring.
SONS MAGAZINE
He knows everybody too, man.
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Yeah, he is a big people person, I love it. I feel like I'm not a very outgoing person. I’m not shy or anything but my grandpa can know you or not know you and he is gonna have a conversation with you like he’s known you for 20 years. That's a gift, and it’s a gift I wish I had. That gives me joy, seeing him be happy.
SONS MAGAZINE
Check that out, all right. Getting back to hoop, I saw that you shot about 81% from the free throw line in high school and at Morehead!
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Yeah.
SONS MAGAZINE
How did you develop that kind of focus? I mean the game stops, you are out there on the line alone, and everything is on you. You see NBA players shooting 60, 70%. So how did you get that focus to be able to concentrate like that?
“My relationship with Christ is my own now. I’m not just living what I was taught—I’m living what I believe.”
“My mom once told me, ‘Son, you’re good enough.’ That stayed with me.”
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Like you said, all the pressure's on you. Everybody's quiet and the game stops. It's not like a normal rhythm shot you can just step into or dribble into. Everyone has their own free throw routine. What gives me confidence is just reps. After every practice, I'm shooting 100 to 200 free throws a day.
Like our last game, I went 4 for 6 and we lost by two. So in my mind, I'm like, if I would have hit those two free throws, we would go into overtime and we would have won the game. So if I have a good game I'll shoot 100, but if I have a bad game, I will add another 100 free throws in practice. If I only miss one free throw in a game I will add another 100 reps. So it's just reps on reps, that's what gives me confidence. Anything you do it comes down to the amount of work you put in. I just focus on free throws a lot.
SONS MAGAZINE
A lot of people just go to practice and go home. But like you said, staying after practice, after games, to get that extra work in, that makes a difference.
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Yeah.
SONS MAGAZINE
So throughout high school, college, and your pro career, have you always been a point guard?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Yeah.
SONS MAGAZINE
Having that role of leadership on the court, point guard is like the quarterback of basketball, you run things. So what do you find is your bread and butter? I mean I know you see the court well if you're a point guard. You got that crisp passing, you got the shooting, is there anything that really is your specialty though?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Definitely. My dribble pull up. They say it's like a lost art in today's game. A lot of the young kids start chucking up 30, 40 footers from behind the line as soon as they come into the gym, or they're going straight in for a layup. I really couldn't shoot that well growing up. I can shoot a lot better now from behind the arc, but just being a slasher was always my thing. Once I got older I had a little bit of trouble finishing over the bigger dudes. My dad sat me
down and was like you need to work on getting a 10 to 15 footer and stop and pop. So ever since I really started falling in love with the game and working at it I started working on my dribble pull up. That's when I found out, oh yeah, that's my game. That opens the court up. Once I start hitting shots their big has to help out more and that's when I can dump it down to my big for a dunk or kick it out for a three. The defense starts to collapse on me when I get to the mid range because they know I'm about to either shoot it or I'm about to go all the way. So that's really helped my game evolve a lot.
SONS MAGAZINE
I watch a lot of high school basketball and one thing I always notice is each player's effort, specifically when it comes to defense and rebounding. I can usually tell, even if it is their first game, based on the effort they put in on the defensive end and also battling on the boards, what kind of player they're going to be. When you were in high school, you were three times all conference defensive player, correct?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Yes sir.
SONS MAGAZINE
Now where did you get that from? On Sports Center you see people dunking, you see people shooting threes, but the defensive effort goes ignored a lot. That effort though is where the game is won. Where did you get that intensity and desire to do the little things?
If the NBA comes, it comes. But I’m here to glorify God—wherever that takes me.”
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
I think it really goes back to playing football. Like I said, my mom really forced me to play. Not growing up, but when I got to high school. I played quarterback and I was all safe there. What people didn't see, because our defense was so good, was I'd have to play both sides of the ball, like most high school football players do. Just playing cornerback, that really helped me be able to read people and to read their hips or feet. It also really helped my anticipation skills. So when I'm out there on the basketball court, I just take what I learned from football and use it in that area. And because defense is all effort, especially in basketball, you don't have to be the most skilled. You have to be the most skilled to shoot a Steph Curry type shot.
SONS MAGAZINE
Oh, yeah. Definitely.
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Defense though is all heart and will. The person that you are and whether you want to go get it done or not,
that's all that really is. So for me, I'm really big on effort on defense. That's what I tell my guys all the time over here. There are times where players are slacking and I tell them, hey, the only reason why we're getting scored on right now is because we're not talking and we're being lazy. So we just
SONS MAGAZINE
I like that. You mentioned, playing professionally in France now, that you're working on developing your own relationship with Christ. What's the environment like there as far as Christianity? Is it pretty similar to here or is it totally different?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
I'm in a very small city. I'm in a city that's a couple thousand people smaller than Chillicothe, Ohio and Chillicothe is not very big at all. And the people out here don't speak a whole lot of English. I haven't met a lot of new people, but the people I did meet and that speak English, like Christianity. I mean you'll find it
“Defense is all effort. You don’t have to be the most skilled. You just have to want it more.”
every now and again out here but, like I said, my city's so small I don’t come in contact with a lot of Christians over here. It'd be interesting to see if I went to a bigger city in France, how it would be. But yeah, I would say it's similar when you actually meet a Christian.
SONS MAGAZINE
That'd be tough. Let me ask you this, you played college basketball at a high level, do you see a big difference in the game between where you're playing now and what it is like in the U.S.?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Yeah, definitely. I talk to my teammates about that all the time. American basketball is like high skill level pickup basketball. I'm talking about the NBA specifically, college basketball is a little bit more like European basketball. The NBA is a lot of one on ones, a lot of flash, not a whole lot of defense. We talked about the importance of defense, but they don't play a whole lot of defense in the NBA. I get it, but at the same time out here in the Euro League, it's like the NBA of Europe, it has the best team play.
They are really big on ball movement and playing defense, playing like a team. They play every game like it's a playoff game. It could be the first game of the season or they could be in a three game losing streak, but they're playing like it’s the playoffs. They're going to play defense, they're going to talk, they're going to move the ball. It's just a lot more energy from everybody, it's not just a one on one contest. I definitely like Europe.
My game fits in well with my team because I'm one of the better guys on our team that creates his own shot off the dribble. I developed my skill set growing up playing against the best of the best in America. Like I said, it's a whole different game in America, a lot of one on one. So a lot of these dudes in Europe don't have that because growing up they're just taught it's team basketball. It really should be team basketball, but you also have the aspect of a one on one game. So with them doing all their things combined with me doing all the things I can do, it makes it into something great.
SONS MAGAZINE
So are most of your current teammates from France, elsewhere in Europe, or from all over the world?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
All of them are from France. I'm the only American.
SONS MAGAZINE
Oh, man. Okay, I am really interested in your basketball journey, how you ended up in France. Let’s go back a little bit, when you were coming out of Chil-
licothe High School you went to Cedarville first correct?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Yeah, I started at Cedarville.
SONS MAGAZINE
What was it that made you choose Cedarville?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
At that time it was my only offer coming out of high school. I was very under recruited. I didn't get a whole lot of love so I went with the team that wanted me. Everybody wants to go division 1, it’s every kid's dream. I was lucky enough and blessed enough to go D1 after my four years at D2, but initially I just wanted to go where they wanted me to play. My dad always told me, don't go where you want to go, go where they want you.
That's where you get on the floor the fastest and get the most money, and he was right. It worked out for me, I got a full ride. Another big thing my dad loved was that it was an hour from the crib and it was a Baptist school. So I was going to be around a whole lot of believers and there wasn't going to be that regular college experience, you know, the parties and all that. It’s a lot different, but it worked out, and I'm glad I did it. I made a lot of really good friends, I made a lot of brothers. I also got to play basketball for two years in college with my blood brother, Jayvon, and that's very rare.
SONS MAGAZINE
So after your four years at Cedarville did Morehead recruit you, did you reach out to Morehead, how did that work?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
I had a teammate who also went D1, he went to Valparaiso. Anyway my head coach, coach East, sat me and my teammate down because he knew we were about to hit the transfer portal. He's a great dude, a Christian man, he wanted what was best for us. Whether it was going to be to stay with him another year or go play for another team, he just wanted the best for us, and that's why I appreciate everything he's done. But he just sat me and my teammate, Quinton Green, down and asked us what were some schools that he could reach out to for us. Morehead was on my list, and when I went to the Portal, that was the first school that called me. They called me like, two minutes after I posted on Twitter I was leaving.
SONS MAGAZINE
Oh, really?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Yeah, it was quick. I didn't talk to them for two weeks and they ended up coming back, that's when I made my decision. They had lost almost every guy, they only had five guys out of eighteen returning and only one of those guys had played the whole year. So I was like, oh, yeah, this is the place I need to go.
SONS MAGAZINE
Man, that worked out perfectly.
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
The first team ended up being the team I went to and it was only an extra hour from the crib. It was easy for my parents to come to games and easy for me to go home for Christmas or just whenever I wanted to go home and visit. So, yeah, it worked out great.
SONS MAGAZINE
Then after you graduated from Morehead, how did you get the opportunity to go to Europe and play?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Agents hit me up. I didn't really have to reach out, I ended up going with the guy that I'm with right now, Roy Rodriguez, he lives in Spain. He saw all my clips from Cedarville and Morehead and he liked me. So we talked and he signed me. I liked what he was talking about, he got me my first job, and now he got me my job in France.
SONS MAGAZINE
So what do you see for your future? Do you want to stay in France for a while? Are you planning on checking out other opportunities in Europe? Are you planning on coming back to the US and taking that shot at the NBA? What do you see for yourself coming up?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
I definitely see myself staying in Europe for a couple more years, if the NBA or the G-League doesn't come knocking. I'm not really worried about getting into the NBA, I just want to make a great career playing the game I love. I just want to showcase my talents, I work so hard for it. I really just want to give glory to Christ no matter if I'm over in America or Europe. So the biggest thing for me is not really going to the highest level but being somewhere I can glorify the Lord and play this game for as long as I can. I can see myself definitely staying in Europe. It could be a great possibility, because while I am in Europe I want to move up every year. Moving up means a higher salary and a higher level of competition. I love to play the best of the best, doesn't everybody?
SONS MAGAZINE
Oh, yeah.
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
I definitely want to keep on moving up. So I could see myself staying in France because they have the league
I'm in and two leagues above me. There is a lot of good talent and a lot of good exposure. So, yeah, I could see myself staying in France. But wherever God wants me, whatever door he opens up, I'm not going to be afraid to walk through it.
SONS MAGAZINE
Amen! I like that. When you were in college what was your area of study?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Sports business management.
SONS MAGAZINE
So eventually, years down the line after you hang up the basketball shoes is that what you want to do? Work in sports management?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Yeah, I wasn't the biggest geek freak for school, I didn't really love school. The only reason I really went to college was because I got a full ride to play basketball. So I'm going to school for free to play college basketball with my brother, yeah I’m taking that. So, yeah, I wanted to do anything in school that had to do with sports. My teammates were like, this is the easiest thing. In the back of my mind, I'm like, yeah, it's easy but it also has the sports and the business management aspect to it. I can do a lot of stuff with that. It deals with sports and it also has a business side, so it's like two degrees in one.
SONS MAGAZINE
Yes it is.
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
I just really want to do something involving sports and the business side together. So whether that be like an athletic director, a coach, or owning my own training business. Me and my cousin, she plays overseas over here in Europe in Athens Greece, we trained kids when we were back home in the summer. We talked about, when we both get up with our money, coming back and giving back to our community. Giving back to the kids and giving them stuff that we didn't have, really good trainers. I had a good trainer, it was my dad, I gotta give him some credit. But you know, he ain't no NBA type trainer. My cousin and I talked about it, right now that's our goal when we're both done playing ball. It’s not really for us, it’s for those around us that are growing up and just trying to be something, just like we were when we were younger.
SONS MAGAZINE
So would you come back to Chillicothe to start the business?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Chillicothe is the main thing I would say right now. It could be just somewhere near Chillicothe, whether that’s Columbus, Cincinnati, or somewhere else in Ohio. Like I said, wherever God takes us. But right now I would say Chillicothe, to give back to the young kids that grew up where we are from because that’s home.
SONS MAGAZINE
Man, I really love hearing how God put things in order for you to end up where you are right now. A lot of people, when God calls, they don't jump. They don't put themselves in positions to move forward. You mentioned that football wasn't necessarily your favorite sport. Your mom kind of said, you should do this, and when you did it, you put everything into it. Most people don't do that. Success doesn't happen by accident, it happens through hard work, which you've been putting in your whole life.
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
Yeah.
SONS MAGAZINE
Now, you mentioned your little brother and how he inspired you to get into basketball. In what ways or areas do you think you might have inspired him?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
I would probably say being a good person. Sometimes I wonder, does he really look up to me? But you know every brother doesn’t talk about stuff like
that, that's just not a conversation you have every
ing that you asked your dad to get up early and work out with you before school, you go to school, and then you practiced after school. How did you stay away from all the negative things that many other young folks were doing or into? Was it the fact that you had your parents that were pushing you and were there for you?
right and my head on straight. You know, a lot of rules and having a curfew helped keep me from doing certain things that kids my age might want to do. When kids were out partying, smoking and drinking I was in the gym at 9 o'clock at night.
I was in the gym at 5am, 3pm, and then back in there
at 9pm. So I just really stayed focused on my dad. Like I said, he never forced it on me. So my parents were a big help. I also have to give myself my flowers. Some of it was me keeping my head on straight and just wanting it for myself.
I wanted something better than what I was seeing around me, I knew that wasn't my route. I knew God had a calling on my life and I knew all the negative stuff out there wasn't it. So just staying the course, just keeping my head down and not worrying about trying to be the coolest kid in the world, just being a good kid. Like I said, a great basketball player as well.
SONS MAGAZINE
I like that too. Let me ask you this last question. If you could go back and offer your younger self some advice that would help you through some of the struggles that you have had to go through, what would that advice be? What would you tell young kids that would help them avoid some of those pitfalls?
BRANDEN MAUGHMER
The advice I would give my younger self and younger kids now is to just focus on you. Don't worry about what other people say. People are going to talk, whether you do good or bad, so don’t worry about what people are going to say or think. Just focus on the things you can control.
Don't worry about somebody else's opinion of you, their opinion has nothing to do with the person that you are inside. You can't worry about what Billy, Bob and Joe said. It's about what you say, about what you think in your own mind.
They don't live your life, they don’t walk in your shoes every day. Just like you shouldn't judge them because you don’t walk in their shoes every day.
worked out for my betterment. I thought, my mind is stronger than ever, I don't have to worry about what he says, she says, or they say. So, yeah, that would be my advice.
SONS MAGAZINE PRESENTS FAITH IN THE GAME: A CONVERSATION WITH DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
Track. Trials. Triumph. Few individuals can stride between spiritual devotion and cultural leadership with the cadence, class, and conviction of Dr. Wayne Hilson, Jr. Whether he’s commanding attention in the boardroom or offering inspiration at the track, Dr. Wayne Hilson, Jr. is proof that purpose and performance aren ’t mutually exclusive they’re part of the same divine race.
In this exclusive conversation, down with Dr. Wayne Hilson, Jr. to explore faith, legacy, leadership, and His story is more than success and a steady stride toward generational impact.
SONS
MAGAZINE
Dr. Wayne Hilson, Jr., I know that you have a passion for, and you excelled in track, and you also have had a lifelong spiritual journey. It's always interesting to me that, once you look back over someone see that God put them in certain places, certain situations, so they would end up where they're supposed to be, where you are now. So let me ask you this. Who first introduced you to track? Where did you first develop that passion, that love for track?
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
Oh, that's an easy one, I would definitely have to say it was my dad, Wayne Hilson Sr. He was an athlete himself, he actually went to one of our rival high schools. He went to Elder and was one of the first black students and black athletes at Elder, back in the 60s. He had a love for track and field, so I think that the initial kind of love for just athletics, sports, and competition came from my dad. He's still that way.
He's still a competitive spirit. And then, you know, a lot of love for certain things comes from indications that you may be good at it. So, back in the day, when young people used to actually go outside and play, in my neighborhood, I was always kind of one of the faster kids. At school I was one of the faster kids and would even race against guys that were older than me and could hang with them.
So, I got some early indication that I had some talent at this. I remember this vividly, I think it was fifth grade, there was an All at Moeller High School. I won like three blue ribbons that day. So just little indications that, you know, not only did I enjoy it, but I had some talent at it.
SONS MAGAZINE
Yeah, that’s all right. So as far as the beginning of your spiritual journey, did you start your spiritual journey at a young age as well, or is that something that kind of developed over time?
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
I would say being conscious of that journey probably happened once I got to college and as I became an adult. But as far as exposure to God, exposure to his ex-
istence in my life, I would say that that started as a child. I grew up Catholic, so obviously I went to a Catholic school. I went to St. Joseph for kindergarten through fifth grade, then spent a year at St. Pius in Cummingsville for a year, and then seventh and eighth grade I was at St. Clare in College Hill. Then in high school I transitioned to Roger Bacon. I remember at St. Joseph I would always just be in awe when we would go to Mass every Wednesday.
I don't know if you've been in St. Joseph, downtown on Ezzard Charles Drive, but it has beautiful stained -glass windows. The 12 stations of when Jesus was crucified and his ascension. So, I think the visual aspect of Mass intrigued me, I was just in awe of that. The music also kind of intrigued me, I was kind of into that.
I've always been kind of quiet, kind of observant, leaning more towards the introverted side of things, so reflective. So, I think the hymns and some of those songs at that early age always kind of spoke to me and I really got excited there. I was baptized when I was five years old then I went through confirmation and things of that sort.
So, kind of the traditional journey of a young person in Catholicism. So that's kind of where it started for me. My grandmother went to St. Joseph regularly. I wouldn't say we were necessarily, “a churchgoing family”. We went during Easter and Christmas Mass and stuff like that. But there was always a sense in my household that God was real, and he had a role in your life. Even if we weren't necessarily going to church all the time there was still a spiritual component outside of “religion” or religious dogma that kind of grounded me and grounded my family.
SONS MAGAZINE
That is a great beginning to both your spiritual as well as your track journeys. When was the first time you ran organized track? What was the first track team you were on?
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
Actually, it was at Roger Bacon.
SONS MAGAZINE
Oh, really?
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
Yeah, my freshman year of high school. At the time I really didn't know about any track clubs or anything like that. We grew up back in the day when you played sports in high school and that was the primary way for you to get introduced to athletics and to compete. I would say that was the first time, when I was a freshman in high school at Roger Bacon. That was the first time I ran competitively and
had coaching and practices and stuff like that. So, it was kind of traditional in that way.
SONS MAGAZINE
Let me kind of go back to something you said earlier about being introverted. I know you earned allconference and all Southwest Ohio honors your junior year?
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
Yeah, I think it was junior year.
SONS MAGAZINE
I know the four-by-one relay team you were on also set a school record, so obviously you excelled in track and field. One thing that kind of sticks out, especially with you saying you were introverted, your senior year you were co-captain of the team, correct?
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
Yeah, I was along with my buddy Tim Hellmann. He was the other co-captain.
SONS MAGAZINE
How was it being an introvert and stepping into a leadership role, like being a captain on a team?
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
You know, in a lot of ways, throughout my journey in high school, I think athletics and track and field was kind of my saving grace. It allowed me to step out of my comfort zone. It allowed me to exude a certain level of confidence because I had some ability. I wasn't the fastest dude in the city, didn't break records or anything like that, but I was good enough to be noticed and to have some success. And so, I think being a co-captain spoke to leadership.
It spoke to me practicing in a way that shows that
I'm serious about being successful. Luckily my teammates noticed that and my coaches noticed that. So I think the fact that it was something I was good at, outside of the classroom, gave me a little confidence.
When you're at that age, especially a young man, academics are important, but when you think about popularity and things of that sort, being known for things outside the classroom is very important. Those types of things I think are important to a young person during that very transitional developmental period. So track was my way to say, hey, I'm good at this, and to get recognized for it. And so I think with that came a certain level of confidence.
SONS MAGAZINE
All right! You know I noticed, too, that when people have drive and determination in one area of their lives, they also carry those traits into other areas of their lives. They usually excel in multiple areas. I say that because I know you also excelled academically, where did that drive come from?
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
Not to sound cocky or anything like that, but that part came fairly easy to me. So it was all about really putting in certain levels of effort. Now, let me qualify this, I definitely wasn't perfect.
I think you can remember that one time I had gotten detention for not doing the right thing in class. Sometimes things like that may have come from boredom or sometimes it may have come from not being challenged to a certain extent. Aspects of the academics came fairly naturally to me my whole life.
So that part came pretty natural, to be perfectly honest with you, with athletics it was different. I had talent, but it wasn't that overwhelming talent that says, okay, this young man is a prodigy, or something like that. So, I had to put as much work into getting the most out of my body and my talent as I could. So the athletic part was a little different than the academic piece.
SONS MAGAZINE
When you were trying to decide which college to go to, academics was probably number one on that list for you, but track was up there as well. So, what made you decide to go to Purdue? What was the process like deciding where to go to college?
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
This is why you listen to your mama. There were a few different schools I was looking at. I mean, to be perfectly honest with you, I had had some success, but not to the extent where I was getting a bunch of D1 offers or at a level of a Purdue.
So, I'll be transparent in that way. I did get some looks, I had gotten recruited by Bucknell University, Cedarville University and a couple other small D2 D3 schools, but they didn't necessarily have the engineering program that I wanted. At that point, it was kind of up in the air whether I would ever run again, to be perfectly honest with you.
I didn't pick Purdue thinking I would necessarily walk on and become some star or something like that. I was going for the academics. I was looking at other large institutions that had really good engineering programs. The reason I said, listen to your mom, is that I had heard about Purdue before because my dad was a big Leroy Keyes fan, who came in second to O.J. Simpson for the Heisman in 68. He was a big Leroy Keys fan, and I knew about Purdue that way.
Then my mom was like, “You know the deadline's coming up, why don't you just apply? Look at Purdue, always keep your options open.” So, I did and was able to visit and learn about the engineering program. I said, you know what, let me just see what's up with the track team. So, they were able to take me on a tour and I met some of the track athletes.
I actually met some of the individuals who would be my future teammates, and who are still close friends with me today, on one of those tours. I decided I was going to try to walk on. When I got to Purdue my freshman year, that's exactly what I did. So, I wouldn't say that it was in the plan to run Division 1 track. I didn't know if I could even make the team, but I said, why not try? And I was fortunate enough to make it.
SONS MAGAZINE
So, trying out for a major D1 track team like Purdue, what was that process like? That had to be stressful.
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
Yes and no. What you find out is that there are levels to this thing. Several of my teammates, who were a couple years older than me, were high school All Americans. So they, you know, placed third in the Nike High School All American Track meet, placed second and third in the Keebler track meet.
These were legitimate studs, multiple times champions, things of that sort. So it was stressful from the standpoint of, do I even have what it takes to be out here running with these dudes? Once I got through the tryout and really got into practice with them, I said, yeah, I do.
You would be surprised how iron sharpens iron. I think that's why it's always good to be in spaces around people who may be at a different level than you, because it makes you better. At a minimum, if you don't get to their level of achievement in whatever way, you will at least be the best version of yourself. So it was stressful in terms of natural nerves that come from kind of putting yourself out there athletically. But, from day one, I met some really great dudes. Like I said, we're still close friends to this day. Now we joke about how we don't have any fast twist muscle fibers left at all, so we all have that in common.
I can't express enough how beautiful and wonderful the team camaraderie was. I learned from some really cool dudes and met some really great personalities that first year, people who represented all different types of identities and backgrounds. It was cool, man. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
SONS MAGAZINE
You actually touched on something right there. Our spiritual journey is about our relationship with Christ, it's an individual journey. Obviously, you want to be around people of faith and things of that nature but it’s an individual journey, Track is kind of an individual
get out there and do it, and then actually excel at it! That's amazing, man!
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
Man, I appreciate that. You know if I had to do it over again, there were aspects of it I wish I would have done differently. It’s interesting, you talk about spiritual growth, I think if I would have been in a better place spiritually I would have had greater confidence in my ability.
I was still figuring some things out. I had my foundation, but I was still figuring out the nuance of how I wanted to kind of go through the world from a faith and spiritual standpoint. I think there were times where I didn't perform like I know I could have physically. I had the physical gifts and was in shape, but sometimes I let the pressure of succeeding get the best of me.
So I think, in hindsight, my career could have been better, I could have achieved a little more. I don't know if I would have been an Olympian or at the Olympic level, but I could have achieved much more than I did. But, you know, hindsight's 20 20. I will say that that experience, the ups and downs, the good and bad, the challenges individually, I think I'm better for it. That's without a doubt.
SONS MAGAZINE
Oh Yeah, I agree. Going back to you and academics, at Purdue, you earned a degree in engineering correct?
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
Yes.
SONS MAGAZINE
Eventually though, you transitioned into higher . All the time I knew you, mathematics and engineering was where your heart seemed to be. What made you transition from engineering into higher education?
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
That's ironic, you said that seemed to be where my heart seemed to be but the reason I transitioned was because that's not where my heart was, to be perfectly honest with you. You know how I was talking about it being fairly easy for me academically in high school? Well, that was not the case at Purdue.
The Engineering program at Purdue is one of the toughest, the most rigorous majors in the country, if not on earth. So, there were challenges, I think, for a host of different reasons. I think I definitely didn't put forth the same level of due diligence and effort that I probably did in high school. Some of it was figuring out pretty early on that, yeah, you can have the aptitude for something, but not necessarily the passion for it.
I think that was probably one thing. I think the other thing was, I went from the kind of geeky, nerdy dude with glasses, to a guy that's on the track team. Then I built up some muscles and got contacts, so all these other things associated with that. So, my focus was not 100% on the books. I got through, I graduated, but I would say, if I had to put a grade on effort, it would probably be essentially what I graduated with, probably a C plus.
The talent was there, the ability was there, but my focus wasn’t 100%. I was able to still transition and have a meaningful career as a technical professional. To answer your question though, I did a lot of volunteer work when I first started my career. I was out in the field talking about higher education, talking about STEM education. Even though I personally didn't have the same passion for it, I knew there was value in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, particularly for individuals from traditionally underrepresented student groups. I used to love talking to students about that and did a lot of volunteer work and things of that sort. This is where I think God speaks to you in so many different ways. For me, throughout my entire life, God has spoken with me through nature and through kind of these majestic things. I love mountains, I love space, I'm in awe of God's creation in that way. So, bear with me on this story, I had got to the point, after work-
ing a few years, where I wasn’t sure I really wanted to do what I was doing anymore. I just didn’t feel passionate about going to work every day in my technical role.
One day I had the day off and I went for a walk along a trail in Indianapolis, which is where I started my career. I promise you, I was walking and this sunbeam started showing through some branches of some trees, and it hit me. I said, I don't want to do this anymore. I'd rather do the work I'm doing with students than go to work and keep doing what I am doing.
So, I reached out to a mentor who happened to be a giant in the field of helping to increase representation, not only at Purdue, but across the country in STEM fields amongst black, brown, and indigenous students. She recently passed away; God rest her soul. Her name was Marion Blalock. I called her up and I said, Ms. Blalock, I'm interested in doing some of the stuff that you do. She was director of the Minority Engineering Program office at Purdue, which is what helped me, and a lot of other students get through.
She said, "I'll do you one better, I have some funding for an assistant director position, why don't you just apply now?” I hadn't had any training in education, nothing on student development theory, how to run a program, none of that. Because I was a student athlete, I wasn't as active, even in her program, as some of my other classmates. I went to an interview though, and I guess
I had enough transferable skills, with some of the alumni volunteer work I did. I could speak well,
and kind of paint a picture, share a story. I got the job and that was 25 years ago, I've been in higher ED ever since. So, when God wants things to work out and it's meant for you, the pieces will fall into place.
SONS MAGAZINE
That’s the truth right there!
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
Watch out for the little sunbeams coming out of trees when you go for walks brother. You know I joke but on some level I'm very serious. I think it's important for all of us to keep our eyes, ears, and hearts open to things that may not necessarily be in what we think is our plan or on our path. If you don't, sometimes you miss those things that are really there to better your life or move you forward.
SONS MAGAZINE
Oh yeah, definitely. That showed favor without a doubt. A lot of people would have walked by and ignored that message that God was giving you, but you opened your heart and you listened to it. The fact that you didn't have the experience necessarily but still got the position, that shows it was God. That was a sign right there.
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
You talk about scary; it was scary making that transition. You do not go into higher education to get rich. I'm leaving a technical field, a STEM field that pays well, particularly back then. So, it definitely was a leap of faith.
SONS MAGAZINE
Now, just for the readers, explain a little bit about what your current role is in higher education.
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
I currently serve as vice president of Culture, Community and Belonging at a small liberal arts institution. I've been here about three years and essentially what we do, myself and the people that work with me, is create an environment that truly highlights and celebrates the diversity of experiences and backgrounds that exist within our university community. Along the way we are building knowledge and competencies as it relates to engaging in this difference, because we want our students to be able to transition to an inclusive, increasingly diverse and complex world. We want to give them the tools to be able to appreciate not only what they bring to the table, but what others bring to the table as well.
We try to educate and facilitate opportunities for folks to come together, whether it's through dialogue, through educational programs, or through
other co-curricular and extracurricular programs that we do. Our Title IX is under my purview as well. So, as we are creating this environment, part of what we need to do is protect it and protect those who make up our community. So, I think my entire career has been about facilitating and fostering healthy environments as it relates to differences, as it relates to talking about, celebrating, and engaging those differences.
That's differences that you can see but also differences that you can't see or differences that may fly in the face of what you assume about people based on how they present themselves or how they look. I think it's critically important. So, in my entire career I've been at large land grant institutions with 50,000 students. I've worked at very large urban commuter institutions where we had traditional aged students, but also an adult student population that we served and worked with.
I've been fortunate enough to have worked at an Ivy League school as well and then most recently at a small liberal arts school. So, through my 25 years I've seen the spectrum and the gamut of how higher education works and where the gaps are still, but also where the opportunities are. Now as a vice president I've been co-lead on the governance of an institution trying to do the right thing moving forward. So, I've been very blessed, very fortunate. And what's interesting, a lot of my career trajectory has been God putting the pieces together.
There have been very few times where I've made what you would consider conscious moves. I think a lot of my career trajectory and promotions and things of that sort have been me doing good work, engaging with great people, and being blessed with allies who looked out for me. Allies that saw talent in me and saw situations where they thought those talents would be of service to others and particularly students.
Some things just sometimes just kind of fell into place. I've interviewed for jobs before, and I've gotten them and some I haven't gotten. But as far as those real kind of trajectory changing positions, whether it's interim positions or what have you, I really believe God just kind of showed favor in a lot of ways.
SONS MAGAZINE
Yeah, if you think about it, there's so many people, especially nowadays, that are marginalized. For you to step outside of yourself and have compassion for people, educate and teach people, and
help people achieve things in life they normally wouldn't have the opportunity to achieve, that's ministry. That's God working through you to help them.
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
To be honest with you, I appreciate that, I've never really thought about it that way. And you know, if I had to speak to a challenge that I still work through today it’s feeling worthy of some of that favor. So sometimes when you hear stuff like that, you're like, really? Is that really the case? But, you know, I guess if I had to really sit down and think about it, not from a place of vanity, but just looking at it for what it is, I guess I'm blessed to have had that type of impact on people.
SONS MAGAZINE
Amen! It sounds like you have faced, and actually overcame, a number of challenges in your life. What would you say was your biggest challenge that you have overcome?
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
I think challenges are ongoing, they are formed by life experiences. I've navigated and gone through some tough things. Things that really challenge your concept of self and even your concept of faith and all these other things. But I think along the way, as I faced challenges, even as I was going through those things, there were still aspects of my life that spoke to favor. Even when I was at what you would consider my most desperate, I would say even depressed, there were still things that I would look at and say I had favor.
If I really took the time, sometimes I did a good job of that, sometimes I didn't, to look at my situation I would say man, I'm still blessed here. I'm still doing all right considering the alternative, and I feel like it's not deserved. So I think my biggest challenge has always been navigating my worthiness of some of these blessings and my shame in some spaces. I'm still navigating aspects of that, but I think with maturity and spiritual growth, I've navigated it better than I used to.
SONS MAGAZINE
Amen, man. You talked about feelings of worthiness, a lot of times it seems like, in life, it’s the challenges we face that make us stronger in a lot of areas. Those challenges help us get to where we should be or where we need to be.
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
Right.
SONS MAGAZINE
When you find people who feel that they are worthy, they are entitled, it's almost like they don't have the same passion and compassion for people. So you dealing with these challenges throughout your life has probably put on your heart the desire to make sure other people don't have those same challenges.
To make sure other people know they are worthy. Because in our society, a lot of marginalized people are told on a daily basis they're not worthy. So the challenge you're describing actually is kind of your strength as well.
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
I guess so, I think it does. It's interesting that you put it like that. I think it does open you up to be much more inherently empathetic. And when we're talking about connecting with people or serving people or ministry, however you want to term it, a lot of that starts with empathy. Essentially what you're saying is, there's an aspect of the human experience that I may or may not know about, but I care enough about that person as a human being, as a child of God, that to the extent that I can, I will use whatever talents that I have to be of positive impact to them. So empathy, I think, if we're talking outside the spiritual, drives a lot of good or the potential for good that.
SONS MAGAZINE
Yes, and I know you have been thinking about sharing your knowledge in other areas too, getting back to athletics, you've been considering doing some coaching correct?
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
Definitely. I actually, about three years ago, completed my
Level 1 USA Track and Field coaching certification. Because I was so busy, I didn't get the actual coaching hours that I needed to keep it up so I'm going to have to go through the process again. Hopefully some things will settle down and I will be able to identify a track club, here in the city, and do some volunteer coaching. If I was financially wealthy enough and I didn't have to worry about money at all, I would just coach track and field. I would absolutely love that. But yeah, I still see myself doing that at some point, definitely.
SONS MAGAZINE
So, knowing what you know now, if you could go back to junior high or high school, what advice would you give yourself to keep you encouraged and keep you moving forward? I'm sure a lot of people would benefit from this advice because I’m sure everyone has feelings of not being worthy from time to time.
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
I would say God wouldn't put those blessings in front of you if he didn't feel that you deserved it. He doesn't just do stuff just to be doing it. He has a picture and a plan that goes beyond our comprehension. So, these blessings that are in front of you, God put them there. That's not to say that challenging things won't happen, that's not to say bad things or even, God forbid, thingswon’t happen. But when those blessings come rolling in, you need to sit in them, be thankful for them, enjoy them, and know that if they're in front of you, God obviously sees you as worthy of having them.
I would definitely tell my younger self that. The other thing is to just be patient. The
challenging part and sometimes the sad part, but also the blessed and the wonderful part, about life is that no matter what happens, the world keeps spinning.
What I mean by that is that even when you're navigating through challenges, sometimes those challenges can put you on your knees and break you down. Sometimes, if you’re patient, you'd be surprised how the tables and the fortunes may turn, how perspective may inform the decisions that you do make.
And even though God has a plan for our lives, he still provides us some agency and how we navigate the world. So I think just being patient, some of the stuff that's in hindsight isn't so significant. Yeah, young Wayne, you will get contacts. Yes, you will actually grow muscles one day. Yes, girls will actually like you one day. You know, just be patient, brother. You’ll be all right. You'll be all right.
SONS MAGAZINE
Oh, yeah.
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
Just understanding that, man. What's cool about life is the ebbs and flows and there are some valleys. If you stay consistent, stay true to yourself and our values, and have that spiritual base. No matter where you are in your spiritual development, I think that's important.
If you have that grounding and you're patient, life will balance out when it's all said. So just keep moving in a positive direction and things will get better. So that's what I would have told my younger self. I think it would have saved me a lot of angst.
Yes, I'm right there with you. The other day something negative happened to me, I try to stay even keel, not get too high or too low. Someone said you don’t even seem upset. I said I am upset a little, but I always ask myself, a year from now will this matter? If it won’t it's not really worth my time and my energy to get overly upset. It's about being patient.
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
I love it. That's hard to do, man. I mean you would think that with age comes wisdom. I think generally that's true but with age also comes responsibilities. With those responsibilities there's more at stake, at least in the earthly realm. So when things start to get challenging, you're like, okay, I can feel the pain. So it can be a challenge, man. But, just try to keep moving in a positive way and keep your integrity about you and just pray that things will work out in your favor.
SONS MAGAZINE
Right.
DR. WAYNE HILSON, JR.
There is one last thing I want to touch on really quickly. When you just look at the athletic piece in connection with the spiritual, I think there is value any time you’re making the transition out of your sport, you are leaving a chunk of your identity behind. You'll see this with a lot of elite athletes, and I wouldn't consider myself necessarily elite. I was dealing with the realization that, I'm not like these dudes, I'm not sniffing the Olympics. Understand that, number one, that's not part of my journey and number two, I wasn't good enough.
Sports has been such a part of your identity growing up. Being athletic, being fast, all these other things, how do you put those two realities aside? How do you keep from transferring that piece of not good enough in track into thinking you are not good enough in general? That was a challenge for me on some level. It took time, it was a process to work through.
So if I had to give any advice to athletes who are transitioning into a life where they aren't athletes anymore, particularly if you didn't reach the pinnacle of your sport, is to understand that your worth doesn’t come from athletics.
Your worth comes from an Entity that's bigger than you, that's bigger than athletics. Athletics is not all you are it’s just one aspect of your identity. I think that's an important thing to remember. That's the case whether it’s sports or any part of your journey that you have to transition from or
that you have to let go of. We're more than just one aspect of our lives, we're more than just one thing.
That's why God gifts us with a lot of different things. The challenging part is figuring out what those are and how to use them in the best way possible. I always say I consider myself a man in progress. I'm always evolving and trying to figure this stuff out because I definitely don’t have it figured out, but I'm trying, brother, I'm trying.
FAITH, FAMILY & FULL-COURT PRESS: THE JOURNEY OF PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
When purpose meets passion, you get leaders like Pastor Brandon McIntosh a man of the Word and of the court. In this exclusive Sons Magazine sit-down, we meet a pastor whose life has been guided by faith since the tender age of three, and whose early footsteps trailed closely behind his uncle’s cleats and cleats alike. Raised in a family where prayer was the foundation and sports were a second language, Pastor McIntosh’ s story is a testimony to the powerful bond between spiritual discipline and athletic drive. From being baptized as a toddler to standing tall on the basketball court as a teen, his path reveals how family, faith, and resilience can shape a man’s destiny. Join us as we dive into a conversation about legacy, leadership, and the lessons that come from both the pulpit and the paint. This is more than just a story of a man who loves God and basketball it's a story of how those loves shaped a life of impact.
SON’S MAGAZINE
I am blessed to be here today with Pastor Brandon McIntosh. How are you doing today, sir?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
I'm doing well. It's a Friday eve, and I'm just grateful to be with you, it's an honor.
SON’S MAGAZINE
We appreciate you being here with us. Knowing you and seeing what you're doing, you're passionate about sports and passionate about the Lord. Where did those passions come from? Who introduced you to Christ, and then also, who introduced you to basketball?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
My journey with Christ started very early. My mother tells the story that I would always be responsive to God during service, always responsive to the spirit of God. When I was three years old in a church service, the Lord pressed upon my mother's heart and told her to have me baptized.
I was baptized and ever since then I've been in a relationship with God. I never have had a time where I was without or outside the fellowship of God. So it was very early. I came up in a family of faith, a Praying family. So, to answer your question, it was very early in my life. And here I am, 42 years later, still in a relationship with God.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Amen. Amen. Now what about basketball? When did the love of basketball come into your life?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
Well, I’ll go back to my mother's side of the family first. My mother's one of 11, and that 11th child is a boy. My grandmother had ten girls and one boy. That boy, my uncle, is only five years older than me so we grew up more like brothers than nephew and uncle.
I was always around him when he had a sports event. I can remember, very early on, going to his football games. As he grew, I grew. Probably when I was around 12 is when I got taller than him, and then things started to get a little bit more serious. Anybody will tell you that anything your older brother does, you work to do too. I was inspired by him, I was motivated by him. Everything that he did, I wanted to do. He wound up playing football, I come from a football family honestly.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Oh yea?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
Yeah, my uncle played quarterback. I don't know if you remember back in 1992, Talawanda High School from Oxford, Ohio, played Princeton. They met in the state of Ohio high school football playoffs. It was in the paper promoted as David vs. Goliath and Talawanda beat Princeton. My uncle was the quarterback of that team.
SON’S MAGAZINE
You know, I do remember that.
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
Yeah, Wince Morris, that's my mother's brother. My uncle but more like my older brother. So I was smitten from an early age by competitive sport. My father was also a college athlete. He played football in college.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Oh, wow. Okay.
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
Yeah, he played a little semi pro football. I told you, I come from a football family. I am the only one that broke suit and played basketball in college. Even though my father played, I really have to put that introduction to sports on my uncle, being around his friends, being around the older guys. So by the time I started playing AAU at a very
high level, I already had that competitive drive. All the things that athletics brought, teamwork, hard work, dedication, and self confidence, I already had those instilled in me from an early age. Once I got started, I was smitten, and it's been an amazing ride. So now my son, who is 12, lives with me. I'm starting to coach him in basketball. He's starting his first AAU season coming up and I'll be coaching that team.
It's been an amazing ride. God has used basketball, used sports really, to be a blessing to my life. I wrote a book, “10 Ways to Be Relentless 2020 and I'm still selling the book. I around telling my story at high schools and middle schools, letting them know that their life is important and also teaching them how to be relentless.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Wow, man. If someone wants to buy, Be Relentless”, how can they go about doing that?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
They can go to Amazon and just type in my first and Last name, Brandon McIntosh. I think I'm probably the only Brandon McIntosh on there. Or you can search the book by name. Put in Ways to Be Relentless”, I think the word relentless will trigger and take you right to the book.
You can purchase the book and the ebook. I really suggest the ebook for coaches and people that are always on the go. You can read it right on your phone or mobile device.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Amen. All right, I like that. You talked about your family being a football family, if I remember correctly, you played football in high school didn’t you?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
I played a little football in high school, a lot of people will say I should have kept playing. I played my freshman and sophomore years but then I stopped playing after sophomore year. I was playing a lot of basketball, on a lot of different teams.
Once basketball came into my life, I'll be honest with you, I fell head over heels in love with basketball. I started traveling very early with basketball at a very high level of competition. So being on all those basketball teams, I had to pick early. So I picked basketball and I stopped playing football, but I should have kept playing at that time.
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
I think it's one of those things that God would have favored me with success no matter what decision I made. I think it's part of my destiny.
SON’S MAGAZINE
I know you went to a faith based high school. Was part of your decision to go to Roger Bacon based on the fact that it was faith based or were you drawn to the basketball program?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
I don't think the fact that it was faith based crossed my mind at the time, I think that's one of the things that falls under the power of God's purpose for my life. It wasn't a reason why I chose Roger Bacon. Actually, at the time, the head coach Bill Brewer, who is now deceased, would come to my middle school games.
He started talking to my parents about me potentially coming to Roger Bacon. He got my parents really interested. I was going to Corryville Catholic at the time which was one of feeder schools for Roger Bacon. I write in the book about how I had to do the sixth grade twice. My sister and I were at a Clifton Public School but then we moved, we left Clifton. I had graduated the sixth grade at Clifton, but then my parents wanted to try out Catholic school so we took the test. It wasn't necessarily a placement test, but it was an assessment test.
Neither one of us tested to their liking so they told my parents, “If you want them to come here, they can come, but they have to do the grade again”. So again, we both passed to the next grade, but my parents wanted us to go to Catholic school so I did the sixth grade again. So, we went to Catholic school and it was a tremendous time, it really was. It was the level of development into that culture, into that community, man, it was breathtaking.
At that time there was an influx of inner city kids and there were a lot of activities at the school. I mean, you know, that's a part of the journey. I played basketball in the seventh and eighth grade. I didn't play for the school in sixth grade, I was still playing for Friars pretty heavy at that particular time. I talk about this in the book too. I talk about
how, if I close my eyes right now, I can still smell that heat that used to come off those old radiators in that building. I can almost feel it. I'm serious, I can almost feel what that building felt like. There was a nostalgia about Friars at that time. I remember those tournaments, nobody else put on tournaments at that time. That was really before AAU got big. Friars is still putting on those major tournaments. Sometimes after our games, they would let us go to the swimming pool. I vividly remember those moments of my life. So now, as a coach, I really work hard to offer young men that same experience.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Experiences like that are crucial for the growth of young people. I like that. You talked about how God ordained your steps. You went to Roger Bacon, not necessarily because it was faith based, but it was. Then you went to a college that was faith based as well, did that factor into your college choice at all?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
I'll be honest with you, that was not a thought really. I just strongly believe that that was just part of God's supernatural plan for my life.
SON’S MAGAZINE
No doubt, It was.
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
It was not a factor in my decision. I didn't grow up in the Catholic Church so my parents didn’t necessarily say we want you to go to a Catholic school. Xavier offered, I was being recruited by a bunch of schools. My grades were not the best, I was an inconsistent student at that time. I was actually headed to play basketball at Miami University.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Oh, really?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
Oh, yeah. Coach Charlie Coles, he was a close family friend. He knew my grandfather. Miami University sits in Oxford, Ohio, where my mother is from. Where, check this out, my uncle, who was like my brother, played college football. Where my father played college football.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Oh, man.
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
Yeah, I was headed to Miami to continue the legacy. That's my family college. I was heading there
but, I think Coach Coles got sick and I wasn’t sure if he was going to continue coaching at Miami. Around that time assistant coach Mark Schmidt, who is now the head coach for Saint Bonaventure, called me and started talking to me. Xavier was the bigger name, you know with the Crosstown Shootout and everything. So they came in and kind of stole the show. It was a wonderful experience. I think it was just a part of God's plan.
They gave me so much academic support, and athletically, Xavier is second to none. I'm just so grateful to God to have the athletic history that I have. I've been able to travel the world and it's just been a beautiful thing. I think God has really used me. God called me to preach while I was at Xavier playing basketball.
SON’S MAGAZINE Really?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
Yeah, I was in my dorm room and I started preaching. I started preaching while I was still a college basketball player. Can you believe that? Can you imagine? We played Toledo University on Decem-
ber 23, 2000, it was a Saturday. We went into double overtime with Toledo in Toledo, Ohio. We are coming back down the highway after we win in this double time game. Thank you, Jesus. And I'm in this charter bus coming down I75 and my mind is all over the place because the next morning I am preaching my first sermon.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Oh, wow, man.
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
I go from a double overtime game to preaching my first sermon. I stood up before probably 750 people, that's no exaggeration. So the revelation was preparing me to operate in both of these arenas.
There's no other way to put it. Why would God situate it like this? He was preparing me then to be where I am now. When I'm uncertain which way to go, I go back to those early moments when God was preparing me to operate in a very ambidextrous way.
To operate strongly in both the house of faith, the mountain of faith, and then in sports. Can you imagine? Those are polar opposites of emotions. I'm in a double overtime game at a major university, it was a crazy atmosphere. Then I am coming down I75 on a charger bus and my mind is all over the place. I got up the next morning, December 24, of 2000 and preached in front of 750 people for the first time, man.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Wow, what church were you in when you preached your first sermon?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
It was at Inspirational Baptist church, that's my home church. I mean you talk about some wild emotions, it was so surreal at that time. I definitely didn't fully understand what was going on because I was still playing college basketball. It really opened me up to trust in God. The Bible says every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord.
SON’S MAGAZINE Yes.
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
I believe that scripture gives us light, even in sports. It's a gift from God, we're supposed to use it to the best of our ability to bring glory to God. Sports can be an agent to win people over for Jesus Christ. I've been graced to have the diversity of experiences that I've had, God's hand has been so very kind to me. and I've never had to be something that I'm not. As a pastor, I'm in my 12th year of pastoring, I have never had to become somebody who God did not create
me to be. I've always been graced with the opportunity to be authentic and who God has called me to be.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Amen.
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
I've never felt compelled to be something I wasn't. It's such a blessing, such a place of liberation. I'm so glad that I know Jesus in this manner. I'm so glad that the revelation of being free in God and being authentic in who I am is something he's allowed me to do. I love God and I love God's church. I've never fallen victim to being religious to a point where I completely turned my back on those things that I was able to do when I was younger.
I've used those things that I've been able to do and as I've gotten older, I've been graced with the opportunity to kind of go back into that world through the beautiful gift of coaching. So I really am just so honored that God would even think enough of me to allow me to be honest, transparent, and operate in this manner.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Oh yes. It’s obvious that from your childhood up until now, God was lining everything up for you to be where you are right now. A lot of people don't realize this, but sports is one of the biggest things that unifies people. You can go to a basketball game and you'll see people of different races, different cultures, different socioeconomic backgrounds, and it's a beautiful thing.
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
Yeah, man.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Now you mentioned that you are currently a pastor, at what church do you currently pastor?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
The church that I'm currently pastoring is Ebenezer Second Baptist Church, in Lincoln Heights, Ohio. When I first started pastoring it was in Columbus, Ohio, at Macedonia Baptist Church.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Oh, I know where it is.
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
I lived in Columbus from 2008 to 2016. So I was in Columbus for eight years and I pastored there from 2013 to 2016 before I came back to Cincinnati. Wonderful people and an awesome faith community in Columbus. I mean, I know you heard about the Ohio State Buckeyes football team giving all praise
and glory be to God. I was wondering the whole college playoff, why they look so dominant, now I know.
Every last one of them got up, accepted, and gave glory to Jesus Christ. It's really a beautiful thing. Columbus holds a strong fellowship of Christian athletes. You know when I first went to Columbus I wasn't pastoring, I worked as a team chaplain. I was assigned to Whetstone High School. It was a beautiful campus. I almost started coaching at Whetstone, honestly.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Oh, really?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
Yeah, I really built friendships there. I had built some friendships with the AD and then the basketball coach, and I was there with the football team. I would do the football team meals. I would eat with them, and then give a brief word. I want to say I did that for about two or three years and I fell in love with it. Then I became the Chaplain at the legendary Northland High School.
The head basketball coach was the legendary Satch Sullinger. They won a state championship. Jared Sullinger played on that team, he later went on to play at Ohio State and then the NBA. Trey Burke, who went on the play at Michigan and then the NBA too, was also on that team. Also J.D. Witherspoon was on that team. He went on to play at Ohio State, and later at Toledo, before playing overseas. God has really graced me to always operate in ministry through sports. Sitting where I'm at now, I was blessed to be able to be a part of that. I tease over the pulpit to the congregation that I'm the Bengals pastor. I appointed myself that title so they get a kick out of it. So I
haven't always been a pastor, but truth be told, being a team Chaplain in my early 30s was something I really thoroughly enjoyed.
SON’S MAGAZINE
We haven't really gone into it that much, but I know you do a lot of work with young people. You mentioned coaching and I know you travel around speaking at a number of schools. Was it being a team Chaplain that led you in that direction?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
Yes and no. Once I came back to Cincinnati I didn’t really do any work as a team Chaplain. I think what happened, once I came back home, was the teams that knew I was back home, especially Roger Bacon, opened their doors to me. They knew about my hunger for the sport and really more so the student athletes.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Yes.
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
Just to kind of give them the game that I received through experiences, to mentor them. I was down at Roger Bacon the other day, me and my son. They played LaSalle and didn’t win the game. I have a relationship with the new coach down there, Mike Noszka, and he invited me down after the game to talk to the team.
I talked to them briefly, just to kind of comfort them and then I knelt down and prayed with him. That’s really what it’s about, I take being a student athlete seriously. God has graced me to be able to go to college, play college basketball, get a degree, and get into my career. I really feel that for the rest of my life I want to pay it forward.
S MAGAZINE
Amen. Amen. And if I’m not mistaken you and Alex Meacham, also a Roger Bacon Grad, are partners in a company, right?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
Yeah, we are partners in a company called Important Inc. I don't know if you remember but during COVID there were a lot of teen suicides. In the school we were at Covid got bad. Alex had gone out to California to do some business and when he was out there my name came up during his meeting. They asked him why we haven't ever partnered with each other. So when he came back, I think we were going to a football game at Roger Bacon, and he shared that with me. We were at the pizza place over there off of Mitchell Ave. that is the origin of our company.
He told me what was in his heart and I told him what was going on in the schools. From there it started the next year, I think rightfully so, at Roger Bacon High School. We spoke there that one year and then we started to pull people together.
We put a board together that included various types of other professionals. From there, I'm telling you, it just got explosive. Next thing you know we added a DJ and started going around to different schools. That next year we did Roger Bacon again, then we did Deer Park, then we started doing all these other schools. I think we did 10 schools this past year.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Oh, man.
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
We added some Cincinnati public schools and next year we're gearing up to do 20 schools. So it just really has exploded. Some of those schools are going to be Kentucky schools. So we really have kind of exceeded the expectation that we had, it's been just amazing. We've been on the radio, we've been in the Enquirer talking about it, it's been a beautiful thing, the work that we do. We come in letting them know that they are important and we tell them how they are important. We come in and we do small groups after we do the assembly.
You don't always see the picture of those, but we come in and deal with a smaller group. We talk
That's really where the young people get a chance to grow and to talk. So we're excited. We do have a website, it's importantspeaking.com. All the information is on there and we have merchandise on there, it's just a beautiful thing.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Man. You literally are saving souls and lives. That's amazing, God is definitely using you. Going back to coaching your son for a second, I know throughout your career you were a guard. What about your son? Is he looking like a guard? Well, I guess pretty much everybody's a guard now right?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
If you're smart, you are working out to do anything and everything because of the direction the game is going. Not even going, the way the game is now, you have to be positionless. So that means not only do you have to be able to shoot, dribble, etc. but you also have to be able to defend. So we're just working on the essentials right now.
If you ask him, he'll tell you he's a shooting guard, but Daddy is saying we're positionless. I think he's gonna hit a growth spurt here and I think he's going to be taller than me. So if he does, I want him to be able to guard all five positions. I want him to be able to bring the ball up the floor, he needs to be able to rebound, whatever his team needs I want him to be able to do. I think that if you can become an asset and not a liability in any aspect of the game that you're setting yourself up to be
very successful in the sport.
SON’S MAGAZINE
You can see that it how well the European teams play against the US now. They play fundamental basketball and nobody has a position, they can play all five. So, I agree with you 100%.
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
You know, we're working on guarding, too. I mean you're gonna have to be able to guard every position, too. You know college coaches are looking at that. They're looking at, okay, you can score the ball, but how well can you run the floor? How well can you get down and guard a point guard?
They're looking at all these things because if you can't do something you become a liability. So now a coach has to figure something out or you're just not gonna play. One of the things that you gotta be open and honest with our student athletes about is how they are gonna have to prepare. That's one thing I love about basketball. That's what I was telling our student athletes at Roger Bacon the other day, they were feeling bad about themselves but I told them, basketball has ebbs and flows.
There's highs and lows, that's the beauty of the sport. That's what I love that God has given us in basketball. But also basketball reveals character and it builds it, if you'll let it, if you'll be open to it. I believe strongly, I am very convinced of this, bro, that God gave us basketball in faith to be another extension and a branch of evangelism in the earth. Almost these real live images of the character of Christ, the standard of God, the togetherness.
Through these things you're built up, you're conditioned, you're developed, to move with sternness. I'm not going to quit, I'm going to keep going. Those are all things that God has given us in his word to do, to be. I think a young person trying to feel their way through an unknown world, a very scary world, a very cold world, using basketball and the things that go on, the ebbs and flows, the highs and lows, mountains of valleys, using basketball is a great tool.
SON’S MAGAZINE
It really is. If you think about it, the fact that you guys have been invited around to the various public schools shows that God is using basketball for evangelism. Most pastors are not getting invited into a public school, but through basketball and athleticism, you're able to make a difference in the young folks lives. You are able to reach them in a way that you wouldn't have been able to had God
not put basketball in your life.
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
That's funny that you say that because I've been asked to coach every year and I turned it down. With my son being with me now I'm ready to get back into coaching. I can say this because I'm 12 years into the pastoring, we know what the Bible says about pastoring. It's one of the five fold ministry gifts in the earth that God's given to us.
The Bible says that these gifts, apostle, pastor, teacher, prophet, and evangelist are given for the edification of the Church. So we know that there's purpose in being a pastor. But, in that I believe that God has given us kingdom responsibilities, like coaching. If you look at coaching, you have quicker access to a whole different generation than a pastor has. He's not going to have that direct access to these young people, he's not going to get invited to these schools, but a coach is.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Oh yeah.
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
So you can, in a very real way, as a coach or anyone working in sports, use that platform. It's not about beating people over the head with the Bible, it's about embodying the very nature, the very character of Christ. So above all, to love people. That's what he's instructed us to do, to care for people. I think one of the major giftings of coaching is to be compassionate and be invested, to keep communicating the goal in times of frustration.
I'll be honest with you, it’s tough in the locker room after a team loses, the kids are distraught and the coaches are kind of frustrated. So to come in that locker room as a kingdom ambassador, to have this love for basketball, and to be able to tell them, hey, it's gonna be all right, you're right where you're supposed to be. I think it's a refreshing thing. I believe what Proverbs 3 says. Proverbs 3 talks about loyalty and kindness, that when you find them around your neck you'll find favor with God and man. I believe that wholeheartedly, and I think God wants to use sports to reach young people and definitely adults too. I firmly believe he's doing that, he's always done that.
SON’S MAGAZINE
Even if you’re, like you said, not beating somebody over the head with the Bible, if they can see the passion you have for your kids, the passion you have for the game, and that you're genuine, that ministers to people. That's a beautiful thing. You
do so much for young folks, let me ask you this, if you could go back and talk to your younger self, knowing what you know now, what advice would you give yourself? What would you say to help the younger you make it through the tough times?
PASTOR BRANDON MCINTOSH
I would continue to tell myself to keep God first. And then I would explain that because we say that to kids all the time but we don’t explain it to them. I would tell them, number one, trust the big plan that you can't see, there's a bigger plan that’s over your life. Just trust that it's there and trust that it will all work out for your betterment. Secondly, I would certainly say be very honest and transparent when you're talking to God.
when you start to do that it glorifies God. That's all I did, bro.
I'm just one of these recipients of grace. I know God used basketball to save my life, to bring me unto him, to completely unravel this plan that's been over my life since I've been born, but there was a greater plan involved. So I would just continue to tell me to stick to that or any young person, find what you love to do and do it to the max. My son is very creative. He loves basketball, but he's an artist and I'm pushing that. I'm an advocate for that, find what you love and do it to the max.
I would strongly encourage a prayer life in a very untraditional sense. I would encourage you to talk to God, I'm talking about asking questions about this and that. The Bible encourages us to ask, to seek. So I would really be a strong advocate for a prayer life. I would tell myself to journal, if you can't always feel like you can say it, write it down. Also trust the people around you. Find you a community of friends and get involved with whatever is in your heart to do and do it with all your might.
Do it as if you have been given a gift and you're responsible to do that gift to the best of your ability. I would really strongly stress that because in doing that I think you'll find some of your purpose. It may not be all of it, but I think in some of that you'll find your purpose.
And in finding your purpose, it pleases God. Occupying the lane that God created for you is your divine birthright. Identify what your purpose is,
c.JV[r.
Christopher Wu.ffman, (Jenerational l£Jealthc/fgent
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